There were doors everywhere. Doors painted black. I kept running along the never-ending corridor which only resulted in more doors appearing. A small voice inside my head urged me to stop running and open a door instead. Stopping in front of the nearest door, I place my hand on its knob and twist it. Hesitantly, I take my first step, but before I can land my foot, I stumble and fall inwards. The ground disappears and I just keep falling…..until I realize what's beneath me. "No! Stop!" I cry. "Jane! What are you saying?" asked the voice. "Make it stop!" Struggling, I try to hold on to the edges of the bottomless tunnel, but my attempts fail. "Nooo!"
"JANE!" I open my eyes and look into the gloom. After a few seconds, my irises adjust to the dim light and identify a familiar face. "Jane! Are you alright? You were like screaming at the top of your lungs! It's a miracle Mrs. Dentt didn't wake up! I'm guessing you were in the middle of another one of your nightmares?" I nodded in reply as Helen, my best friend here at the Lowood Charity home (founded in 1800 by a Mr. Brocklehurst whoever that is) continued to speak. Thank god Mrs. Dentt's still asleep. She must sleep like a door nail. I look at my watch (yes, I had fallen asleep with it) and let out a groan. 3:00 am. I can't fall asleep again. Getting up from my bed -which feels like one of the stone beds in 'The Flintstones'- I haul my butt all the way to the bathroom at the end of the room and take a shower. That's one good thing about getting up this early. You don't have to stay in the queue to use the loo. Yes, all of us- approximately 50 of us here- have to share two bathrooms. I know. Gross. But you get so used to it that it becomes a part of your life. Sharing bathrooms, I mean. The water's freaking cold this time. Apparently all those donations Lowood received at the bake fair aren't enough to fix one stupid heater. Closing my eyes, I let the water numb my body until I couldn't almost feel my toes.
I throw on some old jeans and a sweater. By the time I'm done, it's 4:00 am. Sigh. Why didn't I take more time? While drying my hair with a towel (blow-dryers were a luxury only to be indulged by Mrs. Dentt so it seemed) I stare out through the window above my bed. The sun's beginning to rise and streaks of orange pierce through the purple sky. Dawn approaches. I thought about my ten years at Lowood. Ten years of hard work and sh**. I had earned a scholarship two years ago to Kensworth College but I needed permission from a guardian to get myself accepted. I clenched my fists when I remembered how coolly Mrs. Reed declined the offer. It wasn't fair. Anger raged within me as tears begin to roll down my cheeks. I never really understood why she hated me do much. Ever since childhood. I forced myself to forget those thoughts. What was the use on dwelling on a not-so fortunate past? What matters is the future. Turning eighteen has made me realize that I should get a job and a place of my own. Start a new life. A better one. A less crappy one. I continued on this stream of thoughts until the bell rang for assembly.