The cot screeched as I turned to my side. I sat up slowly, taking care to not disturb the other twenty people in my room.

After my mom had died, my dad began to date again. He met one woman, and they got married. They didn’t want me to ruin their family, they wanted a fresh start.

They left me here, at the orphanage. I have no chance of being adopted, they only want the cute little children. I had stopped caring about my appearance the moment my mother died.

I walked to the window, the floorboards screaming beneath me. I heard people shifting in their cots, or if they were lucky enough, mattresses. Melissa, the girl next to me, was talking in her sleep, as usual.

I looked out the window and searched the sky for a trace of my mom. Was she still the optimist? Did it hurt for her to go? I couldn’t see through the thick clouds.

I turned my face away and carefully tiptoed back to my bed. I laid down on the cot, and closed my eyes.

One day soon, I would be with my mother.