It was a quiet, tranquil night in Ssint Colossium City. It was one of those rare nights where you could hear the crickets chirping and the wind blowing against the curtains. Not a single car could be heard as the whole city went to sleep. All the windows of Winchester orphanage were locked and the curtains were drawn. All except one at the very top. And what could be heard was a faint sound of a girl crying. That girl was Joanna R. Kingston. She sat silently on the balcony, whispering to the stars.

"Why am I born like this?" she mumbled," why with such an ugly scar?"

Joanna looked at the scar on her left eye through the reflection in the glass window. Most of Joanna's early childhood was a mystery, be cause she had suffered from memory loss after the tragic car accident that sadly, took the life of her only guardian that she knows, her grandmother. It had been years since that tragedy, but it was still fresh in her mind like it was yesterday. The flames, the smoke, the shouting was still haunting her. Joanna calmed herself and tiptoe back to sleep...

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"Hey wake up!" a girl shakes Joanna's shoulders. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, looking properly at the girl.

"What time is it...?" Joanna asked.

"Breakfast time, get dressed and go quickly, I have to wake up the other kids."

With that the girl left the room. Joanna went to the girl's bathroom to change into a proper attire. When she went inside, Jo was immediately pushed aside by a group of mean girls, who pinned her against the wall while smirking maliciously. The tallest and boldest spoke first.

"So lil Jo is finally here..." Amber sneered.

The rest giggled and some even laughed. Jo felt embarrassed and looked down.

" I wonder what took you so long," Amber continued," now where's the cash?"

Jo checked her pockets but felt nothing but the fabric of her nightgown. She gulped and stumbled.

"I haven't got any..." She put her hands up in defeat but it only made Amber angrier.

"Such a liar, girls beat her up!"

Amber commanded as each of them beaten up poor Jo. She laid there defenseless, crying for help. The bell rung, signalling it was time to play outside. Amber groaned.

"Ugh... let's go," she commanded the gang.

They all followed her out, closing the door with a big BANG! Joanna was left there all alone...

She ran towards the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. Tears were flowing down as Joanna examine the bruises and cuts all over her body.

Why is my life so miserable...? Joanna thought to herself.

Jo quickly changed into her frock, hissing everytime the fabric touched her open wounds. As she left the restroom, she sighed and kept rubbing her eyes to hide the tears. The moment she opened the door to the orphanage's classroom, Jo faked a smile and walked towards her seat. She couldn't help but notice the stares she was getting, the whispers she was hearing.

"Look at her."

"She looked demented."

"I would have killed myself if I was her."

"look at the bruises on her body, no wonder no one wanted her."

The rumours were breaking her heart. She sat down quietly as the nun went towards her. She stared at Jo viciously while gripping her wooden ruler.

"Explain to me, Miss Joanna R.kingston, why were you late to my class?" She lifted Jo's chin to look at her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Miss Ford, I was just in the bathroom," Jo explained.

A girl stood up and caught everyone's attention.

"She's lying miss, I saw her holding her frock while frantically running around, you can ask my friend for proof."

Amber signaled her head towards her friends. They all nodded in agreement. Miss Ford looked at Jo with a Sarcastic look and growled.

"Well, you have no evidence against that, do you?" Miss Ford said in a low voice, slapping the ruler against her hand multiple times.

Jo stayed silent, accepting defeat.

"DO YOU?!" Miss Ford screamed, slamming the ruler forcefully onto Jo's back. Joanna squealed in pain and grabbed her back. Jo whimper in pain as the nun continued to lecture her for her late attendance. The rest of the class was quiet, no one wanted to help poor Jo and some even whispered. The whole morning was torture to her, every teacher was the same as Miss Ford, shouting at her for poor performance or late attendance. The bell rung. Jo was one of the last child to leave the classroom because she didn't want to bother the other children. Joanna hung out alone near the back gate of the building, watching the other kids having fun with their friends. She walked towards the gate and held the bars.

There was a child, around her age, waiting at the bus stop holding hands with his mother and father. Jo's eyes began to blur, seeing that child so happy with his parents, is like seeing your dream right before your eyes. The bus came and the family hopped on, moving away from Jo's vision. She gripped harder onto the bars.

That could have been her if God haven't picked this for her. Jo felt sorry for herself and jealousy towards the child. That's it, I'm going to escape out of here, Jo thought.

Tonight! Her eyes showed determination and ambition...