The Unseen Child

Stressful Years

Jayn's struggles in the best class. Her teachers seemed to take pleasure in ridiculing her for having to appeal to get in, implying that she didn't truly belong.

"You only got in because of your parents' connections," they'd say, or "You're not smart enough to be here."

Jayn tried to ignore them, but it was hard. She felt like she was constantly fighting an uphill battle, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to catch up.

And then, at the end of Primary 5, the final blow came. Jayn scored 31st out of the entire level, she was also the last in her class. The top 29 students in the level were all in her class, meaning Jayn had scored worse than even the top student in the second-best class. But what she didn't think is that if she had stayed in the second best class, she would be second in class.

She felt like a complete failure, like she'd let everyone down. Her parents were disappointed, her siblings were embarrassed, and Jayn just felt like she wanted to disappear.

"Why can't you just be more like Jessie or Danny?" her parents asked, comparing her to her high-achieving siblings.

Jayn felt like she was a constant disappointment, like she'd never be good enough.

As Jayn entered Primary 6, she knew it was going to be a challenging year. The pressure to perform well in the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) was mounting, and her classmates seemed to be feeling the stress too.

But for Jayn, the stress was compounded by the ridicule she faced from her classmates. They had found out about her poor performance in Primary 5, and they didn't hesitate to tease her about it.

"Hey, Jayn, how did you even manage to get into this class?" one of them would say, snickering.

"Yeah, you're always so slow in class," another would chime in.

Jayn tried to ignore them, but it was hard. She felt like she was already struggling to keep up, and the constant ridicule wasn't helping.

And to make matters worse, Jayn's conflicts with her brother Danny at home continued to escalate. It seemed like no matter what happened, Danny was always right, and Jayn was always wrong.

"Jayn, you're so careless," their mother would say, after Danny had accused Jayn of breaking something he broke. "Why can't you just be more responsible like Danny?"

Jayn felt like she was constantly being belittled, both at school and at home. She felt like she was never good enough, that she was always falling short.

As the months went by, Jayn's self-esteem began to plummet. She felt like she was walking on eggshells, always trying to avoid conflict, always trying to prove herself.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to catch a break. She was stuck in a cycle of negativity, and she didn't know how to escape.

Desperate to escape the cycle of negativity, Jayn threw herself into her studies. She spent every waking moment poring over her textbooks, practising her math problems, and reading her English comprehension passages.

She barely had time for anything else. Her already estranged relationships with her family members became more strained. Coupled with the bullying from her classmates, her emotional and mental health began to deteriorate unknowingly.

But Jayn didn't care. She was determined to prove herself, to show everyone that she was capable of succeeding.

As the PSLE examinations drew closer, Jayn's stress levels reached an all-time high. She was constantly anxious, constantly worried that she wouldn't be able to meet expectations.

But she refused to give up. She kept studying, kept pushing herself, even when it felt like her brain was going to explode.

And then, finally, the examinations were over. Jayn breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like she had survived a marathon. Even after the examinations, she couldn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty. Had she done enough? Had she proven herself?