Ray

My name is Ray, I'm 15 years old, and I live at Grace Field House, an orphanage that looks perfect from the outside. We have food, clean rooms, daily exams, and a woman we all call Mom. They tell us that one day we'll be adopted and able to go out into the world. That's what everyone else thinks. I have black hair, dark eyes, and an expression that often makes people think I'm always tired or grumpy. I don't talk much and prefer to spend my time reading, thinking, and observing. I'm not someone who trusts easily or readily expresses their feelings, but I'm always analyzing everything that's going on around me. Because I know something that nobody should know. Grace Field is not a normal orphanage. The children are not adopted. We are raised. Bred to be sent as food. The world outside these walls is not the happy place they made us imagine, and the person we call Mom is not here to take care of us… she is here to prepare us. Discovering that changes everything. Every exam, every smile, every goodbye starts to feel different. For a long time, I thought there was no point in fighting something so big. That the best thing was to accept the inevitable and survive however I could. But then there are them. Emma and Norman are my closest friends. Emma always moves forward, even when she's afraid, and believes no one should be left behind. Norman is calm, intelligent, and able to find hope even when it seems impossible. They are the reason I started to question whether giving up was really the only option. And although I never say it out loud… if I'm still here, if I'm still thinking about a way out, it's because they made me believe that maybe the destiny they gave us doesn't have to be the end.