CHAPTER 7

Bethel's POV

"ANSWER ME!" he screamed at my eyes. I could see fire in them. I felt my legs trembling, and it was way later that I ended up losing balance and fell down in front of him. He used one hand to drag me back up and make me stand. "Didn't I warn you? Uhn? How could you be so foolish? Weren't you aware he was living there too? Why the hell were you not careful enough?" He roared, throwing me across the room. My back hit the wall hard, and I landed back on the floor with a loud sound. My body ached all over, and I kept vomiting blood nonstop. Soon he got close to me and was about to pick me up again when I heard Morris's voice. I couldn't hear what he was saying very well, but I think they heard an emergency, judging from the way Michael stopped coming at me. They seem to be arguing. I only heard Morris saying something like, "Listen, this is way more important than her; we've got to go or..." and after a few more words, I heard the door closing. I breathed out in relief, though I was close to passing out already. I thought I was going to die today.

Quinn's POV

I opened my eyes slowly and turned to the other side of the bed. I barely managed to sleep last night, obviously because of yesterday. I remembered later going outside to find Bethel and apologising to her at all costs, but I couldn't find her anywhere in the house. I wondered where she went and stayed up for a few hours, but when I didn't see any sign of her, I gave up and went to bed. I got out of bed and checked the time. It was already 6 a.m. I've always been the type to wake up early, but I'm a bit late today.

After brushing my teeth and taking my bath, I went to the wardrobe and picked the clothes I found comfortable. I'm not the type who's crazy about fashion and all, but I still dress beautifully. I checked myself out in the mirror and was satisfied with what I saw except for this hair of mine. It's just too long, almost touching my hips just about 3 inches away. I've always wanted to cut it, but Granny totally refused, saying it's a rare hereditary trait in Granny's family. What a stressful thing to inherit. Thinking about that made me remember the woman and the boy I met yesterday. He looked like he was going through a lot. I could easily tell because I have been there before, feeling tired of everything, and still you can't afford to give up on your life.

That sad morning that they came to take our house,I remembered Dad begging them, and later he left with them, telling them he's going to make a kind of deal with the man he worked for, and that was it. The last time I saw my father, he left and never came back. Till now, nobody knows what happened. For a while, Mr. Clarke and his men left us alone, making me think that dad paid the debt with his life—not until they came one day and chased us out of the house without taking a pin with us. We had to move into our grandparents house, thinking we would have peace of mind there. We had no idea what life had in store for us. After only a few weeks of living with grandma and granddad, they came again, and this time they demonised our house completely. That was when we knew what we were into, and the worst part of it was that soon after that one day, I overheard my mom and grandmother arguing about her going to ask a friend for help or something like that. Mom left too, and she never came back. At first, I thought there was a delay in her meeting her friend or something else happened, but unfortunately, just like dad, she was not saying goodbye. She told us she would be back soon. I remember Jayden crying his eyes out that day. Maybe his conscience knew that was the last day we would see her. And after that, we were the definition of suffering itself. Grandparents couldn't help much because they were old, but they still tried their very best. I and Jayden dropped out of school, and we were miserable on the street. Despite the fact that granddad often falls sick, the weight on me was so much that I felt like dying, but I didn't. What about them? Jayden and grandparents, so I couldn't, but then, Michael came, my saviour. Our saviour, actually. Even though he told me from the get-go that the help wasn't free,he said I would pay for it that day, not with money but with something else. I didn't even think about it, I signed the contract right away; I couldn't resist it. Granny suspected something was wrong but only asked me to live no matter what; once I'm alive, I can do anything.

I just wanted to forget everything, wake up one morning, and realise it's just one terrible dream,but I knew better. I have long accepted this fate of mine. The truth is, I have no other choice. As sad as these memories are, remembering them again should probably put me in a pool of tears right now, but no, crying is just a waste of time.

Back to the boy: I remember his name was Star; seeing him yesterday reminded me of myself. I wanted to comfort him badly; money didn't seem to be his own problem, but I surely know he's going through something depressing. When he was introduced to me yesterday,he barely said, "Hi, and then he said he liked my hair. That was all. His godmother seems very nice and fun to be with. I know she cares about him a lot too. She wanted to help in every way she could, which is exactly what he needed. He definitely can't do it alone, just like me. It seems his godmother isn't the right person to give that help. The loud knock on my door jolted me out of my deep thoughts. Before I could ask who was there, the door opened and revealed Michael. His look this time is one I haven't seen before.