Torment

Kile

Let's start from the beginning. My name is Kile. I'm a 13-year-old man. Yes, man. Everyone mistakes me for someone I'm not. Everyone acts like I'm a little boy who can't take care of himself. Well turns out I can. I've been living in and out of foster care for 6 months thank you very much. Even though none of my foster parents are nice to me, it's better than sitting around in a dirty old lot, waiting for someone to notice me and give me some spare food. When someone finally did notice me, they took me to a foster care service so I could find a "temporary home."

Sure I run away from each foster family that has taken me in, but that doesn't mean I don't prefer them over the filthy lot. It's almost like I live with my foster parents during the day and then run away at night. I usually take my foster mom's credit card and walk to the nearest gas station, buy the goods, and sit in my dark and dirty lot I had previously called home, while snacking.

It wasn't always like this. My mom was very sick when I was born and died shortly after. My dad just recently got a promotion at work which required him to move across the country. I was the one who told him to leave. I wanted to go with him, but I knew the area of Bangladesh he was living in was one of the most crime-rated areas in the world. He had to leave me, I know he did, so I told him to go because I knew how much this job meant to him. I loved him too much to see him give up something he really cared about. He was the only person I had.

Dad left two weeks after my 13th birthday. That day was the worst day of my life. No matter how many gifts my dad got me, he couldn't give me what I really wanted. I wanted him to stay. I knew he couldn't. "A man's job is to provide for his family," he would always say to me.

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I woke up in my dirty lot with snacks and wrappers on top of me like a blanket. Once I had processed my whereabouts, I realized how dead I was. My foster mom had probably already realized her credit card was gone, not to mention I was gone. I wiped all the wrappers off my shirt and grabbed the credit card. The house wasn't far, but neither was the electronics store. I had a credit card...

I ran to the electronics store and looked both ways before crossing. Not because I wanted to be safe, but because I wanted to make sure no one was looking for me. I stepped up to the automatic door and let them consume me. Cheap Thrills, the best electronics store in the metroplex. Sure it has the name of a thrift store, but maybe it's because it was a thrift store before. I wouldn't know. It's been a technology and appliances store since I've been alive.

Tablets, computers, and phones surround the store, not leaving a single wall bare. Ovens and other appliances right in the center to lure you in and make sure that you don't leave without spending a couple hundred dollars. Well, I was here to do just that. I didn't care about my foster parents, I didn't care about anyone. Except maybe my dad...

I made my way over to the modern technology section and decided that a new tablet didn't sound too bad. Two minutes later I swiped the credit card, tablet in hand, not a care in the world. I didn't care if my foster mom found out. She's as shallow as she is ignorant. As I left the store, I reminded myself that it was okay to treat myself. All of my foster families have treated me like dirt. Why can't I treat myself better?

I strutted home, head held high, holding my new tablet for the world to see. My good attitude didn't last long though. When I got to my house, I was sent to my room by an angry foster mom. Bringing the credit card with me, I shuffled upstairs and slammed the door shut. There wasn't a lock on the knob so I just sat against my door, setting up my new tablet. I clicked the let's get started button and was ready to start using my brand new tablet, but before my tablet data was all downloaded, the screen started flashing. The light was blinding. I found the nearest blanket to put on top of the tablet to keep it from flashing so bright, but when I placed the blanket on top of it, the light burned a hole in it. I scoot back towards the corner of my room, hoping that the bright light would stop shining soon.

After about ten minutes of curling up into a ball and praying the light would stop, it did. The tablet just lay on the floor under a blanket with a hole burned in the middle of it. I hesitantly made my way back to the tablet and cautiously picked it up. Instead of the screen flashing again, a man showed up.

He wore a gray suit with a black tie. His hair was covered up by a black fedora that had a small gray diamond on the side of it. He had dark skin and almost black eyes.

"Hello Kile," he said