Through Michael's Eyes (The Brave and The Broken)

What's wrong with that girl? She's the person I had the most trouble understanding. I did not get why she looked like the world just ended. I was playing with the others near the entry hall when a group of new kids entered the orphanage. She caught my attention instantly. Somehow, she seemed different from the rest. Despite the lonely look in her eyes, she was firm where she stood - like a dictator. I thought we'd be great friends, the following days proved me wrong. She was an introvert. She never talked to anybody, never answered when spoken to, and never even thanked the old ladies' for the food, not once. What I hated the most about her was the constant hint of despair in her eyes. She ought to be thankful she was alive. She ought to be thankful she was old enough to remember her family. She ought to be thankful she had a chance to have had happy memories with them. I had been in the orphanage since I was two. Both of my parents died when war broke out in the north and my relatives left me in the old ladies' care. I don't even remember what they look like but you'd never see me sulking. All the other kids even started avoiding her. Everywhere she went, she had a dark cloud above her head and the atmosphere always turned gloomy. It was a good thing no one else liked reading, so we all left her alone in the library most of the time. At first, I tried approaching her, but she gave me a cold shoulder so I just stopped trying.

I was walking around the forest near the orphanage when I saw a blue light ahead. I ran towards the light. I got curious, it was the first time I saw something like it. All of a sudden, a white snake appeared. It wasn't like any snake I've ever seen. Its head was bigger than my fist and its body longer than the old ladies' night gowns. It had three deep blue eyes. I was scared. I thought I was going to wet myself. I didn't know what to do. When its eyes finally focused on me, I lost it. I screamed so loudly my throat hurt. I don't remember how I managed to move, but I did. I ran and screamed at the same time. The snake chased me. I was too scared to think straight and foolishly failed to see the protruding root in front of me. I fell flat on my face. The snake stopped behind me and slowly lifted its head. I was about to die. I just knew it. Then out of nowhere, she was there. That small quiet girl who hated the world just swung a rake on the snake's face. The sharp tip lightly cut beneath the snake's right eyes. The snake changed its stance and got ready to attack. It leapt through the air, towards the girl. She dodged it and pierced the snake's neck. The snake tumbled in agony. It made one more attempt to bite the girl's head off. It opened its mouth, ready to devour its prey. I saw the girl threw dirt to its face. It hit the snake's eyes and they all closed in reaction. In that brief moment, she used her rake and stabbed the snake's middle eye. Like how a worm reacts when you sprinkle salt on it, the snake looked like a lizard's freshly cut tail. It tossed and turned, and then it was dead.

Everything happened so fast, I was in a daze. I looked at the brave little girl who just killed a monster. She suddenly fell to her knees and started crying. I got up and ran to her. Her eyes were full of tears. She really was crying. But why? If it were me, I'd be so happy of the victory that I'd be boasting about it for years. But she just cried. I didn't know what came over me. I reached out my hand and hugged her. She felt so fragile in my arms. She was my savior yet I was the one comforting her. That day, she was cooler and braver than me. But next time, I'd surely be the one to protect her. That's a promise.