It was a cloudy evening and it smelt clean like chemicals and alcohol wipes.

It was a cloudy evening and it smelt clean like chemicals and alcohol wipes. Teresa and Mark Galloway were in the hospital waiting for the doctors to come and give an update on their daughter. Baby Galloway had just been born about 30 minutes ago, the only issue was that she was 4 weeks early. The baby had been taken to the NICU and Teresa was devastated because her baby had been taken away from her. At that moment a doctor came in to tell them that she had down syndrome, they all looked at each other wondering how they should react to those words. The doctor asked, “ do you have a name for this baby girl? ” “Oh, um yeah we were thinking of Charlotte Elle Galloway, ” Teresa said. The doctor left in astonishment that no tears had been shed and nothing else had been said. Teresa and Mark looked at each other and said “What are we going to do? ” “We're so young and we only have a trailer, which is the only thing that we can afford, which is not big enough for the three of us. ” Slowly the room got quieter and it sounded like how death would sound, so quiet even the smallest and quietest noise would be heard, like a needle dropping to the floor. Tears started flowing down both their faces, and they said to each other that they knew what they had to do. Four and a half weeks later they are allowed to take Charlotte home, yet did Charlotte and the doctors know that her life was about to change forever. On the way back to the tiny little RV Mrs. and Mr. Galloway stop at Charlotte’s aunt and uncle's house, they wrap Charlotte in a blanket and write a note saying “Charlotte has Down Syndrome and we don’t think that we are the right parents for her, so we are giving her to you, please take care of her and good luck. - Galloway’s. ” There were teardrops the size of skittles that were sinking into the manila envelope. There was a blanket that was tightly wrapped around Charlotte like a burrito, they walked up sobbing and wondering if they were making the right decision they layed Charlotte on the front porch and said their final goodbyes. A kiss on her tiny forehead because this was the last time that they would see each other again. They were walking to the car when they heard the front door open, “Oh my '' a woman gasped, they looked back at the empty dark house. Then they saw her and it was an old lady in the street watching what they had just done. There were little cold and salty rivers flowing down Teresa’s cheeks when she stepped into the empty van. It was now 11 years later Charlotte was very excited because she is turning eleven today. Charlotte was skipping down the light grey carpet stairs when she heard little sniffles and inaudible mumbling coming from the living room. Charlotte walked in and asked what was going on, then Amanda (Charlotte’s Aunt) said “my sister died from cancer this morning”. Charlotte felt bad but she was wondering who Amanda’s sister could be, and she thought back to one day a few years ago. It was rainy and dark outside, the lights were flickering and everyone was shivering while watching the news with the fireplace on, it smelt like cedarwood and how smores would smell if they had been roasting over the fire. A reported robbery came up when Amanda told Charlotte this, “Charlotte, your parents died in a car crash a month after you were born. ” This was said to Charlotte when she was six years old and she has believed it every day since then. Charlotte looks at Amanda and says “my birthday wish is for you to tell me the truth of what happened to my parents. I have lived all this time thinking it was a car crash but you only have one sister and you are my aunt. ” Amanda and Bill agreed and they sat Charlotte down, “Charlotte your parents were very poor and they didn’t make good decisions, they found out you had down syndrome, they left you on our porch five weeks after you were born. ” Charlotte said thank you and went upstairs to her room very slowly and sniffles came out her nose. She layed on her bed the rest of the day staring at the blank white canvas ceiling. She wasn’t mad or sad, she didn’t have any emotions, though she was a little upset that she did nothing else on her birthday but she was glad that she finally found out the truth about her parents. She wasn’t happy, how could anyone just give up a baby like that, now I’m glad that I live here Charlotte was thinking about school since it started in three weeks, she ran downstairs and asked “Amanda, can I please go to school this year? I’m lonely and besides, no offense but Bill isn’t the best teacher. ” Charlotte had been doing homeschool since she was old enough, but she never really liked it because the only people she saw were aunt and uncle, because her cousins were in college and living their own adult life. Amanda and Bill look at each other and say “Sure, but only if you promise nothing bad will happen and you will try to make friends, also be nice. ” “Ok yay, you're the best aunt and uncle ever! ” Charlotte skipped upstairs, and couldn't fall asleep that night. Three weeks later Charlotte wakes up bright and early picks out the perfect outfit and runs downstairs because it is her first day of school, she was going to make a lot of friends and have fun in her classes. The sun was shining and it was a really warm fall day. She eats her waffles and runs out the door and to the bus stop, which is right around the corner of her block. She arrives at school and goes to her first hour which was science. The halls were packed and while walking to her first class Charlotte is being stared at and is hearing whispers from people looking in her direction. She walks into the classroom which is quite big and it looks like a very welcoming room and laughter bursts out, Charlotte didn’t know what they were laughing about so she started laughing with them. Then this girl shouts out you’re not allowed in this class you freak, the teacher then says “ Kait stop that, Charlotte is new and she might have a disability but that doesn’t mean that you have to treat her any differently. ” Charlotte goes to sit in the back of the class and the teacher comes over to her, she says “ if you ever need help just let me know. ” Later that day it had started raining and the main entrance hallway was getting darker, the skies were clouded with dark endless clouds. Charlotte was walking to lunch when she saw Kait from science earlier walking in the other direction, when Kait said “ Got anywhere to sit, freak bet you don’t, you don’t even have any friends. ” Charlotte ran to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall, it smelled really bad and there was toilet paper on the floor but she didn’t care, crying she stayed there all of the lunch and was wondering, “ why did I think that this was a good idea? I’m so stupid I bet people would be better off without me. I don’t want to live like this anymore, people are mean and they don’t change. Ugh, I hate myself, why was I ever born? ” She heard footsteps so she got ready just in case they would hear her tears, then a voice said “ I bet Charlotte ran home to her Mommy to cry like a wimpy kid. ” Then another voice added, “stop it she is very nice, you should try being kind. ” Charlotte then realized that it was Kait and some other girl, Kait then said “Well maybe if you like her you can leave and never talk to me again. ” “Sorry, ” said the innocent-sounding girl. “Now let's find Charlotte and make her regret ever coming into this school, ” Kait said. Charlotte accidentally let out a sneeze, “No need she right here, ” Kait pointed directly at her stall. Charlotte was shaking and sweating so much, it felt like it was a million degrees. She was wondering what they were going to do to her. First, they threw toilet paper over that stall, and then they blocked the stall door so she couldn’t get out. Charlotte was yelling for help when the bell rang, the girls scurried off and Charlotte continued crying, “ I wish I was never born! ” She sat there crying and she felt like the day would never end, a few moments later a girl came into the bathroom. “Charlotte, are you still here? ” said the girl. Charlotte answered, “ yes I can’t come out, they locked me in here. ” “I am so sorry, she forces me to do things I don’t want to do, '' said the girl. Charlotte realizes that it was the other girl that was helping Kait earlier, “Why are you helping me then. ” “ Kait is mean, I find you pretty and I was wondering if you wanted to be my friend? ” the girl said. She told Charlotte her name, it was Sophia but she said to call her D because it is her nickname. Charlotte then tells her how she doesn’t want friends and that she is better off without even being alive, Charlotte says “ don’t follow me and don’t tell anyone, I am going to the bridge. ” D then said, “ no you can’t, if you show Kait that she won this argument then she’ll always remember you as the girl who was too scared. ” Charlotte realizes that this would be true, but she was still wondering why she should even be alive, then she imagined her future. It was winter, and it was very cold and it was snowing, she saw herself, but she was a lot older. She saw some kids surrounding her older self and they were drinking hot chocolate and reading a story. She realized they were her future kids and they were beautiful. Though this was only her imagination, Charlotte realized that her life could turn out to be good. She learned that being alive is the best thing to have on this planet, Charlotte told D “I realized no matter how bad your life is you should always live it to the fullest. ” “That's the spirit, you always have to imagine yourself in a happy place and take one day one step at a time, ” D said. They went home together and they played games all afternoon, they talked about how mean Kait was, and they were planning the next 20 years of their life together. Sophia D. and Charlotte were now best friends.