Rayla Thorton

Chapter 1. Where it all started

"It all started when...

It was just a normal day in Hearth of Home for Orphans. Although most orphanages had the reputation of looking dark and haunted, this was the exact opposite. Like its name, the orphanage practically glowed from the warmth coming from it, even in night. A brown castle-like building, with windows that had a clear view of the beautiful courtyard and garden.  Children ranged from three year olds to seven running around in the courtyard could be seen, and the older ones stayed inside, studying in the library. The library was cozy and had a fireplace that was always lit up in the cold winter. 

But there was one ten year old girl named Rayla Thorton, who stood out. No, she looked ordinary, so when people saw her, they wouldn't think of her as unordinary. However, her personality was quite eccentric and mysterious, quite matching with her dark nature-like green eyes. She came to the Hearth of Home for Orphans just a few weeks after birth, when her parents died in a car crash, so she never knew of the outside world, unlike the others who came after at least three years of birth. Ever since she could walk, she was peculiar. When told to eat, she would drink, when told to sleep, she would play, when told to play, she would read, and when told to read, she would eat. It was like she did the absolute opposite thing. Fortunately that habit was slowly getting better, so when told to drink, she would drink. And yet, she was still queer. She grew to love reading as she grew up and was already reading books that twelve year old tweens would normally have difficulty in reading, such as 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy, 'The diary of Anne Frank', and more. There were sometimes certain tests for the children in the orphanage, and while Rayla didn't enjoy them, she still got good grades for some reason.

On that very day, a rather rich young woman came to the orphanage. She said she was very lonely, living in a huge castle-like place with no-one to keep her company except for the maids and servants. So, she wanted a girl, not too quiet yet not too loud, a bit studious, and a funny personality. When she asked if that kind of girl was there in the orphanage, two girls came. One was Rayla, the other was a girl named Rosette who was a girl filled with curiosity. But like the saying "Curiosity killed the cat", her curiosity caused her to get into trouble, like the one time when she went in a locked room, and got scolded for going in. So, the rich woman, later known to be Ms. Laurence, decided to adopt Rayla instead, because she seemed more reserved and quiet, yet not too much. 

And this was the day Rayla's world turned upside down, for the better or worse.