The Missing hope

Chapter Seven. I Should've Just Died In The Car Accident.

Death is one of the weirdest things that exists. Many fear it, many ask for it, many face it and many run from it, but true bravado is one who is indifferent to whether he encounters death today or tomorrow. ~ Anonymous.

"In the given situation, it all burdened onto Jiya. Jiya was fifteen but she worked hard doing part time jobs and small time jobs but couldn't manage to fulfill even our needs. An aunt of mine, took up the responsibility of my eldest sister, my twin and I. My brother had been sent to Texas to finish his school and university through a boarding school, he asked for it in court. He was deeply disturbed by the sudden loss and he couldn't bear living in the same surroundings anymore. After a psychological evaluation, the court decided it to be best to give him a fresh start. He writes a letter to the judge every month, just to let him know that he's fine. My parent's money had gone to a trust which couldn't release it until we reached our legal ages. It was only possible to release as much fund to fund education but it had only released enough to fund my brother's education before one of the managers had deceived the board and run off with all the money in their access. The trust folded and the only hope we had left to survive had died. My aunt funded the education of my sisters and I before she had to move to Florida as her grandmother, her only family had fallen greatly ill. That was for four years. She wanted to take us along but there was a legal issue and the court decided to give us to our next kin, Lain. He claimed to be a very distant relative but I could never remember any mention of him from my parents. It was only later that he revealed his conceit. He bribed his way through some officials to obtain some false documents. Lain turned out to be a complete bastard. He would hit Jiya for the smallest things, he wouldn't give us food but worst of all, he would bring his friends home to drink and to entertain themselves with Jiya in exchange for money. Jiya was naturally beautiful, so many men craved for her and Lain gave them the chance to have her for a night. Before Lain came home drunk, daily, Jiya would lock us in our room with ample amounts of food. She'd let us out once Lain had left in the morning. Despite being in the room, we could hear Jiya's screams for help. When Lain got tired of Jiya he tried to get to Jisha and I. One night he tried to break the door of the room to gain access into the room. Jisha locked me in a cupboard but didn't hide herself. She tossed the key under the bed before Lain noticed it. I could see what was happening through a gap between the doors. She held a stick in her hands to protect herself but Lain managed to get her hands off it. She struggled but to no avail. She screamed for help. I didn't know what to do. I was so scared that not a single sound would escape my mouth. Lain forced Jisha to fulfill his dirty desires before leaving Jisha in pain. I called out finally, 'Jisha, let me out. That no good of a man Lain can't do this to you and get away with it.' I pounded my fist against the cupboard door.
She called back,'No Jana, it's too late. If he sees you then he'll do the same to you. I can't let you go through this same pain. Stay shut. We'll talk about this in the morning.'
Jisha pulled a sheet over herself just when two friends of Lain walked into the room. They did the same... I'm even ashamed to say it, when they actually did it. I fell asleep crying in the cupboard. I woke up at about 5 am and couldn't sleep again. All the commotion had stopped. I peeped through the gap between the doors and realized the lights were out. I could only make out the silhouette of Jisha on the bed and some furniture in the room. I couldn't stop my tears from flowing. I tried to fall back to sleep but couldn't. I lay my head against the back wall of the cupboard but my head hit something metal. I felt the wall to find a key stuck into a keyhole. I turned the key and pushed the wall gently, it opened. I peeped inside but it was dark. I managed to find a torch underneath the pile of clothes I was sitting on. I flashed the light into the tunnel sort of opening. My curiosity was at its peak so I slid down the passage. I landed on a soft but firm floor. It was dusty but nothing could beat my curiosity down. I flashed my light around the room. I could only see walls until I finally spotted the light switch. I switched it on and the lights flickered on. The room was simple but it seemed beautiful. It had a carpeted floor and was well lighted. Of course it needs some cleaning and touching up. There was a ladder hanging in the middle of the room. Curious, I climbed up and noticed a key. I turned the key and the ceiling board fell open. There was another wooden board. When I lifted it I realized that this was a secret door to the kitchen. I wondered how it wasn't ever noticed. I couldn't wait to show Jisha. I still had an hour before sunrise. So I looked around for something to do. There was a pair of anklets lying in a corner. I dusted them as I admired them. They were gorgeous. I put them on and danced around the room. My Mom was also a graceful dancer. The anklets were quite loud and I didn't wanna wake anyone up, so I put them back. The only problem I found in the place was ventilation. The air was damp and stale in the room, but it wasn't long before I found the solution, I spotted four air vents, each in a corner. I cleaned the garbage out of them and switched them on, much better.
I went back out and realized how late I was. When I got out of the passage, the cupboard door was already open. I crawled out and went into the kitchen listening to Jiya and Jisha's worried conversation. They bombarded me with questions when I walked in. Of course they panicked when I wasn't to be seen in the cupboard. I lead them down the passage to the room and we decided that this was a great hideout from Lain. We just wished that we'd have found it earlier, so Jisha wouldn't have had to go through what happened the night. I gave Jisha a hug and asked her if she was any better but she waved the question away. The next few nights we managed to hide in the secret room but we got really hungry one night and so Jisha decided to go up and grab some food. She used the ceiling secret door to enter the kitchen but little did we know that Lain would walk in on her. She had closed the door on her way out but I could hear the commotion, hear screams, his laughter. He... he... he did the same as the previous night, just not in the room but on the kitchen floor turning her privacy public. His friends only took the pleasure of the scenes, not that they would've helped her anyway... I cried all night as she lay there, victim to Lain and his friends. At about 4 am it was all silent and I knew that the drinks had knocked them all out. I took the risk and used the ceiling secret door to go into the kitchen, grab Jisha's clothes, wake her up and bring her down with me. She was in so much pain though she wouldn't admit it. I went back up and grabbed some food for us. I knew she hadn't had any. We fell asleep on the rug after eating. The next few nights we were careful not to step out of the room until their drinks knocked them out. During those days one morning we heard Jiya and Lain arguing.
'I'm pregnant' she threw the tester at Lain.
'I don't believe it to be mine' he was stern.
'You fucking a******, even I can't guarantee its yours but one thing I know for sure is that it's because of you.' she slapped him hard. Her first rebellious act.