A Lesson Learned

A seventeen year old young woman stood before her full length mirror dressed in black pants and a black t-shirt which had a priest's collar. Her waist length hair was pulled back into a meter long braid. She put onmake up to hide the ugly scars that were on her face.

Giving herself one finaly lok over, she grabbed her wallet and keys and headed out the door of her apartment.

Walking down the streets, the heels of her black boots clicked againstthe hard ground. A slight breeze played with her hair. She continued to walk down the streets, down many blocks of the American colony. Around her neck there was a golden cross which sparkled in the sunlight. Today was a nice sunny and warm day.

She approached a huge while hospital building. The lobby was spotless with a few people sitting here and there. Passing by the desk, this young woman took the elevator up to the fourth level.

Down a plain whilte walled hall, the young woman passed several doors until she got to the door of her choice. She took a few deeep breaths and went inside. She walked past the nurse at the front desk, ignorning the complant and went through another door where people sat in a circle.

They looked up at her, their eyes went wide in surpise. Sally Po, the nurse in charge looked up from her clipbord.

"I'm sorry, but this room already has so many people and we are already half way through the talk." Sally said. "But in about an hour or so, there will be another meeting if you would like to wait."

The young woman was at a meeting for druggies and all sort of addicted people.

Finally the woman spoke,"I am only here to help not only these people, but myself as well. Please I beg you to let me speak."

Everybody looked to Sally who just looked at this young woman. After a moment of silence, Sally nodded. The woman smiled and took a seat across from Sally.

Taking a deep breath the woman said, "Sorry for interupting but I had to get this off my chest. Better to tell people I relate to I guess." There was a moment of silence, then she spoke once again. "Well, I guess I should start from the beginning."

My name is Emily Maxwell and I am seventeen years old. I was born here on this American colony. Like everybody else, I had parents, but because of the stupid war, I lost my parents and became an orphan.

So like all the other orphans living on their own on the streets, I did what I could just to survive. I stole, ran and hid. Sometimes I even joined a group of orphans.

Now that you know that little detail about me, I will explain why I am here…

Here on this American colony there is a bunch of prostitutes. I can tell you that about 98 of them are orphans that were pulled from the streets. Me included.

The leader of the prostitues is a druggy. He would pull the orphans off the streets, get them addicted to drugs then made them sell their own bodies to get a fix.

I was once one of them. While I was tring to surivive, I was plucked from the dirty streets and forced into being a druggy and an prostitue.

After being addicted, I was forced to be a prostitue so I could get a fix so that I wouldn't feel the pain of withdraw. For the longest time, that was how I had to live. All the other prostitutes hated me because I was our leader's favorte.

I thought that it would be like any other job, but I was so wrong. The others had pretended and waited for me, then beated me. They did what they could to mess up my looks.

When our leader had found out, he was pissed off of course. He punished them good but I feel like I got it worse. I was forced to leave.

To the boss, looks was everything. Because I was so beatn up, I was no use to him anymore. I had to leave and ended up going through horrible withdrawl, which was horrible and now I have been away from those two negitives for several years now.

Emily went silent as everyody just staired at her. Sally could only stare at her with her mouth open. Emily stared ath the floor the whole time. She still seemed to be unsure about telling strangers about her past, but she did feel a little better now that she did tell somebody.

She finally looked up and said, "I know first hand how drugs can ruin a person's life. You all can make a choice. Continue with your addiction, lett it run and ruin your life or get away from it. It's your choice. I just pray that you will make the right one."

With that said, Emily turned and elft the room. She rode the elevator down and walked out of the hospital. The sun shone brightly as she walked the several blocks toward her apartment. Stopping a moment, she looked up at the sky while sheilding her eyes from the sun with her hand. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle. After a moment she continued to her apartment.

Now Emily continues to talk about her dark past. She teaches people by using them in her stories. Starting off, it is hard, but now her words seemed to flow out easier. Many have heard her story and many have come back to hear her again and again. It tok a youth to change many and even change Dr. Po.

It is true that todays youth will be the future and this youth already did her part in changing the future……

fin