HER LAST BREATH

" HELP!!!"

I scream my heart out, panting with hot sweat dripping down my body, from my cheeks to my collarbone; the little drops trek down, wetting not just the lids of my glasses but also my collar until it gets over the soft rise of my cleavage.

I turn, looking back each time as I race through the gray walls of an underground passageway, it's narrow walls stretch further and low cemented ceiling trapped me releasing a spooked out version of me running deeper in it.

The gray gradually fades into sandy brown with the peeling gray paint resting at the bottom of the wall. A dull bulb is pinned against the wall as I speed pass it, leaving behind its fluctuating light.

Running forward, I narrow my eyes trying to make out my way in the dull darkness. My feet make constant 'bangs' on the ground.

All around me, I hear its echoes.

"HELP!!!"

I scream out once more, my voice louder with tears and panting as I hasten my already racing feet. In the darkness, my eyes make out another pair of lights, its dim red rays extend a bit further, and slowly, they descend on the ash doors of an elevator.

Straight ahead, the narrow part becomes wider dividing into two narrower routes. My eyes scan them noticing how the routes look;

In the first, crawling green plants stroll down its ancient, cracked walls. There's hardly any light in it; darkness cloaks what lay behind its blanket like a continuation of endless black and bushy green.

Slowly, my eyes dart to the second. A wooden signboard hangs above the entrance. Various zigzag signs of cracks are visible on its wooden plane. In red faded writings, I see a big 'X' on it with an even more faded sign 'under renovation.'

Pupils of mine move a bit further. In the dull darkness, a crusty electrical circuit twitches. Close to the circuit by the left is a tiny red bulb that comes on and off, constantly blinking;

It comes on... then off.

On again, then off once more.

Just looking at the lights, cold chills move down my skin, and I decide to take my chances with the elevator, which is furthest from me.

"SOMEONE HELP

ME!!!"

I shout, still racing towards the elevator, unaware of what effect my decision to use it would have on me.

"Would you SHUT your damn mouth? No one's going to save you!"

I hear his voice ring. His British accent is thicker with his tenor voice. I turn around, but I see no trace of him. The echo of his voice is so loud, like it's coming from every route, and yet no one.

I keep running forward, refusing to let the fact that I may be running straight to him or might even bump right into him stop me, but God, I pray I don't.

But then again, when has the lord ever answered my prayers?

Panting, sweating, and totally winded, I scream, still running downwards towards the elevator, which is finally close to me.

As my feet draw me closer to the elevator, the surrounding air becomes cooler, probably because I feel at ease, almost safe, but then, I hear...

"Pa...pa...pa!" The sound of his feet hitting the ground as he races towards me hunts me. The sound is louder as he emerges from the darkness like a silhouette, and slowly, he comes into the dim red light.

"No...no...no!" I run to the elevator, clicking the buttons. Tears start leaking out my eyes as I see the hesitant ash doors of the elevator. His footsteps draw closer to me, and the tension and the pressure make my hand shaky, but I keep pressing the buttons.

I keep pressing the buttons, forcing them to slide the door open, but it refuses. Tears now race from my cheeks down my collarbone and my eyes become blurry with them, even wetting the lids of my glasses.

"Oh no God!" I press the button. The sound of his footsteps draws closer and closer and nearer and...

An empty line separates the elevator's doors as it opens. I rush into it. Clicking the buttons, I hope the door would close right in time before the beast arrives.

It slowly closes regardless of my prayer.

Finally almost an inch remaining for the doors of the elevator to shut...

To my dismay, a thin black cylindrical gun blocks the way and the elevator sounds loud reopening;

"Welcome!"

The doors open wide. His shiny black boots are the first thing I set my eyes on, and they remain on them, afraid to look up. Summing up some sort of courage, I slowly lift my gaze up viewing his blue blazer, blood soaks the edges of his blazer. There's a red mini rose in its pocket, his bloody hands form a fist holding something.

Finally, I look up at him' My handsome devil.'

His eyebrows are dark and bushy. Eyes devilishly ravishing, his pupil's ocean blue and captivating. His nose, a paragon of perfection 'pointed and slim, having a perfect shape'. His lips curve up in a smile. A sinister expression is on his face as he snickers walking deeper into the elevator. His British accent echoes loud and his rage filled voice scares me.

"Fuck it Krystal! Did you actually think it would be that easy to outrun me?...Just where the FUCK!...?" He kicks the elevator and the metal budges inside. He reduces his voice when he notices how shaken I am, making it a little lower, but it's still full of rage and bottled up anger;

"...did you think you were going, Peanut?"

His angry blue eyes stare right at me as his gigantic hands grope my hair dragging me away from the elevator, my glasses fall down and the further he dragged me away, the smaller it seemed to become.

The pain beneath his forceful fingers is so excruciating and bone cracking that I struggle to free myself. I groan in pain raising my leg intending to kick his balls but unfortunately, he grips my leg tight as he mouths silently;

"No no, peanut." He says with his beautiful blue eyes staring at me. My skin beneath his fingers hurts like a rope is fastened to it, tying it like the neck of a hanged victim.

I move opening my mouth, my teeth pierces into his arm, but he doesn't budge instead a needle slips right into my neck injecting some sort of transparent liquid into my veins.

Everything around me is like I am underwater ' blurry and shaky' including the ravishing blue eyed devil holding me as I collapse in his arms.

The last thing I hear is;

"Good night, peanut!"

FIVE DAYS EARLIER

" I stand on the last bridge of my life.

Who knew Brooklyn Bridge, a bridge I always crossed through would be the bridge I fall from?

I breathe in my last breath, so refreshing...

The breeze blows my ebony hair and with one last step, l'll... "

" Krystal!"

My roommate screams out my name, making me drop my pen, my glasses shift and I slam my book shut. I look up at her pretty face. She has flowing long blonde hair, circular brown eyes and a bright killer smile, plus she wears excessively much red lipstick, and it brings out her large eyes. Sighing, I ask in my usual low toned voice;

"What?"

The outside door pushes open and her boyfriend rushes in holding some liquor and roast chicken, ready to do whatever disgusting stuff they always did and Lord, I am not ready to see that kind of yucky shit ever again, or 'At least not today!"

The last time I saw something I shouldn't have, I was scarred mentally and gosh, I still am...

So it happened like about a week ago, I am coming back from my trip to the orphanage. I held two bags in my hands, then twisted the door knob open. Walking into the sitting room I find Meg, my roommate, with her boyfriend on the white couch, he's on her with his trousers missing.

Yeah, guys! Literally, the trouser's not there!!!

And worse...

THEIR TONGUES ARE TIED TO EACH OTHER with SALIVA dripping down on both their skins; they are rubbing against each other in some yucky disgusting way that sends you that dry pussy-dude can't bang vibe and THE WORST is yet to come, folks.

His DICK is OUT.

By 'DICK' I mean penis, prick or whatever you know it as and guess what guys, It's not even big instead It's pink and thin like a scrawly sausage and swollen with some semen. I see his raw butt naked ass cheek, it's pinkish and God it is disgusting with nasty skin holes on it.

There's a tattoo on it saying;

'I don't make love, I fuck hard!"

God, he wished! Plus , we all know that's a line from Christian grey 'The king of all pleasures ' Winky face. '

Anyhow, I scream out loud, and he hops off her like a filthy hound...

The memory of it kills and disgusts me so bad I cringe. So to avoid that kind of trauma, I remove my glasses standing up from the dinner chair, I pick up my earphones, my books, and tab.

"...um, where do you think you are going?" Meg asks with her hands on her waist. Her voice sounds loud and high-pitched, you know, like a musical. The image of High school musical pops in my head, but I quickly dismiss it.

"...um...my room..." I look at her signalling with my eyes.

"...PRIVACY?"

"About the privacy... Yeah! Tods, I get it, but you should take the trash out and do the laundry on your way out!" She blinks at me as if saying; "You got anything to say? ahh, I thought so!"

"Bitch, I am going to my room, so WHY should I do your chores? Plus I am extra busy, It's your turn and has been your turn since the beginning of this year and guess what love... It's April!" Is what I should have said, but instead I nodded, went to her room, which is littered with clothes and picked up all her clothes then I headed to her basket to drop the clothes in it.

I pick up the baskets heading out when I meet Meg at the door.

"You know what, Meg? I ain't your slave and if you want one, guess what? You can turn your stick dick boyfriend into one!"

... Is what I wanted to say, but instead I just said;

"I am going to do your laundry now!"

"Yeah...and be quick with it, the trash really stinks!" She has the audacity to say.

I pick up the basket and head out of the room.

"You know you are such a Darling, right?

" No me importa!(I don't care!)" I said in Spanish before I shut the door.

Yeah, why wouldn't I be a Darling when I am literally her unpaid servant?

Unfortunately for me, I am that Bitch 'the pushover' and yeah guys, this has always been my problem 'the fact I am a bit of a pushover' you know what?... Scratch that, I am a massive pushover but in my defence before you judge me, I prefer the arguments in my head, that way I am not offending anyone... right?

After a long battle with our 1988 washing machine model and actually doing the laundry with such archaic machine, I head back inside for the trash. Meg my roommate is taking a shower and apparently getting all cleaned up for her 'Douche' at least that's what I call him in my head. His real name is Jack Darwin, I mean, his mama should've saved the strength and named him 'Jerk.'

Jerk Darwin has a nice ring to it plus it would've been a great identification tag and would've saved countless ladies their time.

"Hey, Krystal... You wanna..." He asks blocking my part and obstructing my way. His hands are plastered against the wall pinning me to it.

"I am kind of taking the trash out so maybe...!"

"Fuck it Krystal, I can't lie to you...I am actually with Meg to get with you. You know she got some thick ass boobs but hey, I can't keep eating burgers all day. I want some Gazpacho cause you know...you are Spanish... Plus you got a fatter ass, and you are way prettier with that long black hair...I dig you girl!"

Oh, mama! The things I go through! Now you see why I call him 'douche' and 'jerk.' He is a typical guy, you know, the foolish type who thinks he rules Douchebagdom.

"Um...Meg's your girlfriend..."

"Nah Bitch... She ain't my girl. I've been playing with her. I actually want you!"

He tries to touch me, but I dodge, squeezing myself under his arm and passing through it.

Picking up the trash I race out of the house to the incinerator. The whitish machine stares back at me. Slowly, I lift the black trash bag, throwing it in. I place in the recyclables which are mostly plastic bottles in the recycle bin, then I wander down the street because I don't want to go back home.

Like my bitch has the worst timing, and she comes to me in such foul mood. By 'my bitch' I mean my period. The pain conquers my stomach, I rush to the nearest convenience store holding my stomach.

Standing in front of its glass doors, I notice a bad ass ride packed in front of the convenience store. It's big, rough and black, the way I like it. It's a Jeep Grand Cherokee, just so you know it's a car of over One hundred thousand dollars "dollar sign, chink! Chink!

After admiring it madly, I push the convenience store door open. Luckily, for me, I don't find a line probably because of the time. I walk towards the shelf, my eyes move through all the brands of sanitary pads until I find mine. I pick up three packs of my blue angel tossing it into the basket I picked up nearby. Next I move to the painkillers section, pick out some packs of painkillers then I proceed to the counter. A young girl in blue uniform smiles at me, adjusting my basket and bringing out my contents.

"She's back, right?"

I look at her confused.

I am not really the extroverted type who enjoys random conversations with random strangers plus I got no friends. Not because I don't need them but because I am too scared to talk to them and when they actually talk to me; I am too scared to continue talking to them, so I respond drier than sand until they are all gone.

What a solitary life your girl lives!

"Who is?" I manage to ask in my low toned voice. Colour draining out of my face because of my cramps. She draws closer to me, her brown eyes glowing as she whispers; "Your period!"

"Yes...I guess so!" I say uncomfortable with the 'red talk' especially with a stranger.

Her eyes suddenly becomes sad and teary; "My boyfriend dumped me because of her..."

"Who?"

She rolls her eyes at me "My period... "

"... His name is Richard Watson. He has brown eyes, he's African American. Let me show you a pic of him ..." She searches for her phone.

God no! Not again, all I want to do is purchase some pad and I run into a broken-hearted cashier?

All I just want is my pad and my painkillers, MAM! How hard is that? Why me?...And isn't she like thirteen? Is she even supposed to be hoohaaing?

She brings out her phone and I see a black handsome dude on her lock screen.

Well, If that's him then... damn!!!

"Is that him?" I managed to ask after rephrasing it like a thousand times in my head.

"No!" She answers, still searching through her pictures. Finally, she shows me 'the Richard'.

He looks worse than a hunch back tortoise, and he's wrinkled, plus he's really short or at least he looks it.

Quick question... Is he actually old, or he just looks old?

Finally, I see his school jumper..." Bruh looks like an old man in his kid's uniform..."rude, but just saying!

I may have never dated in my life, but I have standards. Shouldn't she be glad he left her?" Bitch should shake that booty on camera.

"I don't know where I would find a guy like him again?"

"Sister, I hate to break it to you but 'a guy like him' isn't so hard to find, plus you would have no competition at all when you actually find him since no one ACTUALLY wants him!"

Thank god, she doesn't read minds.

She holds my hand and the tears start falling out of her eyes, wetting her smallish face.

"What should I do? Should I have let him hit on my period? It's just that it hurt so bad that day...but now I..."

"Got to get out of here!" Honestly, if I waste any more seconds, I will be a walking murder scene.

"... I miss him sooo bad, and he's not picking my calls, I have left him one thousand and ninety-nine missed calls, texted him a lot, but he's not..."

Did this bitch just say one hundred and ninety-nine times? Really, Bitch?

"Um...can I use your toilet?" I say, interrupting her.

"Yes...please do!" She holds out the key, giving it to me.

"It's not like you're going to be in there for long...because I haven't finished telling you about Richard!" Her pitch increases on. 'RICHARD.'

"I couldn't care less about Gross Richard!"

Facts there but thankfully I don't say instead I smile at her as I pick up the white nylon, taking the key from her, I rush towards the toilet.

"Thank you!" I hurriedly say. To make matters worse, I am wearing white shorts so if I get stained, it would show like a billboard "Yeah, this bitch's stained!"

As I hurry rushing forward, I bump into someone. My nylon like a marvel hero flies up in the air, landing back on the ground and all my contents fall out. My sanitary pads and painkillers are littered on the ground.

The whole world should have opened up and swallowed me! To make matters worse, more customers stroll into the store. Wow, woza, mother nature! Great timing! Perfect timing!

I bring my head down in shame then I saw a hand helping me pick up my 'belongings'. You know by belonging I mean my sanitary pad and painkillers.

"God, please not a dude! Anything but a man! I can even accept a tortoise picking up my stuff....no es una ducha!"

I looked up at the person who still moved further, picking up my PAD. It's even worse... It's a god of a man, handsome from every angle. He is right in front of me picking up my PAD and PAINKILLERS!

I can tell he's a paragon of perfection, a total hottie from just staring at the shape of his head and his brown hair. When he's done picking it up, his dazzling blue eyes face me and I melt in my spot. They are ocean blue with a thin line of golden brown lining them. How can someone be so handsome?

A handsome man is picking my pad and painkillers up? oh, the shame I couldn't hide!

My hands go up to my head scratching it nervously. The handsome blue-eyed man hands it over to me, smirks a little, then heads towards the line. I watch him cut through the line. The customers grumble, but he ignores them, heading to the front. He doesn't say hello, apologize or utter anything, instead he just tips the cashier, handing her over ninety dollars which is supposedly his change, then he heads out with a white nylon in his hands.

"Rude! But how can rude be so hot?"

The cashier melts right in her spot, I mean, who wouldn't?

I quickly hurry to use the toilet. By the time I get there, my skirt is already stained.

"Just great!' I say, pulling it off my hips. There's literally a bloodbath in here. I start by washing off the stains and after putting on my pad, I leave the toilet, shutting the door behind me then I head back to the cashier to return the key.

" God, that man...the handsome one was totally checking you out!"

"Me?" I ask in disbelief as my hands point to myself.

"Yeah...I noticed his dazzling pair of blue eyes staring at you the entire time."

"Me?" I ask again.

"Yes, mate!!!...He sat right there!" She points to a table close to the glass window. It's a hidden corner in the store, no wonder I didn't see him glow.

"...with his laptop and... Good heavens, he was checking you out!"

I handed her the key and found my way out of the store. I walked pass the ride I saw earlier but this time the driver was in it and yes, you can guess who owns the freaking ride? You guessed right, loves...

It's Mr Blue eyes. He's in his car dressed in an expensive blue blazer, with his laptop on his lap. As I head out of the store, his fiery blue eyes come up staring at me. He's watching me with a flirty smirk on his face and oh stupid me!... I blush hard.

My cheeks redder than a European apple. He seems to laugh a little. From his car, I see his dashing smile and god I am cupid struck. I think he's laughing at my goofy attitude because I am literally see through. Once, I am into someone, that person's going to know. The saddest thing about my love life because most of them are one-sided love stories.

Soon he drives off, leaving me standing in front of the store.

"WALT! HE DIDN'T ASK FOR MY NUMBER? WELL, FUCK MY LIFE."

As he drives pass, he steals something from me.

Yeah, cliché, I know...my heart. My head is full of images and the memory of his staring blue eyes as I continue my walk down the street.

I head back to my house with the white nylon swinging in my hands. A little drop of rain falls on my cheeks and I look up to find a star less sky. It's bluish black body is full of swollen bucky clouds.

It is unclear to me why, but I have never seen a star on a rainy night, maybe it's because the clouds cover them, thus hiding them.

Honestly, I have a bad memory of the rain. I know it's cold and relaxing when you lay on your couch with a mug of hot tea watching some Netflix or a plate of ice blocks on your laps crunching to the splitting sound of the rain, if you are my kinda girl, but my earliest memory of the rain isn't so rosy.

I remember standing in a field with a sunflower in my little hands. The sunflower in my hands fit in with the flowers lined up in front of a grey gravestone.

I stand in the midst of various adults clothed in a black overall gown. My hair is gelled back with stylish little silver pin on the side.

The sky is ash and cloudy as various drops of rain fall from it, landing on my cheeks as my eyes roam surveying my surroundings.

Various ash tombs stones stand rigid on the low grass which carpets the ground.

A dozen people dressed in black carry umbrellas as they gather round a particular stone with the name 'Anika Gomez!'

"Once existed, Anika Gomez, a rose among thorns."

Anika Gomez was my mother. She and I had been inseparable but now the voids of time fades all my memory of her making us distant, leaving me with only remnants.

I keep a picture of her in the centre page of my diary, and I also have the sliver locket she gave me for my fifth birthday.

She died when I was six. She was brutally murdered right before my watery eyes, with bullets boring holes in her head and heart. Clearly a murder case but unfortunately, the police weren't so enthusiastic about her case because she was black and until date, it's still an unsolved murder case.

From the little I remember about her, she grew up in an orphanage home in Florida. She got impregnated when she was sixteen from a gang rape by several white Spanish dudes. She decided to keep me because I was hers, finally something she could call her own. As an orphan, she never truly owned anything.

Her delicate, lively voice always sang to me in the loveliest hum while she caressed me with her warm kisses ;

"You will always be my best decision, Krystal!"

She was a single mother working as a waitress in a fancy five-star restaurants. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but I feel her death is somehow connected to it.

The gray faces at her burial stare back at me, their mouths move in sympathy; "poor child...!"

You see how cruel time is, one's memory of one's loved one is buried and lost in the voids of time.

"Who's going to take care of her? She has no one!" Some other voices respond. A bunch of blurry faces stare back at me. My eyes are red and flooded with sorrow and tears.

At this rate, I don't even bother to run from the rain any more.

Let the rain wet my clothes and, hopefully, wash away all my woes. Instead, I walk under the pouring rain.

I just realized I am not so enthusiastic to go back home. Would you be enthusiastic when you have your roommate's creep waiting for you back home? Probably not.

I am not going back home, at least not yet.

My mind drifts back to the past. After I was orphaned, I was sent to an orphanage home 'Joy orphanage home.'

I lived there with nuns until I was adopted by an American family.

The smiths were a highly comfortable family.

The first time I stepped into the Smith's mansion, I thought it was a hotel.

"It is larger than any house I had ever seen."

I walk into the Smith's mansion. There's a circular stair which looks like a curved snake. Its rails are sliver and slim with the edges carved to spread out like a King cobra's head.

My eyes go up to the golden chandelier budging out and hanging from the celling. Tiny diamonds sparkle down at me.

Their sitting room was enormous, with a king-sized white couch with golden arms close to the stairs.

Mrs smith leads me holding my little hands right up to my room.

Finally, I was adopted. The thought of it sent bubbles to my eight years old self's head and her to cloud nine.

" My life is going to get better " I thought.

'Pt ff' now I know better.

The walls are pink and by the edge of the wall, there is a huge white cupboard containing numerous toys. I see them through it's slim, long rectangular glass window.

They saw me too.

Different sizes of Barbie dolls with their golden full hairs, all toys that Mama would've saved for months to be able to afford just one.

The room is massive with a princess bed in the middle of it. You know all those Barbie princess beds. I raced towards the wardrobe, swinging it open. My eyes roam for a long time admiring all the hanged clothes. They extend occupying the large space provided for clothes and they are mostly coloured gowns.

Closing the wardrobe, I run spinning in the room for nearly three minutes then I jump on the bouncy bed. Mrs Smith 'mum' watches me through the lids on her glasses. On her face, there's a lively smile as she continues watching me.

"Krystal!"

I remember her calm voice call out my name.

"Come here, darling!" She holds my little hands and I walk with her climbing quickly down the stairs.

At the end of the stairs, I see Mr Smith and his son. Mr Smith is holding a plumb, blonde boy of around thirteen years. His hand is on the boy's little shoulders and the child keeps looking up anxiously at him. When we finally get off the stairs, Mrs Smith leads me to them.

"This is Krystal...Krystal, this is Dad and Jeff!"

I smile at both of them.

Finally, I have a Dad. For some reason, at that time, I was excited by it.

Dad smiles back at me, he bends down lifting me up in the air and spinning me then he drops me down.

Oh, how happy I was!

"Jeff, say hello to your younger sister!"

Jeff just stares at me, His face is squeezed in a frown and his green eyes pour out tears.

"I don't want you here. You are not my sister...and I don't like you!"

He shouts at me running up the stairs to his room. Mum looks at me. My brown cat-like eyes was flooded with tears. Her gentle voice says, reassuring me;

"Don't mind him, he's just scared but with time, he would get used to you!"

Again 'pt ff.'

There was no Jeff getting used to me, not at all. If anything, he got used to torturing and tormenting me.

Things were rosy at home excluding the Jeff but at school it was horrible.

My first day at Primrose Elementary school was a rock in the face. Literally, a rock in the face for me, cause one nutty child stoned me.

I walk into the class with my pink bag pack on my back. I remember mum had dressed me in a fluffy baby pink gown. Immediately I step into the class, everyone starts laughing. Madison, a stupid child now I think about it walks towards me. Her irritating voice echoes round the class;

"Would you be my little dolly?"

After that comes the real hell and the bullying starts. Apparently, I am bullied because of my doll like appearance and my brown cat-like eyes.

On the second day of my resumption, I come into class late when Miss Riley 'our English teacher! ' had already started teaching. I stand at the door with my pink bag pack hanged on my back.

"Come in, Krystal!"

I walk into the class with my head down. I had never been the confident type and I hated coming late because everyone would already be in class, and they'll all have their eyes on me. As I walk to my seat which is located at the edge of the class, their constant gazes bore into my skin.

Awkwardly, I sit down on my seat ready to take the lecture for the day when I feel a sharp pencil pierce my butt. I turn back to see the boys behind laughing.

"Oh my god! She's bleeds too?!.. I thought she was made from plastic!" The class bully shouts.

During break, Some girls gather round my seat, pinching me. I scream back with tears in my eyes.

"It hurts."

"She's screaming... I didn't know dolls could talk!"

Some other children would comb my hair in class and treat me like one of their toys and when I stare back at them in anger, they'll say;

"She looks like my cat when she's angry!"

"Krystal, can you see in the dark? I heard cats can!"

It becomes worse after Mum's death two years later because Jeff starts his bullying and torture. The day after Mum's death was my tenth birthday. I stand in her hospital room the whole time until the clock ticks twelve the next day, 'my birthday'.

Since my tenth birthday, I have never celebrated my birthday. Probably because of my memory of Mum's pale face.

I watch her white lively face slowly turn pale, her colourful sense of fashion is changed to all black as all corpses are clothed in either black or white.

Days later once again, I stand in a graveyard with sunflowers in my hands, I keep hearing the same sentence I heard in my mama's burial;

"I am so sorry for your loss!"

After Mum's death, it was like she died, taking all the colour from the Smith's mansion. No one even bothered to open the windows any more. Papa pulled out entirely and Jeff started bullying me 'openly this time'. He would pick on me, beat me up until I opened my bloody lips to scream back at him, kick me until I surrender in weakness.

He once told everyone at school that I was an orphan. The children started forcing me to eat their food, calling anything they did for me; "charity!"

Fed up with the bullying in school and still at home, I knock on Dad's study room. I hear his voice which is drained out of all energy.

'Come in!"

I walk into the room, the darkness all around me is blinding. My brown eyes find the pale man sitting behind his desk.

"Dad, Jeff...!" I extend my hands, showing him my red bruises.

For hours, he doesn't say a word, then finally he speaks out.

"God Krystal...everything is not about you. People have their problems too, you know!... God! What do I expect from a beat down orphan?...My wife is the only reason you are in my house right now, Krystal. Do you see her anywhere? She's gone. You are in my house because my wife saw you one evening when she was driving past Joy orphanage. As a child, she was obsessed with dolls, then when she grew up she always wanted a daughter, but after the birth of Jeff she was told she couldn't get pregnant again. So when she saw you, she thought she could fulfil both her dreams and kill two birds with one stone 'A doll ish daughter! " He shouts in my face.

"I don't want a doll daughter. I never did. My wife wanted you around, not me! And guess what?... she is dead! Now try to minimize the fact you are a burden to me and stay off my part! As for Jeff, you are not always the Victim...bear with it! And don't cause any more trouble. Don't disturb me again... Now get out!" He says quickly shoving me away.

Soon, I become accustomed to the bullying at home too.

Now that I think about it, did I expect him to choose an orphan like me to his own biological son?

When I turned fourteen, it becomes worse than hell. I see my period and my body starts curving up.

I would stand by the mirror looking at the changes in my body.

Guess what? I wasn't the only one noticing it, Jeff also was.

Once, I come back from school. Climbing the stairs, I hear Jeff talking to two of his friends 'Derek and Edmond.

They are sitting on the couch watching me climb the stairs; Jeff's voice is very loud as he utters;"No...she's not my sister, We can all share her... it wouldn't be incest"

I quickly hurry up the stairs, locking my door.

Another day, I come back by five after biology class. We were having some sort of project. Walking upstairs, I find Jeff by my door waiting for me. There's some sort of expression on his face;

"What are you doing here, Jeff?"

"It's my house...I can stay where I wanna!" He answers still standing in front of my door. I roll my eyes at him then bring my room key out of my bag then I insert it in its lock. The door swings open and I step into it. My hands hold the door knob and I try to push the door close when...

Jeff pushes back from outside my room. I fall down on the ground, and he walks in, letting himself into my room.

"Get out of my room!" I scream at him standing up.

"Your room?" He snickers then drags my hand, throwing me on the bed.

"Let me go." I scream struggling to free myself from his strong grip, but he holds me down, plastering me to my bed. He starts zipping his trousers down... By this time, I start crying, begging, but he wouldn't let me go...