Chapter 1: The Hidden Door
293 Words
Chapter 1: The Hidden Door
The old orphanage stood at the edge of the forest like a forgotten memory, its cracked walls and broken windows whispering stories no one cared to hear.
To everyone else, it was simply a place for abandoned children.
To Adriana, it was the only home she had ever known.
In just a few days, she would turn eighteen.
No one had ever celebrated her birthday.
No one knew the day she had been born except for a faded note left beside her as a baby. It carried only one word.
Adriana.
That was all.
No family name.
No explanation.
No promise that someone would one day return for her.
The other children often laughed at her unusual white hair and bright blue eyes.
The caretakers called her strange and treated her as though she brought misfortune wherever she went. She had grown used to eating after everyone else, wearing clothes that barely fit, and pretending not to hear the cruel whispers that followed her through the halls.
Whenever the loneliness became too much, she escaped to the abandoned garden behind the orphanage.
It was overgrown with ivy and wild roses. Broken statues rested beneath ancient trees, and vines covered a stone wall so completely that it looked as though nature wanted to hide something.
The garden was silent.
Peaceful.
It was the only place where Adriana felt she belonged.
As the evening sun disappeared behind the trees, she wandered deeper into the forgotten paths than ever before.
A cool breeze brushed against her face.
Then...
She heard it.
A soft knock.
Not from the orphanage.
Not from the forest.
It came from behind the ivy-covered wall.
Adriana slowly reached out, her heart pounding.
Something... was waiting for her.
- Writer
