Jasper

The aching in her hand seemed to go on forever. Mom had stopped talking and handed out papers. When she finished, she sat at her desk and began grading.

Fate looked at her paper, and picked up her pencil. She quickly finished all the equations, before sitting forward and laying her head down on her desk.

She glanced at Olivia, who was staring at her paper confused. Her pencil wasn't moving, and she seemed to be having a difficult time.

Fate looked over at Jace in the front, who looked focused and determined, his pencil wrote quickly and accurately, while Anne was sitting at the rug laughing and reading, her bright smile filling the room.

Fate slumped back and stared at the clock, time seemed to go by in slow motion. Everybody was still working, other than one boy.

He had his head down, just like Fate. His eyes were closed, and his dirty, long black hair covered most of his forehead. He wiggled around before burying his head between his arms.

His name was Jasper, and he was just as quiet as Fate. He didn't speak much, and mainly kept to himself.

His desk was positioned in the back corner of the room, right under the clock. Fate sat in the other corner, and quietly held her hand, the piercing pain still there.

5 Minutes passed and Mom stood. She went around to the rug where Sister sat, the children crawling around and whispering.

"Which one of you would like to collect everyone's papers?" Mom asked, sounding welcoming and pleasant. Anne immediately shot up, and raised her hand. Her bright smile outshining everyone else.

"Well, Anne, you seem excited, why don't you?" Sister replied, pointing to Anne. Her smile got even bigger, and she sprinted to the front, gathering everyone's papers.

Even Fate was surprised at her speed, and didn't even have to hand her the paper, she grabbed it with ease.

Anne gave Mom the papers and everyone stood. Sister sat up as well and walked to Mom's desk. She scrambled around before pulling out a bag, filled with chips, cookies, and other snacks.

Mom went to the front and announced, "Everyone, you can only get one thing. 5 Minutes and we'll continue class."

Kids began whispering in joy and walked to Sister, who was handing them out. Fate stayed at her desk, not hungry. She never got snacks, partly because she was too shy to stand, and because she would always eat at recess.

Olivia stood from her desk and got up. Fate took a peek at the clock, noticing Jasper, with his head still down. She assumed he wasn't hungry either.

Shortly, Olivia returned with a granola bar, and broke it in two. She looked over at Fate.

"Have some, you never go up there. We all need to eat," She had a smug smile, playing with her hair and looking suspicious. Fate simply shook her head, but Olivia just placed the half on her desk.

She looked in protest, but Olivia just smiled and looked away. Fate felt pressured to not say anything, and ate it, even though she didn't really want to.

After 3 minutes of talking, eating, and walking around, Mom told everyone to sit down. She proceeded to call rows of desks to the bathroom. When it came Fate's turn, she simply sat at her desk, staring off through the window.

This boringness continued for 40 minutes, until it was time for lunch. In those 40 minutes, nothing unusual or abnormal occured, just an average school day.

Mom walked to the door, and motioned everyone to get up and follow. Everybody stood, following her downstairs into the dining room.

Fate reluctantly followed. She didn't hate nor like lunch time, it was just eating after all. Nobody really talked to her, so it was pretty boring.

Light dimmed through the doors to the dining room, and once they all entered, the room was huge. There were rows of long tables with chairs, and a giant chandelier hanging in the middle. The walls were barren with plain wood, and some small paintings. In the front was a door leading to the kitchen.

It was one of the biggest rooms in the entire orphanage, and everyone loved lunch time. Kids scattered across the room, sitting and holding their plates in hunger.

Sister came through the front door, which led to the kitchen. She held a giant pan of cookies, pizza, and other foods in her hands. Mom helped her hold them all.

Salads, cupcakes, everyone grabbed food and walked back to the tables, chowing down and talking with friends.

Fate simply grabbed a salad and one cookie. It was odd, she knew, to only get one cookie and a salad, but it filled her stomach. She didn't need to eat much.

She sat down beside a young 6 year old boy, James. He had short brown hair and amber eyes, he was very kind and loved to play. He asked Fate to play back when she was heading to her room.

But, he didn't notice her as he was too busy talking loudly to another 6 year old beside him. Fate ate her food and stared at the clock in silence.

Jasper had his head down in the corner, just like in the classroom. His eyes were closed again, except for one, glancing over to Fate.

Time Flew by, And it Was Time for Recess.

Everyone got up, as Sister announced recess. Children rampaged through the door, running outside, feeling the fresh and summer air. Fate walked behind them, her hand no longer aching, and she felt refreshed.

It was hot outside, but all the kids ran around happily, playing tag and other activities. They were in the backyard of the orphanage, which was a giant forest.

Trees and wildlife towered behind the orphanage building, as kids had fun. They leaped over logs, climbed trees, and ran through the forest, racing.

Anne was racing other kids, while Jace was trying to climb a tree. Fate stood at the steps, in front of the orphanages back doors.

A few seconds after gazing, Olivia walked up to her. "Let's play tag! Logan, Oliver, Ella, and some other people want to play too. Come on, let's go!"

Olivia quickly grabbed Fate's hand, not giving her a chance to reciprocate. Her silver hair flew back and her blue eyes glistened as the sun's light shot down. Olivia ran to a nearby tree where some kids were gathered around.

They all looked over, laughing and doing fist bumps at each other. Fate slowed down her pace behind Olivia, not wanting to be looked at.

"Stop being so shy, we're not going to bite you," Olivia said, shaking her head. They got to the group, which consisted of about 7 people.

Everyone looked at Fate, surprised. She's normally never outside, so it was rare for them to see her, much less play tag. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked around, pretending to not see the gazing.

After the initial shock, everybody began talking. She knew these people. There were 3 girls and 4 boys. Ava, who was 10 years old, had short black hair down to her shoulders, and didn't smile often. She was shorter than Fate, and had brown eyes. Her face was chubby and she took everything seriously. She wore full black pants and shirt to match her hair.

Mia, who was 11, had red hair in a small bun, and loved to play. She was taller than Ava and had a big smile, like Anne. Her cheeks were red and puffy, like she was exhausted from running. She loved everyone in the orphanage and treated them fairly and respectfully. Everyone loved her. Mia wore cut-off shorts and a checkered red shirt.

Ella was the youngest, at 9 years old. She was small with blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She wore blue jeans and a gray shirt.

Olivia wore black yoga pants and a pink shirt. While Fate wore her casual blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. She wasn't too focused on looks.

The boys all wore the same clothing, shorts and a t-shirt. Except for one boy, who wore pants. They were Jason, Oliver, Logan, and Jasper.

Jason was tallest and 12 years old, same as Fate. He had a strong jawline and thick brown hair, with dark blue eyes. He was strong with big muscles.

Oliver was shorter than Jason and was 11. He was a little chubby, but just skinnier than Jason. He had short black hair and brown eyes.

Logan was the shortest, being 10 years old. He was very skinny compared to the others and fast on his feet. He had long blonde hair and big blue eyes. Perfect for tag.

Jasper, on the other hand, looked energized. He had long, thick black hair and green eyes. He had a good looking jawline and was extremely skinny. He wore a plain black shirt and pants, which matched his hair. His eyes looked tired, but the rest of his body looked strong and energized.

Everyone began discussing and getting ready for tag, while Fate stood on the outside, just listening. Her silver hair looked like it was glowing outside, and she tucked it back.

Jason and Oliver were doing fist bumps and talking enthusiastically, while Logan ran in place getting ready. Jasper was by himself, leaning on the tree. They finished talking and Olivia smiled at Fate.

"I'll be it, you go run, I'll count to 10. This'll be easy, watch it!" Olivia walked to the tree and closed her eyes. Logan looked at her and replied, "You wish." While Jason and Oliver yelled in unison, "Yeah, right."

"10, 9.." She began counting, and everyone spread out. Fate ran through the forest, dodging bushes and trees. She looked over at the boys, only to see they disappeared on the other side.

Ella and Ava followed Fate, staying right behind her. They gasped for breath as Olivia got louder, "3, 2, 1! GO! Here I come!"

Fate could hear the rustling from the bushes and twigs breaking to know it was her. She jumped back, and ran, hiding in a bush. Ella and Ava lost track of Fate and ran to the left.

Surprisingly, Fate was actually fast. She loved running, and could outrun almost everyone in the orphanage, other than Logan and some others.

She looked over the bush, and saw Olivia running straight at her, looking around to find anyone. She didn't see Fate, and sprinted past her. She was relieved.

Suddenly, Fate felt a sudden pulse, and her body shook. The bush she was behind turned white, into little strings, just like back at the classroom. Her heart throbbed, and her hand twisted in pain.

It was happening again. She knew it. But why? She wasn't bored, and actually felt energized. Her arm suddenly felt like someone hit it with a hammer, and Fate fell back in pain.

She didn't scream, she never did at those moments. The pain stirred up at her bicep, before going down to her palm, and felt the strings, thicker this time.

Fate looked over, to see Olivia running around near her, trying to find someone in the area. She couldn't move. The bush in front of her turned into thousands of white strings, still in the shape of the bush.

Abruptly, the strings that tipped the edge of her fingers moved, forcing her hand to go up and down. Her fingers felt like they had a heart, beating.

Just then, the sound of a stick being thrown alerted Olivia, who ran over to the other side of the forest. The tree behind Fate rustled, and a sudden loud crack filled the lowest branch.

She looked up, to see Jasper, his face looking stern and serious. He jumped down from the branch right beside Fate, and grabbed her hand.

In the midst of the moment, she couldn't stop but felt confused as to why he looked so serious, or when he got there, or any of her questions. She couldn't control her body, but had so many questions.

Jaspers green eyes looked intense, as he stared at her hand. He looked focused and the tiredness in his eyes faded. The pain came to a sudden stop, and Fate felt her entire body shaking.

He looked over at the bush, the small branches were completely cut, and the leaves had fallen off, burnt. Jasper then looked down at Fate, his green eyes glowing, "You still can't control it."

She just stared, her body felt exhausted and her mind confused. Did he know? How? What did he mean by "control it?"

Jasper shot up, and looked over. He saw Ella and Ava with Olivia, they must've gotten tagged. "Shoot," He grabbed Fate's hand and she stood, barely. Jasper stopped and looked at Fate, noticing her shaking knees and her eyes darting around.

He grabbed her arm and placed it over his shoulder. As he ran, Fate stumbled and felt the pain stirring again. The trees blocked their view from Olivia and her friends. Jasper looked over at Fate and did a hand motion for her to be quiet, as he smiled and looked over for Olivia.

Letting go of her hand, he stood. "Control it, we'll talk later, Fate.." His green eyes lost their glow, and they changed back to looking tired. He ran off, and, she noticed, his hand was shaking.

She sat there, questions bubbling up from all these years. How did he know? How come he didn't-. The sound of Olivia's heavy breathing stopped her thoughts. Fate looked over the bush and beside the tree, to see Olivia running towards Jasper. "There! It's Jasper! Ella, Ava," Sweat dripped down her forehead as she sprinted.

Right when Olivia was about to tag Jasper, a sudden loud ringing filled the air. Everyone stopped in place and eliminated all activities. Mom called, "Everyone! Inside!"

Olivia grimaced, "Right when I was about to tag Jasper, aw!" Ella and Ava came up behind her and bent down in exhaustion. "We'll get them next time, at least we got Oliver," Ava said.

Everybody began walking to the orphanage home. Fate was still behind the tree, gathering the strength to stand.

Recess is over.