The world around me grew colder by the day. The orphanage was not a good place to raise children. It forcibly took away that innocence that only children had, replacing them with the harshness of the adult world.

The nannies showed favoritism, that was for sure. They favored bright and sociable children, the ones that showed the most potential. The staff were harsh, not giving the children any time to rest. Only the more accomplished children would have food. Those children had more privileges. The nannies explained that is was like a merit system. The more accomplishments you have, the more privileges. That was so obviously a lie.

I didn't make any friends there, they left too quickly. All the children were put into groups that were switched around every week or so. Each group had a Nannie watching over them like animals in a zoo, under constant monitoring. The nannies worked under a man I called 'the keeper' in my head. There were 3 sectors in the orphanages for the different age groups, each with it's own keeper. The keepers work under the director, a mysterious fellow. I think I only ever saw the director once in reality, a tall, thin man with a large mustache, although he was a frequent guest to my nightmares.

I came to the orphanage at the age of 9, and was apparently a below average child, so they never bothered with me. I was more of a background character, staying out of the spotlight. Although I wasn't sure where the light or darkness that my papa talked about was, I understood that it meant I shouldn't be the center of attention. So I did as he said.

It wasn't until I was 11 that the dreams started to affect my life. I didn't tell anyone about my strange visions before, I wasn't even sure how I would tell them. Were the visions like a superpower? Or were they something else? I never heard of a super with abilities like mine, so I was reluctant to tell anyone.

When I was 11 I had another strange vision. One of the keepers was talking to a man. They signed a contract and the man gave the keepers a suitcase. The dream was green. The next day the Nannie told us that one of the children had been adopted.

"Congratulations Ruya!" She had said, with those fake smiles that the nannies always wore when we were sent away.

"How lucky."
"Wow someone actually was adopted."
"I wonder what happens when you leave."

The children whispered among themselves, exited at the prospect of adoption. Very few children were ever adopted, so they would always grow excited when one was. They probably thought if she can get adopted then so can I! They were also excited for the adoption party that the orphanage always had after someone left.

I was also surprised. I stood there dazed, until the other children began to push me forward.

"Have fun!"
"Don't forget us!"
"Good luck!"

The children all called as I followed the Nannie out.

The door slammed shut behind me, and a keeper came out of the shadows with a small pair of handcuffs. My blood ran cold remembering the other green visions I had about the keepers and the men. After the green dreams, would be the red.

Author's notes: I've actually forgotten about this work and will not be continuing it, however I have a few chapters that I wrote a few years ago that I'll update sporadically. Probably.