Thank you for advancing to Chapter 1! I'm sorry that the chapters are so short I just like when I get to keep you in suspense!
Anyways, what house do you guys want Raeyna to be in?

"So it's true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love."

― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

Act 1: The Undoing

Blood. So much blood. She wrinkles her nose, it reeks of cold metal. She drops the knife, it was too cold in her hand, much too cold. She trips over something hard on the floor and lands face-first into a puddle of blood. Gagging, she staggers upwards and kicks away the corpse blocking the doorway. "I'm free," she thinks, "at last."

Five Months Later

"You're telling me that this girl has been living alone for the past two bloody years?" the woman inquired attempting to regain her composure. Raeyna flinched, this woman was giving her a headache with all her shouting, she did not understand why she fussed so over such a petty matter. The older officer nodded grimly, seemingly shaken by this stern woman, whilst his younger partner cowered in the corner.

"Jesus Christ! The poor girl! Well, off with you two then, I'll take her in." the woman, who Raeyna now remembered the officer had called Mrs. Cole, glanced at her in sympathy and then hurriedly rushed the officers out of the Orphanage. "Well then dear, what's your name?" Mrs. Cole inquired with a patient smile.

"Raeyna." she answered biting the bottom of her lip. "Such a pretty name. Let me show you to your room Raeyna." Mrs. Cole offered grasping the girl's tiny fist in her firm hand, leading her down a dark and dusty hallway. They stopped before a room with a closed door, Raeyna looked at Mrs. Cole in question.

"I'm afraid that due to lack of funding, children here have to share a room and the last resident of this room moved out only yesterday which means that luckily for you, we were able to take you in. However, the other child still occupies this room, so you'll have to share with him, I'll introduce the two of you now." she frowned pushing open the wooden door.

Raeyna stared. A beautiful boy with the palest skin she had ever seen sat on a bed facing the peeling wall. "Tom!" Mrs. Cole barked, "introduce yourself to your new roommate!" The boy ignored her and continued staring blankly at the wall. Raeyna blushed and tugged at Mrs. Cole's sleeve gently and said, "it's ok ma'am, I don't mind, I'm sure he's just nervous." Mrs. Cole smiled at Raeyna and then walked towards the doorway before shouting at the boy one last time,"and you be nice!" and with that, she left.

Tom stared out of the corner of his eye as the girl sat on the bed that was now her own and smiled wistfully at him. "I'm Raeyna," she declared "it's very nice to meet you!" Tom smirked and turned around to face her.

She was pretty enough, her eyes were a chocolate brown and her hair was a striking red, falling in curls down to her delicate waist. "Shut up will you? You're a nuisance." Tom replied coldly. The girl, Raeyna, blushed and turned to face the wall. "I'm so sorry." She whispered as unwelcome tears dripped down her rosy face and into her lap. "I'm so sorry."

She fiddled with her bracelet, ignoring the silent glare fixated on her by the boy. "Do you want to play house with me?" she questioned, tilting around to face her roommate, her eyes lowered shyly to the ground. He sneered at her, as if the very idea of participating in such an activity was at the the least, absolutely preposterous and without doubt, out of the question.

"Alright, I-I'll leave you be then..." the girl murmured, staring as the boy retrieved a thick brown novel from the drawer beside his bed. Flinging himself with some amount of grace, onto his rackety bed, Tom proceeded to read, ignoring the flustered girl.

After some time of deliberation, Raeyna extracted a small notepad, from within the pocket of her lace frock and grabbed the pencil which, she had, much to her shame, stolen from the office of the very generous Mrs Cole. As she draws, the somewhat eery silence of the room, begins to slowly comfort her, she had very much been afraid that this place would be quite loud, but now she was somewhat pleasantly and ashamedly surprised to find that it was quite the contrary.

A knock is heard at the door as Mrs Cole barges into the room, stray hairs escaping from the firm grasp of her bun. She humphs loudly, grabbing Raeyna's hand, tugging her swiftly out of the room, yet not before loudly hollering at Tom to 'learn to be a bit more bloody gentlemanly!'

Dragging the poor girl throughout the dusty Orphanage hallways, Mrs Cole, began to briefly tour and instruct Raeyna on the numerous functions and uses of each and every room. Stopping before a large dining hall, Mrs Cole informed the puffing girl that it was now, in fact, dinnertime. Before abandoning Raeyna in the clutches of the violent and animalistic orphans, Mrs Cole graciously introduced her to a great many orphans, none of whom took a great liking to the rather awkward girl.

And so the unfortunate girl, sat by herself in a wide empty table, gently pushing the grubby peas around her plate. Quietly sipping from the murky waters in her cup, Raeyna observed her surroundings.

Tom sat at a table, surrounded by a parade of shameless girls, flirting publicly without shame. "Hello." a voice spoke. Frowning, she pivoted towards the direction of the speaker. An older boy, whom she guessed to be perhaps sixteen in contrast to her meagre ten, stood before her. His hair was long and hung to his chest, his skin a beautiful light brown and on his chiseled face he bore exotic green eyes.

Pointing at herself in confusion she asked, in a whisper, "m-me?" He nodded, staring at her intently. Sitting his lean form onto the chair opposite her, he smiled kindly. "You seemed lonely." he explained, winking at her. "Oh." she replied, blushing furiously. "I'm James." he stated, leaning gently towards her, "and you are?" "Raeyna." she beamed, "It's a pleasure to meet you." "Raeyna," he muttered, "a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. The pleasure's all mine."

She blushed, staring at her twitching fingers. "Thank you." "For what?" he asked, confusion written across his face. "For talking to me..." she whispered, "normally people don't really talk to me very much." "Like I said, the pleasure is all mine." he smirked, stuffing a grimy potato into his mouth. "So are they dead?" he asked through mouthfuls. "Whom?"

"Your parents, of course."
Silence.
"I honestly can't remember, I do suspect they are..." A lie.
"Yet, I'm alright here, in all honesty, it's quite nice." A lie.
"I feel at home here." Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie.

"It's alright, mine are dead you know." he interrupted her deliberation. She stared at him, silently questioning him. "Illness." he answered curtly, "so, do you like to draw?" She frowned. He laughed pointing to her notepad, which she'd placed next to her on the table. "Oh." she giggled, "yes I love it very much."

"How old are you?"

"Ten, turning eleven in May."

"God, you look so... Much older. In the best way possible of course."

"I've been told that quite often, regardless of my lack of substantial height."

He laughs at this, lacing his fingers through her outstretched hand. She flushed, quickly snatching away her hand. Hurt, the boy placed his hand back in his lap. He then smiled in earnest, staring into the chocolate of her eyes.
"You are very beautiful." Please stop.

"Thank you."

After dinner, James decided to show Raeyna the Orphanage library, whispering to her, intimately over dinner, that she would enjoy it very much. As they walked down the hallway, Raeyna voiced her worry, that it was getting dark and perhaps it would be best to go to bed. But James was adamant that she see it, and jokingly ordered her to think of it as a welcoming present.

Frightened of the gloomy darkness engulfing the two, Raeyna grasped James' hand for reassurance with her own trembling one. This action was met in return, with a calming squeeze. "

Almost there." he informed her, increasing their walking pace. He then briskly rounded a corner, and dragged the trembling girl behind him. He then pushed the wooden door softly open, gently tugging at Raeyna's wrist. "We're here." he announced, and grabbed a candle nearby, lighting it with a match from within his pocket.

The flame shone brightly, lighting up the cramped room. She gasped. The room was endowed with shelves and shelves of books greying and fraying at the edges. "Thank you..." she whispered, beaming at the boy, "It's simply grand..."

"I'm glad you like it." he muttered, glaring at her as he blew out the flame, "took a lot of my fucking time. So you'd better be worth it. I mean to fuck of course."
"Wh-" she frowned, only to be cut off mid sentence by a forceful impact on her lips. He grabbed her chin roughly, pulling her lightweight body towards him. He pushes her hands behind her back, trapping her against a wall. "Stop!" she screams, tears running down her face, "let me go!" James groans, seizing her hips. "Now I'm even more turned on."

The door creaks open. "Let her go." a cold voice echoes in the dark. Raeyna's attacker steps back, smirking. "Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it Riddle? You can't hurt me! You're a little pussy!" he barks, clutching his ribs. "I could kill you." Tom replies, "And watch you die slowly and painfully as I cut off your insignificant little balls. Is that befitting for you?"

James whimpers quietly, squeezing Raeyna's wrist so tightly, she's afraid it might break. "Fuck you!" he growled, pushing Raeyna violently to the back of the room. "Tsk tsk. You dull creatures never learn your place." Screams fill the room.

A loud thud echoes through the library. Footsteps. Raeyna trembles, as she cowers in the corner of the room. "Don't fret. You're safe now." he soothes. Raeyna runs sobbing into the arms of her saviour. He holds her as she trembles violently in his arms, weeping in relief. "Thank you," she whispers, "Tom."

He carries her in his arms, silently fuming. He attempted to remind himself why he had saved her. Ah, yes. because he suspected she was like him. Different. He was drawn to her as if he were a young child and she his toy. His newest plaything.

She watches the snow fall gently from the sky onto the smooth asphalt. She reaches out to touch it, but her wings are chained. She cannot fly. For they are broken.

The girl lies in the tub, her hair a wide red sea behind her. She watches fixedly as the once pure water cleanses her white body of the blood and filth. Leaning forwards, she stares at the remaining stub of flesh, of what was once her left leg. She ripples the red water gently with her pinky, staring at her distorted reflection. Red eyes gaze back hungrily at her.

Tom was beyond furious. Why did he of all the bloody unfortunate orphans have to rescue this useless brat whose sole aptitude was playing the part of a damsel in distress because she lacked the essential survival aptitude of common sense. Oh yes, it was some cruel fabrication of fate and the unfortunateness it inflicts upon all of those who play its tiresome game.

No, he had to control himself, he could not frighten her this time. To be perfectly honest with himself, she intrigued him. An odd little doll. He swiveled around to introduce himself formally when he noticed a scar on her outstretched wrist. A rush of excitement entered his body as he shivered deliciously all over. He internally complimented himself over his accurate analysis of the new girl.

He cleared his throat to procure her attention and decided, to this time, speak in a more genteel nature than in their previous introduction.

"Pardon me, for my earlier rudeness, I was simply caught unawares. Let me introduce myself properly this time. My name is Tom Riddle, delighted to make your acquaintance." his pretty face contorted into an angelic smile. Raeyna rubbed her dripping eyes and sniffed, staring up at him, her hands wrapped around his neck. She smiled sweetly in return and waved her hand shyly. Tom lay her down gently on a nearby bench, and sat gracefully next to her.

Shamelessly and intimately, he grasped her wrist and pulled it towards him. The girl blushed profusely and stared downwards. Tom grinned. "This might be a bit sudden, but may I ask how you obtained this scar?" he whispered leaning towards her flushed face.

Silence.

Tom watched in elation as the girl began to claw desperately at her throat. He grabbed her hands tightly in his own and stared into her empty brown eyes. "Tell me," he commanded quietly, his voice dripping with malice. She shrieked, trembling as tears streamed down her ghost-like face. Tom released her shaking hands.

"It hurts, Mommy, it hurts!" she moaned clutching her head. "Make it go away! Please! Help me! Mommy! Daddy! He's hurting me!" Tom frowned, but he wasn't touching her anymore. Raeyna continued to scream, "Get him away from me! He's touching me again!" she sobbed rocking backwards and forwards.

"I promise I'll be a good girl, promise. I'll do what you say! I promise!" she began to unceremoniously undress herself, pulling her thin white dress over her head. Tom's eyes widened. He grabbed her cold hands and swiftly clothed her. She stared at him. He stared back.

Her eyes morphed into a bright red as she gazed at him hungrily. She placed a delicate finger over her plump lips. "Our little secret." she whispered closely into his ear. "Our little secret." he promised. The girl slumped forward into his lap, unconscious. Tom smiled, unbestknowingly to the slumbering girl. "How simply ugly…" he whispered in her ear, "You're a monster."

"Just like me."

Raeyna awoke to find herself sitting on a bed, which she believed was not hers, in a dark and unrecognisable room. The events beforehand seemed distant and unfamiliar. She couldn't quite remember what she was doing here. Oh. Now she remembered, she had been conversing with the pretty boy. He had saved her from- from… Being… She shuddered.

She must have fallen asleep... The boy, Tom, was back in his own bed, staring once again, at the wall. He turned around at the sound of the ruffling sheets. "Oh, you're awake." he greeted her, smirking. "Did you know you snore?" Raeyna blushed and ducked her head back underneath the covers. "I'm sorry." she stammered.

"Don't fret, it's relaxing to listen to, princess." he added as an afterthought. "Pardon?" she gasped. "Princess, that's what you are. I'm a knight and when we grow older we'll marry!" he stated, grinning devilishly at her hidden form. She was breathless. The pretty boy had said he'd marry her! She peeked out slowly from underneath the warm woollen covers, her innocent eyes glistening in happiness, she was delighted, he was such a pretty boy as well.

"Promise?" she whispered, her face alive with the prospect. He stalked towards her and encircled her frail body in his arms, smirking. Stroking her wild hair, he murmured, "Promise."

Even then, perhaps, she could tell..,
Promises exist to be broken.

The sun broke through the curtains, shining onto their entwined bodies. Raeyna's eyes fluttered open, as she slowly adjusted to the morning light. She yawned burying deeper into Tom's grip. Oh. Yes, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Flushing, she silently wondered whether this was a wanton act on her behalf.

Yet, she thought, I feel safe... She wanted to stay like this, forever, to feel this comfort of another's warmth. She watched as he subtly stirred, waking.

"Did you sleep well?" he inquired from his waking position, frowning slightly. "Yes, very. And you?" Raeyna replied, staring dreamily out the cold room's window. "Well," he answered curtly, following her gaze,

"Do you - do you, like it here?"

"I-I think so…"

But the truth bites at her tongue.
No, she does not like it here, in all honesty, she hates this place.

It is a bitter reminder of the past.

"I want to thank you." she whispers.

"What for?"

"For saving me from being..."

"Raped?"

"Yes."

He shrugs.

"Very well, then. You're welcome."

"C-Can I, can I sit with you today? At dinner I mean..."

"You may."

"Tom, what did you do... To James?"

"Let's leave it at the possibility that he may be unable to walk now."

"He's late." she mutters, crossing her legs for what felt like the millionth time. Poking in disgust at her reeking mashed potatoes and potato soup, Raeyna stares at the nearby cafeteria table. Momentarily after her arrival, she had quickly learnt that even in a simple Orphanage, there was a certain degree of social hierarchy.

At the very top of the "food chain" sat the beautiful, somewhat aristocratic (to an extent, keeping in mind that this is an orphanage), Catherine Belton, a girl who was now very fond of humiliating Raeyna, due to her jealousy of the latter's sudden relationship with Tom, who were almost constantly seen in the company of one another (yet, this had only accumulated since today, so a slight exaggeration on her behalf). Out of the corner of her eyes, she glimpses the lean form of James. She shivers, as he wheels himself towards her currently empty table. Braking, he raises himself to a standing position, staring in shame at the ceiling above her.

"I-I know I'm in no position to say this, however, you should stay away from that kid."

"Why are you telling me this, why are you even talking to me, I mean after you tried t-to..."

"I won't apologise for that, you are also responsible for what happened that night... You lead me on, you know? It was strange. Like you'd done it before... That doesn't matter though. For your own sake, stay away from him. He's fucked up."

And with that, the older boy wheels himself away.

She silently wonders what he meant. He said she'd lead him on... He had also said that. No, she didn't want to think about him. Not now, or ever again.

Raeyna's reminiscing is interrupted by the impact of a paper plane thudding gently against her head. Snatching it hurriedly off the ground, she unravels the yellow lined slip of paper.

STAY AWAY FROM HIM, WHORE

Pained, she places her hand on her aching stomach and leans on the table to ease the hurt in her head. A wave of nausea comes over her, and she runs to the girl's bathroom, clutching her ribs. Leaning onto the toilet bowl, she heaves and heaves, emptying what little she has eaten.

When she is done, she sits on the poorly tiled floor, gasping for air.

The stitches she had sewn were coming undone.

After dinner was over, Raeyna hauled her trembling body off the cold ground and began to walk, slowly out of the bathroom. Leaning against the wall for support, she opened her sweaty fist, throwing the paper into a nearby trash can. "Raeyna." a voice murmured impatiently from behind the bathroom door, "Come out."

She pushed open the door, falling into Tom's awaiting arms.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie."

"I felt sick. That's all."

"Hmmm..."

A resounding smack rang through the halls of the compact Orphanage.

"Next time, do be wiser, my dear Raeyna, and opt to tell me the truth."

"Yes." she answered, clutching her pink cheek, tears streaming down her face as she cowered slightly from the boy.

"Don't cry." Tom growled, embracing her gently.

They stood like this for a while, Tom softly stroking her wild mane, as she lay her head on his chest. Yet, at that exact moment, their emotions were so contrasting to that of the other, that a tense aura rung through the air.

Nostalgia and boredom, were written plainly on their faces.

So far the two 'strange' children, generously deemed thus by the charming (no sarcasm noted here) and brutally honest Mrs. Cole, had assembled an almost immaculate routine. During the morning, they would dress quietly, occasionally exchanging, to the delight of Raeyna, a 'good morning', and head down to breakfast.

In the course of study period, they would either in Raeyna's case, sketch quietly, or in Tom's case, read quietly, however both activities required absolute silence, performing the latter in the Orphanage library, which required quite a bit of persuading on Tom's behalf, due to the incident which had only recently occurred in that very room. A small yet homey room, surrounded by a great quantity of second hand books equivalent to that of a lifetime.

Throughout dinner, the duo would sit together, by themselves yet again, a result of Tom's refusal to allow Raeyna to interact with the other children.

During this occasion Tom would converse more frequently with her as he felt a necessity to maintain the appearance of his ownership, much to Raeyna's ignorance. Yet, when it was dark, Raeyna would crawl into Tom's bed and he would hold her until she slept.

She stood, waiting in the queue formed docilely by the children themselves, to receive her meal. "Hey, get out of the way bitch!" Peter sneered pushing her out of the queue, a boy who Raeyna had learnt to avoid at all costs, during her brief arrival at the Orphanage. Raeyna whimpered as she fell to the ground, scraping her palms.

"What do you think you're doing?" a cold voice sneered. Raeyna leapt onto her feet and jumped into the speaker's arms. "Tom!" she sobbed. "Shh darling," he crooned stroking her hair, "I'll make the bastard pay." Peter sniveled in fear as he slowly backed away from the duo. Tom turned his vengeful eyes onto his cowering figure.

"Stay here," he growled at Raeyna. He stalked up to the other boy and whispered something in his ear. Peter sobbed and scurried away, a wet stain at his crotch.

"What did you tell him, Tom?" she begrudged him as they ate their supper. Tom shrugged, grinning. "I just gave him a little warning." he smirked. Raeyna grasped his outstretched hand in her tiny fist, and whispered, "Tom." He rolled his eyes in reply, pushing away her hand. "Nothing bad, promise."

"Ok." she replied, always eager to trust him. He cocked his head to the right, staring lecherously into the distance.

"What are you looking– oh." Raeyna followed his gaze to locate his object of interest, which was none other than the voluptuous Catherine Belton. Tom winked as Catherine flocked by her friends turned to face him, to which they replied by giggling and elbowing the smirking Catherine.

Knives scraped at Raeyna's gut as Tom continued to flirt shamelessly in front of her.

"Please stop." she whispered. Tom persisted, not having quite heard her hushed words. "Stop." she repeated. "Please, please, please stop!" she sobbed. Tom ignored her. Her red hair whipped around her face as she hovered gently above her chair. The orphans screamed as the lights exploded and the room was enveloped in darkness.

"I SAID STOP!" The hall was silent. Screams erupted as Miss Belton was raised violently into the air. Then the noises started. Choking noises erupted from the otherwise silent Miss Belton. Raeyna smiled, her red eyes gleaming. Tom watched in awe and fascination, at the levitated and convulsing body of Catherine. He whipped around to face Raeyna, and whispered to her authoritatively, "finish her."

Three Years Ago

She cowered in the back of the closet as he searched for her. She wept silently. "Mommy, Daddy!" she wailed. She could hear his heavy footsteps drawing nearer and nearer. She held her breath. Silence. She breathed out. The closet door creaked open. "Found you."

Present

Thud. Raeyna fell down in exhaustion, consecutive to the previously airborne figure of Miss Catherine Belton. Tom scowled, and then quickly contorted his face into that of worry. He picked up her limp body and stroked her hair. Raeyna's eyes fluttered open. She glanced at him questioningly as he kissed her forehead. "You passed out for a little while, I was really worried!" he exclaimed.

Raeyna stared perturbedly as the orphanage nurse carried an unconscious Catherine Belton to the infirmary. She frowned. Mrs. Cole was hurrying sobbing orphans out of the dining hall. "Did something bad happen?" she asked tugging his shirt, her innocent face clearly distressed. "Nothing happened. Don't worry." he replied reassuringly. She sighed and nuzzled her head into his young chest. A scream. She looked up.

A little girl pointed to Raeyna and proceeded her shrieking. "She did it! It was her fault! She's a bad girl! She tried to kill Catherine! She's the one who did it!"

The girl stares at her vanity mirror. She brushes through her wild hair, with the tips of her long white fingers. Her soft voice echoes gently,

"Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all."

By her bedside, lies a pile of bones.

It had been almost a month since the incident with Catherine Belton. Rumours had been discontinued and the frightened gazes pointed at her had begun to withdraw.

Yet what the girl had said frightened her, so badly. She wanted to hide from the world and from him. He had become very displeased with her lately, perhaps boredom was a more accurate description of his behaviour towards her. It made her feel lonely, like she had then... She shivered. She did not like this feeling.

"Tommy?" she whispered into the dark, from the comfort of her bed. Silence. Was he asleep she wondered? Yet lights out had only been a minute ago and he had still been dressing by then. "Tommy? Where are you?" she murmured frantically. Silence.

A hand covered her mouth. "Silence." her attacker muttered. She could feel the bed creaking underneath her as he crept onto her bed and under the blanket with her. He released his hand. She pounced on him. "Hello, princess." he whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear. "Tommy!" she shrieked, "You're not angry with me anymore?" Tom barked out a laugh. "I was never angry with you sweet Raeyna." he replied rubbing the small of her back. "Am I a good girl now?" she asked nudging him gently. "Yes, you're a very good girl." he answered, "Such a good girl."

And in the dark he whispered, a devilish grin illuminated on his handsome face,
"if only you weren't a monster…"

The grass felt soft and comforting beneath her bare feet. She could hear a voice calling her name. She whipped around. A woman stood in the distance, her red hair billowing behind her.
"Raeyna?"
"Mommy?"
"Raeyna!"
"Mommy!"
She ran gracefully across the earth her arms outstretched. She stopped. There in front of her, separating her from her beloved mother was a glass wall. She beat it again and again and again, but it would not crack. Sobbing, she collapsed onto the grass.
"Raeyna," her mother uttered from the other side, "You must listen to me! Stay away from that boy! Promise me! Promise! Quickly! He's comi-"

Darkness.

Raeyna, are you lonely?

Yes I am lonely.

Raeyna sat up on her bed. Sweat poured down her forehead, her hair matted thickly against her face with something wet. She frowned. Something wet? Quietly, as to not awaken Tom, she crept out of the room and entered the girls bathroom. She muffled a scream. She was red. Red with blood. Her arms, legs, chest, head, hair, they were all red! Her head hurt as she mulled over the unspoken question running through her conscience. "Who's blood is this?" she whispered. And then the lights went out.

They watch her, laughing. She crawls along the ground. A pitiful creature. The stitches at her sides are coming undone, black evil seeps out. These are her sins.

Thank you very much for reading this! It makes me really happy! ^3^
Anyways, what do you guys think so far? Personally I'm actually having a hard time leaving all these "red herrings" because to be perfectly honest, I'm finding it rather challenging to fabricate everything together, everything meaning Raeyna's past. I've decided to portray Tom as extremely charismatic and cunning, a very complex character, and if at times you are trouble by trying to understand his character, most of what you see is an act, only occasionally when I allow you guys a glimpse into his head do you really get what he's thinking. Unfortunately for us viewers though, Raeyna is incredibly naive so she is bound to fall for many of his pathetic lies. But don't worry, she'll toughen up.

Love,
Helerine.