The orphanage name had a warm feeling, "T.J. Children's Home" but Soni quickly found out that the environment on the inside was more like a prison. There were children, ages five all the way up to eighteen in the place. He quickly found out that there was no peace until the lights went out.

He was placed in a room that housed ten kids around his age. Six metal double bunk beds occupied the average-sized square room. Soni was the eleventh occupant to live in the pale room. He was shown to his bed by a seventeen-year-old boy name is Ricky.

Soni looked up to him as a big brother from the first moment he saw him. Ricky ruffled his hand through Soni's hair when they were introduced by the counselor.

"C' mon kid let's go have some fun," Ricky said instantly breaking away from the adults.

Ricky helped Soni put his belongings he had collected from his grandmother's home on the bed. He walked around the room waking up the other kids that were still deep in their peaceful sleep. He kicked two bunk beds and the kids that occupied them jumped up startled.

"Get up you rugrats."

He pointed to Soni who stood confused by Ricky's sudden actions.

"Fresh meat boys. Break him in."

He reached into his pocket and retrieved two small boxes. The boys suddenly came to attention. Soni squinted to see what it was. Ricky held two packs of cigarettes in his hand. He tossed them on the desk and turned to leave. "Give him a tour of the place but keep away from the counselors. They think I'm giving the tour."

A chorus of "Okays" came from Soni’s new roommates.

Soni watched as the cigarette packs were opened and divided. One of the kids offered him one, he shook his head, and the kid shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care. After everyone was happy they walked back to their beds getting back into them.

A heavyset kid walked to a dresser and pulled one of the drawers open. He pulled a handful of straws out. "Okay fellas, you know how it goes," he says walking around the room to everyone. Soni watched with complete curiosity. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something catch fire. He turned to see a kid by the window exhaling cigarette smoking into the fresh air outside. He now knew why the walls were the color that they were. I can't believe they're smoking in here, Soni thought to himself when he saw another kid light up.

The foul stench hit his nose forcing him to cringe. The heavyset kid with the Beatles hairdo walked up to the last kid that was seated on the bunk next to Soni. He was the only kid in the room that didn't jump up for a cigarette. He pulled one of the last straws that were left leaving the heavy kid with the last.

"Okay. We all know the rules. The shortest straw has to take the new Jack on the tour of the place."

Soni couldn't believe the drew straws for that reason. "Hey. I'm okay," he said. A little too weak. He quickly cleared his throat. "I'm too beat from the trip on the way here to walk anymore," he claimed, trying to fit in. "Suit yourself, the heavyset kid said setting his straw on the desk. He walked over to the window and lit his cigarette off the one the kid in the window was already smoking.

Soni turned his attention away from them. He felt his eyes welling with tears. He didn't deserve this. Grandma, why did you leave me like this? he asked himself. He was assigned a top bunk. He looked at the mattress and noticed that the mattress had old soiled spots from when somebody had wet the bed. Soni struggled to flip the mattress on the other side. He sigh in disgust when he noticed the other side looked worse than the other. Holding his composure Soni made the bed and climbed up into it.

He stared at the ceiling for an hour, counting the tiny pebbles that protrude from the nicotine colored ceiling. He closed his eyes and escaped to dream control. He thanked his grandmother for training him in mind control. He knew that he would be spending a lot of his time in his dream control world than in the new environment he is forced to live in now.

Soni was quickly considered an outcast. Most of his roommates tried to get him involved with the pranks they pulled at night, but he refused. As years passed Soni became known as the black sheep. He watched children being adopted that he never thought had a chance to leave before him. He wished to be adopted badly and to be wist away from the orphanage. He wasn't picky and could care less if the family that chose him were rich or dead broke. He swore to be on his best behavior and to make things work.

The family he wished for never came. Nobody ever looked in Soni's direction. The orphanage schooled children until they reach the ninth grade. Once a child reached they were sent to a local high school. He prayed for the day to come when he could be allowed out of the orphanage’s gates.

There were times when the teachers would take the children to local events that occurred outside the orphanage, but Soni felt the need for more freedom. The all-boy orphanage was getting to him. He felt the need to be surrounded by people other than the people in the orphanage. He found that his time went by a little quicker when he had a book. He learned to read everything since the library held only so many books.

Once Soni had read all of the ones interest him he started on everything else. He found that after he started a book give or take after the first three or four chapters he knew if he was going to enjoy the book or not. He found himself suddenly engrossed with the books dealing with psychology. He did his best to read everything and finish, but there were a few romance novels that made him blush.

He took everything he learned from books and applied to his life. He was amazed by the similarities he found as he compared his teachings from books to the environment he lived in. He found himself capable to relate with everyone on all levels. Soni knew the sounds coming from a person’s voice was more important than what was said.

The tone of somebody's voice could tell him what pain the person's been through or set the mood of any conversation. Life became a little easier for him. His ninth-grade year in high school Soni was ahead of his class, but with dealing with other teenagers that have lived their lives in their homes with parents, was a struggle.

He found himself jealous and envious of them. He walked back to the orphanage on many days after school wishing that he had a brother that he could talk to. He also smiled many times taking back the wish. Having a brother would also mean the two of them going through what Soni now went through himself. Misery loves company.

Soni was approached countless times by girls that asked him if he had a girlfriend. Soni laughed countless times telling them that he wasn't their type. Most would laugh with him and ask why. "I stay in an orphanage."

Some relationships lasted longer than others. The orphanage gave the trusted teenagers passes allowing them to stay out on Fridays and Saturdays until twelve o'clock. Some would abuse the privilege and receive restrictions. He got a part-time job at a library and continued to pursue the knowledge he sought in the human mind. He no longer performed dream control. He found himself too occupied with the world to think about it.

When Soni graduated from high school he was behind the valedictorian. He was the vice president of the school's' student council and known as the teacher's aid and tutor to students.

He had spent his summers in summer school collecting the points he needed to graduate ahead of his class. His purpose was to get away from the confines of the orphanage as quickly as possible. But with all of the scholarships offered to him, Soni still couldn't will himself to leave Nevada. He wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but he knew deep down inside why he couldn't leave. He was scared.

He hadn't been out of the state a day in his life, and to suddenly leave now seem to frighten him to death. He felt as if he were betraying his parents and grandmother if he leaves. But that's ridiculous he thought to himself so many nights after graduation.

Then the big day came for Soni to leave for college. He left some minor belongings to some friends he had met over the years. "And that was only one handful," he had joked with his best friend Jimmy Lee. Soni learned quickly during his time at the orphanage to avoid growing too attached to anybody. He had witnessed many occasions many kids who were adopted telling their friends before they leave that they will keep in contact.

Soni had fallen for it himself but quickly got over it.

Stepping from the orphanage Soni turned around and looked at the building. He stared at T.J. Johnson’s orphanage and remembered the day he first saw the sign with Mr. Parker standing beside him. He never thought he would see the day he would walk away only to never return.

If anybody were to ask him, he would admit that he thought about trying to escape on many occasions. He even had his own blueprints of the orphanage that he had drawn over years when he felt himself about to go crazy. There were days when the orphanage’s kitchen would serve food that Soni had never heard of or seen before. It got to the point where the children had given every meal a special name. Certain meals nobody could identify they called mystery plate.

Soni turned away from the orphanage and grabbed his suitcase. He walked to the waiting cab and smiled sincerely for the first time in a long time.

"Where to?" the Mexican man asked. The cab smelled of cigarette smoke.

Soni didn't care. He was finally free. "To the bus station. Nevada state is waiting on me."