Hayline developed a hopeless love towards an attractively handsome Rilden Green; a boy she saw playing guitar in an online worship session.
But in between her determined feelings for him, several boys tried to win her heart. Two failed, one succeede...
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12th of November 2006
Colorado, USA
Six-year-old Avery ran for her life, as fast as her small legs could carry her. She ran far away from the clutches of the mafia who had imprisoned her for the past four years.
She raced forward, her feet unshod as her rubber slippers slipped off and scattered along the path. Darkness enveloped her, with only the gentle moonlight seeping through the dense foliage. The cold November air sent shivers down her spine, but she continued on, undeterred by the chilling night.
Her fear of being caught dwarfed her fear of the dark or what lurked inside it. Wrapping her arms around her torso, she kept running ahead, stumbling as she bruised her limbs. A whimper of pain and fear escaped her as she got up and ran again.
Exhaustion nearly overcame her; she wanted to sit down and rest but she couldn't. The fear of losing her life kept her running though she had no destination.
Earlier that day, she had been out begging, with one of her nannies from the mafia, who fed and clothed Avery and the other children without a hint of affection.
That was her life. She woke up before the sun rose, never combed her hair or changed out of her torn, too-small dress, and immediately set out to beg. It was the fate of every child in the mafia's clutches.
Avery bitterly remembered returning to the nurse who waited for her. She had hugged her bag to her chest, holding the money she had garnered from panhandling. But suddenly, a strange man had seized the bag and ridden away on a motorcycle.
Avery could do nothing but stare helplessly after the robber and sob silently. There was no one around to help her and she knew what awaited her when she returned to the house.
Anyone who failed to bring money was punished, even if it wasn't their fault. Avery had had the punishments too, but at those times her bag wasn't robbed from her; she just hadn't inspired enough pity to be given money. She had been punished with no food and not a drop of water for the rest of the day, was beaten twice, and was forced to take a bath in ice-cold water on the coldest of nights.
Her life had been a complete hell for the past four years.
The only heaven she could find was with her nanny, Rosetta, a kind old woman who showed favoritism to Avery. Avery hadn't cared to think why Rosetta loved her the most, out of all others, but she counted it as her only blessing. Rosetta and Emery—Avery's best friend, who was the same age as her—were the only reason Avery cracked a small smile every day.
And today, Rosetta was the only reason that she was here, running through the woods to save her life. To the ones who returned with money more than once, the punishments were harsh and cruel. Avery never knew what the punishments were, nor did she have the courage to guess, but she recalled the painful shrieks of several kids with a shudder. The victims of those penalties were taken away for at least a week to be tortured. She had cried silently hearing their agonizing screams, hugging Emery tight for comfort.
