Chapter Text
Jane watched silently as the children scattered across the area.
Some of them felt vaguely familiar, maybe she had seen them at events like this before, or maybe they were former kids from shelters and foster homes she had passed through. She couldn’t tell for sure. She had never stayed in one place long enough to build proper memories of people.
But other memories refused to fade, no matter what.
Jane pressed her nails into her forearm, trying to keep the movement hidden beneath her dress so no one would notice. She had already received too many warning looks because of her strange habits.
She glanced around and noticed one of the women, dressed in neutral clothes, clipboard in hand, watching her for far too long. That was enough to make her move. Whenever they realized she wasn’t like the other children, they would start asking questions, pushing her into different activities with unfamiliar people.
Jane walked across the grass, ignoring the craft stations and the books laid out on the ground. She stopped when she saw a group of kids from the junior sports league getting ready to play.
She tried not to look at the Exy team.
She had tried to join them, tried to be the goalkeeper, but a tall, freckled boy had already grabbed the goalie gear. When she offered to be a substitute, he shoved her away.
“I doubt someone as skinny and short as you could block a single shot.”
Those had been his words before pushing her hard enough to make her stumble and fall. When she tried to catch herself, her wrist had taken the impact too.
She had to fight back tears.
Even now, an hour later, her wrist still throbbed.
She looked around, trying to find a familiar face, but the children from the shelter were too many and had scattered across the park. Jane had only arrived two days ago, returned once again after her last foster mother decided she was too much to handle.
The woman already had six kids under her care, but after Jane accidentally burned the rice and smudged her nail polish, she said Jane was too useless to keep.
After so long, Jane shouldn’t have been surprised.
And she wasn’t.
After being returned so many times, she liked to think those words didn’t affect her anymore.
But that was a lie.
A big, beautiful lie.
Why couldn’t she be a normal child?
More than one family had asked her that. When they didn’t give up after learning about her real family, Jane always managed to push them away herself.
But she had tried.
She had really tried to be like the other kids.
It just… never worked.
Maybe they could sense the strangeness running through her blood.
She swallowed hard as flashes of blood and screams invaded her mind. Before she could dwell too much on the past she desperately wanted to forget, a shout pulled her back to the present.
Without noticing, Jane had tripped over a group of girls playing with dolls. The dolls were torn and scribbled over in places, probably from donation boxes.
“Hey!” one of the girls snapped. “Watch where you’re going.”
Jane tried not to shrink under their sharp, venomous stares. She recognized one of them, she was from the same shelter.
“Oh, you better be careful,” the girl said, Zoe, maybe? “She might decide to kill you in a fit of rage, just like her family!”
The girls gasped in horror.
Jane turned and walked away before things could get worse.
That was why the kids at the new shelter didn’t want her around. Somehow, they already knew… about her family.
Jane couldn’t blame them.
So she made her way toward a quieter area, hoping none of the staff would notice her slipping away. She sat down under a tree, hoping it would keep her hidden for a few hours.
It took her longer than it should have to realize she wasn’t alone.
She tried not to jump when she noticed the man sitting beside her.
How long had he been there?
“Why are you here?”
She knew she shouldn’t sound so rude, but she couldn’t help it. Usually, adults were either chasing after children trying to interact with them or eating at the makeshift food area.
“Why are you here?” he replied.
She frowned.
“I asked first.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “I’m… resting.”
“You don’t need to hide behind a tree to rest.”
The man sighed, looking like he was about to roll his eyes. Jane bit the inside of her cheek. Even when she didn’t mean to, she always managed to annoy people.
“Alright, then. I’m hiding for a bit.”
“Hiding?” From what? The kids too?
“...It’s hard to explain.”
Jane nodded, unsure whether she should keep talking or just stay quiet. In the distance, children laughed and shouted as a group took turns on the merry-go-round.
“What about you?” he asked, gesturing toward a group playing tag. “Why aren’t you having fun with them?”
“They don’t like me.”
The truth slipped out before she could stop it.
But she was tired.
Too tired to care.
Whatever.
It didn’t matter if he told a social worker how strange she was. What could they even do? She was already in a crumbling shelter meant for the most unwanted kids.
“Why do you say that?”
Jane shrugged.
“It’s true.” She hesitated for only a moment. “I… I’m not like them. I can’t be like them, I think.” She took a deep breath. “And I’m not a good person, so no one wants me around.”
“Why?” he asked gently. “Why do you think you’re not a good person?”
Before Jane could figure out how to explain, the sound of footsteps on the grass caught her attention.
Before panic could settle in, another man appeared. He smiled brightly when he spotted them.
“Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you went.”
The blond man stopped when he noticed Jane beside the stranger.
“Oh, hi. Um… this is…”
“Jane.”
He looked at her with curiosity, his smile never faltering.
“Hi, Jane! I’m Jeremy, and this is Jean.” He gestured to the man beside her while offering his hand.
Jane stared at it, unsure whether she should take it, but she did, shaking it quickly before letting go just as fast.
Before the silence could stretch too long, an announcement called everyone for snacks. Jane turned and left before she could get herself into even more trouble.