Chapter: 1 The Price of Survival
Beep... Beep...
The sound of the 6:00 a.m. alarm echoed through the room. It was time to wake up and begin another day of the same painful routine.
“Lyn, wake up... we are going to be late and miss out again,” Leah reminded her sister as she hurriedly prepared herself. Things had not been going well for them.
Lyn and Leah were twin sisters, but they had grown up without either a mother or a father. Since the day they were born, they had never known the warmth of their parents’ love. The only family they had was each other.
They had spent their entire lives surviving, moving from one orphanage to another, hoping that somehow life would become easier.
“Girls, wake up...” the warden’s voice echoed through the dormitory.
Everyone quickly jumped out of bed. There was no time to waste. They had to go out and earn money.
CARE FOR ALL was a renowned orphanage that cared for children without parents. It housed children from different backgrounds, including those who were physically challenged.
To the outside world, it was seen as a place of hope—a place that rescued abandoned children. Wealthy organizations often made donations, believing they were giving these children a better chance at life.
But what they didn’t know was the truth hidden behind its walls...
Lyn reached for Leah’s hand as they rushed out with the rest of the group. The group was made up of both boys and girls, all carrying the same burden.
Everyone was running. Nobody had time to shower, dress properly, or even prepare themselves for the day ahead.
Each child picked up a basket. As usual, they were expected to sell everything inside it. Failure to do so came with punishment. Sometimes, they would even go without food.
Their daily routine was to walk through the streets, selling whatever items they had been given. Some carried fruits, others sold clothes, while others had accessories.
“Buy mangoes... buy mangoes!”
“Buy dresses!”
“Buy shoes!”
Their voices filled the streets as each child desperately tried to sell their items.
“Brother John, I hope you can help me with mine,” Leah pleaded.
At seventeen years old, Leah had already learned how to use her beauty and charm whenever she needed something.
John had always admired her, and Leah knew it. She often used his feelings for her to get what she wanted. He would help her sell all her items, even when his own basket was still only halfway done.
Because of this, he would often face punishment, but to him, it was worth it.
Lyn watched as Leah handed her basket to John.
“Leah, why do you keep using Brother John when you don’t even have the slightest feelings for him? You know he cannot sell both your items and his.”
“And you know he is always punished because of you,” Lyn continued.
“Lyn, instead of trying to act like an adult, why don’t you use what you have and achieve something good out of it?” Leah responded.
We both have beautiful faces, but she is always pretending to be helpless, Leah thought to herself.
“He is doing it willingly,” Leah added before walking away.
Since she no longer had anything to sell, she decided to enjoy her day.
Lyn watched as her sister disappeared into the crowd.
She thought about their life. It had never been easy—not even from the beginning. Every single day had been a struggle. Every day was a hustle.
She often wondered who their parents were. Who were the people who had brought them into this world, only to leave them behind to suffer?
But deep down, Lyn never truly blamed her sister. Despite everything they had been through, Leah had always tried every possible way to survive this painful world.
One night, Leah returned to the dormitory later than usual. Lyn immediately noticed something was wrong.
“What happened?” she asked.
But Leah said nothing.
It was their fifteenth birthday, and Leah had gone out to enjoy herself.
Little did she know that the night would change her forever.
She had always used makeup to make herself appear older, but on that terrible night, she was attacked and raped.
She returned to the dormitory broken and shaken, but she tried her best to remain calm.
She did not want Lyn to see her in such a state.
She was the strong one.
Lyn was always the emotional one—the crybaby.
But that night, Leah carried a pain she could never explain.
