Jungle Girl

The Orphanage

A/N: A flashback/nightmare, credits to _L0ding_ at the end of the chapter.

After the death of Ada, Scarlett was taking to the orphanage. Scarlett was scared, alone, and not prepared for the world ahead, what would come next. Throughout her time at the orphanage, she'd be around all sorts of kids, it didn't matter that Scarlett was only seven years old, she was mixed into the bunches of children who were all different ages.

Some of the kids were bad, some were not. Scarlett was thrown into group homes, after group home, but nobody wanted her. Nobody wanted Scarlett. Nobody wanted the kid from the crazy old lady, that was all the family that Scarlett had, never meeting her mother or her father, sisters or brothers, if she had any of them. It made Scarlett wonder, what happened to her parents? Why couldn't she live with them? Were they fed up with her as soon as she was born? Were they abusive and neglectful? What?

One night in in the orphanage, it was lights out. Scarlett tucked herself into bed, trying to get warm under the cheap covers that were provided on the hard bed she slept on. Scarlett always had a hard time falling asleep, even when she was with Ada, she couldn't go to sleep without a story told or a good blanket to sleep under. Scarlett's bed was the closest to the door, after one of the workers poked there head through the door, making sure everyone was asleep, they began talking. "What are we going to do about Cole?" asked one of the workers. "He's really violent.." added the worker. Most of the talking was indistinct but Scarlett picked up the important parts. "He did come from an abusive family. His mother drank, his father hit."

"He just needs some TLC and he'll be fine."

"Most kids with bad parents become bad kids."

"We can't help that."

Scarlett closed her eyes, and thought about the second to last thing the worker had said. Scarlett had no parents, and she didn't know if they were good or bad, so what would she become? Her grandmother was an odd ball, so would Scarlett end up like her? In a house full of clutter, talking in rhymes and riddles. No, Scarlett didn't want that. But, oh, how she missed her Ada. Scarlett couldn't help it.

Ada was the closest parent she had.

"We'll stick him with Scarlett, that damn girl hasn't said a peep, shouldn't trigger any of Cole's aggression." Scarlett heard the worker outside say.

Scarlett didn't sleep that night.

The next morning, Scarlett met Cole, a light skinned boy, five years older than her, making him twelve. Cole had dark brown hair that looked like it had been cut recently, in a very rushed manner. Cole's eyes were pure green and dull, both of the children sat in a room as the adults watched from the outside. "I'm—" Scarlett was about to introduce herself. "Don't care." Cole's voice sounded cold. Scarlett looked down to her feet, and she sat quietly.

Cole looked away to the side, to the glass that the workers were standing outside of, he than looked back at Scarlett. "Sorry, guess that was rude." Cole said and Scarlett looked up at him. "You were saying?" Cole asked her. Turns out, Cole wasn't as violent as everyone thought he was, he was short tempered and paranoid at most. Scarlett and Cole started to get along, doing nearly everything together.

The workers could care less that they were getting along, as long as they weren't causing any issues. Cole almost felt like family to Scarlett, being her older brother in a way, protecting her from the means kids at the orphanage, keeping her company, comforting her when she got upset. Cole even figured out what the hell Scarlett was trying to say. Scarlett picked up the trait of her grandmother, rhyming and speaking in riddles too. Cole analyzed what Ada and Scarlett was saying, even telling Scarlett how smart she was, making Scarlett smile for the first time in forever. "You're not all that bad." Cole nudged Scarlett in the shoulder with his elbow.

But, unfortunately, for Scarlett, Cole left. Cole vanished from thin air, one night he was at the orphanage, the next he wasn't. Nobody knew who Scarlett was talking about, nobody seemed to remember who Cole was. Was Cole a figment of Scarlett's imagination? Was she going crazy like her old lady? Was she really losing it at the age of seven?

As Scarlett grew older, she began more closed off, not wanting to open up about anyone or anything. As she grew older, she grew colder, nothing meant anything, even things with meaning meant nothing. Scarlett was now fifteen, spending half of her teenage years in the orphanage.

The orphanage ruined Scarlett, before Dr. Wu had.

The day when Dr. Henry Wu walked in, everyone rose from there seats. "Sir, what brings you in?" The desk clerk asked him. "I'm here to adopt." Wu said. "I already have one in mind." Dr. Wu said.

"Scarlett Dimitri."

"Are you sure you want her? She's a little coo coo for cocoa puffs, if you know what I mean." The clerk replied. "Yes. I am very sure." Dr. Wu grinned.

One of the social workers walked into Scarlett's room, she no longer lived in a room with everyone else. "Come on, Scarlett." The social worker said. "Someone's here to talk to you." added the social worker. Scarlett tied her shoes, she knew the drill. Talk about interests and see if they take you.

Scarlett looked at Dr. Wu and Dr. Wu looked back at her. From that day on, Scarlett disappeared, vanished from thin air, one night she was at the orphanage, the next she wasn't. Everybody forgot about who she was, nobody cared who she was.

~~~~~~

Scar woke up with a fright, in a cold sweat. She jumped up from her place besides Bumpy, huffing and puffing as if she had just ran for miles. She heard something shift beneath her, jumping into a stance that meant she was ready for a fight. "Scar, are you alright?" The voice calmed her, quiet but laced with concern. "I okay," She replied, racking her head for a believable lie, not ready to talk or even think about what had spooked her so much, "I keep night watch, protect baby and Mom." She added. The person beneath them smiled, his face coming into view. "That's nice of you," Ben said. He sounded groggy as he spoke, and Scar felt a tug in her heart at the thought of accidentally waking him up. "I dunno' why I was ever scared of you," He smiled, "You're not all that bad."

Scar's face fell, and suddenly, she wasn't looking at Ben, but the disheveled image of her ex-best friend. Cole's dull eyes stared deep into his soul, ridiculing them for ever thinking he could protect and be at peace with anyone, to become someone's friend, when the only thing they had ever found kinship with was a figment of his imagination. A figment of her imagination that didn't even want to stay with her, that disappeared when it got the first chance. Just like Bumpy. If Scar hadn't followed her scent, Bumpy would still be with Ben, never bothering to go back to her. Just like Ben would, eventually. He had friends that cared about him and a burning passion to go home, and Scar figured he would find a way with or without her.

As the image of Ben's sleepy form came back into focus, Scar willed themselves to remember one thing. They were not human. They belonged on the island. They could enjoy these moments, but they could not get attached to them. Drearily, with some effort, Scar drifted back to sleep.