it was a cold night and I shivered I
felt so trapped and helpless
my parents are terrible people they are
monsters how can such a terrible thing
happen to us when I was younger I
already knew that my dad had a problem
my mom did too he spent a lot of time
with his friends playing cards my mom on
the other hand started with a glass of
wine during dinner as the years went by
they both got so much worse she started
to go out every night as well most of
the time then left us alone in the house
they got into frequent fights always
yelling and breaking things so when I
turned 15 our nice house had already
turned into a dump most of our furniture
was destroyed from their fights and my
mom wasn't interested in us anymore
she was just interested in the drink in
her hand one night my two younger
sisters and I had to share just one cup
of noodles that was all we had
there was nothing but cold water and
beer inside our refrigerator do we have
anymore asiye my younger sister Katie
asked she just turned nine it broke my
heart to see her asking for food this is
what we have snapped Alex she's 13 years
old just a few years younger than me but
she's tough she's beginning to realize
that our lives are horrible I am sixteen
now and most of the time I am left
behind to take care of my two sisters I
don't think that my parents even
remember that they have children I'm the
one who has to clean our small and dingy
house I have to be the one who makes
sure that there's a little money to use
to buy food I'm not even legally an
adult but I have to play the role of
mother and father do your parents make
you feel terrible sometimes to keep on
watching so you can understand what's
really going on click the like a
subscribe button too my sisters and I
stay at home most of the time because
going out means spending money we don't
have that we miss out on school a lot
usually after they fall asleep I have to
sneak into their bedroom very quietly I
searched the place for money with
whatever money I find I have to budget
it to buy what we need most of it goes
to food but for the past few weeks I
find less and less I tried to go to
sleep that night
but I could it I was tossing and turning
feeling the rumble of my hungry belly I
had to find a way to get more money I
didn't want to do anything bad but I had
no choice so the next day I left the
house early I wandered the streets I saw
that the bakery was open the smell
coming from his side was wonderful I
pressed my face against the glass and I
watched the make bread when Baker saw me
he yelled hey go away you're smashing
the glass with your dirty hands I pulled
away from the window my hands weren't
dirty I just wanted to take a look but
after I turned to walk away I heard the
door open a woman came out carrying a
paper bag she smiled and handed it to me
it was full of bread I clutched the bag
against my chest and ran home
I woke Katie and Alex up we had a feast
in a room it was wonderful we had never
tasted anything that's good Katie was
shoving right into her mouth Alex even
begin to cuff because she was eating too
fast
we were giggling and laughing I only
hate two small pieces of the bread it
was enough for me to see that my sisters
were finally eating but then we heard
noise coming from my parents room
somebody there was waking up and walking
to our room the door burst open why are
you making so much noise so early in the
morning it was my dad I tried to hide
the paper bag with bread but he saw it
anyway who was this he asked he got the
paper bag from my hands and he pulled
out a piece mmm it's good he added this
is a nice breakfast then he walked out
the door with the food Daddy
Katie cried that's ours we didn't get to
eat a real dinner last night
things started to get even worse from
that day on my dad had to sell his car
none of that money reached us he even
tried to take away some of my mom's
jewelry they had a huge fight about that
my sisters and I stayed in her room
feeling terrified from the noise they
were making the next day when I looked
around the house was a mess and a lot of
things were broken my parents were
nowhere to be found there was no money
to be found in their bedroom I had no
choice now but to go out and find
something we could eat I put on my shoes
and I went out to the busy street there
was a lot of people walking to their
office that morning
it was a crowded sidewalk then I saw a
woman who was busy talking on her phone
she was holding a phone with one hand
and a cup of coffee with the other her
handbag was swaying and hanging over her
shoulder as quick as a flash I ran and
grabbed the handbag the hot coffee
spilled on my arm but I didn't care
I ran away as fast as I could until the
sounds of the woman shouting drifted
away some people tried to grab me to
stop me but I twisted away from them I
ran in a zigzag and jumped over some
trash cans in an alley with my heart
pounding in my chest I realized that I
just became a thief I hid and waited for
a long time in that alley
finally I opened the bag there were keys
and a wallet in there the wallet had a
few hundred dollars inside yes
I screamed this was going to be enough
but someone hurt me it was an older kid
he looked like he was going to take the
money away hey kid he said what's that
on your hand I froze and I was ready to
fight nobody was going to take the money
away from me
but the boy held out his hands he told
me to relax he said that he wasn't going
to steal from a thief he just said that
he wanted to look at the bag in the
wallet he came close and examined it
nice he said with a little whistle we
can get a lot of money for this he
showed me the label of the bag he said
it was an authentic designer piece he
held out his hand and said that his name
was Raymond if you really need the money
you can work for me
I like you you're fast so that's when I
became a pickpocket with Raymond's help
I was able to make more money
we watch the people pass on the street
and he would point out the ones I could
steal from as payment I gave him half of
what I got I also gave him the bag from
the wallet of the people I stole from he
bought those from me for $10 each I knew
those bags cost so much more but I was
grateful for the extra cash after a
while it didn't matter if the wallets
had tens or hundred I had enough to buy
food one stolen while a week was enough
but after a while Raymond wasn't very
excited with our setup anymore he wanted
a bigger payout he asked me if I wanted
to be a part of their gang they were
pulling a big job in a few days they
were going to steal some electronics
those TVs phones and tablets are going
to be worth so much more Raymond said to
encourage me
he said that I was going to make a few
months worth of money if I joined them
in this single project it sounded
exciting I did have to steal for a few
months so I agreed raymond filled me in
on the plan he and his friends had all
the codes for the electronic store he
said they could open the door easily but
we had to smash the glass cases to get
to the goods he handed me a small
crowbar that I could use my job was to
get all the templates on display and
shove them in my backpack we waited
until past midnight then along with
Raymond and two other guys we walked to
the store it had an electronic lock
where a man just punched some numbers
and a green light blinked from the lock
panel we were in I was feeling very
scared when we walked in what if someone
was inside don't chicken out on me now
Raymond hissed just remember your job so
with a deafening crash we began to break
the display cases remain kept shouting
for us to hurry up I grabbed all the
tablets I could find soon my bag was
full all right Raymond yelled again
let's get out of here we ran back into
the streets but soon we heard sirens
Raymond cursed he said that the display
cases probably had alarms too our feet
were pounding on the pavement as they
ran away but pretty soon there were cops
running after us too
a police car came and blocked her path
the cops pointed at guns ass stop they
shouted we've caught you red-handed
we raised her hands over our heads and
the police shoved us down to the ground
they put handcuffs on me and they
dragged me to the car within an hour we
were locked up in jail I started to cry
myself I thought about my sisters who
was going to take care of them now the
next day a woman in glasses came she
said that her name was Pam and she was a
social worker she wanted to talk because
I was still a minor she wanted to know
why I was stealing I broke down and told
her that I was only doing this to take
care of my sisters I told her everything
that was happening in my house I told
her that my parents didn't care about us
and that they didn't even feed us she
said she was going to get my sisters and
take them in her custody but I had to
stay in juvenile detention my crime was
too much was just a slap on the wrist I
was being charged with robbery and theft
I had an awful time in jail there were
other kids there who hurt me because I
was thinner and smaller than them I
spent most of my time just trying to get
out of their way when they told me that
I could
new school while in juvenile detention I
jumped at the chance finally I could go
to school without being worried about
what was going on at home I thought
about my sisters a lot I thought about
my parents and I felt so much hate
coursing through my veins if they just
did the responsibility as parents I
wouldn't be stuck in jail this was all
their fault I wasn't responsible for
putting food on the table
I was already in jail for a few years
when I decided to sue them
I wanted to sue them for giving birth to
me somehow I managed to call Pam I told
her my plants she thought it was a good
idea she came back a few days later and
a lawyer was with her together we made
my case by this time I didn't care
anymore if there was no money to be one
of the case I just wanted my parents to
be punished finally it was time to face
them before a judge the courtroom was
packed there were photographers and
reporters everywhere I ran to my sisters
when I saw them beside Pam Katie looked
thinner but Alex was smiling we hugged
each other and I asked if they had
enough to eat
we're okay Sam Alex told me Pam made
sure that we're in a nice foster home
and we're together
but we want to be with you we want to
live with you that's what I wanted to I
just wanted to go home and be with my
sisters I could take care of them the
courtroom buzzed when my parents came in
my mom and dad looked so ashamed well
they should be they couldn't even look
at us the judge made on the gavel and
asked us to be quiet then he read the
charges against my parents how do you
plead he asked them guilty they
whispered when it was time for my
sister's to go up on the stand my mother
was already crying uncontrollably I was
the last one to speak on the stand when
they asked me why I was in juvenile jail
I answered them with a loud and strong
voice there was no other way to feed me
and my sisters I was too young to work
so I just decided to steal I didn't want
to do it but I had to my Paris barely
noticed that we were there we barely had
enough to eat do you know how terrible
it feels to go to sleep without eating
anything that day
Alex Katie and I I liked that most of
the time we can't even afford new
clothes our old clothes are turning into
rags
we had to scrimp on everything even on
soap and all that time our parents
didn't notice that they were practically
starving us to death or worse de saucé
but they just didn't care it seemed like
they were irritated to find us at home
I was already crying by then even my
dad's face was drenched in tears I
continued my story sometimes I wish I
had never been born but then I think
about my sisters I have to face this
world just for them
it was deathly quiet in the room when
the judge finally spoke he said your
house is not a place where children are
cared for because of this I sentenced
the mother and the father to 10 years in
prison system Mantha is already 18 she
can get custody of her two sisters
provided that she could work and earn
honest money the charges against
Samantha are dropped she can leave the
detention centre without a record they
led my parents away I thought I would
feel triumphant but I only felt sad I
wish I didn't have to come to this but
that feeling suddenly changed but my
sisters ran up to hug me I was free now
I was also a high school graduate I
could go to work and take care of Katie
and Alex so we moved back to our house
with the help of Pam we were able to fix
it up and get a lot of secondhand
furniture to replace all the stuff that
my dad had to sell that night the three
of us sat down for dinner
for the first time in ages there was
enough food on the table Alex raised her
glass full of orange juice she said to
new beginnings
I never thought I would feel so
empowered and strong maybe someday we
could find it in our hearts to forgive
our parents but not yet the wounds that
gave us are still too fresh
but with my sisters living with me again
I felt hope I knew we were going to be
just fine