Chapter 1

Mai's Pov

"Bill, bill, bill…" I sighed, thumbing through the mail as usual. Things have really begun to stack up lately. My four jobs pay decently, but it isn't going to be nearly enough to pay back what I owe… Sometimes, I think I will have to go back home, with my head hung low and my tail between my legs, but I know I can never do that.

My parents would never take me back after what I have done to them. Especially when they find out what I did. I took in a breath and tried to hold back tears. Looking up at the clock, I realize I only have about an hour to shower and eat before going to work again.

It's too much… The desperate and sad voice in my head cried. It's just too much.

My world almost always seemed on the brink of collapse. Always working, always moving… always fighting for survival in this disgustingly cruel world. Every time I saw a glimmer of hope, the tiniest light at the end of the tunnel, it was always ripped away from me.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I cupped my hands over my mouth and began to sob. I hate hearing myself cry. It is disgusting. These weren't the sobs of an overly stressed woman, these were the sobs of a pathetic girl who refused to listen to anything and ended up on the wrong side of everything.

"Mommy?" A tiny voice reached my ears and I stopped crying immediately.

"Yes, Ben?" I turned to my four year old son and put on my best smile.

"Don't be sad mommy. When I get bigger, I am gonna take care of you forever!" I looked into his big brown eyes and felt my heart swell.

Just when I am at my lowest, and the world seems hopeless, he always brightens my day… My little boy, Benjirou Kimora

Chapter 2

Kimora's Pov 6 years old

I hate it when mom yells. I can't stand seeing her angry, so I normally do whatever I can to keep her happy. I can't always keep her happy though, especially when these two guys come over. I have no idea why they keep coming over and calling, but I know that mom hates them.

Just before I went to sleep, I heard the doorbell ring. Mom, who was tucking me in turned quickly and looked a bit… scared?

It was a bit weird to have someone over so late, but any excuse to get out of bedtime was fine by me. I jumped out of bed to listen through the door as soon as she left, but I ran back to my bed as soon as the yelling began.

I hid under my covers until I heard a door slam shut, and the sound of muffled shouting. I guessed mom threw them out, so I ran out of my room to see her. When I found mom, she was curled in a ball and crying on the couch.

Those horrible people! How dare they make my mother cry! I thought to myself. If I was older, I would keep them from hurting her feelings and if they tried, they would be sorry.

I ran to her and hugged her as tightly as I could.

"Oh, Ben…" She sighed, pulling me into a hug.

8 years later

Just as I was about to go to sleep, I heard the doorbell ring. I am familiar with the type of people who come visit my mom at this time of the day. The type that come in and act like our house is theirs and make my mom angry.

Time and time again, mom tells me to just stay in my room and keep quiet while she handles them, but something felt strange this time. This time, I wasn't going to let them shout to my mother, no matter what I had to do.

My mom was the first to raise her voice, and when another, unfamiliar, voice shouted back, I threw my door open, and ran into the front room.

"Hey!" I shouted, getting the attention of the two rough looking men.

They were pretty intimidating, but I wasn't going to back down.

I charged one of the guys and knocked him down. The other grabbed me by my shirt and lifted me up with one hand. I tried to kick him, punch him, anything to get out of his grasp, but nothing was working. He threw me onto the couch, tipping it over and sending me into the kitchen table.

It seemed like I would never breathe again. All of the wind was forced out of my lungs and I couldn't take a breath for what seemed like minutes. Mom was by my side immediately, checking me over for injuries. When she touched my side, I screamed in pain.

I've seen my mother upset before. I've even seen her cry. But I have never seen her this angry. Her odd brown amber eyes seemed to glow as she whipped around to stare at the men.

"It's not my fault you're kid doesn't know respect." The one that threw me shrugged, a wicked smile played on his face. "You should really-"

He was cut off when mom punched him in the gut.

Now, I know my mother is a strong woman, even though she doesn't look like it. She is very thin and seems to be nothing but skin and bones, but she is still very fit. The men, on the other hand, seemed to be nothing but muscle. So, everyone but my mom was surprised when her punch sent him through the front of our house. My jaw dropped at how powerful she really was, and how she sent this huge man flying through the wall but there was something else. Something I thought I saw, but was gone not even a second after it happened. I could have sworn her skin turned red.

I didn't have the time to really think about it though, because then she turned to the other man, and in a powerful voice, she said, "Get out."

The guy scrambled to his feet only for my mom to trip him again. He scrambled on all fours and crawled out of our house to where his friend was lying on the street.

She walked over to me again and helped me up. After inspecting my side again, she said I had a bruised rib. She went to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack and instructed me to hold it there. I had no clue she knew anything about injuries or treating them.

She pushed the sofa back up and told me to sit and rest while she dealt with the hole in the wall. I watched as she got some duct tape and began to cut up some trash bags. She then taped the bags over the hole as best she could, and plopped down on the sofa next to me.

"… So, I guess we're gonna be moving again?" I asked. I mentally smacked myself for not asking a better question.

"Yep. I can't pay to fix it." She sighed.

"Where will we go?" I know we've always been unstable, so I was a bit worried. "Well, I'm sure anywhere will be great, but where will we move?"

"Probably an apartment again." She ruffled my hair. "And I'm sure anywhere will be better than here."

"This house isn't too bad…" I tried to be cheery, but combined with the limited space, disgusting trash dump of a back yard from the previous owners, and the less than friendly neighbors, anywhere would be better.

"Don't worry. If we need to, I have some friends who will be able to help us out."