This pattern repeated itself many times over the years. Families would come to the orphanage, and Janya would be paraded before them, hoping each time that maybe, just maybe, she would be the one they chose. But it never happened. Each time, the prospective parents would leave with another child, one who was more outgoing, more cheerful, more engaging. Janya's quiet nature, her reserved demeanor, made her easy to overlook.
The other children, sensing her growing despair, began to tease her. "No one wants Janya," they would chant cruelly, "too quiet, too shy." Their words cut deep, and though she tried to ignore them, they left lasting scars on her young heart. Janya learned to retreat further into herself, building walls around her emotions to protect herself from the constant rejection.
Miss Grimshaw, who had always been stern, began to lose patience with Janya as well. The headmistress believed that Janya's inability to be adopted was somehow her own fault. "You need to smile more, Janya," she would say sharply. "You need to speak up and show them that you're not just a quiet little mouse. Families want children who are lively and fun, not ones who hide in the shadows."
But Janya couldn't change who she was. She couldn't suddenly become the outgoing, boisterous child that everyone seemed to want. She was thoughtful and introspective, content to spend hours reading or quietly observing the world around her. She found solace in books, where the characters didn't judge her for being quiet, where she could escape into worlds where anything was possible.