In this chapter, Mercy is taken to the hospital for checks. Now I am writing my Infection story soon, but it will take abit longer. Give me your thoughts and opinions on the characters of all of my stories, please, because I strongly value character development and personalities.

At the hospital, I sat on the hospital bed. My mind is fixated on Hope, they have whisked her away to another room in the same hospital to examine her. I was deemed as healthy fairly quickly.

I pretended to be sorrowful and hysterical. I was a distraught child that just experienced a traumatic tragedy.

I felt no remorse for what I did. That's the honest truth. All I cared about was my little Hope and my future. I contemplated on what exactly to do. I anticipated that this family would be my ticket to happiness and enlightenment, but I was wrong.

I must find another family. I needed another orphanage to call home.

Eventually I left the hospital without Hope and I was sent to the police station for questioning. I never felt so anxious in all of my life. Being around authorities always made me feel terrified. They're the only people who can take me away and lock me away for good.

During the questioning session, I remained composed. I told them the story I fabricated with my superficial charm and pitiful tears.

Everyone seemed to believe my story. The authorities then alerted me that there was possible arson involved. They assured me that they would find the cruel arsonist. I was wearing a mask of grief, but on the inside, I was cheering in triumph. I was actually getting away with this!

The fire burned the family to a crisp, making them entirely unrecognizable. No one suspected foul play.

The only thing that mattered to me was Hopey. "When can I see my baby sister again?" I asked feverishly.

The officer that took me to the station gave me a downcasted look. "Well….Mercy," I felt a hole forming in my heart.

"No.." I whispered miserably. No! NO! NO! NO! I imagined the worst.

"Your Aunt…...she picked up Hope from the hospital." He informed me. He attempted to sound empathetic, but my eyes swelled up with heartbroken tears regardless. There are no words I can fathom that could describe how I felt at this moment. I felt like someone just stabbed me in the heart, I felt like the blade of the knife was being twisted inside my heart.

"No...no...no...no...Hopey….no…" I broke down into tears. All of the pride and triumph I felt moments ago has dissolved. I felt dizzy and lightheaded.

My tears were raw and real. I cried my little heart out. The officers around me attempted to console me, but there was nothing they could do. I loved and cherished Hope with all of my heart. Hope was the only person I cared about in this world. I treasured her. I cared for her. In our short time together, Hope was the sunshine of my bleak world. I am a failure. I failed to keep my daughter with me. I failed at being a Mother. More tears ran down my face. I wanted to crawl up into a ball and die. I became hysterical, I began to hyperventilate. I bawled out all of my pent up emotions. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOT HOPEY! NO! NO!" I screeched. The officers attempted to calm me down. But I am too emotional to listen.

"She's with someone who can take care of her." An officer told me.

Then I feel something different. Through my heartbroken tears, I feel a odd sense of happiness. I couldn't explain it at first. I was baffled at the sense of happiness I felt. It was small, completely overcasted with the despondence I felt at this moment.

But as I dug deeper into myself, I realized what that happiness was. Hope would have a home. She would have someone to watch over her and care for her. I desired to have that person be me. But at least she is with someone that could provide for her.

I didn't think everything through. I didn't regret killing the Sullivans and I also didn't regret sparing Hope's life. But I didn't think about what exactly I would do next. Logically I shouldn't be shocked by this. Of course, Hope was going to be adopted by someone more dutiful parental figure than me. I was idealistic and believed in a delusional dream where me and Hope would be together and I would raise her as my daughter with no conflicts at all.

But I lacked so much that Hope would have needed.

"If you love something set it free." I thought to myself melancholy. I sniffled as despairing tears rolled down my cheeks. I understood what was the logical thing to do. But I hated it. I hated this feeling of helplessness. I wished I could have said goodbye at least.

I thought of Hope's face. Her beautiful, innocent face. Her sweet laughter. Her adorable smile. It caused me to smile myself. Hope will be always be in the back of my mind.

I wiped away my tears when I am slightly more calm. I struggled to compose myself. "Where am I going?"

The officer beside me gave me some tissues. He gave me a warm smile. "Saint Amorettes. An orphanage that will give you a perfect home." He told me.

With a heavy heart, I arrived at Saint Amorettes on a warm Sunday afternoon. It was in the beginning of December when I am driven all the way to Connecticut and left at the Orphanage.

I am completely rattled by my new surroundings. New people and new settings makes me uneasy. I never liked change.

Saint Amorettes was a quite beautiful place, I'll admit. It was made out white stone with a three stories structure. The outside was wide and open, there was large front yard with a spacious playground in the massive backyard. It was a pretty sight to look at. I saw the elegant sign of the Orphanage. I saw little girls all collectively dressed in drab uniforms.

When I was escorted inside, my breath was taken away. The Orphanage was wider and spacious on the insides than the outside. It is tastefully designed with white walls and polished wooden floors. Coming inside, I am approached by a wide staircase that led to the second floor. The officer that took me was talking to a nun in the doorway. He was explaining how I was a victim of a house fire and my entire adoptive family died and how I was just separated from my baby sister. Tragic sob story basically.

I didn't want to hear anymore of what the officer was saying. I carried my luggages and paced around the place. I saw Catholic religious imagery hanging on the walls. I am not religious, so I am indifferent to it.

"Goodbye, Mercy." The officer told me. I was told his name, but I have long forgotten, I waved back at him as he departed.

The Nun, whose name was Sister Rose approached me with a kindhearted smile. "Hello, Mercedes. Pleasure to meet you. I will show you to your dorm." She told me in a precise voice.

I followed Sister Rose up the stairs to the second floor, there was another flight of stairs that lead to the three floor. To my left and right, there is a corridor with rows of dorms and other rooms. My dorm is on the third floor and is the very last one next to the bathroom.

When I entered the room, I struggled not to frown upon seeing bunkbeds. No one was in the dorm because it was currently freetime. It was a fair sized room with eggshell colored walls. It was tidy and well decorated. There was a twin bunkbed on one side of the room, positioned horizontally against the wall. On the other side is a triple bunkbed that is also positioned horizontally against the wall. Both of them beds are made from fine dark wooden and are sturdy. There are couple of dark dressers and a wide closet. Charming place in my opinion.

I did hate that I will not have any privacy.

But I had to play my Mercy act. "It is lovely." I complimented. Sister Rose is charmed by my accent. "Your accent is delightful." She remarked. "You should go meet the other children."

"Can I unpack my objects first, please?" I asked politely.

"Of course, call me if you need anything. Make yourself at home." Sister Rose departed downstairs. I was alone with myself and my thoughts. I constantly thought about Hope in my mind. I had no keepsakes or mementos of her, I only had memories of her.

I pondered how many roommates I would have. Hopefully none of them are unruly. I unpacked my items and neatly folded my dresses. I discovered that the dress uniform we wear is similar to my dresses to hide my deformity. I dressed myself in the uniform in the bathroom and put a extra layer of youthful makeup.

I decided that if I am going to be here, I must act cordial. I can't be antisocial and distant all the time. I decided to interact with the children. I headed downstairs on the second floor to find the children meandering through the place. There was a library, a playroom, and a art room.

"Hello!" I waved cheerfully to everyone in the art room as I entered.

The children paid me little mind. I was simply another face in the sea of other girls. I directly greeted nearly every girl in the room, expect one.

A raven haired little girl that sat alone at a table. She was coloring delicately in her coloring book. I approached her and greeted her brightly. "Hello, my name is Mercy," I beamed. "What is yours?"

"Alyona." She said shyly. My mouth flew open in shock. Alyona looked at me baffled by my shocked reaction.

Her accent was thick. She sounded like she was not American. Alyona's cheeks became reddish with nervousness. Her deep blue eyes darted back to her coloring book.

I decided to further interact with Alyona to avoid suspicion. I liked to spice up Mercy's character sometimes. Personally being around all of these people did make me feel edgy, but I didn't want to look antisocial on my first day here.

"So how are you?" I asked Alyona.

Alyona looked up at me with childish timidity. I quickly got the impression that Alyona was a shrinking violet. A girl who clearly doesn't like to make small talk.

"Good," She appeared hesitant. "Um...umm...where are you from?" I could tell in her voice is trying to be polite and was alluding to my own foreign accent.

"Estonia." I chirped. "I came from Estonia. Where did you come from?"

Alyona gulped and broke eye contact with me. "Um...um...Russia. I came from Russia." She choked out. She was still blushing profusely. I was shocked to find someone like me. Someone from a foreign country. The only difference is that I'm a grown woman frozen in a little girl's body and Alyona wasn't. She was a real seven-year-old girl. I felt my motherly instincts kick in. Yes. I know what you're thinking. Pretty fast to move on from Hope, right? Not exactly, Hope will always be in my heart and memories. But I do need to practice how to be a Mother. I wanted Alyona to be my practice child.

I actually did care for her, I was captivated by her with our common backgrounds. I gave her a gentle smile. "Your coloring is really good." I complimented.

Alyona avoided looking at me. "Thank you." She whispered.

Alyona was the perfect practice child for me. Shy, reticent, and sweet. She reminded me of myself of when I was innocent and young. She was as adorable as a kitten. She has curly raven hair with aqua blue eyes. She had the appearance of a porcelain doll.

"Can I draw with you?" I inquired.

Alyona looked up at me with uncertainty in her eyes. "Umm….really?" She gasped in shock.

I raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

Alyona blushed. "It's….just….it's just…." She stuttered with her words. "No one talks to me…." She admitted.

"Well I am." I told her charmingly.

Alyona gave me a small smile in return. I interacted with Alyona and even ate dinner with her.

After dinner, all of the children headed to their respective dorms. But I am kept behind in order to take my picture for my portfolio.

I smiled charmingly for the camera, bliss gleamed in my emerald eyes, my golden hair is in a neat ponytail.

Another nun that is younger named Sister Pauline escorted me to my dorm and I am introduced to my new bunkmates.

"Mercy, this is Monica." She gestured to a Hispanic girl with curly black hair. Monica waved me cordially. Then Sister Pauline gestured to a blonde haired girl with big blue eyes. "This is Trinity." She said. Then she introduced my other bunkmates to me, a little girl that looked to be ten or eleven, she is taller than me and had brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles all over her. "This is Jessica." and finally a biracial girl that looked to be eleven or twelve. She looked mixed with African American and Caucasian. Her skin was very light and her eyes were hazel. "This is Layla."

I considered making one of them my practice children. I needed to get as much practice as I could for my future child when I am adopted. The girls that are older than "Mercy," are off-limits, so I am betting on girls that are lower or near Mercy's age. Layla sat on the top of the bunk I am going to share with her. Trinity, Jessica, and Monica all shared the triple bunkbed.

As I slept, all I could think about was my goal. In my dreams, I would see myself succeeding them. I dreamt myself wrapped around a man that was planting loving kisses on me. I was in a lovely white wedding dress, my hair is prim and curled, I wore fine jewelry. I dreamt of myself with my lover, kissing him passionately.

I dreamt of my children if I could ever have one. I dreamt of myself going into labor and giving birth to a beautiful child that I could call my own. This is why I am doing all of this. I play a child so one day I could find a man to love me like my Father did. No regular man on the street will want me. Suddenly my dreams turned into nightmares. I recollected my memories of when I was a prostitute. I was beaten and abused more than I could count.

I will never understand why. Why can't I have a moment of bliss? Why can't I have peace? I remembered how I was rejected. My Father broke my heart. At first, me and him were close, we had this special relationship similar to how him and Mother shared. My mother was kind and caring to me, but as I got older, she became scornful towards me. She would snap at me and belittle me every chance she could. When I was eight, my mother died of a heart attack. It happened when I was at school and my Father was at work. So when we came home that day, it was just tragic and terrifying. My father was the only person that showed me, true love, from the very beginning of my life. Now I know what he did to me was abuse. But for the longest time, I didn't know. His "love" for me was all I knew. I still remembered the night he broke my heart. I remembered how enraged I was. I murdered him, slitting his throat, and stabbing his girlfriend to death. I burned the house down and fled.

I woke up in a cold sweat from my nightmares.

Then I heard pitiful whimpering. I turned my head to see that blonde girl swimming in her bedsheets. She tossed and turned in sleep, suffering from a haunting nightmare. Trinity slept on the bottom bunk of her bunkbed.

Jessica is awake and looked annoyed by Trinity's commotion. I decided that this would be a great moment for me to practice playing "Mommy," I decided that since I'm going to be here, I should use these girls for practice.

I got out of bed and sauntered over to her. I wrapped my arms around Trinity and sat in bed with her. "It's just a nightmare...it's just a nightmare.." I consoled to her. My voice had the tone of a mother comforting her child. Trinity's eyes popped open, she gasped at first, when she realized I was holding her, but didn't yank away. Instead, she buried her tearful face into my chest.

Trinity released out a broken sob. She embraced me tightly. Jessica groaned in exasperation. "Why are you crying?" She demanded. She had no sympathy in her voice. "Why do you always have to cry? It is late. Go to sleep already!" Jessica hissed.

Trinity is unable to respond to that because she coughed out more sobs.

"Leave her alone!" Monica snapped from the very top of the bunk. Her voice is full of intensity and defense.

Jessica rolled her eyes in impudence. "Shut up! No one is talking to you!" Jessica shot back. Jessica reminded me of Gabby at this moment. I hope she will not be an issue for me. I ignored the little brat and continued to comfort my practice child #2.

I liked Monica quickly. Monica glared at Jessica fiercely. "Leave Trinity alone!" She barked. "Or else!" She added strongly. She displayed both of her fists in a hostile manner.

"Enough!" Layla's calm voice echoed in the room. She laid in her bed, looking exhausted and annoyed. She desperately wanted to return back to sleep. "Stop fighting, all of you!"

Monica rolled her eyes, she pointed a stiff finger to Jessica. "She started it!" She cried.

"I don't care, goodnight." Layla mumbled. She went back to sleep.

Trinity finally finds the ability to speak. "I…..I...am sorry…" She sniveled.

I gave her a supportive pat on the back. "It's fine. Just relax." I consoled. I gave her a comforting smile. "Do you want to talk about it?" I added.

Trinity shook her head. "No..no.." She sniffled.

"Just go to bed!" Jessica snarled. Trinity shook a little. Monica glared at Jessica. "Stop it!" She barked.

I am about to put myself into the mix, but Trinity is a peacemaker. "I'll go to bed." She said softly. Trinity looked me in the eyes. Her eyes are adorable to look at. "Thank you, Mercy." She said kindly.

Then I headed back to my bed. With a smile, I went to sleep.

In the early morning, I woke up and did my "Mercy," routine, when I headed back into the dorm, Monica approached me. "Mercy, wanna eat with me and Trinity?" She asked me.

"Sure." I smiled. I wondered how I would be a Mother to Monica. She seemed more independent and self-sufficient compared to the other girls. Trinity and the other girls are already gone to the mess hall. Me and Monica went out into the corridor to head down to the stairs.

Then a girl who is running behind us blindly bumped into me. I released out a shriek and I tumbled to the floor with her.

The girl fell right on top of me, groaning in pain. "What the fuck?" She growled. She crawled off of me and glared at me. Monica helped me to my feet. She glared at me coldly. I returned the same glare.

"Watch where you are going!" She seethed. She was a tall girl with straight black hair and green eyes. She looked to be eleven or twelve. I learned later on that her name is Melinda. She would eventually become one of my many enemies at this place.

Monica became belligerent. Her fists are balled up, she gritted her teeth. "LEAVE US ALONE!" She walked up to Melinda, completely unfazed that Melinda was taller than her. "Leave us alone or else, I will make you leave us alone!" She threatened. Monica looked like she was ready to bawl. I smiled wickedly to myself at the thought of violence. But I knew that violence wasn't the wise choice.

Melinda glared at the both of us. She looked eager to fight, probably would have hadn't Sister Rose walked into the corridor.

"What are you ladies doing? It is breakfast time. Go eat." She commanded.

I forced myself to become obedient. I didn't want to cause trouble. Monica still looked like she wanted to knock Melinda's teeth out, so I put an urgent hand on her shoulder. Monica glanced at Sister Rose and she knew that a fight was not a good idea.

Obediently, we all headed to the messhall.

Next chapter, Mercy practice playing Mommy with her new practice children.