Sophia lay on the cold floor, tears streaming down her face as voices surrounded her like hawks.
"You don't belong here!"
"Leave already!"
"Freak!"
She squeezed her eyes – eye – shut, trying to block them out, but the words kept coming. Relentless.
A foot nudged her side – not hard, barely more than a tap – but it hurt. Everything hurt when you were as small as her, and the boys were a lot older than her too.
"Look at her," one of the boys sneered. "Freak with one eye missing."
Laughter erupted around her.
The girl opened her tear-filled eye – the one that remained – and stared at the dirt-streaked floor. She wanted to disappear. Wanted to sink into the stone and never come back.
"Why are you even still here?" another voice spat. "No one wants you here. Everything was more fun when you weren't here creeping everyone out"
Her small hands curled into fists against the ground.
They were right.
No one wanted her.
Not the orphanage. Not the other children. Not anyone.
