BEGAN: Our Story

Chapter 7: What Does That Have To Do With Me?

Chapter Seven

He didn't always have a family.

He was once an unwanted, forgotten child.

For a while, the orphanage was all he had. All he knew.

Books were his only escape from reality.

And a terrible reality it was.

"What's the meaning of this Leviticus?" Sister Beatrice yelled as she hit his palms with the same bamboo stick she apparently only ever used on him. Levi never saw her using it anyone else. Not even Zeke, the most annoying rascal Levi had ever met. Though Zeke was Sister Beatrices' favourite.

"Books like these are forbidden, if the school isn't supplying it to you, you're not supposed to be reading it, you should know the rules by now," another hit, his arms were starting to bleed as the skin tore off. They really hurt now. "Moreover you were accessing the internet! Who gave you the right to do such a thing?! Was it that boy Isen? Tell me their name!" she yelled.

"N-No one!" he cried but it was no use. "I figured out how to do it myself!" that was partly true. He also got help from Jeff the janitor but it's not like he could rat him out. He would never do that. Jeff was his friend.

"Oh, so you think you're smart now?" she sneered.

Yes. He wanted to say but fortunately did not.

"A useless child like you could never know how to do such a thing! Stop lying or you'll be severely punished!" a loud whack to his cheek sent him almost flying across the room. Tears running down his eyes, he touched his cheek that was seething in pain and saw the horrible amount of blood that appeared on his hand from the cut caused by the ring on Sister Beatrice's finger.

He looked around the room. Everyone was watching yet no one said a thing. Typical. Nothing ever changes.

Even while nearly unconscious Levi could still spot Zeke snickering along with his just as fake and just as ugly friends from the corner of his eye. Okay, they weren't really that ugly...or ugly at all but that's not the point. If you're ugly on the outside, you're ugly on the inside and that's a motto Levi lives by.

"For the love of God don't start crying again!" she rolled her eyes. "When will you grow a pair?" as much as he tried to hold them in the tears just kept on coming. And blood mixed with tears was not the best sight for anyone in his opinion.

"Class, what do we call children who behave like this?" She called on the class.

"Cry-babies," the children recited like it was a nursery rhyme. Some said it proudly, others said it quietly, like they were ashamed and others didn't say it at all, knowing something about this situation was very wrong.

"That's right," she sneered. "From now on we'll all call you crybaby Levi."

"Stop!"

"Crybaby Levi, crybaby Levi, crybaby Levi!"

"Please stop!"

"I-I won't cry anymore I promise! Please just stop!"

They didn't. Obviously.

--

"AGH!" he cried as he got slammed into the brick wall.

"What've you got here Lev?" Zeke smirked, dangling his bag from his hand and eventually rummaging through it like it was his own.

"Hey! Give that back!"