Venn stepped through the door of the orphanage. It was quiet. The atmosphere was somber and the two small children he saw through a doorway were slumped as they played with their tiny horses and cars.

A shiver ran down Venn's spine. He could have wound up in a place like this. The silence bothered him.

The short old woman who had let him in smiled sweetly. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No. No, I'm good. Thank you... why is it so quiet?" Venn looked around.

The woman sighed. "It's always like this."

Venn snorted. "Well we can't have that." He cleared his throat and strode into the living room, singing a song he'd written about walking on a winter morning. His clear voice shattered the silence like ice.

The two children stopped playing and looked up at him. A couple teens lounged around the room. All eyes locked on this strange man with scars on his face singing with a voice filled with life.

Several more kids edged into the room. It grew crowded quickly. One girl, twelve at the oldest, stood just outside the door, a notebook clutched to her chest. She had light brown hair that hung around her shoulders. Her pale green eyes watched Venn closely. A pencil stuck up behind her left ear. She wore a long sleeved grey shirt a few sizes too big and black pants that didn't look particularly flattering.

Venn finished his song and tied it directly into another, this one about fighting for life. He made sure to look around him at all of the kids and teens, but his eyes kept returning to the girl. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about this girl. The hallway she stood in was light, but an unseen darkness hung around her.

As Venn sang, he heard a few timid voices try to keep up with his words. He could feel the mood shifting away from the serious silence of before. Except for the girl. She turned and walked away, disappearing down the hall.

Venn finished his second song and the kids all applauded politely. A few elbowed each other and a couple laughs prevented the silence from falling again. Venn went to the door, gazing down the hall the direction the girl had gone. She hadn't left. She sat at the base of the stairs, writing in her notebook.

Venn slipped out of the living room and approached slowly. The girl looked up when he was a few feet away. Muffled laughter and boisterous voices filled the air behind him.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked.

The girl shrugged and looked back down at her notebook. She scrawled a couple swirling patterns in the margins.

Venn sat down next to her. He tilted his head and leaned over. "What's in there?"

The girl snapped the notebook closed and flipped it upsidedown. "Nothing," she muttered. She pulled the sleeves of her shirt over her hands.

Venn pulled away. "Alright."

The girl looked up at him. Her eyes bright and suspicious. She tucked the pencil back behind her ear.

Venn smiled. "What's your name, principessa?"

The girl looked down, her hair falling around her face. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "Jasper..."

Venn held out a pale hand to her. "Venn."

Jasper looked up at him again. She gave him a tiny smile, her lips pressed tightly together. She took his hand and shook it. Her fingers were cold, even to him.

Venn couldn't help himself. He grinned at her. His sharp teeth glinted. "A pleasure to meet you, Jasper."

Jasper blinked, pulling her hand away. "You... you have sharp teeth." She barely opened her mouth when she spoke.

Venn nodded. "I do." He looked down the hall. The woman was watching them. "It brought me a lot of pain when I was your age."

Jasper rubbed her notebook. "I have them too... the others think I'm a monster..."

Venn gave her a small smile. "I used to think the same. But you want to know a secret?"

Jasper nodded slowly. She watched him intently.

Venn leaned in a bit closer. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I found a lot of people who look past that. And I think you're very pretty." He touched one finger to her chest and smiled. "And I'm sure the heart inside you is beautiful too."

Jasper hunched her shoulders, embarrassed. "You're just being nice..." she said awkwardly.

"I'm also being honest. You're going to grow up to be a very beautiful woman." Venn kept his eyes on Jasper.

Jasper sat there a moment, then got up and ran upstairs. Venn turned to watch her go, but didn't try to get her to come back. After she had gone, he stood slowly. He sighed.

The woman watched as Venn came back toward her. She smiled at him. "She seems to like you."

Venn gave her a sharp grin. "I tend to have the opposite effect on people. I'm mildly surprised by this."

The woman laughed and pushed him back into the living room. "Go entertain them. They haven't been this happy in a long time."

So, Venn stayed the entire day. He played with the younger kids, taught some words in Italian, told them true stories that he let them believe were false, sang songs, and drew pictures. After the sun had set, Venn stood and smiled. "Well I need to be going home now. My wife will be wondering what I'm doing."

Most of the kids complained loudly at this announcement. Venn laughed along with some of the older kids as the younger ones begged him to stay.

Venn stood by the door, trying to pull himself away from the little kids pulling on his blazer sleeves. The woman, who he had learned was Mary, was trying to help.

Venn looked down at the kids around him. "How about I make you all a deal. I'll come back in a day or two and take you somewhere. How does that sound?"

The kids grumbled their grudging agreement and let Venn leave. Before closing the door, Venn promised again that he would return as he could.

He walked a few steps away before he looked back. In the ground floor windows he saw all of the kids watching him. Upstairs, a lone figure sat in a window.

Jasper watched Venn go. Her chin resting on her hand. Her sleeve had slipped a bit and the shadows made it look like something dripped down her arm. Venn smiled and waved up at her. Jasper didnt react, just kept watching as he walked away into the darkness.