Chapter 4

We've been working a lot harder since that day. Ara had gone silent for a few days, but she soon returned to her old self. We were all terrified of the owner and his wife from that day forward. We decided to keep living for the sake of Pine and Belle..

Four years later, we were sixteen years old. Our lives had deteriorated even more than they had when we were younger. The moment I was most terrified of has arrived.

Whenever David got drunk, he would sometimes call for Mia and as soon as Mia came back, she was crying. From that moment, we know what happened. Despite her age, Mia was the only one of us girls who appeared mature and ladylike.

We assumed she was only hit by the owner the first time it happened, but we realized she was being called too frequently, and the timing always coincided with when David was drunk. Kye tried to talk to her, but Mia became terrified. And at the time, Kye explained what could have happened because he was the only one who was knowledgeable of the situation.

"Mia!"

"Mia!"

David, who was inebriated, continuously screamed out Mia's name. He was already drunk in open daylight. Mia and I were both in the same location, so I advised her to hide in the corners and cover herself with a sack.

"Mia!" David pushed the door to the room we were in and peered around before asking, "Where's Mia?"

"She isn't here." I replied sternly.

"Where is she?"

"I'm not sure."

He appears to be enraged. He smashed the bottle of booze against the wall, pointing out the sharp edges to me, "Answer me! Where is she?!"

"She's not here!" I yelled.

Mia has been suffering at the hands of this drunkard for months. She does not deserve what is happening to her. We might lose another friend if the situation worsened.

David dashed over to me and smashed the bottle in my head, causing me to fall to the ground grabbing my head. I feel a few fragments in my head.

"I asked where she was! What a crazy bitch!" He kicked my stomach causing me to cough blood. He yanked on my hair, and it hurts much more than before. When a drop of blood fell in front of me, I noticed my head was bleeding heavily.

"What's happening?!" Olivia appeared and was shocked to see the sight of me, bleeding and her husband holding a broken bottle with stains of blood, "What did you do now?!"

Olivia punched her husband on the back of the head "We have to get out of here! Duke Reed has arrived to assess the premises!"

The drunkard sobered and quickly stood up, "What?!"

"He's on his way to the orphanage now! We must depart!"

I stayed conscious and heard they're conversation. A duke? A duke is coming? This could be the moment we've been waiting for.

I immediately stepped up and grabbed David's leg as Olivia dragged her husband.

"What the?! Let go of me!" David threw the bottle in my head, exacerbating the bleeding.

No. I won't let you go.

"Let go!" Olivia tugged at my hair, but I didn't release the grip of David's leg. Tears fell down my eyes as Olivia kept on kicking my legs, my stomach and my hand, "I said let go!"

"Never!" I yelled, "Mia! Leave now! Faster!"

I'll never waste such important time for us.

Mia came out of her place and ran outside.

"Mia is there!" David shouted and looked at me, "You said he's not here!"

He kicked me in the face, which caused me to release his leg. He yanked my hair and hauled me up against the wall. He was furious as he dragged me away.

"Stop that! David! We must depart!" Olivia sounded anxious, as if time was running out on her.

"Not until I murder this scumbag!" He snatched my hair and slammed my head against the wall.

My eyes began to slowly close after that, and I completely lost my consciousness.

I hope they were able to escape safely.

Pine... Belle... guide us.

...

"wahh!"

"Stop crying already! Sniff"

"You're crying too..."

My vision was blurry as I gently opened my eyes. I closed my eyes again and opened it slowly only to see the faces of my friends in front me.

"She's awake now! Waaahhh!" Mia cried out louder than I'd ever heard before.

"Call for the doctor! Noah!" Ara shoved Noah out of her seat, wailing as loudly as Mia.

I wished I could move my body, but I couldn't. My fingers were the only thing I could move. I wiggled it till Kye held it in his palms, "Do you recognize us?"

I nodded slowly.

"Thank heavens!" As he spoke, he rested his head on my fingers.

"How long has she been awake?" The doctor came in and asked. He went close to me and examined my body.

"Just now." Kye answered. He let go of my finger.

"Can you see clearly?" I nodded slowly, "Don't push yourself, blink three times if yes and twice if no."

The doctor asked me a few question like,

"Does your body hurt?"

"How about your head?"

"Your head suffered a lot, it's a miracle you're still alive until now. I guess the heavens favor you." The doctor said, "You must remain in bed for a few weeks. Make sure to take your medications on schedule; this will help you recover faster. You're malnourished, therefore eat a lot."

"I'm fine," I answered silently. My voice was a little hoarse, and my throat was a little dry.

"You aren't." Someone enters the room. His voice was a little deep, and I could hear his footsteps approaching me. When he arrived at my bed, I saw a man in his late 30s with the face of a nobleman. "I'm still wondering how you managed to take all those head injuries."

"May I ask who you are?" I asked with my hoarse voice. It feels rough as I speak. I also feel like I'm having difficulty breathing.

He palmed my face and closed my eyes, "Rest first. I'll answer all of your questions once you've recovered."

I guess he's the one who saved us from that hellish place. I wanted to thank him but my eyes felt heavy and soon I fell asleep.