JAYDA STONE

Jayda Stone was a little girl when her parents died mysteriously. She could not remember much of what happened or how she ended up in the orphanage. She often had vague visions of fangs,growling and people screaming. She had nightmares of being pursued by big monstrous dangerous looking wolves. She often dreamt of vampires too. She did not believe that they existed,but it bothered her that she often saw them and often dreamt of them.

She did not tell anyone about it because she did not want to come off as crazy.She did not want to bother anyone with her problems and she had always felt like she did not belong at the orphanage,she felt like she was different from every other person. She just knew that there was something different about her. Because what normal child saw visions of vampires and werewolves. She also noticed the way the matrons and caregivers treated her like she was a mystery. She had no idea how she came to grow up in the orphanage,she had no idea who brought her or when she came or how she came. She tried very hard to fit in and adjust to a normal life and live like a normal kid.

As she grew, she started noticing that her senses became more sharp and sensitive. If she listened attentively she could hear what the kids at the table across from hers gossiped about during lunch. She could hear the caregivers whispering and gosssiping about the matron. She noticed that her nose was quick to pick up on the scent of blood and became prickly anytime she perceived blood.

She however managed to keep her growing sensation under control and to herself. She stayed away from the sight of blood and tried to avoid unintentionally or intentionally listening in on what others were saying or gossiping about.

Most of the kids she had been with when she was little had all been given up for adoption. She noticed that when couples came to adopt children, every other child would be dressed and groomed for inspection except her. While other kids were downstairs being inspected by adopters, she would be locked up in the dormitory and asked to sleep or read and not to make any sound. She did not have a problem with that until she turned fifteen. She decided that she had had enough and that she was going to take a chance at declaring her interest and calling out her obvious mistreatment. She knew she was becoming too old to remain in the orphanage and very soon she would be sent away as an adult to go live her own life.She was a bit scared because the orphanage was the only home she knew. The children of the CROSBY orphanage had the privilege of having their own school within the orphanage premises. So they were really closed off to the rest of the world. As an orphan there, your education was taken care of up until high school. If you were interested in going to college, you would have to pray to get adopted by rich parents who would take care of your college tuition or you work extra hard for scholarships.

She had unintentionally overhead one of the caregivers say something to another caregiver about a couple coming for a child the next day.It was not her plan to listen in on them, but it was late at night and they had just finished tucking all the kids in to their beds and turned off the lights. She had heard them talking just outside the door as everywhere was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. As she lay on her bed in the dark ,face up to the ceiling, she decided that she was going to put up a fight the next day. She wanted a chance to be seen too,she was tired of staying at the orphanage. They were just few people her age still at the orphanage and she had witnessed the ones up to eighteen years be sent off to their fate. She often wondered what was out there and her curiosity got the best of her as she was always sneaking up to the roof to get a clear vision of what happened beyond the gates. From there she could see the city, and the cars and houses that made it beautiful. She thought the view looked even more spectacular at night when the lights illuminated the darkness and made it look like some fairytale land.

While others were being dressed for inspection that day, Jayda also dressed with them. She put on the frock she had been given for her fifteenth birthday. She took extra time to wash and comb her long black hair which was surprisingly always straight. They did not kow her birthday but chose to celebrate it on the day she was brought to the orphanage as has been the custom for every other child whose date of birth was unknown.All the caregivers in her dorm dressing the children gave her side glances and exchanged looks. She was quick to notice it but she did not care. When it was time to march to the inspection hall she got in line. She was asked to stay at the end of the line because she was the tallest and oldest in her dorm. When she finally made it to the door, one of the caregivers, Miss Maria held her hand and asked her if she was allowed to go with the others. Jayda said yes. Miss Maria gave her a suspicious look.

'wait here'. She called on another caregiver to go fetch the chief matron, Miss Dexter,a middle aged woman who was tall and slim as a stick. The chief matron came quickly and Jayda was not surprised because it seemed like the chief matron had some special interest in her. To Jayda it felt like some inward hostility. It felt like she did not like her. She did not know if she was imagining it or if there was truly something about the way Miss Dexter always found fault with everything she did.

'where are you going' she asked Jayda, looking at her quizzically from behind her rimmed eye glasses.

She stuttered a little as she answered 'd..down to the hall for inspection'

'with whose permission'

'i thought it was for everyone'

'it is not my dear. Now go back and go do something better with your time'

'i have never been to an inspection before. I want to try my luck'

'this has nothing to do with luck.You are past the age for that.You should be focusing on finding a way to get a scholarship and go to college'

Jayda did not know when or why she started sobbing and she could not hold back her tears. It was the first time she had ever cried since she got there. Miss Dexter was confused and surprised.

'ok,that is enough. If you insist on going down there.....'she paused

'i will let you.I hope you can deal with whatever happens'

She instantly stopped crying,cleaned her tears with the back of her palm and ran past the chief matron to the inspection hall.

Nobody was coming to ask her anything.They just looked at her and moved on. Two different couples had come but none of them even acted like she was there. They seemed to be more interested in the younger children. She noticed the chief matron looking at her with a smirk as if to say i told you so. When it was all over, she went back to the dorm and sobbed the night away face down on her pillow. She even skipped dinner.

From then she lost interest in the inspections and instead focused more on her studies. She became more determined to leave the orphanage. She studied more and worked harder than others. She finished high school at eighteen.There was no special celebration as there was only two of them in the class,her and some other boy who she did not even know his name. She wrote a lot of scholarship essays ,submitted a thousand applications ,went for a bunch of interviews accompanied by Miss Dexter. They both seemed to have reached an agreement within themselves without even saying a word or addressing their supposed beef. She saw that Jayda had become serious and determined and so she asked Jayda to come to her if she ever needed help. It all started with an ' i need a ride to one of my college interviews' and since then Miss Dexter has been driving her to all her interviews.

She finally got it. She was beyond thrilled. She was going to college.Her admission came in the spring of the following year after she had applied the year before.

She was going to WSU,it was a ten hours drive from Vancouver where the orphanage is located, but she was ready for it.She gathered what little property she had and was on her way. Miss Dexter drove her to the train station and before she got on the train, she gave her a hug. Jayda was frozen for a second. She quickly got over her shock and offered the little words of comfort she was able to muster up. She promised to come visit when she had the time. While Jayda boarded the train without thinking twice or looking back, Miss Dexter stood at the station scared and wondering if she did the right thing by letting her out to the world and what danger she was about to face. She knew the chaos was about to begin.....again. She hoped Jayda was ready for it.