Ruby

You know how you never think your family is capable of doing something unthinkable?

Yeah...well that happened to me. Do you want to know what they did? They threw me out. After years and years of beat and torment, they finally threw me out.

Imagine a scared 7 year old, covered in bruises, out in the snow, crying. Nothing on but a thin material of jeans and an oversized t-short.

And in the background you hear a drunken voice calling out. "Get outta here ya dumb kid!"

Yeah him. He's my dad. Or at least was. He started to become different when my older sister Yang went for food and never came back. I was about 4 while she was 6.

I know, I know what you're probably thinking.

They're letting a kid go out on their own at 6?!? Are you people insane??

But hear me out. Dad was working two jobs to keep us living in a house and not on the streets. So he didn't have time to feed us. Yang decided to take that part. She would take me with her to get food.

On the day she disappeared, Yang went by herself. She left me with dad because he was asleep and at home.

So from that day forward, Dad took all of his sadness, drunkness anger out on me. Sad because he didn't have his real daughter. Angry because he was left with me. And drunk because...well, he wanted to forget.

I didn't mind though. I wasn't really his kid. I was some kid off the street he found when I was barely 5 weeks. Well, he found me on his doorstep.

He was originally going to leave me out there, but Yang convinced him to keep me. I guess I'm thankful for that. But now Im back out on the streets. Except I don't have anyone to save me this time.

So anyway, there's a 7 year old on the streets crying in winter. What do you expect people to do when they see me? Ignore me out course!

Fast forward to 14. I'm still on the streets. Right now I am currently looking at the menu for today. Thrown out bread from two weeks ago or a small cracker?

I think I'll save the bread for another day.

I put the bread into an old backpack I found and continue walking while eating a cracker. I look around, searching for anything that I could save for food later on.

It's still pretty early in the morning. I'd say about 5, maybe 6. So not many people for me to get around. I always get up this early, cause there aren't a lot of people, thank god, and I can get things quicker without people looking at me weird.

Today was a slow day. I got nothing done. I tried to get cleaned up, but this one guy was hogging up the bathroom. I must've went to a hundred places to look for a job, but I was out of luck, again. They said they wouldn't hire a 14 year old who didn't know how to take showers. I tried to tell them I couldn't, but they wouldn't listen.

Then, when I tried to find more food for later. The baker kicked me out of his shop. Literally kicked me.

Then a few thugs must've thought I had something. So they mugged me. Took everything. Food that I had saved up, water that I've had for days, and on top of that. They beat me up. They threw kicks and punches at me. I tried to fight back but there were three of them.

Two held me by the arms, while one punched me repeatedly. Then they would take turns.

I'm just glad that they didn't go far enough to rape me. At least they weren't that cruel.

They only left me with my raggy backpack an a picture. It's a picture of my mom. Dad said that it came with me when I was on his doorstep.

So now it looks like I got ran over and ran over again. An oversized coat, with a run down backpack that is currently being taken up space by a photo.

I'm just glad that they left me with what I need. A coat, backpack and a picture.

So now I head to the place I sleep. A small warehouse. I pull out the key that was somehow still in my pocket, and unlock the door.

The door swings open to empty space.

There is a couch taking up residents other than me. A couch I found on the side of the road. I mean who would get rid of a perfectly good couch.

Patched up and dirty, but still useful. I mean come on! Are people really this wasteful?

I flop onto the couch I call home.

"Goodnight." I say into nothingness.