When I was 10, I remember coming home one late afternoon hearing noises from the bathroom as I entered the kitchen. I stopped to find beer bottles all over the counter with two big empty bottles of Brandy on the ground that were full last night up until now, one rolled to my feet. I picked it up and set it next to the opened microwave to my left that hasn’t been cleaned in months. Again, I heard some noises from the bathroom, so I slowly walked straight into the dinning room where the white walls were no longer white, but cream, cracked, and dirty with a chandelier that was hanging in the middle of the room covered in spider webs. I walked past the dinning room table slowly lifting up a chair that was knocked over and in my way, back to its original place and then peeked on my right in the stained dark orange carpeted hallway. The bathroom door was opened about half a feet and I heard my mother making noises and a man laughing.

I slowly walked to the bathroom door seeing through the mirror, the reflection of a man standing in back of my mother. He had white powder in his right hand as my mother sniffed it all up holding a beer bottle on her left. They both laughed and then saw me on the far right lower corner of the cracked mirror, she quickly turned around and shoved the man off of her and opened the door.

“What do you think you’re doing…?” She took a few steps wavering towards me, drunk and high off of alcohol and .
“What the hell are you doing here right now?” She roughly grabbed my chin as I shook my head to get her cold hands off my face. Soon enough she slapped me leaving her hand print on my left cheek, the strike was a sharp pain leaving my ear deafening with a loud long beep. Not a tear came and not a tear will come, I just turned my head back around to look at her. Her red eyes narrowed in on me and she started slapping me several times until my head fell over and down onto my knees.

Momentarily, I heard foot steps rumbling through the kitchen. Both my mother and I looked to see who was going to appear, to find out that it was cops and a woman dressed in a grey dress pant and black collared button-up.

“You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand? Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?”

The officer pointed the gun at my mother and continued to cite the rest of the Miranda warning; officers rushed in to arrest my mother and the man as the woman walked over to me and helped me up.

“Every thing is going to be okay honey.” She smiled warmly at me and then her eyes traced the red hand prints on my face as one of the officers walked over to us.
“They are in possession of drugs…” Before he even finished his sentence she interrupted him, “I know… . I’ve been on this case for a while due to this child’s safety. Honey, did your mother hit you just now?” She questioned me with no response in return.
She then turned to the officer and said, “The marks on his face is fresh, I want his picture taken including the state of this home for evidence.”

I just looked all around at the commotion that was going on at the time being, and heard my mother’s voice screaming outside of the house as a car door shut closed. I knew this day was going to come because she was an alcoholic and a drug addict. My years spent with her were dark, lonely, and violent due to the emotional and physical abuse. I never knew my father and I grew up without friends or family, other than my mother and her crack headed men that were always in and out of our home. It’s finally all over.

The woman bent down to assure me. “Honey, I am from child protection and I am here to take you away from all of this do you understand? You’re coming with me and I am taking you to a better home.”

A week later after that incident I find myself sitting in back of a cab with May, the woman from child protection. It’s early September, summer transitioning to fall, degrees falling below mid 60s, and the smell of a new air floats all around.

“Seung Hyun, are you excited?” May gently laid her hand on top of mine, but I slowly moved my hand away and into my lap. I never liked people touching me.
“Oh… Uh I am somewhat. A new place is better than my mother’s home.”
“It’s a wonderful place and I think it’ll be very healthy for you to live there. You will make lots of new friends.” May smiled in excitement for me.

I nodded my head and then turned to look outside the window. It seemed it was going to be a long ride as we drove out into the country side passing acres of land, many ponds and trees, and small gas stations in the middle of no where. Soon we ended on a small road next to a big lake with honey colored sand that was very much beautiful, we drove slowly until we reached a big gate that said “St. Mary’s Children’s Center”. St. Mary’s isn’t exactly an orphanage, but a nonprofit Christian organization and home for children in crisis. Children without parents, children with parent’s who died and has no family, children who can’t be placed in a foster home, and children with behavior problems that aren’t wanted. Two nuns came out and opened the gate as we slowly drove in. There were trees to my left and right, high in the air with its branches hugging each other with sun rays beaming through openings of leaves that swayed with each other, providing a good amount of shade. As we continued, on my right I saw a baseball field cramped in with a soccer field and then on my left was a good sized hill with a fairly small pond at the bottom with a big willow tree next to it hovering over the dark green water. Up the road was a big white building with kids and teens all around it, looks like every one in uniforms just got back from school.

I was placed in a waiting room as May was speaking with another woman. I have never been in a clean atmosphere before so I was at awe. The walls were white with hung aligned paintings that were framed; there was a small play area for younger kids, a matching green leather three seat couch and love seat with brown pillows with circular designs for looks, and a brown coffee table with kid’s books and some magazines. As I was looking around another boy probably around my age approached me.

“Who are you??” He asked in a very cherry voice with his hands behind him.
“Who are you…?” I questioned him back in response with one of my eye brows up as I looked at him up and down.
“I’m Taeyang! What’s your name??” He announced his name in excitement and then asked for my name again but this time with his hands on his hip expecting me to give the correct and proper answer.
“Uh… I’m Seung Hyun.”
“Cool! So why are you here?” He sat down next to me.
“Because of my mom…”
“Oh I see. Well, I’m here because I think my foster parents are tired of me.” He smiled. “I don’t know why they wouldn’t want me to live with them though…”

It was probably because he was too alive and talked way too much. I just rolled my eyes and tuned him out as he continued talking about who knows what; I just dazed off into my own world as I finished looking at the details in the room. The door knob suddenly turned and the door slowly opened and caught my attention, the lady from the front desk was welcoming someone asking them to come and stay in the room for a bit.

“Come on… Don’t be afraid, you guys will be fine.” The lady smiled, softly asking them to come in. “It’ll just be a minute okay sweetie?”

I heard a girl sobbing outside of the door, and finally after some convincing, two girls that looked around my age too walked into the room together wearing the same red dress, white sweater, and black shoe. One had long hair with a stronger vibe, compared to the one who had shorter hair leaning on the long haired girl’s shoulder sobbing in her arms. They must be sisters because they looked very much alike, it’s the obvious because they’re wearing the same outfit. The long haired girl walked the both of them to the love seat as the lady handed a few sheets of tissue paper to her.

“Here sweetie, give this to your sister.”
“Thank you…” The long haired girl said quietly trying to comfort her sister in her arms.
“This is the waiting room, just wait in here as we have a meeting with your case manager. I’ll be back in here to get you and your sister okay?”
“Okay…”
“Cheer up Soo Hee.” The lady slightly patted the short haired girl’s back and left.

Of course, Taeyang walked over to the sisters, knowing him… He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cherry lollipop.

“Here… Don’t cry.” He offered the lollipop to the sobbing girl. She slowly removed her head from her sister and looked up to see Taeyang, and the lollipop in her face.
“Soo Hee… Take it.” Her sister said politely, as Soo Hee slowly accepted the cherry lollipop wrapped in a clear plastic wrap.
“Say thank you…” The sister slightly nudged Soo Hee.
“I’m Taeyang…”
“Thanks Taeyang.” Soo Hee paused, “my name is Soo Hee.”
“What’s your name?” He turned to ask the other girl as Soo Hee stopped sobbing wiping away her tears on her cheek.
“Chae Rin.”
“Chae Rin and Soo Hee? So who’s older?” Taeyang asked in curiosity.
“I am… But only by seven minutes, we’re fraternal twins.” Chae Rin replied.

You can tell that they were sisters, not identical, but definitely twin’s in-between. Whatever the situation they were in, Chae Rin summoned up to be the older sister alright, comforting Soo Hee when she cried. But nonetheless I did not care for neither one, though Chae Rin caught me looking at them, she glanced and gave me a soft smile, I just rolled my eyes at her and looked away.