Wearing a White Gown

**Vanya

Today was rejection day.

I sat on my childhood bed, my knees pulled tight to my chest, my arms wrapped around my shins. Stuffed animals with missing glass eyes and old porcelain dolls took up most of the mattress, forcing me into a small, cramped corner against the headboard. The plush toys were silent ghosts of a life I used to live, a time before blood and betrayal tainted my name.