It did not take long before I was informed of my landlords passing away. I felt so sad yet surprised, because they left me with something so precious; this appartment. I still remember the first year that I moved in. At that time, my little brother was still in Middle School. We had just been kicked out of our old appartment because I was unable to pay the rents. It was very lucky of us because we were about to sleep under a bridge that night. We were at the park with all our stuffs. My brother sobbed and I tried to comfort him. There they appeared like angels; they came and asked us if we were alright. At first I held back, but she gave me a hug and told me everything was going to be alright. I then told her about our situation. 

Our parents died when we were still kids and my aunt, the crazy woman had taken us in. I never knew why she accepted the offer. Was she suffering so much with her husband and her inabilty to give birth that she had to latch her anger on us. We were abused in that house and brainwashed thinking we deserved it. She maybe perhaps also hated Mom because she would often mistakenly shout out Mom's name whenever she called me. I did ressemble Mom a lot; I had her features, but it must have been my personality, which was the same as my Mom, that she hated most. I had heard from my deceased grandparents that my aunt once loved my Dad, but Dad loved Mom only. I could never complain to anyone, not even my grandparents, because that abusive woman would threaten me with my brother's life. I was really scared because she would always put up with a sweet and kind personality whenever she was outside which made me seem unbelivable. She was bipolar; she either treated me and my brother well with motherly actions or she either yelled and hit us. My uncle was unlike his wife, yet he is responsible. He never once stopped her from abusing us. Instead, he begged us to not report her because she did this out of love. I do not know why I actually stayed in that household. I guess it was because of the fact they sent me and my brother to a private academy. I tried my best at that school to not fail and get kicked out from school, but my brother was a different case. He would always come off to be the first of his year. He might had been my only motivation to stay in that household, enduring all that mess. I was always convinced by their household that they did that for our best interests.  I believed that long enough until the year I reached 18. During all those years, I was convinced that she loved us, yet in the wrong way, and she would change once things got better, because my uncle said so. They fed us, provided us a place to sleep, acquired us superior education but she abused us, brainwashed us and made us feel worthless. I would never forgive them for what they have done. I was always so busy helping out at their restaurant so I had failed to notice my brother's bruises. That deranged woman knew how to play with us. She knew I could report her if I truly wished to, but because she was family, I did not dare to do so. Plus I only ever cared about my brother's future, so I sacrificed myself thinking it was for his best. Yet, I had lost there, because whenever I was at work, she would latch the anger she had towards me to him. He kept shut about it, because she threatened him it was either me or him. We were foolish enough to believe in her lies. I discovered this whole scheme because of that one night where my brother ended up sick and had to be sent to the hospital. The nurses discovered all the bruises he had and contacted the authorities. We were free. 

I had then proceeded to work many part-time jobs to support my brother's tuition fees and our rent. Since I was 18, I had the right and responsibility to be my brother's legal guardian. We were living in an appartment close to his private academy, different from the one where they sent us, but the rent was very expensive and eventually I ended up unable to pay. That was why we were kicked out and had luckily acquainted with these two elders.