I crouched in the rain, watching the small, black dog through the bars of the cage. It was snarling, trying to get to me. The dog always tried to attack me; the owners taught it to hate me, just like they did. I thrust my arm through the bars, reaching for the small creature's neck, when I saw someone step out of the trees. I froze. I knew this boy, the boy with long, blonde hair covering his face. I scanned the trees, looking for the red haired boy, but it was too dark to see anyone else. I knew he was there though, they were always together. The boys picked on me, beat me up, and hate me… just like the dog.

Well, I thought, that's not quite true… the dog and the owners hate me, the boys hate who I'm forced to pretend to be.

The boy ran into the trees just before the door to the house slammed open and a woman framed in light stepped into the rain. I threw myself away from the dog as she stormed over.

"Raca," she shouted, "how many times do I have to tell you to leave Fifi alone?!"

"Sorry," I mumbled, refusing to look at the woman who was called my mother.

"Why can't you just be the way we want you to be, and dammit, LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

"I'm never going to be the son you're training me to be," I glared at the woman as she kicked my cage and took the damn dog into the house, leaving me locked up in the rain.

I'm never going to be him, my brother, I thought as I brought my knees up to my chest and let my tears mix with the rain, Rory. Rory was my twin brother; he was the one my parents wanted… I had been the unwanted one from the very start. Rory hadn't been very strong, he didn't survive while I'm still here, and they resent me for it. They try to make me dress and act like a boy, they tried to make me my brother, but I'm just their worthless daughter. They tried getting good doctors, but none of them knew how to change my gender; father even went as far as to get a devil fruit from his brother, my Uncle Shanks, the red haired man I'm not supposed to know about… but it just lets me change my hair and eyes. Now, to them, I'm even more of a monster than I was before.

"They cage the animals at night," I mumbled, thinking about some of the things they call me. Only animals aren't treated this badly…

"But you're not an animal," a quiet voice said from behind me. I jumped, the blonde boy was crouching by my cage and the red haired one was behind him, smirking down at me.

"That's what they say when it's time to bring me out, time to cage the animal." If I had a chance, I'd run. I'd run and never look back. I'll be a pirate, I'll be free.

"He sure looks like an animal to me," the red haired boy reached into the cage and grabbed my short maroon hair. I growled but refused to give him the satisfaction he would have if I fought back.

Not an animal, I'm a monster. A monster that no one knows really exists because my parents have done everything to ensure the townspeople think I'm Rory. As far as anyone in town knows, Raca's the child that didn't survive…

"Shut up, Kid," the blond boy said, "he's hurt and you're just making it worse."

But being hurt isn't new; they beat me almost every day… when I'm not a good enough son.

"Whatever, Killer," Kid dropped me, "how old are you anyway, runt?"

"What do you want," I glared up at him. I was eleven. 5 years younger than the one boy, Kid, and 9 years younger than the other, Killer.

"I want you to stop being a stupid brat and answer my question."

"Piss off," I turned my back on them and Kid grabbed my neck, pulling me back. I grimaced as my back hit the cage, making my wounds burn, but I didn't scream… I never screamed. The beatings from father got worse if I struggled, screamed, or cried, so I make myself suffer silently.

"What was that?"

Dammit, it hurts!

"Kid, she's bleeding."

"Like I ca-" kid broke off, "she?"

How the hell did he know?

"Yes, now let go of her."

"Dammit," Kid let me go and I blinked up at him, surprised that he listened to Killer this time. I watched as Killer opened the cage and walked toward the trees, taking Kid away with him. I sat there for a moment, unable to believe what he had done. I knew the boys were watching me as I quietly ran into the house.

There's something I need to do, I thought as I ran into Rory's room and packed a bag with clothes and money, my parents were rich, father was a scientist, before I can really be free. I wrapped bandages around myself, covering as many of the wounds on my back as I could, before pulling on clean clothes and heading to their bedroom.

"Momma," I said calmly as I held the lantern up, "daddy…"

"What the-" father was the first one to wake up. He jumped out of bed and lunged toward me once he realized who I was, "filthy child, how did you get out?!"

"What's going on," mother looked at me, "what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you burn in Hell before I left," I smiled as I threw a knife at my mother, hitting her in the forehead. When father stumbled, I threw the lantern at him; he went up in flames almost immediately. I stood in the door and watched him screaming until the smell of burning flesh became too much to handle and I had to leave the house.

It's still not as bad as the Hell you put me through, I thought as I walked into town. I stole a boat and set off on my own. It's small, but it's good enough to get me to the next island.

After days at sea, I knew I was screwed. I had drifted into the calm belt during a storm and I had no way to get out… I couldn't even try to swim. I stared up at the sun, waiting to starve. When I drifted into unconsciousness, I was just vaguely aware that my boat had stopped moving.