I stared at the blank wall in front of me. I don't want to be here. Why does she do this? The orphanage owner, Faith's, words echo in my head. "I found you in a gutter, left for dead as a two-week old baby.  You shouldn't be here.  I have to waste my money on you, when you should be dead." I remember a sharp pain on the side of my head and then darkness.

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        My eyes gradually opened, unaccustomed to the bright light.  I precariously reached my hand up to my temple and felt crusted blood.  I dropped my hand and looked down at my bruised and beaten body.

        "Evangeline, get your butt down here right now!" Faith yelled.  I slowly got up and pain shot through my head.  The room seemed to spin.  My legs crumpled from underneath me and I landed on my back, staring at the ceiling.  I felt uncoordinated. I tried to move my hand, but the pain searing through my flesh distracted me.

        Oh no. Omigod, no, I thought as I heard Faith stomping up the stairs. Oh God no.  Please help me.  My eyes stayed locked on the ceiling.  My head wouldn't move either.

        I heard Faith shove open the door and saw her stare down at me.  "Get up, you lazy trash!" she shrieked.  She kicked me over so I was facedown.  I knew better than to fight back.  She slapped the back of my head and my face slammed into the cold tile.  Blood spurted from my nose.

        Feeling suddenly flooded back in my body.  I dragged my legs under me, and I lifted myself to stare at her, face to face.  "Go down and feed the other screwed up kids, like yourself."  I pulled open the door and I gritted my teeth in pain.  I winced but kept on walking.  I nearly stumbled on the stairs and sharply sucked in my breath when I heard Faith rummaging through my room.  I kept walking, staring straight ahead.

        I limped into the kitchen, where I saw Tomi and Evie, both as badly beaten as myself.  I glanced into the living room at the other orphans, playing happily and watching TV.  None of them had been left for dead so the had the good- no, great life.

        "Hey, are you guys feeling okay?" I asked wearily.

        Evie fervently shook her head and pulled up her sleeve to reveal two-dozen cigarette burns.  "I can barely move my arm."

        I looked sadly at them as I got down a paper plate, a single piece of bread, and a three-quarter used can of beans.  I leaned down next to Evie and whispered, "I'll steal some burn cream from Faith's stash."

        "No, don't," said Evie. "I don't want you to get hurt."

        "It's fine. You need to heal." I ripped the bread into three pieces and poured the cold beans next to them.  I popped a bean into my mouth, trying not to make a face. 

        Silence enveloped the room, until it was broken by Tomi.  "Faith's gonna kill me," he said, unemotionally.  He stared hard at his measly meal, frowning.  "She told me last night.  She told me she was going to pois-"

        "Stop." I cut him off, tears in my eyes, knowing that Faith was capable of that.  One time a few years ago, I fought back after a particularly relentless beating.  That night she came into my room, and cut the veins on my wrists.   I woke up to extreme pain and blood pumping out of me.  I passed out and when I woke up, my sheets had been tied to my wrists to stem the flow of blood.  To this day, I believe that I was somehow able to tie my sheets to my wrists while asleep, because I couldn't see Faith attempting to save my life.  I lost a lot off blood, and Faith became even more malicious if that was possible.

        "Evangeline?" Tomi said. "I'm really sorry."

        "It's OK.  You're gonna be fine," I replied hugging him as he nestled into my chest.  Tomi had been an outcast from the beginning and it was difficult for him to understand why at the age of seven.  "I'll protect you."

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        That night I heard someone slowly climbing up the stairs.  Omigod, I thought. Faith is coming for Tomi.  I quietly leapt out of my small bed and crept to the door.   I grabbed the closest thing I had to a weapon- a candlestick holder.  I used to have candle from back when I was loved, but that was now gone.  Unlike Evie and Tomi, I had been loved at first but something had changed and I was beaten and hated.

        A candle's light flickered outside of Tomi and Evie's room.  I slowly pushed open the door, and tiptoed down the hall.  My foot touched a creak, and the person outside of Tomi's room spun around, candle held aloft.  My mouth fell open in shock as I stared into one of the lucky orphans eyes.

        "What are you doing?" I hissed.

        "Checking on Tomi," he whispered. "Let me explain.  Let's go to your room and talk."

        We crept into my room and I sat down on my mattress, staring at him accusingly.  "Explain."

        "I overheard Faith telling Tom she was going to kill him and how.  I knew that you lived here, and I just wasn't sure why you were beaten.  I didn't want to see Tomi or anyone get hurt.  I hoped that if Faith came, I could talk her out of it. 

        "Where were you when she cut my wrists and tried to kill me?" I asked suspiciously.

        "What?"

        "You know, I fought back a couple of years ago so she snuck in at night, and slit my wrists.  I nearly bled to death."

        "I was there, behind the scenes, the whole time.  Didn't you ever wonder who tied sheets around your wrists to stem the flow of blood?  When you fell asleep, I would check the condition of your wrists."

        "Who are you?" I asked questionably. "How do you know Tomi's name?"

        "Before I was brought here, I was abandoned on someone's doorstep.  She didn't want me so she brought me here.  I know Tomi from, well... before.  And my real name is rather embarrassing so for short just call me Fang.  And your name is... "

        "Evangeline.  Do you have a way to get into Faith's medical supplies?"

        "Ya. I'm in the room next to hers and we share a bathroom."

        "Can you get some burn cream for Evie? She has cigarette burns up and down her arms."

        Fang winced and sighed.  "I never really knew how you guys were treated.  I'm so sorry."

        "It's fine- well actually it's not.  I have trouble moving my legs and neck, I get dizzy when I stand up, Tomi is scared for his life, and Evie's skin might be contaminated with nicotine."

        "I should get back to my room. Faith will freak if she finds out."

        "Thank you so much, Fang."

        "No problem, Evangeline."  As he strode to the door, he glanced back and it appeared he had tears in his eyes.  He gave me a quick smile, and walked out of my room.  This encounter left me with so many questions.   Was he working with Faith or actually a good guy?  How did he know Tomi from "before"?  Why was he helping us?  Was he willing to risk his life for someone he barely knew?

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        Days blended into weeks, and then into months.  Faith had made no more threats so far.  Fang came up each night to check on Tomi, and we would then talk for hours.

        At first, we would talk about light and easy topics like what kind of music we had liked a few years ago, what your favorite memory was, and etc.  But these questions turned into deep discussions about life after death, if there was actually a God, why I am the one that is abused, and what our biggest goals are in life.

        My biggest ambition in life was to save Evie and Tomi from this and to fall in love.  Fang wanted to become a doctor or lawyer, and to fall in love, also.

        We had both believed in God when we were younger, but after seeing the hell in innocent children's lives, had become atheists.

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        Evie's arms had gradually begun to heal, even though new cigarette burns appeared each day.  It was utterly amazing to me how Faith could smoke a pack a day and not acquire lung cancer.

        No new threats or beatings had troubled Tomi, but from the shallow look in his eyes, I could tell Faith's words severely scared him.

        I had not endured any horrific beatings for a while, until one especially bad day.

        "Evangeline, clean the dishes!" I heard from the living room.  Tomi and Evie walked into the room, so I quickly distributed the food to them, and frantically scrubbed the dishes.

        Tomi and Evie finished their food in thirty seconds flat, so I motioned for then to leave the room.

        They had just left when Faith stormed in, glaring at me.  "What's taking you so long, cripple?  Are you hurting?" she asked with a sneer.  She glanced at the dishes and her mood flickered from mocking to angry.  "You didn't get all the food off," she said darkly.

        She slapped me across the face and I fell into the counter.  "Get up, get up," Faith yelled.  My head spun as I slowly inched myself into a standing position.  I saw her pull back her arm and didn't register what she was going to do until it was too late.  Her fist slammed in between my eyes, and as blood streamed down my face, I blacked out.

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        Inconsistent thoughts flashed through my mind.  Pain- intolerable pain... Am I dead... What ha-... Where is... Help me...

        I heard screams and yells, causing my eyes to flash open.  I was still slumped against the sink, and it was night.  I heard a yell.  "Faith, what are you doing?"

        I pushed myself off of the ground and the room spun around me.  I ran to the door as I tripped over my feet.  I felt lightheaded.  Screams echoed throughout the house.  I heard someone sobbing, "Help, please, oh God, help."

The few loved children were huddled in a corner.  They had never experienced something like this.  The world spun around me as I sprinted as fast as I could up the stairs.  My head hurt even more and I tripped as I reached the landing.  Tomi and Evie’s door was thrown ajar so I scrambled to go inside.

        Chaos ruled inside that room.  My life would never be the same.  The things I saw chilled me to the bone.  How anyone could be so hateful and malicious and hateful struck my heart.

        Tomi was lying on his bed, breathing raggedly.  Purple and red handprints encircled his throat.  Evie was screaming and crying, her arms held out in front of her.  Burns covered her arms, with cigarette butts surrounding her.  Faith had Fang against the wall, dangling a foot in the air, choking him.  His eyes snapped to me as I stumbled into the air.  I hit Faith, and she dropped Fang to the ground.

        She cussed at me, screaming.  Faith punched me in the stomach, and as I bent over, she hit me in the back so I fell to the ground.  I looked up, and saw Fang coughing up blood.  Faith came behind me and kicked me in the back of my head.  My face slammed into my knees and the world spun faster.  Evie's screams echoed around me.

        I twisted around and saw Faith approaching Tomi.  I got up, but my legs crumpled underneath me.  "Evie!" I cried.  "Help Tomi!"  Her tearstained face turned to mean and she leaped on Faith, still screaming.  Evie's tiny fists beat Faith frantically, trying to stop her.

        Faith fell backward, landing on Evie. She stood up, and Evie twisted over, clutching her arms.  Faith's cold eyes flicked over to Fang, who was still coughing up blood, and to me lying crumpled up on the floor.  She grabbed Tomi's wrist and snapped his elbow backward.  He yelled as his arm hung off at a weird angle.

        "Tomi!" I cried, tears blinding my eyes.  His face contorted in pain, tearing me apart.  Faith reached into her back pocket and pulled out a syringe, filled with a colorless liquid.  I frantically tried to get up, but Faith kicked me in the face.  Fang crawled over to the bed, but Faith kicked him in the groin, and he fell to the side, rolling into a ball.  Faith placed the syringe next to his neck and slid it into him.  She pushed the liquid into him and said, "Nighty, night" in a sneering voice.  Tomi's body convulsed and his eyes spun madly.  I pushed my self up, forgetting everything, except the thought, "Get to Tomi."  Faith was standing in my way, so I punched her, again and again.  She yanked the syringe from Tomi and slashed it across my face.  Fang sneaked up behind her, and hit her with a lamp.  Faith dropped to the floor, unconscious.

        I gathered Evie in my arms and tried to calm her.  Fang checked Tomi's pulse, and his face turned to ash.  He collapsed on the bed, next to Tomi's body.  I looked at the ground and started crying.  "He never got a real life!" I shrieked.  "He was beaten and abused!  He never got to feel what it was like to be loved!"

        I sat on the ground, my head in my hands.   I felt Fang wrap his arms around me, and put his head on my shoulder.  Sobs wracked his body.

        After a couple of minutes, Fang lifted his head, and looked into my eyes.  "That's where you're wrong.  He was loved.  Before he was stuck here, he had a family." Tears glistened in his eyes, and as I wiped the tears off his face, he whispered four words that would change my life forever.

        "He was my brother."