Two

She coughed as she sat up, removing dirt from her body. Her head seemed heavy and her throat felt dry. Holding her head, she looked around where she was and saw she was just close to the highway. She knew exactly how she ended up here. For once in a long while she felt she had slept better than she had ever did, and to think it was just beside a high way.

Getting up from where she had slept for the night, the little girl looked around, trying to figure out where she was at the moment. She knew if she remained her and does not leave here fast, the woman whom she called her mother will certainly find her. Figuring out where she was in seconds, she started to walk, not knowing where she was going but anywhere than that hell she had lived in and called her home was better.

Her hands went to the back of her head, hissing as her hand made contact with where it hurt her. Bringing her hand to her vision, she saw her blood. Sitting down on a stone close to a street she was familiar with, she tore a part of her oversized gown and used it to tie her head, wanting to stop the bleeding.

And then she continued her journey, not knowing where she was going.

For three days she walked, not knowing where she was going. When she felt hungry she begged for food, and a few kind people gave her food to eat. No one wanted to even show her hospitality or help her. It made her aware that she was alone....

Far more alone in this world.

But surprisingly she felt at peace, she was lonely but her life now felt more heavenly than the life she lived in that hell. Everyone she met felt irritated by her but she did not mind. She was used to it...the hates of people who despise her….the irritated faces that stared at her as if she had offended them before…..

Those had far long gotten used to her and it did not bother her as much ad before. Instead she was happy.

She was happy....happy to be free.

Even if she had been raped by a group of boys who did not even have mercy on the fact that she was just a little girl, it did not matter to her. She continued her journey the next day, not minding or keeping a grudge for those who had hurt her. She was used to it.

She was used to that life.

It was her life.

She sat close to a building on her third day out on the streets, close to an uncompleted building, planning to retire there for the night. She felt cold and weak but still she still prefer there. Lying down on the dirt, she let her mind wander to the things she missed back at that hell she called her home.....

She could not get any.

Her school life was not that bad, having always taken her academic life seriously and done well to the best of her abilities. She had always dreamed to be an independent woman, she never wanted to live in hell anymore. She had made good grades during the last examinations and she was really proud of herself for it. It made her to dream more...it made it easy to believe that her life will change in the nearest future if she pushed harder.

How will she be able to study and fulfill her dreams now?

Hugging her legs closer, she closed her eyes as she tried to get some sleep. Maybe she could do now without school. Maybe when she feels she is very far away from the hell she lives in, she could start earning money from whatever work she finds and save for her school. She fell asleep as soon as she made yp her mind on that.

But minutes later, someone woke her.

"Hello little girl" The woman said as she squatted to her level, as she instinctively shifted away from the woman for safety.

"Don't worry little girl, i will not hurt you. Are you lost?" The woman asked, her eyes depicting concern which made her confused.

Why was the woman concerned for her?

She did not answer as she examined this woman's appearance critically. She seemed nice and beautiful.

"Are you lost little girl?" She asked again.

"Yes" Was her reply. She did not want her to know she had run away from home just in case she was taken back. She never want to go back. Anything but go back there.

"What is your name?" The woman asked as she stretched her hand, wanting to hold the little girl's cheek but she instead, moved away. Years of torture and rape had made her always flinch when someone made a move to touch her.

"I promise I will not hurt you" The woman assured softly as she raised both her hands, proving to this little girl that she does not have any plans of hurting her.

"Crystal" She whispered, looking into the woman's eyes.

"You have a very beautiful name. I know you do not trust me but i want to take you to a place where you would be taken care of. The streets is too dangerous for you to roam about in. Follow me dear and I promise I will not do anything to hurt you"

Crystal looked at this woman. Why does she want to help her? Should she trust her? What if she takes her to another place where she would be beaten and maltreated just like the hell she had run away from?

"Trust me Crystal. It is not safe here" The woman said, stretching out her hand to take Crystal's. She knew she had nowhere to go and since this woman seemed so nice, she would follow her. If she takes her to another hell again she will make sure she runs away from that place.

They took a taxi to their destination and finally, they seemed to have reached where the lady was taking her. It was a bungalow, a beautiful one at that but she noticed the sign board on top of the house.

It was an orphanage. Walking with this lady into the orphanage, she saw other children which were also around her age in the sitting room sitting on chairs in the room. As soon as they saw the woman, they got up and hugged the lady, each of their faces having a smile. It seemed she was loved by a lot of children, making her feel more comfortable with the woman who they call Madam Garcia.

The orphanage was more like a bungalow and had three rooms. The interior was homely decorated and the furniture were beautiful as well. Each room had a bathroom. The kitchen was nice as well and the storage was heavily stocked.

From that moment onward she knew this was her home, her new life. It was far more better than living in hell. She suddenly felt more at home, having a kind and nice woman taking care of her. She had children just like her who accepted her for who she was, she did not even mind sharing a room with five other children. It was better than sleeping on the cold ground close to the backdoor of the hell she lived in.

There were four children in the orphanage besides Crystal and all of them accepted her as their sister. Even if she loved it here, she was scared her foster mother will come and look for her again, and for that the fear was buried within her anytime she was sent on an errand.

On a certain day when she was sent on an errand, she saw a poster on the wall which caught her attention. A school named Harvenhills high was conducting a scholarship examination. Being one who always had a passion for school, she decided to sit for the exam.

Madam Garcia did not have any problem with it and allowed her to sit for the scholarship examination which was two weeks away from the day she found out about it. Providing everything the little girl needed, she was able to study for the examination without stress.

On the day of the scholarship examination, she had woken up and revised for the umpteenth time. After her early morning prayers, she went to the kitchen to wash the plates since it was her turn to do it that week, swept the sitting room and also the room in which she slept in.

Madam Garcia took little Crystal to the school and they were allowed in by the security guard. She was shown to the class where her examination was about to take place and after making sure she was comfortable, Madam Garcia left.

Crystal looked around the hall and suddenly felt scared. "Why were there so many people in here?" She asked herself as she suddenly felt uneasy. She brought out her book she came with so as to distract herself but the noise in the hall made her yo lose concentration. Having no option, she kept her book back in her bag and walked out of the hall. The exam would not start till another hour and she really needed some time alone.

She looked around as she walked, her eyes moving as she admired the school building. It was a three story building, painted orange, green and white. There were beautiful ornamental flowers arrayed at both sides of the building. There were sport facilities at the right end of the vast land which she could not see that well. It was a beautiful school and she was glad if she enters this school.

She was so into admiring the school structure when she bumped into someone's chest. Due to the impact, she fell on the ground. But the person she had hit was still standing.

"Don't you have eyes to see where you are going huh?" A voice harshly asked, making her jilt in fear on the ground. And that was when she looked up to see a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. Her young heart skipped a beat as she looked into those eyes.

"What are you looking at? Better watch your step and be careful and never cross my path again" He said and then he walked passed her, not even having the thought of helping her up. Her eyes followed him as he walked away. For a moment she could not understand why she was acting this way because of his eyes.

What was so special about those eyes?

Her eyes never left his departing stature and her eyes still lingered at where he had disappeared, till she came back to her senses.

She could not stop herself from thinking about those eyes as she turned around and walked to the direction she was heading before the accident. Her hand gripped her bag handle tightly as she kept walking, trying her best not to look back…trying hard to stop herself from running after him and looking into those eyes that mysteriously draws her closer.

She closed her eyes as she walked, unaware of the pair of blue eyes that followed her departing figure.

~

She passed her examinations in flying colors and was given scholarship along with five other students and thus, started school immediately. She was always serious with her books, never letting anything distract her. She was quite determined to be that independent woman she had dreamed of in the future and she knew she had to be serious with her books to achieve that.

She made friends with her classmates but she was never really close to one. She was not at all good at making friends and she did not want to cause any trouble. Being that the school was a very prestigious one, there were always bullies around and rich psychos who wanted to pick on the poor. She knew was not at all rich and she knew her place, and that was why she decided to keep low, not wanting any trouble.

But as you could have it, when a star starts to shine, it attracts predators. So was the case for Crystal.

Martha, a very rich girl always wanted so much to bully Crystal. Martha was in Grade 9 while Crystal was in Grade 7. She always wanted to make sure she makes her life miserable after Crystal accidentally bumped into her on her first day in the school. Since then, she tried to be hard on the little girl, but this did not stop her from excelling academically.

It was known that Martha had been dating Justin, the Junior Prefect who was believed to be the most handsome guy in the school compared to the Senior Head boy. It did not take Crystal to finally find out that he was the same guy she had bumped into her on her examination day.

The guy with the blue eyes.

It broke her heart that he never noticed her. How she wished he would at least look at her with those eyes she had come to love and adore.

Those beautiful blue eyes.

But it seemed she never existed and she took it like that. Whatever he did, she never let it affect her because she had one goal....

She wanted to be an independent woman in the future.

Years passed and soon Crystal was in Grade 10. She was glad to have passed her previous examinations in flying colors. She had grown into a very beautiful girl with beautiful grey and a hint of silver eyes, making it look as if she had crystal eyes. Her hair was long and white. She dyed her hair black from the moment she started on her first day in the school back when she was in Grade 7.

She had to becaise it made her look different and she was not someone who liked to always be noticed. But still, she did not let it get to her head because she had a goal and she will not back out now.

It was all going well for her, being happy this way was what she wanted. But still, whenever she sites him, her eyes never leaves his body. She wished he could look at her just once.

So she could see those beautiful blue eyes again. She wanted to admire those eyes once again and if need possible, stare at them forever. It hurt every time he passed her and never looked at her.

It hurt whenever he never ever acknowledged her presence. It was like she never existed. She did not know it hurt so much for her but that did not stop her from being serious with her books because one day...maybe one day.... when she was an independent woman, he would look at her with those beautiful blue eyes and smile.

But it did not take that long before her wish came true, because he looked at her for the first time, and for the first time in her life she felt noticed....understood.....

She felt special.