I was really proud of this chapter. I worked really hard on it, and hopefully I'll be able to upload more often. So without further adieu, enjoy! :)


~ Fae's PoV~

My midnight strike came again, and this time I vowed to myself that I would get to bed earlier. Well, then again, I've made that vow hundreds of times before and I have never listened to it. But not like that mattered. I'll just go back to bed when I got tired.

I walked over to the window again and sat in the seat like I do every night. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I didn't continue with the habit. It seemed like it was a part of me now and nothing could really change it. I couldn't even remember why I started doing this. But again I say, it's not like it matters right now. It's not very important.

I realized it was getting cold this time around, something that usually didn't happen. All the other times I was just happy the way I was. That didn't make me leave at all though; I just continued to stare up at the moon.

I remembered one time where I tried to draw the moon. I simply drew a circle using some of my sister's supplies. But the more I looked at it the more it didn't look like a moon. It could have been a ball for all I know. So I decided to start drawing all of the craters and such on it. That made it worse; it looked like cheese! So I erased all of the circles I made and simply drew a lot of stars on the page. Despite how much I wanted to make it better, I left it alone. I still have it, resting on the bottom of my draw at the bureau.

I yawned, realizing that I really was tired. Maybe I should try skipping tomorrow, I thought. That just might make it easier to get up the next morning. But it was a habit now, and I wasn't about to break it.

I was making my way back to the bed when I heard voices out in the hallway. Being curious, I made my way to the door and started eavesdropping on the conversation.

"… So make sure everything is clean tomorrow. We finally have a couple coming in to adopt." It was the caretakers, Mr. and Mrs. Whittier. I never really get to see them, only at breakfast and then we don't see them until bed. But then I realized what she had. A couple was coming in tomorrow! That means someone might be adopted! I then quickly tuned back into their conversation.

Mr. Whittier replied, "I know, I know. I'm not letting this chance go by. We finally might be able to get one of these brats off our hands." Mrs. Whittier laughed and agreed with him.

I was shocked, but I don't really see why I was. Everyone already knew they really didn't care about us. But now there was proof! I hated them now more than ever, and it was a lot before. I silently stepped back to try and get into bed. But of course, the floorboards below my feet decided at that moment to creak. I saw their shadows move towards the door and I flew back to my bed. Not a moment later did the door open, with the both of them peering in. The door closed and I sighed. Much too close, I thought. But now I was tired and there was nothing to do so I quickly fell into a long sleep.

The "alarm" went off next morning, and it seemed all too soon. I just wanted to roll back over and fall asleep again. But I forced myself to sit up and give myself a moment to wake up. But then I remembered what I heard last night and quickly fixed my bed so it was neat. I nearly ran to Rayna and immediately motioned for her to pay attention.

"Last night," I whispered to her, "I heard the Whittiers talking about a couple coming in today!" Her eyes widened at this but I continued. "I thought you would like to know. I don't know if they want a boy or girl but they're coming in today."

She asked me, "Did you happen to catch a time?" I shook my head. She gave me a weak smile and we continued walking to the dining room.

In the middle of eating who knows what, Mr. Whittier cleared his throat and motioned for us to pay attention.

"Today," he started, "We are going to have a couple come in to adopt one of you, maybe. Some I want all of you on your best behavior. After speaking with them, it seems they're interested in adopting a girl." This was actually a big shock. Not many people who came in were looking for a girl. It was mostly they guys that were adopted, since most people needed someone strong enough to work and such. And a guy can carry on the name and so on and so forth.

We continued to eat in silence. When we were all done eating, the boys went outside while the girls stayed in to fix themselves. Looking good was one of the things people noticed. If you look like a slob, you were thought of as a slob, and you weren't going to be adopted. But there really isn't much we can do. We brush our hair, smooth our dresses, and make sure there is no dirt of them.

I walked over to Rayna and sat on the bed with her. This scene was so familiar. It was like the last time someone was going to adopt a girl. It was almost me that time, being adopted. It scared me so much.

Flashback

I sat on the bed, with the tears running down my face. I was going to be adopted, so I should be happy. But I wasn't, though. I felt like the total opposite. I was going alone, and leaving my big sister. The thought ripped out my heart and a sob escaped my lips. This was my dream, to leave, but I couldn't do it without Rayna by my side. It just couldn't happen.

The door opened to the door and I whipped my head around. There stood Rayna, in the doorway just looking at me. One look at my face and she started crying a little herself. I looked away and I heard her walk over to the bed. She moved the small suitcase that held the little item I had and sat down.

"Don't worry," she said, while hugging me. "It's what we've both dreamed of. Well, we're not going together, but it's all right. In a couple of years I'll be able to leave this place behind on my own. And when I do, I'll make sure to find you." I shook my head violently at her words.

"No! I want us to be together, forever and ever! I can't just leave you behind!" I sobbed into her chest as she held me and tried to wipe away my tears. At that moment, I had made up my mind. I sat up and stopped crying, and wiped away my tears. I stood up and left the room, leaving behind Rayna.

When I reached the lobby, there stood the people who adopted me along with the Whittiers. I gulped before I spoke up to both couples.

"I do appreciate this," I spoke, "I really do. But I cannot leave now. My sister and I are one, and I can't leave without her. I'm sorry about this, and I do wish I could go with you. But, like I said, I cannot leave without my sister." Mr. Whittier looked very mad, while Mrs. Whittier hid her emotions very well.

The couple looked down at me and smiled. They understood what I said, but still wished I could go with them. They both crouched down and hugged me, promising they would return at some time to visit me. They never did come back…

~Rayna's PoV~

I looked over and Fae and noticed the blank look in her eyes. She had zoned out and everyone was coming soon. I shook her gently to bring her back, and she blinked while looking around. At that moment, everyone in the room heard footsteps outside the door and everything was silent, not a sound was heard.

The door opened to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Whittier and an elderly couple. I squeezed Fae's hand and gave her a small smile.

They seemed nice enough, and they were smiling. It was off to a good start. They all walked past the beds, the women occasionally whispering something in to the man's ear. When they walked past out bed, I tried to seem friendly. To be truthful, I wasn't a people person. Fae, on the other hand, was the type of person who could get along with just about anyone. They continued walking and I let out my breath, not even realizing I was holding it. We had a chance, but then again so did everyone else in this room. We were just going to have to wait for an answer.

And soon it came. While we waited in the room, the Whittiers and the elderly couple left. Some of the tension in the room lifted, and some people started to talk. Noise had filled the emptiness that was there just moments before.

Fae looked at me. "I like them. They seemed really nice." I nodded my head, paying attention but not really noticing. I hoped that we were going to be adopted. Personally I have had enough of this place and just wanted to be out and free. No one should have to live here.

The answer came ten minutes later. The couple had picked one of the younger girls, Julie. She was about seven and was very friendly. She was so happy, she started crying. Every one of us congratulated her, but we were all jealous of her. She was chosen to leave while the rest of us had to stay here.

While Julie stayed inside to pack her belongings, the rest of the girls strolled outside to join the boys. There was a lot a buzz going around as the boys learned who had been adopted. The friends of Julie joined together and pretty much was quiet, each of them alone with their own thoughts. I personally didn't know her that well, but I wished her well. She had gotten a chance.

~Fae's PoV~

Peter, John, Lilly, and I sat at our usual spot, thinking about today. Usually when someone was adopted, there were a lot of mixed emotions.

"Well, I for one am glad she's gone," John sighed. We all glared at him, shocked.

Lilly shot back, "How could you say that? She was really nice!"

"Well of course she is. But I swear she had some sort of crush on me. She tended to stare at me a lot. It was kind of creepy…" I laughed at the thought. I hadn't of noticed the staring but it seemed so out of place. Julie was friendly and all, but she inclined to be shy a lot. Her being paired up with loud John just seemed out of place.

John glanced at me. "And what, dare I ask, is so funny?" I explained my thoughts to all of them and Lilly and Peter laughed. John just had this mad look on his face.

"I am not loud!" That only proved our point even more and the three of us laughed until our sides hurt. We sat up and smiled at each other. It was quiet for a moment.

Peter looked up at the sky. "I wonder what having a family would be like…" We stopped for a moment. None of us had that many memories of our families, only thoughts we had pulled from deep in our hearts. No one spoke a word as we all spent some time with Peter question.

Another bell rang, and we stood up, ready to head back inside. As we walked to the dining room for dinner, there were a few murmurs heard as some people finished up their earlier conversations. I was silent, since there was nothing for me to speak about.

When we sat at the table, there on our plates was actual food. Well, it was tomato soup, so I considered it food. And it actually tasted like tomato soup. Dinner was very quick as everyone loved the food for once. I guess the Whittiers weren't all that bad, if they could make something like this.

We marched to the bathroom to wash our faces and brush our teeth. We then scurried to bed for the night. I didn't fall asleep right away though. I was still thinking about my family. I really couldn't remember much about them, except that they were always happy when they were around us. But the thoughts stopped there for the night. I was really tired for some reason and I turned over and fell asleep.