I Was Left at the Orphanage Door

I was brought up in an orphanage by nuns who found me on their doorstep one night wrapped in a soft blanket and wearing a gold pendant shaped like the sun the nuns were never able to find out anything about my family or maybe they never even tried but I had all kinds of theories about my past maybe I'm some princess stolen by an evil witch and sent here because she was jealous of my beauty or maybe you stole me and you keep me here because of the magical powers of my hair just like Rapunzel you

touch my hair a lot you know yes dep pick lice and trust me this mousy Nest on your head has no magical powers maybe I'm from another planet like Superman my parents dropped me at the orphanage because I wasn't safe on my planet this necklace has to mean something they probably have superpowers look I can stare directly at the sun I went half blind trying to prove that I could all the kids thought I was a bit of a weirdo and I guess I was I never really felt like I belonged there the only person

I was close to was Anna one of the jors she was the sweetest lady who'd always paid extra attention to me since I was little and we had a special bond one day when I was 10 I was going on about a new Theory regarding my parents over breakfast when this kid named Brad flung oatmeal in my face can you just shut up for once we don't care where you came from you're nobody special I'm special to someone out there that's why they gave me this precious necklace dummy but suddenly Brett lunged at me and

pulled at the necklace Breaking the Chain and sending the pendant flying across the floor I stood Frozen in shock then Fury took over and I pounced on him Fred was rescued by some nuns soon enough while Anna pulled me away to her room where I sobbed over my broken necklace I can't fix the chain sweetie but how about I put the pendant in this thread so you can still wear it Anna do you think I'm special everyone's special in their own way Cass that's just another way of saying no one is well I guess it's

true in my case my parents wouldn't have left me here if I was special or maybe they loved you so much that they gave you up because they wanted you to have a better life than the one they could give you also you're special to me Anna's warts made me feel better and something in my head shifted that day if my parents wanted me to have a good life I needed to get adopted by a nice family living in a nice house they wouldn't want me spending my life here but my attempts to get adopted

didn't go well why does my head look like a jelly bean and why do I look pregnant I was wondering about your head too maybe your brain is too small and I thought you are pregnant and why did an older sister for your baby I'm totally up for it I guess I offended them because they didn't adopt me I tried to impress more couples visiting the orphanage I cracked jokes sang them songs memorized a bunch of science facts so they'd think I was super smart but every meeting ended the same way they left always choosing

someone else and eventually I gave up on the idea of ever getting adopted I wasn't going to put myself through the pain of rejection again then one time when I was 15 I was reading in the common room when I heard loud voices in the corridor I stepped outside to see a new boy surrounded by a bunch of kids including Brett they'd taken his thick glasses and were passing them around and laughing then Brett threw them to the side and the poor boy dropped to the floor blindly searching for them what is wrong with you

guys leave him alone oh chill out loser unlike you I'm getting adopted next week so we're just having some fun before I go do you need a reminder of the time I made you scream for your life do your new parents want a bald son BR gave me the stink eye before he and the others left and the boy turned to me with a grateful smile he told me his name was Matteo Mato and I had tons in common we both liked pickles and super spicy food and scary movies and we were both Misfits as

kids the only difference is that you don't let anyone bully you and I can't stand up for myself yes you can because you have me by your side now you don't have to do it alone Mato and I became best friends and my life was just better with him around of course I started including him in My Hangouts with Anna but I could just sense he didn't like her at all like this one time I asked Mato to play board games with me and Anna after dinner and he fled out refused I just don't like

the way she keeps looking at me she has a slight squint in her eye dude then I guess it's just her vibe she's perfectly lovely just yesterday I saw her screaming at some little kids for spilling juice on the floor I mean they're kids and the other night I woke up and was getting myself some water when I saw her sneaking out it was 2 a.m. trust me there's something Shady about that woman it's her job to keep the floors clean and those kids can be brats and Anna is an adult she doesn't have a

curfew stop being so weird about her but Matteo refused to hang out with Anna and if she ever came to check up on me Matteo would just leave of course it didn't Escape Anna's notice I don't understand why Mato feels so uncomfortable around me he's just an introvert just give him time he'll warm up to you are you sure I don't want you losing the only friend you have because of me Mato had totally misunderstood Anna and I was hoping I could knock some sense into him soon but a few days later I was summoned

to the warden's office I walked in and saw Mato there with a young couple and then he came running to me excitedly she's the girl I've been telling you about she's been so amazing to me since I came here if you're looking to adopt someone it should be her not me Mato what are you but Matteo just shushed me and went on singing My Praises as the couple smiled then turned to the warden and told her they wanted to adopt us both I couldn't believe my ears I was finally getting adopted and Mato was going

to be my brother Anna was thrilled for me too and we spent the whole week packing but on the last day I was told that I wasn't getting adopted only Mata was what why they didn't give me a reason but for now you'll stay here and Matteo your new parents will pick you up soon so you guys can say your goodbyes the warden walked away and I broke down in tears I I don't understand what changed I know you don't want to hear it but I think think Anna is behind this Mato mentioned that a

few days earlier the couple's lawyer had come by the orphanage to drop some paperwork and he had spotted Anna talking to him she said something about you having bipolar disorder and being a troublemaker what you heard her say this exactly well not exactly but I'm good with lip reading and that's pretty much what she said are you kidding me Matteo accusing Anna for no good reason no your parents probably just decided it wasn't worth the trouble to adopt two kids after all what we ask them no thank you I don't need to be humiliated to

my face are you sure you want to go with these people what if they change their mind about you one day too huh I think you're wrong about them you know what just leave I can see you're dying to go but don't ruin the one good thing I have in my life and that's Anna I stormed off before he could say more tears pouring down my face we didn't have a proper goodbye and I didn't stay in touch a couple of years went by and I started a job at a local grocery store to save

up money for the future one day as I was heading out I realized my uniform had a tear in the back I went to Anna's room to ask for help but she wasn't around as I looked around for her sewing kit my foot got caught in the carpet and I fell on my face as I groaned I suddenly spotted a large wooden box under her bed my curiosity got the better of me and I opened it there were stacks of cash inside but my hands trembled as I picked up a picture of Anna with a

woman who looked a lot like me wearing my necklace I went through the other documents in the Box and saw my birth certificate along with letters from someone asking about how I was doing it didn't make any sense Anna had my birth certificate so she knew exactly when I was born and to whom she actually knew my mother and she'd lied to me about all this my entire life I wanted to confront Anna immediately but something stopped me if she had kept such a big secret she would only lie to my face now I took

pictures of everything with my phone and quickly left her room and later that night I ran away from the orphanage I messaged Matteo on on Instagram saying it was an emergency and thankfully he agreed to meet me at a cafe as he walked in I instantly registered that he looked different hey what's going on I'm so sorry for not believing you Matteo you were right Anna isn't who she seems I told Matteo about everything i' discovered I just knew it my parents confirmed that Anna had said things about you to their lawyer but I didn't

reach out to you again because I didn't think you'd listen I wasn't ready to but I do believe you now I couldn't think of anyone else to go to and I know you weren't happy to see me but Cassie of course I am you're my best friend and you are not going back to that orphanage Mato took me to his Mansion which was beyond amazing he had Butlers and Maids a movie theater in his basement three pools a chef and a masseuse his parents were welcoming and Mato helped me hire a private investigator to follow

up on the leads I'd found in Anna's room he even lied for me when some police sent by the nuns showed up asking about me with me he was still great but I could see he'd really changed I couldn't ignore his pretentious wardrobe and his slicked back gel hair and he always seemed overeager to please his parents thanking them for every little thing basking in their praise over his good grades and taking an interest in everything they liked dude did you even know anything about the painting your parents just bought you you were praising so

much it looked pretty weird to me of course I know I researched the artist and all his works and it's not weird it's genius takes a refined eye to appreciate his condescending comment annoyed me but I brushed it off the painting was ugly period And soon after Matteo invited me to one of his school parties he'd even picked out a dress for me which looked expensive he introduced me to his friends each richer than the next they all bragged about their money and their cars and made mean jokes about other kids in school then halfway

through the party a girl passing Us by suddenly tripped spilling her soda all over Matteo's shoes oh my God are you blind these are limited edition Nikes I'm so sorry me is your apology going to replace my shoes I would insist that you get me new ones but I'll let you off the hook just cuz I know your dad's monthly salary wouldn't even cover it am I right as he and his friends laughed something inside me snapped seriously when did you become such a jerk have you forgotten your humble beginnings have you forgotten what it's

like to be bullied Matteo's face turned red as he tried to laugh it off and he dragged me to the side what do you think you're doing who have you turned into man it's it's just an act Cass that's how everyone in my circle talks and acts don't make a big deal out of nothing and the least you can do is not embarrass me in front of my friends especially after everything I'm doing for you wow I don't even know what to say except that I'll be out of your hair very soon and with that

I just walked out of the party I was so angry I kept walking without thinking but after a while I realized I had no idea where I was while I was hopefully waiting for a cap to turn up I suddenly heard something behind me but the second I turned around a masked figure grabbed me and put a damp cloth on my face and as I was dragged into the van I blacked out when I finally came around I found myself on a chair and I was somewhere familiar then I realized it was the HED at

the orphanage and minutes later Anna appeared in front of me Anna how did I get here what's going on please Cassie you need to calm down calm down you don't get to tell me that after lying to me my whole life tell me the truth about everything in that wooden box under your bed Anna started crying and then revealed the whole truth to me she told me how my parents were millionaires who had met a boting accident when I was just a baby as their only daughter I was the sole heir of their massive Fortune

business and properties which I would have full control over when I turned 18 your dad's younger brother was put in charge of you and your finances till you turned 18 and he would get a portion too but he got greedy he knew that in case something happened to you the entire property would get transferred to the next of kin which was him that's why he asked me to move you to this orphanage on the other end of the country then claimed you'd passed away due to some illness and faked the documents and he's been paying

me to look over you in the orphanage making sure you didn't leave and start poking into your past so caring about me was all an act you were just doing it for money and why do you have a picture with my mom I do care about you but I had to do it my life is difficult I've needed this money to take care of my own family also I have that picture because your mom and I were friends a long time ago but then we had a huge falling out so you haven't just been a

lousy friend to me but also my mom you're despicable and I won't let you or my uncle get away with this I can't let you go if your uncle found out he'd kill me I tried running out of there but Anna was too fast and strong for me I'd almost given up biting her off when the door burst open and Mata walked in with the police Anna let go of me and tried to make a dash of it but she was caught immediately and taken away how did you even find me when you left the

party I followed you soon after I figured you wouldn't know the way back and I was looking for you when I saw you get kidnapped I immediately called the police and told them the car's number and they tracked it down that was quick thinking listen Cass I'm really sorry I know I've been such a jerk lately I think what you said in the orphanage really stuck with me what if my parents changed my mind about me too I've been so afraid of losing them in my new life that I've been trying a little too hard

to fit into this new world but I hardly recognize myself anymore it takes courage to accept your mistakes and I'm glad you could do it so friends again weren't we always oh also I won't be crashing at your place for too long apparently I have an uncle to track down and a fortune to inherit I turn 18 next week let's go home I'll tell you all about it [Music]