Ugly Truth

2

"The first night was pretty scary. We took our blankets and stuffed them in a trash bag then, since our car was paid off, we slept there. Me and my sister weren't allowed to sleep by the windows, and our parents had to take water from other people's water hoses and put that in our water bottles.

"I just remember stealing a lot. We stole food from garbage cans and other homeless people. Joanne was sometimes used as a food snatcher, and my mom would constantly apologize for the crappy life we were leading.

"On Tuesdays we got washed up with the last bits of water before mom and dad got more, and on this Tuesday one of my dad's friends came to our um car, I can't say house cause it was a car, and he had a watch that my dad couldn't take his eyes off of.

"He stole it, but later that night police showed up. He was murdered on August 1, 2009 at 2am in jail by a man who worked for the guy with the watch. A month after that, in September, a woman came and took us away.

"Actually a few weeks ago I got a call from her. She said that my mom sent us away because she kept failing to raise us."

At this point I'm crying, so I lean over to grab the tissue that Terrence is offering me.

"Sorry, Terrence."

He shakes his head.

"No no, Ella. Just continue when you're ready."

I tilt my head back and try to blink away the tears. I take a deep breath, then continue.

"Okay, yeah so anyway Joanne and I ended up in a foster home, but it wasn't all that bad. I mean they were strict but we never got hit or anything. On November the 12th we were sent to the second foster home and this one was bad.

"I had never felt more obligation to protect my sister than the moment I saw the man's belt; leathery and slightly worn. I took all Joanne's hits for her. It was me always causing trouble anyway. I was always being too loud or staying after school too long. The beatings got to the point where I just ran away and took Jo with me.

"She's so brave. You know I have never heard or seen her cry once? I could tell she wanted too, but she would hum in lieu.

"I think it was on New Years Day, 2010, that the police picked us up. We were dirty and scraggly. You know those movies where the homeless kids are cute and their hair looked just a little undone? Yeah, well we were a wreck. At the police station they had to get rid of the lice we obtained on the streets, plus feed us because I was never a sneaky thief, and I didn't want Joanne getting caught up in something crazy.

"After that we were back in the system. We went through three homes and most of that time was a blur. I just wanted my mom. The only way she ever failed us was by giving us away.

"In October of 2010 we were placed in a group home. Before we got there we hadn't celebrated our birthdays so when they came around we were surprised by our ages. I turned 10 on December 26 and Joanne turned 8 on January 2, 2011. We celebrated her birthday once on New Years Day and once on her birthday, and mine was celebrated on Christmas Day and on my birthday. It had been three years which was insane but years can be centuries in situations like this, but life was looking up.

"I made a friend named Farah, and we got really close. She killed herself two weeks after Joanne's birthday, and her letter was:
'El don't need a junky like me.'

"So I basically killed her. I think that's gonna be with me forever if nothing else sticks."