[ The Broken Soul ⧗ ]

3

My breath became rapid as I walked out of the bathroom following the group of four girls giggling, they all knew who the owner of the paper was. They were dressed just like me, in some way we were all alike. We were all stuck here and living in a hell to place. Difference was that I wasn't a mean b*tch.

"H-Hey!" I shouted, although it didn't come out as reprimanding as I intended it to be.

The girls before me turned around, the oldest girl named Rose was standing in the middle with the paper that belonged to me. She held it tightly.

"Give it back." I tried, this time with more anger and got my voice to raise as I stared into Rose's eyes. They were cold and pierced right through me.

"Aww, or what? Will you cry to your mama?" She said with the intention of hurting me, being a little younger than most of the girls here was not a benefit at all. Only an easy target in their eyes.

"At least I have a mom, unlike you all!" I yelled as their smiles faded, slowly turning annoyed.

I took a slight step back.

"It's been 10 years. She's never coming back for you, alright?" I had been told that for a while. A long while. But in my heart she was somewhere out there, I just knew it.

After that the girls took their leave and dropped the paper before me, before continuing down the corridor to consume lunch. I quickly bent down to see if the paper was torn in some way but I released a sigh of relief when I saw it was in good condition.

How kind of them.

I stood up with the paper and read it through, it had become a daily habit of mine since I was 6, the time Mr. Charles started to drink. Believe it or not but he had been an actual nice guy before that. I got to go to school at that time until he realized that he needed a way to balance his alcohol spendings and income. That's when he came up with the cleaning service idea.

I have read the paper every day since then.

(To my little angel <3 You are going to stay with Mr. Charles a little while until I can get us a place to stay. Only a month or two. Then I'll get you home and into my arms again. Behave now. Love, mom.)

I looked up and saw the girl go around the corner to get lunch but I knew Mr. Charles wouldn't be happy if I returned and hadn't cleaned the bedroom aswell and so I gathered myself through a deep breath and started to walk to the bedroom.

When I arrived I saw all the unmade beds, a slight sigh left me before I went up to my own bed, I carefully placed the little note below my mattress. I then started to go up to the beds and fluff the pillow even though they were so thin that a rock was more pleasant before I decided to continue to the next one.

Through the next 30 minutes I had puffed up the pillows to their most comfortable state and made the beds that hadn't even been bothered touched today. Even though I was sighing during this time I knew that I was guilty of it too, the thing is that you all gather up a routine of the week. On Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday's there was always someone assigned to clean the bedrooms, and so people didn't make their beds those days. Other days was different, you made them if you didn't want any spanking. The cleaning would consist of cleaning the bed sheets too but Mr. Charles hadn't bothered paying for a new washing machine.

Just as I heard other people approaching the bedroom a little boy walked in, it was Atticus. He was just my age and walked in with his unwashed and messy hair that fell to his face. He was one I thankfully was on good terms with. Even though living here where there seemed to be no hope he always found hope in anything.

"Come on y/n. You were late again, weren't you?" He spoke and I nodded annoyed to give him a response. It had happened once before and him and I both could bet lots of cash that it would happen again.

"Well I'm done now. It's not too late to get lunch yet, is it?" I asked him as he shrugged.

"If you eat quickly there won't be any problem" He told me as I finished up the last bed and went for the door where he stood.

"I would join u but Mr. Allan is waiting." It was where he cleaned daily, he had been doing it for the past two years. Like Mr. Charles he was also an alcoholic ad a drug addict, sadly.

"It's fine, I wish I had a home." I said, home was what we called the home that we cleaned for as it was the closest thing we had to a real home. When I said that he looked at me closer.

"Y/n. You don't mean that." He spoke with a more serious tone, he was one I trusted and he knew me better than anyone in this orphanage. What he said got me right back to memories I wish I could throw into the trash and never see again.

Since I came I have had two homes that I have been going to. The first one was a regular home that needed cleaning, they were a rich family and didn't want to associate with poor people like me so they were never around when I came. Always working or scheduling my visits when they weren't gonna be home.

My second home was... different. It was an old married couple that were both alcoholics, claiming they were important because the husband used to work for a famous football player. It was only for some weeks before he got caught drunk and they fired him on the spot.

They were narcissists and only thought about themselves. One time I spoke against them for their bad behavior. Oh how I learned my lesson that day. Came home with bruises and cuts. But the worst part is that I had lost my virginity that day, unwillingly.

"Atticus." I said, feeling the memories flood back, I remember coming home that day. And feeling an emptiness that I had never felt before. I remembered feeling weak and small, ugly and used. Atticus had been with me the whole night, I was crying in his arms until my eyes hurt to cry. I never wanted to live anymore but Atticus made me see the positive in life. I owe him for that.

Atticus noticed how he accidentally brought up memories I had buried and he quickly apologized, wrapping his arms around me.

Author's note:

Hi! Sorry for the wait! The reason of the wait is because of the picture, I had made it on my Ipad and was unable to use it for a while because I went away.

Thank you to everyone that have come from my tiktok account to this story and vice versa <3