5
Natalie couldn’t sleep. She was lying on her back in their bed with the duvet pulled up to her chin. The wind buffeted against the windows. The streetlights outside the bedroom window caused shadows to form on the walls. She watched them dance to a strange rhythm. The tune changed every time a car drove past.
In the orphanage, she would lie awake and stare at the walls. She remembered the small metal bed and how the springs had dug into her flesh through the thin mattress. Listening to some of the other girls cry themselves to sleep and hearing their sobs was strangely comforting. There, she wasn’t the only one whimpering at night. Tonight she was alone.
The shadows taunted her with more painful memories.
The key scraped against the lock. Turning onto her side, she curled into the d
