Chapter : 2. The Gray A

THAT SAME MORNING..

ANA’S POV :-

“Ana.. Ana. Wake up already. You’re getting late..”

“Yes… I’m up. I’m up... What time is it?”

Jumping up from my chair startled, I started looking around with my still sleepy eyes to understand what time of the day it was. Was it dawn or evening?

“It’s 5.30 in the morning. You fell asleep while doing your homework again?” Looking at the scattered books and files on the table, I realized that I failed to finish my project again.

“Sh*t! I’m so screwed today. Lyla, help me get everyone ready. I’ll finish the cleaning first.”

Stuffing the books back in my bag, I rushed to clean the house before our foster parents woke up. They don’t like their apartment dirty. Once it was done, I went back to our room to make sure all three of the kids were getting ready for school and the little one was awake. After cleaning up the toddler, I took a quick bath and got ready for college before I went to make breakfast for them all.

Carrying the the little one in one arm and playing with him to keep him calm, I toasted some bread, and cooked some scrambled eggs and bacon, before serving it with some jam and jelly and some warm milk, I called out for everyone.

“Guys. Breakfast is ready. Hurry up now.”

While the 12 year old Lyla, 6 year old twins Daisy and Michael ate their breakfast, I fed the 2 year old toddler Theo his meal and remained starved myself for another morning. We are all living in this foster home together under the care of Hector and Selena Brooks. Well... Not exactly care because they don’t care about anything else than the money they get from fostering us.

My name is Ana Torres and I’m the first child the Brooks fostered, and even though I’m already 19, they refuse to let me go now. I was only 9 years old when my mom died in a car accident right in front of my eyes, and I’ve been living here ever since, which makes it 10 years already. 10 years of suffering. 10 years of abuse.

The reason that they kept me with them for so long is because I am the one who actually takes care of the kids they foster while they live a hassle-free life. It started as just a generosity to thank them for taking care of me by helping them with the house chores. But soon, they started depending on it and eventually, it turned into slavery for me.

I know I have ways to escape from them, I know I can complain to the authorities or the child services for the abuse. But they already thought that through and tied up my hands by their threats, a long time ago.

I was born in Canada. My parents were native Canadian. My mom crossed the border and came to USA to start a new life when I was 3 years old, after my father abandoned us. Being an immigrant, there are limits to what I can do because they already seized my green card along with the only picture I have of my mom and uses it to threaten me to dare make a sound against them. I’m helpless now.

“Are you done yet? Come on. Get up and grab your bags. Lyla, honey? Bring my bag on your way too. Okay?” Sending them off to get their bags, I went to do that hard part of the morning. Waking up our foster parents.

Taking a big gulp, I knocked on their door with shaky hands and hoped that they wouldn’t lash at me today.

“Selena? Are awake yet? Breakfast is ready... We have to leave now. Can you take Theo, please? Selena?” The door opened with a bang, making me flinch and take a step back in fear, and out came the white woman with dyed red hair in her forties.

“WHAT? What the f*ck do you want?”

“We... We are leaving. Please look after Theo. I already cleaned him and fed him. Just give him his second meal and I’ll be back by 3 PM.”

“Whatever. Just leave him at his playpen.” I was relieved when she didn’t make any fuss and let me off so easily.

“Bye, honey. Don’t cry and be a good boy, okay? I’ll be back soon. Bye bye..”

Kissing Theo’s forehead, I left him in the playpen and took my bag from Lyla before we headed out of the apartment and into the busy streets of New York. My first task is to drop the kids at their school and walk all the way to my college before it’s 8.30. Then I have to find time to finish the project so that I can submit it today. It’s already the last day for it and I have no idea how I’m going to do it.

Being unable to study properly at home, my academic scores were always very low. But they still forced me to join college because they wanted to create a model figure to present to the child services to make them believe they are idol foster parents. But I don’t want that. I don’t want to be among other kids of my age, because I’m way different from them and that makes me get bullied all the time.

Standing in front of the college gate, I saw other kids laugh and gossip with their friends or in groups, wearing nice modern clothes, shining like they should at this age. But I, on the other hand, was wearing an old baggy hoodie of Hector with faded old jeans of Selena because I don’t have clothes of my own. I live off of their handovers.

My hair was pulled upwards in a messy bun because I didn’t have enough time to comb it. I probably smell like bacon and have stains of baby food on my clothes. I not only look dirty, but I feel like one too even after I had my morning shower already.

Letting out a sigh, I pulled up the hoodie to hide my face as much as possible to avoid catching the eyes of my bullies. But it only took me to reach my locker when they found me.

“Hey. The ‘Gray A’ is here everyone.”

Before I could take my books and get to the class, my biggest bully and the prettiest girl in the college Nora, surrounded me with her huge group. They came up with the nickname Gray A for me because according to them, I looked like a depressed grey person all the time. Most of all, Gray A stands for someone who is not s*xually attracted to anyone. And being the only virgin in college, they think I’m s*xually disabled.

“Were you trying to hide from us, Ana? Tell me the truth.” I shook my head in fear without saying a word.

“Then why did you pull your hoodie up?” She pulled the hoodie down from my head, pulling my hair with it too, making me let out a hiss in pain.

“Oh. I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? Is it still hurting here?” She tried to rub my head to soothe the pain, purposely messing my already tangled hair.

“Stop it. Leave me alone.” I pushed her hand away from me, only to get slapped back.

“How dare you touch me with your dirty hands, you bi*ch? Looks like you’ve grown some guts now. If you like touching people so much then we will be glad to find someone who will fulfill your wish. Lance? What do you say? Would you like to do the honour and give her the pleasure she’s looking for?”

“I’ll be glad to do so.”

With Nora’s instruction, one of her group boys caged me in between his arms, pinning me against the locker. Laughter filled the hallway as more people gathered around to witness the embarrassing moment, making me grip my books hard in front of my chest. At first, he slid his fingers through my arm up and down, as I closed my eyes and turned my head away from him. Then, he got even closer to me, and putting his mouth on the nep of my neck, he started kissing it.

“Are you happy with this? Am I making you wet? I know you got a little tingle in between your legs, you horny sl*t? Want me to go further?”

With a whisper in my ear, his hand slid behind my waist, pulling me closer to his body as his kisses started coming down towards my chest. It was making me so uncomfortable, but I dare not to speak against it. I know the moment I resist, they will not only take it further but they will beat me up all together because it’s not the first time it happened.