The Twenty Virtues Book 1- The Twenty Generals

13- The Crazy

This story begins in an old, decrepit, and dirty house. One might even say it was abandoned, but that wasn't true. People lived in that house—actually, a gang, well-known and hated, the Black Stars gang. It was mostly made up of men, though there were some women among them as well. It was a cruel gang, responsible for one of the largest drug trafficking operations in the country. Thieves, murderers, fighters. But even among such beastly people, love and affection could be found, albeit in their own way.

Rosane and Jerald were the couple leading this gang. They took immense pleasure in what they did; for them, strength and power were synonymous with freedom and joy. And this love produced a child, a pregnancy, a beautiful girl named Rhoj. She was born in the house itself, in the middle of the night, with an unreliable doctor, cans of drinks, and trash on the floor. She was born right after a party had ended, with her father still drunk and slumped on the sofa.

Rhoj grew up among the gang, and honestly, throughout her early childhood, the young girl was looked after by everyone in the gang, even though none of them really took care of her. They didn't care about what time she went to bed, the things she saw, or what she did. They just played with her and laughed. Everything was resolved through play, sustaining her, and letting her live with whatever came her way. It wasn't strange for the girl to see fights, tortures, or people being brutally killed by the gang she grew up in. It wasn't unusual for her to witness abuse in all its forms, and she wasn't touched because her parents didn't allow it.

Her family gave her attention, protection, and sustenance. But none of them ever taught her right from wrong. And Rhoj, curiously, for a good part of her childhood, grew up as a gentle girl. She didn't bother anyone and rarely found herself in a confrontation. She had no interest in the family business, but was intrigued by how her family had such fascination and ease with those things.

One day, at the age of 12, Rhoj was in the living room playing video games while her family conducted a cocaine transaction right beside her. Her mother was nearby reading some magazines, while her father and the rest of the gang were handling the business. Rhoj started observing what was happening next to her, and her curiosity grew:

"Mom, why do they need to do all this hidden from the police?"

"Because it's a crime, dear. If the police find out, everyone here will go to jail."

"Including me?"

"In a way, yes. The foster system is awful. I'd say it's worse than prison. At least in prison, you can have some authority."

"And what is a crime?"

"Everything that goes against the law."

"What is law?"

"A bunch of dictatorial rules created by powerful people to control the lives of people like us."

"Mr. Owen told me that we are a group of criminals. So we are a family of outlaws?"

"Who the hell is Owen?"

"Oh, he's a really nice man who lives nearby. I met him while playing in the garden. He even gave me a candy as a gift." Rhoj smiled. Her mother seemed to pause for a moment but just sighed and continued reading her magazine with a look that said "I'll deal with this later."

"Anyway, he's not wrong. Everything we do here is against the law. That's why we always ask you to keep quiet about what you see."

"Hm... why Dad that is against the law?"

"People can get addicted to cocaine, dear, and that brings many physical and psychological problems." By the tone of her voice, it was obvious that Rosane was getting stressed with her daughter's questions. She had never talked to her for this long, usually going out to do something.