IDTMB — PROLOGUE

A heavy footsteps are heading towards upstair and stop in the room where the door is widely open. There he saw the only woman in his life, sitting in front of her makeup table while trying the new jewelry that their adoptive parents gave. He can't even imagine that they will ended up on their situation and it's freaking his heart everytime he wants to embrace her in his arms but things are stoping him.

"Arthur?" Ellie called him when he notice him in the mirror, standing in the doorway of her room, "Why are you standing there like a statue?"

Instead of answering her, he take a step inside and close the door of her room which she didn't mind because she's already used to him. He walks towards and stay behind her, looking at her reflection on the mirror. "You look beautiful in it."

"Yea, this is what mom gave me earlier." She laughs, holding the necklace on her neck but the smile gone when she notice his aura. "You seem not in yourself, Arthur. Are you okay?" She stood up to face him and their eyes met. "Tell me what's wrong because you're starting to freak me out or you want me to call a doctor right now to check you up–"

"You have change a lot, Ellie." He cut her off that made her forehead knotted.

"What are you talking about?"

"You promise me that you will not going to change before we enter at the orphanage. Don't you remember that?"

"How am I supposed to remember that when I'm just too young back then, Arthur? If it's the reason why are you acting weird today, then I'm sorry if I forgot. Please, leave me alone if there is nothing important to talk about." She was obviously avoiding the topic and about to turn her back on him when Arthur ask him.

"What am I to you, Ellie?"

"You're my brother of course!" She answered immediately without any thoughts.

"I am not your brother!" He couldn't stop raising his voice when he heard her answer. "And you know more than that, Ellie." His teeth was greeting where his perfect chiseled jawline clenched in anger.

"Lower your voice, Arthur, they might hear you," Ellie said almost whisper as she begged on him.

"You forgot also the second promise you made to me when they adopt us! You promise me that you will never see me as your brother but look at you now!"

As she heard what he said, she gulped twice, biting her lower lips in the tension between them. "You know what is the reason why we're acting this way and you agreed with my idea, right?"

"I wish I didn't agree on the first place, Ellie," he said straight to her eyes, sounded he is regretting everything, "Because I'm seeing you more than the way your seeing me in this pretentious we have."

"Arthur, please don't do this. You're going to ruin everything we have right now." After hearing everything, it started to scare her that if there adoptive parents finds out that they are only pretending they will going to think that they lied for their benefits.

"I love you, Ellie, and I can't hide this anymore." Arthur's tears starts falling in his eyes when he finally confessed his love for her. "There is no one in this world I want to be with but you, Ellie, so run away with me. Let escape this–"

"Stop, Arthur!" She pass him through and open the door for him. "You may leave now and forget everything the conversation about. You know we can't be together what you want us to be because we're siblings-"

"You know we're not, Ellie. Damn!" In just a second, he was right in front of her and slammed his fist on the masonry wall. "Don't you understand? This is not what I want, and I know you do too; why are you so naive?"

"I'm not naive, Arthur, and please stop talking nonsense. Mom and dad might hear us, I beg you." She couldn't even look him in the eyes as she said those words. Their bodies are so close that they can smell each other's scents. "Yes, we're not siblings, but that's what we made them see, and that's what's written on the paper since they adopted us; I respect them, Arthur, and whatever they want us to be, we must obey." At this point, she tearsfully looks into his eyes. "I don't want to go out in the street again with nothing, Arthur, so please understand."

"I can burn those papers if that's why you're refusing my love, Ellie; I don't want to be your fucking brother!" he yelled, locking her even tighter in his arms, cornering her against the wall. "I can give you a life if you let me, and I promise you-"

"Arthur, enough..." Ellie closed her eyes deeply as tears began to fall.

"Please, Ellie!" Arthur quickly kneeled on her feet, holding her hands. "Let us be, Ellie. Run with me; I'm willing to give you the whole world if it's what it takes of your love."

Ellie shakes her head. "This is all wrong, Arthur. We can't just make decisions based on our desires; it always depends on them, so please, please, please stop!" She tried to lift him, but he refused.

"Ellie, I beg you." He grips her tightly and refuses to let her go, even if it means becoming stupid. "I will do anything for you." He begs for her more with his tears, but she is too naive.

"Forget your feelings, Arthur; this isn't right, and there's no point in this." She took her hands in hers and moved away from him. "We don't deserve each other, and there are people out there who truly care about us, but it isn't us!" Ellie was about to turn her back on him when a cold hand grabbed her arm.

"You're mine, Ellie!" Arthur slammed the door shut and pushed her into the bed.

"Ar-Arthur, what are you doing?" her voice shakes in fear as she notices the man in front of him removing the belt from his jeans.

"You left me with no choice, Ellie; it's just the two of us here anyway, so I'm going to make sure you'll come with me after I impregnate you."

Ellie's eyes widened as she heard what he said and she immediately stood up to slap him across the face with her hand. "You can't still have me with your ideas, Arthur!" she yelled, pushing him away. "You just showed me how much of an asshole you are, and I will forever hate you if you did that to me, or I'd rather die!" For the second time, she pushed him and left her room with tears in her eyes, unable to believe he could do such a thing to her, and she despises him for it.

As he sits on the edge of the bed, Arthur's hands form fists out of rage. His perfectly chiseled jawline clenched in pain as he felt the slap from the girl he loves. He can feel her rage from the slaps he received, and he begins to regret what he did a minute ago. "You've changed a lot, Ellie." He whispered on air, remembering those days they had before their situation started.

Ten years earlier...

Arthur was eight and Ellie was six when they ended up on the street with their own stories. The boy run away from who took care of him for mistreating him everyday. His parents already abandoned him when he was a baby and live with a miserable life wherein he couldn't take it anymore. While Ellie ended up in the street when her parents died in an accident and no one of her relatives accept her and she doesn't even wants to live with them either. They meet by chance in the back of the fastfood restaurant, where the wasted food is being thrown away, and they are both looking for food to eat that time...

"What is your name?" asked of the little boy, who was covered in dirt as the girl he was speaking to.

"My name is Ellie, and who are you?" she asked and her stomach is growling in so much hunger.

"I'm Arthur, and I'm looking for food right now; are you also hungry?" he asked, opening the fastfood restaurant's garbage can.

"Yeah-"

"Great, here!" He hands her the burger buns he saw with a bite already in it. "You can have it," he said with a smile.

"And you?"

"Don't worry about me; there's a lot of food in here, and that one was just thrown out today."

"How did you know this was thrown away today?" she asked while her gaze fixed on the buns in her hands.

"I'm already used to things on the street, which is why-" Arthur was about to finish his sentence when the backdoor of the fastfood restaurant was suddenly opened by a fat man whose wearing a chef uniform. "Oh, oh."

"Why?" she asked, innocently.

"You again!" exclaimed the fat chef, referring to him.

"Run, Ellie!" Arthur grabbed her hand and ran away from the fastfood restaurants.

Arthur stole food from the fastfood restaurant's kitchen when he saw the backdoor open a week ago, and the fat chef caught him. That's why, whenever they see each other in the back, he runs away from the chef, fearing he'll end up somewhere where children are taken after they do bad things. The two are both panting when they stop running and they didn't even notice that they are already reach far from the restaurant.

"When you see that fat man again, Ellie, you should run, okay?" Arthur said, holding her both shoulders.

"Is he bad?" she asked innocently.

"Hmmm, no but you must run when you see him again. Hahaha!" He laugh out and only received a nod from her. "So, where are you going now?" He asked and she only shrugged her shoulder. "Are you alone?" She nod again as an answer to his question. "Damn it. Why don't you answer me with your words!" He yelled frustratedly with her answers.

"I'm sorry." She pouted.

"So, you don't know where you going and you are alone too?" he asked, clarifying if he was right in his interpretation with her gestures.

"Yes."

A smile formed on him when a thought came in his mind. "If you like, you can stick with me so we can survive together here in the street, Ellie."

The two decided to stick together and help each other out on the street. They've been together for almost a year, and even at such a young age, Arthur has begun to develop feelings for her, which he keeps hidden to protect their bonds. On the other hand, Ellie, at such a young age, wants nothing more than to live a happy life far away from her life on the street, and it appears that her dream will come true when she heard about the new orphanage.

"Have you heard about the new orphanage?" Ellie asked and they are watching the sunset in the bay together.

"Yeah, I heard of it, and it's not far from here, I guess. Why do you ask?" he asked, looking at the girl beside her, trying to read her but failing, "What is it, Ellie? What is in your mind? Please tell me."

"I want to go there-"

"What?" Arthur exclaimed in surprise. "Why do you want to go there? Do you know how scary it is to be in an orphanage? There is no freedom there, Ellie! It's more like a prison for the children."

"I already heard about orphanage before I ended up in the street and I know it's not scary, Arthur. I want to go there because I don't want to live like this forever," the girl bowed her head, biting the lower of her lips. "Perhaps if I can go there, a family will adopt me and treat me like their own."

"Even if you got there, no one will adopt you there!" he countered, attempting to persuade her to reconsider.

She raised her head in response to what he said, asking, "And why wouldn't they adopt me?"

The boy didn't answered right away finding words to answer the question that will make her believe. He gulped twice before he said, "Because your ugly and you have a bad smell!" He shouted that made her in shock. "Don't you think they will adopt you? Look at your messy hair that is already knotted to each other, your skin that is already color of ashes, your nails that full of dirt inside, your mouth that has a bad odor where you talk and that body of yours that is super thin. No one will adopt you there so you will not going there!" He yelled again after insulting her. That's the only way he sees her changing her mind, but it doesn't appear to have gone well.

"I hate you," Ellie said quietly, standing in front of him, "and I'm going," she added, turning her back on him and walk away.

"Ellie!" Arthur yelled, pulling his hair out in frustration over what he had just said that had hurt her. He called her twice, but she didn't respond, so he followed her right away to apologize.

"Leave me alone," she said, her heavy footsteps pounding on the beach sand, "Stop following me! I don't want you anymore!"

"I'm sorry, Ellie!" He grabbed her hand and turned her to face him. "I didn't mean it, okay? I just told you because..."

"Because what?" she yelled, stepping away from him as he removed his hands from her.

"Because I don't want you to leave me, and even if I go to the orphanage with you, they'll take you away from me," he bravely explained, "If there is only way to keep us together, I'll do it for you just to be with you," he added, and because Ellie is younger than him, she can't see the true meaning of his words.

"Go with me in the orphanage and we can pretend we're siblings?" she suggested, making his brow furrow, "and if there is going to adopt there, we can tell them to adopt us both because we're siblings! In that case, we won't be far away from each other!" her eyes suddenly filled with sparkled lights with the thought that is a good idea. She had almost forgotten she had been insulted a minute before.

"But I don't want to be your brother," he whispered that she couldn't even hear.

"What?"

Arthur immediately put on a happy face. "If you promise me two things, Ellie, I'll do it."

"What is it? Tell me."

"First and foremost, I want you to promise me that you will never change, even if someone adopts us from the orphanage."

"Yes, I promise!" she replied immediately, raising one hand.

"The second thing I want you to promise is..." he paused and smiled at her again, "I will just tell you once someone has already adopted us; for the time being, let's go to the orphanage..."

The sisters welcome all street children who volunteered to enter the orphanage without discrimination. Arthur and Ellie are two of these children who can't wait to be adopted and have a happy life. When the time comes, the sisters welcome all couples looking to adopt children and there this wealthy couples looking for two children.

"I know exactly who you're looking for, Mr. and Mrs. Eurwen! Let me get them for you to see who they are!" The sister left the couples in the office and went to where the children were. "Arthur and Ellie, please come with me!" she said with a smile, and the two immediately followed.

"Where are we going, Sister?" Ellie wondered.

"You'll see," the sister said, opening the office door for them. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. and Mrs. Eurwen."

"It's okay, Sister," the woman replied, her gaze falling on the two, "Are they the one you're talking about?"

"Yes, Mrs. Eurwen, and they were siblings, so you will not have a problem taking care of them because they are really close," the sister proudly stated, "Please, introduce yourselves children of God."

"Hello, my name is Ellie, and I'm six years old!"

"My name is Arthur, and I'm eight years old," Arthus said nervously, knowing if they would only take one of them and choose another one to adopt. "Please, if you're going to adopt one of us, take us both; I don't want to be separated from my sister!" He suddenly kneeled on the floor, stunning everyone in the room.

When the Eurwen couples decide to adopt Arthur and Ellie, they take them out of the orphanage. The papers were settled in court immediately, and they are now the legal children of the couple who is bringing their family name. The two are now in the mini-office with their adoptive parents to finalize some details before they play their roles as children.

"From now on, you will call us your mom and dad," their adoptive father commanded them, "and in exchange, you will show us some gratitude by obeying us whatever we tell you to do. Do you understand, Arthur and Ellie?"

"Yes, Dad," the two replied in chorus.

"What if we disappoint you and disobey?" Arthur asked, and Ellie look at him who is in his side.

"Why are you asking, Arthur? Do you intend to disobey us?" asked their adoptive mother.

"I-I just want to know what's going to happen," he said quietly.

"Disappoinment was not in our family, and we expect more from the both of you, so don't ever dare bring some shame on this family; we have a bigger plan for you two in the future, and if you disobey us, you will face your punishment; we can send you back to the orphanage if you ever dare or throw you out in the street."

"No! We don't want to go back there, Dad. My brother and I will obey," Ellie immediately responded after hearing what she had heard.

"Y-yes, Dad, she's right." Arthur doesn't really want the deal, but in order to make Ellie happy, he will put his pride aside.

After the two has a conversation with their adoptive parents, they left in the office and Arthur was looking at her who's wearing a luxurious dress. Ellie was busy playing her teddy bear that's why she didn't notice him not until he cleared his throat that caught her attention.

"What is it, Arthur?"

"Do you remember the promise you made before we enter in the orphanage?" he asked and she answered him a nod, "I told you that I will tell the second promise if someone adopted us and here we are."

"What is that second promise?"

Arthur heaved a sigh and tried to smile. "I know you will forget this anyway when you grow up so it doesn't matter."

"I will not going to forget it, Arthur, so tell me now what is it?"

It took him a minute before courage help him to say, "Promise me that you will never see me as your brother, Ellie. Remember that we are only pretending here because I see you more than this and it's breaking my heart that you are calling me your brother." He said in his lower voice as she come closer to her, holding her hands. " Promise me, Ellie, when we grew up you will never forget that we are only pretending here."

Ellie smiled on him and raised her right hand. "I promise, Arthur, that I will never forget."