"Hey," a singing voice says beside me.
Without bothering to look, because I already knew who had approached me, I responded.
"It's my 16th birthday today."
I felt her slowly lower herself to sit. I didn't glance at her. I proceeded to do whatever I was doing before I felt her presence. I'm reclining on the soft green grass behind the school, and with my eyes shut, I allowed the glow of the sun to disengage me.
"I know it's your 16th birthday," she sighs, "that's why I came to check on you."
I smile for no other purpose except that was the simplest thing I could do. The position I was in is definitely not a smiling matter.
"There are other alternatives, you know," she says
My eyes suddenly open in shock. I get up from my resting position. I scowled at her, how dare she. She submissively backs up from me.
"Sorry, Angel," she anxiously declares, "I just wanted you to know that."
"I know that there are other choices, Grace," I growled, "I know there are other girls who are more than thrilled to be used than to be outcast. And I'm disgusted by them. All of them!"
A flash of emotional grief crossed her angelic face. She glances away from me to cover it. It takes me a moment to soothe my sudden fury.
"I... I'm sorry, Grace," I tenderly say after my anger suppresses.
She remains to stare away from me. I can see a tiny river of moisture wash down her rosy cheeks. I sensed a blow of guilt and sadness wash over me.
"Grace?" I gently touch her.
She eventually looks at me. And with no warning, she fell in my arms. I let her cry, knowing I'm the one who caused the pain.
"I'm sorry, Grace," I repeat, "I didn't know what I was saying. You know I don't dislike all of them."
She nods her head and continues to embrace me. We linger like this for a while. I close my eyes, and memories of the first time I have met this little girl flash in my mind.
I was in a building called a greenhouse where all the women bearing offspring were lying. The very place all of us had been delivered. I remembered how dead my mother had looked. Slowly, I had walked toward her bed. I was careful not to wake her. If I awaken her, she would scream at me and start to insult me. But like a snake smelling its prey, her eyes had suddenly opened. She glared daggers at me and seized my arm in a tight and cold hold. The most chilling voice that I can never forget came from her dry throat.
She said, "I hate you. You don't deserve me," she struggled to breathe, "you never did."
At that moment, I despised her also. I reject everything she believed and what she was, exactly like she did to me.
Before I ran out of the nursery, a woman stopped me. Her hair was tangled up in a really bad hairstyle and her clothes were covered in blood. She begged me to take the little bundle that she was holding with tears in her light brown eyes. Dealing with my problems at that time, I refused her. The woman didn’t seem to take the hint. She dropped what she was holding in my hand and collapsed.
Oh, no, was the first thing I thought. I peered down at my hand and tiny bright eyes stared back at me. She smiled at me. I couldn’t resist smiling back. I couldn’t help it, a weird feeling washed over me and all I wanted to do was keep the little angel.
