The orphanage was quiet. Somewhere, water dripped steadily, and the sound mixed with the faint breathing of children asleep in their cold rooms.
Mia lay on a thin cot, curled under a worn blanket. Moonlight slipped in through the barred window and stretched pale lines across the cracked walls. The night felt different—tense, like the air itself was waiting.
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. She had waited for this moment for weeks, maybe longer. Every night she had gone over the plan in her head: slip out when the guard's steps faded, squeeze through the bent bars, vanish into the city.
Her hands shook as she pushed the blanket aside and sat up. The chill bit into her skin, but she ignored it.
The door was slightly open—the guard must have forgotten to close it. A small piece of luck.
Mia crept forward, careful not to let the floorboards groan. Her bare feet pressed into rough wood, splinters scratching at her skin. Every step was slow, every breath held.
At the window, the rusty bars stood like prison gates. She had studied this gap for weeks—the place where the metal bent outward just enough. Maybe she could squeeze through.
She tested the opening. Tight, but possible. Outside was the city, dark and sprawling, a place she had only seen in glimpses through high windows. People whispered about it—dangerous, unforgiving—but freedom was louder than fear.
She drew in a breath, pushed one shoulder through, then the other. The metal scraped her arms, biting into her skin. For a moment she was stuck, heart hammering so loudly she thought the whole building would hear. Then, with one last shove, she slipped free.
Her feet hit the ground outside. She didn't look back. The orphanage had no warmth left for her—only walls and loneliness.
The night swallowed her small figure. She pulled her thin coat tighter and stepped into the streets.
The city stretched ahead—broken sidewalks, flickering lights, the hum of cars in the distance. It was frightening, yet it pulled her forward.
She took one step, then another. The cold cut into her skin, but the fire in her chest pushed her on. She was free.
Her thoughts raced. Where would she go? Who could she turn to? She had no answers—only the fact that she had escaped.
The city was alive in a way the orphanage never was. Cars honked, voices shouted from narrow alleys, smells of food and smoke drifted in the air.
Mia slowed. Every shadow looked like it was watching her. Every sound felt like it carried a warning. She hugged herself, shivering from more than just the cold.
She had no family, no friends. Her parents were gone, and the orphanage had been nothing more than a cage.
A dog barked sharply nearby. She pressed against a brick wall, eyes shut, trying to keep tears from falling. Her hand slipped into her pocket and brushed against a folded photograph. Her mother's smile looked back at her—faded, worn, almost gone.
No one was coming. No one was waiting.
As the night dragged on, the cold deepened. She found a torn box near an abandoned bakery and curled inside, knees pulled close. Sleep tugged at her, but loneliness kept her awake.
Her dreams were restless—locked doors, empty rooms, voices that never answered. Somewhere in the darkness, eyes seemed to watch her.
Dawn broke weakly, the light dim behind heavy clouds. Mia shivered under her coat. The loneliness was worse than the cold.
She stood, stiff from the night. The city was waking—engines rumbling, voices carrying. For Mia, morning brought no safety. Only more questions.
Her bare feet ached on the cracked pavement. The photograph in her pocket felt like the last string to a past already lost.
She walked. The orphanage was behind her, but the scars it left were not. Still, a small spark flickered inside—thin, but alive.
She hugged her coat tight and froze as quick footsteps echoed nearby. She turned sharply, scanning the shadows, but the street was empty. Still, the feeling of being watched clung to her.
She pressed forward, slipping through alleys, nerves sharp. She didn't know where she was going. She only knew she couldn't stop.
Her journey had just begun.
*******Wandering in the streets******"
By morning, Mia had wandered into a crowded market. The noise was overwhelming—vendors shouting, children running, carts rattling.
Her stomach cramped at the smell of food. She stayed in the corner, clutching her coat, too scared to step forward. What if someone sent her back? What if they turned her away?
So she lingered at the edge, watching faces pass—kind, hard, tired. No one saw her.
She slipped into a nearby park and sat on a bench, rubbing her hands together. For a moment, she let herself imagine something more than survival.
But the world didn't stop for her. Teenagers laughed nearby, tossing bread to pigeons, their voices cutting sharp through the air. Mia felt invisible—just another face lost in the crowd.
The day dragged. She walked the streets, trying to learn the paths, avoiding stares. The orphanage had been lonely, but at least it had walls. The city was louder, harsher, and less forgiving.
By dusk, Mia was exhausted. Her stomach ached with hunger, her body weak. But deep inside, determination flickered. She had escaped once. She could endure this too.
As night fell, the city changed. The busy chatter turned into sirens, shouts, and silence. Long shadows stretched across the sidewalks.
Mia hugged her coat tighter and searched for somewhere to rest. She crouched in a dark doorway, back against the wall, listening to the city's hum.
Her thoughts circled—memories of the orphanage mixing with the sharp cold of the streets. For the first time, she almost missed it.
Sudden footsteps echoed. A shadow appeared at the end of the alley. Mia froze, breath caught. The figure paused, glanced around, then moved on.
Mia let out a shaky breath. The city was watching her. She was small, weak, but she was still here.
She curled up tighter, eyes closing as sleep dragged her down.
The world outside was waiting, dangerous and wide. But Mia had survived the first night.
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Author's Note:
Hi everyone, I'm Ruby A.A. This is my first time sharing a story. Please let me know what you think of this chapter!