It was his mother that taught him how cruel the world could be. They would pass starving children on the streets, begging for anything to eat or drink, and spied bodies covered in shadows in the dark alleys dealing drugs or killing to survive. He had known his whole life that this world was hell and would drag him and anyone down with it.
But he loved his mother; her long black hair and quiet eyes. The way her voice sounded during the night when she'd sing him to sleep. Her soft laughter and the twinkle in her eye when he did something to make her laugh. The loving gaze she cast to his sister who lay against her chest. He loved his sister just as well. Her bright gray eyes and the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. How she couldn't say his name fully and just called him "Leha". He loved them both dearly, but this world was cruel...
His mother became very sick one day and stopped singing them to sleep. She coughed violently, but she still tried to care for them, but eventually she became to sick to care for them. He kept his sister as far away from her as she could, afraid that he would lose her like he was losing his mother. He gave his food to his sister so she would stay healthy and alive, even at the cost of his own health as he watched their mother silently wilt away. A week after she fell ill, he heard her wheeze quietly before the room fell still as she finally fell to her sickness. His sister cried for what felt like days as he tried to calm her through his own tears. He didn't leave his mothers side until a man came in one day.
Light flooded into the room and his sister began to cry loudly and he held onto her tightly. The person who walked in, a man, and observed their mothers body on the bed before turning to them.
"And you?" he asked, he voices sounding like gravel, "You two alive?" His sister cried in response while he only stared at the man.
"Give me a break," the man said loudly over his sisters crying, "You understand me, right? What are your names?"
"Levi..." he said staring back at the man, "this is my sister, Alice." The man looked shocked for just a moment before muttering something to their mother and sitting against the wall across from them. Alice had stopped crying and only whimpered against Levi's shoulder.
"Kenny," the man said taking off his hat, "How long have you too been here?"
"I don't know," Levi answered and rocked his sister back and forth trying to put her asleep once again, "It feels like days, but I don't know." They sat in silence as Alice slowly fell back asleep and Levi put his head onto her small one.
"How old are you?" Kenny asked. "She's less than a year and I'm about 7," Levi answered softly so to not wake her. He heard Kenny grunt, stand, and make his way to them. He knelt down in front of Levi and held his arms out.
"Let me see her," he said and Levi stared back at him, "I won't hurt her I promise," Levi tried to stand while holding her, but found his legs too weak to hold himself up for longer than a few seconds. Kenny caught him before he fell to the floor and took Alice from his arms.
"Come on kid," he said holding Alice with one arm and Levi's hand with the other. Levi looked back towards his mothers body one last time before leaving her behind.