orphans

Butterfly

All she wanted was to be someone's little girl.... Fate made her a lonely orphan, yearning for the embrace of a real family and a loving home. But a golden chance at a new life may not be enough to escape the dark secrets of her past....

Crystal

All she wanted was a family she could call her own... As an orphan girl, Crystal was one of many - and utterly alone. But she still dreamed of a shining life of love and happiness, and freedom from the dark legacy of her past... Bright and fearless, Crystal will discover that new parents can mean new worries... When the Morrises choose Crystal from all the girls and boys in the orphanage, she is full of optimism - at last she has a home to call her own. Karl Morris, her new dad, likes math as much as she likes science, and he's already proud of her being a good student. Thelma, her new mom, makes her feel truly wanted for the first time. And though Thelma seems more interested in her television soap operas than in real life, Crystal feels in her heart that their tidy little house will become a real home. Crystal is especially pleased when the Morrises approve of her first boyfriend. But she will soon discover that in her new home, sadness is banished to the back of a closet... and that means no one is prepared when a shocking tragedy comes rattling at the door.

Brooke

All she wanted was a mother's warm embrace.... Brooke was an orphan, abandoned long ago by a mother she barely knew. And though her new family seemed to offer the promise of a new beginning, a dark voice in her heart told her that she was now more alone than ever...

Raven

All she wanted was an end to broken promises.... Her Mama made it painfully clear that she wished Raven had never been born. But even after she was sent to live with her kindly aunt and domineering uncle, humiliating secrets lurked -- and threatened to dash forever Raven's dream of a true home....

Runaways

"All for one and one for all" was the girls' motto. In the grim foster home for orphans run by Louise and Gordon Tooey, at least Brooke, Crystal, Raven, and Butterfly had each other. Calling themselves "sisters," together they could forget the past and dream of a new chance...a real home. Then they discovered a secret even more haunting than Gordon's heavy boots pounding on the wooden floors. Their fragile hopes of a better life shattered, they escaped the only way they could. Soon they were runaways in a borrowed car, desperately wishing to wake up one morning in a place of sunshine and love. Raven hoped to be a singer, Butterfly wanted to be a dancer, Crystal planned for college, and Brooke privately hoped to find her mother in California. On the open road the chains of sadness that had bound them seemed to melt away, and the kindness of strangers made a secure future seem almost real. But the highway was a dangerous place, and soon they were penniless and more vulnerable than ever. Alone under the wide western sky, they had only each other to ask if they should give up their dreams...or if they were really halfway to a haven of safety and happiness....

Orphans - Main Characters

* Janet Delorice (Butterfly) - main character
* Celine Westfall Delorice - adoptive mother of Janet
Wife to Sanford
* Sanford Delorice - adoptive father of Janet
Husband to Celine
* Mr. & Mrs. Westfall - parents of Celine & Daniel
* Daniel Westfall - son of Mr. & Mrs. Westfall
Younger brother of Celine
* Marlene - Sanford's sister
* Gordon & Louise Tooey - owners of The Lakewood House

* Crystal Perry Morris - main character
Daughter of Amanda Perry
Adoptive daughter of Thelma & Karl Morris
* Amanda Perry - mother of Crystal
* Karl Morris - husband to Thelma
Adoptive father of Crystal
Son of Papa & Lily Morris
* Thelma Morris - wife to Karl
Adoptive mother of Crystal
Daughter of Grandpa & Grandma (Martha)
* Chastity "Chas" & Arnold "Arn" - prospective adoption parents
* Stuart Morris - Karl's middle brother
* Gary Morris - Karl's youngest brother
* Papa Morris - husband to the late Lily
Father of Karl, Stuart, & Gary
* Lily Morris - late wife to Papa Morris
Mother of Karl, Stuart, & Gary
* Charlie, Richard, & Marty - friends of Papa Morris
* Grandpa & Grandma (Martha) - mother of Thelma

* Brooke Thompson - Main character
Adoptive daughter of Peter & Pamela Thompson
* Peter Thompson - husband of Pamela
Adoptive father of Brooke
* Pamela Thompson - wife of Peter
Adoptive mother of Brooke
*Sacket - Thompson Butler

* Raven Flores - main character
Daughter of Mama
* Mama Stack - mother of Raven
* Reuben Stack - husband to Clara
Father of Jennifer and William
Uncle to Raven
* Clara Stack - wife to Reuben
Mother of Jennifer and William
Aunt to Raven
* Jennifer Stack - daughter of Reuben and Clara
* William Stack - son of Reuben and Clara