NIS-Rachel


 * __Chapter 1: Rubba-dub-dub__**

As I sat in the bathtub, I looked up at the peeling paint on the ceiling. The old orphanage desperately needed a makeover. I had always been a dreamer, especially because I was a shy, well, you could say I was an outcast. I would get into trouble for almost anything I did, particularily being late. I imagined that I was flying away from the earth, lifting up from the old crumbling orphanage, climbing up to the sky. If I looked down, I would see the little town of Brandlebury floating away, I would go up, up, up, and fly over the sea into space, when all of a sudden, I was interrupted by a noise, "KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!" I was awakened from my daydreaming and called to the door, "Who is it?" I called out in my groggy voice.

"You have been in there much too long as usual!" I recognised that voice only too well. "I'm sorry Miss Grasshopper," I called out "I'll be right out!" "You had better be! Because I'm coming in in 5...4...3..." came the scraggly, angry voice. I of course didn't have time to dry off, change, //and// empty the tub, but she came in anyway with a measuring tape when I had just put my towel on. She walked over to the tub and stuck the measuring tape into the tub. "We put this yellow line here for a reason! Now if you can't respect that, you won't have any baths for 3 weeks! You have filled up the tub.... 6.2cm above the yellow line! Well young lady, you had better get changed and get downstairs to get ready for supper!" She left the bathroom and I got changed quickly. I ran downstairs to the long kitchen table, and of course, I was last. As quietly as I could, I sat down next to my best friend in the orphanage, Melanie.

__**Chapter 2: The Perfect Giggle**__

Of course I was late-- again. "You're always late," exclaimed Melanie, "now you'll be in for it!" "I know, I know," I replied, "I already have the great joy of not being able to bathe for 3 weeks," I said sarcastically, "who knows what'll happen next!" I had a good understanding of the punishments of the orphanage. Being quite mischievous, I think I deserved __all__ of them. And I didn't want to have to see another one again in my life. I had always dreamed of becoming famous someday and escaping from the orphanage, but I didn't have any unique talents other than always being late ('oh look! Penelope is late again in our newest TV show "The time hunters!") although that would have to wait.

"PENELOPE SPINELLI!!!!!! Where have you been?" sreeched our head chef, Helga, "You were late to the supper table again, I expect you to be on cleanup duty!" Helga had been a chef in the marines, so she was pretty hard core. She expected us to be at the dinner table at 6:30 on the dot! Of course I missed that 9 out of 10 times, but I guess that's just me. Helga's food was also pretty 'hard core'. usually it was something //very// gross. Melanie whispered something to me, "We have to eat fried sardines tonight." Those were gross. "Eeeeeeeeew!" I screeched. I thought I was quiet enough, but I guess Helga heard me. "Penelope! You should be glad you're getting any food at all! As far as I know, you don't deserve any of the food I serve you." I felt quite embarrassed, especially with the whole orphanage staring at me. I knew I didn't deserve any of the food she serves me, no one here does. Well, maybe except for Lana Wheinder, but still, we don't deserve her food (I mean that in a bad way)! Almost everyone giggled in the cafeteria, wich only made me more embarrassed. Although I was used to being made fun of, still, that didn't mean I didn't have any real feelings! Lana giggled too, I hate it when she does that! She always says that her way of showing happiness is much more 'ladylike' than mine, and that real girls should have a ladylike laugh. She also says that my way of showing emotional enjoyment is guffawing, shrieking, snorting, et cetera.


 * __Chapter 3__**

Melanie deecided to help me with the cleanup. "You do realize that this is MY job, you don't have to help me." (although I secretly had to have her there to help me scape off the sardines that the orphanage kids despised so much.) "No, really. It's okay, you need the help. Besides, I'd rather spend my time scraping the hideous sardines than listening to Lana practice 'I'm a Barbie girl' a thousand times." we both realized our options, and decided to stick with the cleanup duty.

We continued to scrape, rinse, dry, stack, put away, and so on. We used the special 'SWOOSH' soap to make the three sinks bubble. We accidentally poured at least more than twice as much as we were supposed to in the second sink while we were talking about how much we hate Lana. We suddenly realized that the sink was overflowing with 'SWOOSH' bubbles!