I know this is a bit slow but please give it a chance, and don't forget to R&R!

Chapter One~ Memories and an Outing

Mrs. Eleanor Dames Orphanage was not the right place for to raise a baby, so it was no surprise that when infant Riley arrived Mrs. Dames had little to no clue as to how to handle any situation she found herself in when deal with the infant. Often times she did a half-ass job and considered it her best and as best as it would get. So by the time Riley could talk and walk she realized a few things; this wasn't her true home, Mrs. Dames wasn't her real mother and that those around her didn't like her. As she grew it became instantly clear that the child was unnaturally intelligent and peculiar to say it lightly. She learned to talk and not because anyone bothered teaching her, but because she listened to other people talking and figured out what each word meant in what context. So when she put together her first sentence,

"I'd like some cereal please." At five and a half everyone was shocked to say the least because she hadn't say a word before then and everyone assumed her mute. After that she wouldn't stay quiet, and it was getting her to keep quiet that was the hardest thing ever. She would talk about everything and anything to anyone who she thought would listen only to be pushed into the ground or kicked into a wall to shut her up. Even Mrs. Dames would yell at her to silence her to get the point across that she wasn't wanted here. By the time she was six everyone knew her to be 'wild Riley' and for several reasons. It was one day during early spring when all the girls were outside playing with their dolls that Riley had fashioned one from twigs and old cloth bringing it over to show them.

"Nice doll idiot." one of the girls said but Riley only smiled as she put her doll on the ground feet touching and letting go smiled as the doll stayed upright on its own and began to hover. At this all the girls screamed crying,

"Witch! She's a witch!" and ran away dropping their dolls onto the ground in their haste to get away back into the manor. It was another time sometime later into the same year that she was sitting alone reading by the massive ancient yew tree that she noticed a garden snake slithering in the tall weeds. Not scared, she gingerly picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand before hearing a tiny voice say,

"I'm hungry."

"Oh poor thing you, I bet you haven't eaten in days." she replied back casually carrying on the conversation almost instantly knowing it was the snake talking and so taking the book with her carried the snake easily in her hand back towards a better part of the gardens.

"Don't worry, I'll help you find a mouse or something." she said smiling at her scaly friend before hearing a scream and looking up noticed a girl had been coming over to tell her it was dinner time.

"Are you talking to that snake?!" she said in a panicked voice shaking all over and keeping her eyes on it as if it was a venomous python.

"It's only a tiny baby garden snake, it doesn't even have any poison!" Riley had replied holding her hand out to show her new friend to her but she screamed again and ran into the arms of Mrs. Dames who screamed too upon seeing the snake. From then on she wasn't allowed outside the iron fence of the property or anywhere out of Mrs. Dame's sight. Now Mrs. Dames isn't the sort of woman to take any sort of acting out or rebellion so handling outcast Riley was her life's struggle. She had tried over the years to conform the brat into being a normal civilized child—but after she realized that wasn't going to work she succumbed to the fact that she'd never be adopted and hence forth would simply be just as strange just as—abnormal as the night she appeared on her doorstep. Mrs. Dames is a woman with ash gray that was once black hair and hawk like eyes that spark and crackle like fire when angry with someone (mainly Riley) and wears sophisticated clothing nearly all the time except when she's working in her garden. Her manor home has up to twelve children, all girls, at a time and she has a success rate of adoption of nearly eighty percent. The girls share rooms up to four at a time but Riley—Riley has the attic bedroom to herself. The one time she had shared a bedroom with a group of girls they begged and pleaded with Mrs. Dames she be moved because they swore that she was talking to the owl outside the window. So Riley was moved to the tiny attic 'bedroom' that was really a storage closet. Riley grew to not mind it, she had her own private space to call her own with no one to bug her. She tried to make it seem like it didn't bother her—that she was completely and utterly alone knowing that she had no chance in the world to be adopted and no family out there to find her. Riley had dark fiery hair and lavender eyes that every thought were fake along with the one thing she hides as best she can; a crescent moon scar on her collarbone. She was told she got it in the same accident that killed her parents and brought her here—but every time she touches it she feels an electric tingle come off it—like she's missing something—or someone. A sudden knocking startled her out of her thoughts making her jump from the tiny single cot she was lying on as a voice cried,

"You better be up in there!"

"I am Mrs. Dames!" Riley cries already dressed for the day in dark blue jeans and a navy blue sweater. The voice on the other side of the door grumbles before the door opens and Mrs. Dames peers her head inside to say,

"Today we're going to the zoo, so remember the rules."

"Stay close to you and not to move from you're side." Riley repeated for the millionth time over so that the older woman nodded before shutting the door leaving Riley to put on her shoes before looking out the window and see a wonderful day outside. Exhaling deeply, she just hoped that this outing would go as normally as it could without anything out of the ordinary happening. Every time she went on an outing something abnormal or unexplainable would happen—and everyone would blame her. Quickly shaking that thought away, she got off the bed and stepped into the hallway filled with boxes of old useless things and clutter heading for the staircase. Once on the second floor of the manor she found nearly everyone already down on the first floor and continued on to hopefully get at least something to eat quickly before they left. As soon as she reached the foyer however Mrs. Dames called out,

"To the bus everyone!" as the girls cried out in joy Riley frowned and stuffed her hands in her pockets falling to the back of the group but feeling the watchful gaze of Mrs. Dames on her as always. Outside she felt the glorious sunrays on her and brightened a bit before climbing onto the bus that would take them to the zoo in London. As the bus started up she sat by the window, with no one sitting by her and watched the scenery go by leaning her forehead against the windowpane.

"Now remember Riley—no funny business. None at all or you won't have any free time for a week!" Mrs. Dames hushed harshly to her from her seat so that Riley could only nod as she watched the countryside turn to highway and that turn to city as the zoo quickly approached. Somehow though, Riley felt as if something was going to happen—whether she liked it or not. Before long they finally arrived at the zoo and Mrs. Dames gave out the rules,

"Everyone is to follow me and we are to have five minutes at each display and area before moving on. Now, we'll start—" but Riley tuned her out not listening anymore as they started with the Lions and such before going to each exhibit in turn. Finally they reached the Reptile House where upon entering Riley noticed four people staring at a snake seemingly asleep. They seemed to be a family, though the second boy clearly stood out from the others because of his state of dress in baggy hand-me-downs and how he stood two paces away from the other three.

"Make it move." the other boy, plump and round as a balloon or sausage snapped so that his father, equally as large with a mustache began banging on the glass snapping,

"Move!" before the boy banged so hard that Riley was sure the glass would shatter snapping harshly,

"MOVE!"

"He's asleep!" the other boy said in defense but the first boy said dully,

"He's boring." then stepped away along with his parents so that Riley went over hearing a bit of what the second boy was saying to the snake,

"Can you hear me?" he was asking as the snake and when the snake nodded its head the boy blinked several times before Riley spoke saying to the snake,

"What's your name?" the boy jumped upon hearing her voice and turned to see her smiling friendly face when they both heard,

"It's Luis." turning back to the snake in the enclosure, the two blinked when the boy said,

"But you're from Burma aren't you?" then the snake moved its head to a sign that read 'BREED IN CAPTIVITY'.

"Ah I see, that's me as well. I never knew my parents either." then suddenly both Riley and the boy were pushed aside by the same boy from earlier who cried,

"Mum! Dad! You won't believe what this snake is doing!" and as he spoke the glass vanished and he fell straight into the enclosure crying out as the snake slithered out but stopped to thank them.

"You're welcome Luis." Riley said as the snake began to slide off making people scream and run in fear. As the boy, now seemingly trapped inside the glass enclosure, begged with his mum on the other side to get out, the boy turned to her and she saw he had round glasses broken in the middle and a strange scar on his forehead.

"My name's Harry by the way." he said moving to shake her hand as Riley smile saying,

"And I'm Riley. Nice to meet you too." as they shook hands both felt as if they had been zapped. Staring at one another, they looked down at their hands before looking back up at one another in shock. Why had that happened? And what did it mean? Riley was about to ask—but she'd have to wait.