Gisel. That was her name before she was put in the orphanage. Her mother had written it on the back of a photo. They now called her Hailey, partly to help hide her background from the members of the deadly gangs. The year was 2012. In the past year, there had been gang warfare between three groups, the Adamus, the Ezekius, and the Leonius. The streets weren’t safe for anyone of any group. Unfortunately, her family was in the top ranks of the Ezekuiz gang, her uncle being one of thes second-hand men for the one in charge, and the family was a target. Each and every member of the family had been found and traced back to their homes and been disposed of.
Her mother knew what she had to do. She wrapped Gisel in a cotton-blend blanket and placed her in a basket atop the stairs at St. Merriam’s orphanage. Along with the baby was a picture of herself with her name and birthday written on the back and a note that only read, “Please, keep her safe.” The stoop on which she left the baby was dark and gloomy, looking as if life had never existed on it, only sorrow. A nun came quickly to the door, but it was too late, the mother was gone and all that remained was the baby in it’s blanket and the note. She read the note and saw in the corner where the mother had written the family’s last name. Knowing the horrible things that people in the gangs could do to this baby, the nun quickly took her inside the run-down building, trying ever so hard not to be seen by anyone.
The nun, Sister Agnes, decided it was best to hide the baby’s identity, just incase one of the gangs came raiding the orphanage for what they wanted. She named her Hailey. Hailey lived a normal life along-with the other 13 children who had all come to stay at the orphanage. Each of the children was there for a different reason. Some had families who could not support them. Others were the only part of their family left. This was Hailey’s situation.
When she turned the bright old age of 18, Sister Agnes came to talk to Hailey. It was time for her to know the truth. Sister Agnes sat Hailey down in her office. Pictures of recreated bible scenes lined the walls, along with a large maple cross. Sister Agnes’s chair made her look like a baby penguin, trying to fill in for its mother one day at the office. Her petite body in the enormous chair made her legs rise a good 3 inches off the ground while her head came up short of even the chair’s shoulder pads.
Hailey was in bad mood. Jimmy, an 11-year-old boy was in the middle of an ongoing fight with Tyler, a boy whose age was uncertain, and just assumed to be about 12. No one knew how it had started, but its topic, whatever it was, was obviously not important, for it had been lost and never spoken of again. All the fight consisted of was “Do you know the type of things I’ve been through!?” and an occasional, “You’re here only because your parents were ashamed of you.” No one ever said that line to anyone. It was the one rule that was never broken. But this fight had gone on for too long to play by the rules anymore. Hailey had tried to stop the fight, only to find it was no use, nothing could be done. She felt weak when she couldn’t help others.
Sister Agnes finally spoke. “Hailey?” she said, “Do you know why I called you in here?” “No ma’am,” Hailey replied, “why? Is it about Jimmy and Tyler? I promise, I tried my hardest to break them up but they are just so stubborn, you know how kids can be.” “Yes, I understand. I know you very well; I’ve been taking care of you since you were just a baby. 18 years today, isn’t that right?” She looked blankly at Hailey, not expecting an answer. “Don’t worry; Jimmy and Tyler aren’t why I called you up here, leave the children downstairs out of this.”