Yuu's POVI met him when I was a child...Me and my older siblings are always playing hide in seek.
Our mother is always warning us about going beyond the fence.
She said it's too dangerous to set foot outside that wall.
There are a lot of monsters and predators wanting to hurt us.
One day, one of my older brothers discarded mother's words.He persuaded others to go with his plan.
Plan to escape home.
He runs until he reaches the high wall. With a little bit of help from my other older brothers, they finally lift him up.But instead of putting the rope for others to climb.
He only looks down with a big smirk on his face and escapes on his own.
Mother finds out about this, but she wasn't angry.She was disappointed, it was a shame for her that one of her children turned into a predator and monster.
That's what she said to us, that he betrayed mother and left the family.No one really knows what happened to him.
Nor no one wants to know about what happened.
Despite having a lot of kids here in our home, I felt lonely.I'm somewhat different from other kids.
Mother always told me I was special, that's why other children pick on me.
But I don't think the same as her, if I was special, they wouldn't make me things I don't want just to fit in with other kids.
No one leaves home, no one leaves mother.Until you turn 16, they get to change homes, and mother will always cry about it.
But, I don't want to see mother cries, so I promised her that I will not leave her, ever.I'll stay behind, I'll stay at home, I'll stay with mother...."Happy birthday to you~" mother sings to me while she puts the cupcake on the table.She lit up the candle and said happily to me."Happy 12th birthday, my dear. Make a wish"
I close my eyes and put my hands together.Wishing for only one thing.
I hope my bruises will fade soon...
We were celebrating my birthday.Just the two of us, while the other kids are sleeping in the other room.
In the dark, only the candle on the cupcake and the lamp in the table was the source of light.I blow the candle after I make a wish."Yehey! Happy birthday!" She hugs me tightly until I lose my breath for a second."Thank you, mother!" As a naive child, I never ask mother why we have to celebrate my birthday just the two of us.The only thing in my mind is that maybe, she doesn't want to invite the kids who pick on me everyday whenever mother is gone.I know that we're poor, and my other siblings are probably not related to me.Older kids told me so.
I tried my best to survive everyday at home.
I don't want to go to mother and complain about other kids hurting me.
"Remember, don't cry so easily, be strong and suck it up" the last thing my older sister told me before she went to another home.I look up to mother as she hums me to sleep.I can see her tears refusing to leave her eyes as she sings her favorite melody.
Sleep my little dear,Don't worry about tomorrow~You'll be safe in my arms
I'll take all your sorrows~
Sleep my little girl,Won't you take my hand~As we go to the garden and play~
I'll make sure you're safe...
As she continues her sweet melody, sleep is slowly taking over me.My eyelids felt heavy as I could feel her rough hand stroke my hair.
It was peaceful, it was great.She was caressing my bruises and humming assuring words to me until I fell asleep.
"I hope the kids won't hurt you anymore, Yuu" those words are the last thing I heard from her...