“Crash!”

“Boom!”

“Bang!”

Mum. Dad. Blood. Burning metal. Tears falling into my hair as I hung upside down by my seat belt. I tried to get help, but smoke stung my nostrils and the taste of ash slipped down my throat which made me choke and gag. A siren sounded. People were shouting things over the noise of the flames. I couldn't hear what they were saying. The blood was rushing to my head. My eyes closed and my head felt heavy. I caught a glimpse of my parents running and then there was a ‘BANG’ as everything went black.

Everyone was in black. You know those movies where everyone wears black and just so coincidentally it rains and everyone carries an umbrella? Well, that’s what happened. Now I know why it rains. It brings more sadness and misery to what you're feeling. I don’t know what happened. I can’t remember anything. There wasn’t any sound except for the soft patter of the rain hitting the concrete ground and umbrellas. No one was crying. Not even myself.

“Eva, time to go!” a lady yelled.

I followed her into the van and we drove off.

“This is the Torental Government School. You will be staying here,” announced the lady.

I walked in and a new chapter of my life began.

8 YEARS LATER

“Mika!” Madam Choi shouted.

“Here!” I answered.

Eight years passed, yet I still don’t know why they left me, why they had abandoned me. ‘Why?’ has always been a question in my head, yet this question has never answered and probably never will be.

“Mika, repeat what I just said.”

“Sorry Madam, I don’t know.”

“Stay after class, Eva.”

It had always been like this. No one liked me, I had no friends. I looked out of the window, and Madam Choi kept talking about Algebra.

‘Ding!’

‘Dong!’

I packed my books and when I was about to leave, Madam Choi stopped me.

“Mika, we need to talk,”

“What!”

“Mika, change that bad attitude of yours.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Mika, your grades are just….” She sighed.

“What! Bad? I know they’re bad but the formulas just go in one ear and out the other.”

“MIka, I’m not surprised. You always daydream in class and never take notes. The end of Semester test is in two weeks. If you don’t achieve 60%, there will be consequences.”

She grabbed her books and left. I walked out of the room and heard everyone whispering. I ran to my room. At least it is quiet here.

‘Knock. Knock.’

The door opened and Madam Kim stood there.

“Mika, there’s a letter for you, here.”

“Thank you,” I responded.

The door closed, and I opened the letter.

Dear Eva,

You’re in misery, right? It’s all your parents fault. This is what they left you in.

Anonymous

Why? Why would someone write something to me? Why would someone write something so hurtful…..so tactless…. so offensive.....Do they know my past? Do they know my painful past? I fell onto the cold hard floor. Tears swelled in my eyes and started to roll down my cheeks. The warm tears full of anxiety dripped down my chin and splattered onto the unwelcoming floor. My heart ached; it was like thousands of knives stabbing into my heart. “Why?” I screamed. Why is it my parents’ fault? What did they do? Why do I, a thirteen year old girl, deserve this? Why? My head felt heavy, I had experienced this pain before. Then there was a black out.

“Minwoo, we can’t keep her anymore. We don’t even have enough money to have a decent meal so how can we keep her?” argued Mina.

“She’s only five. How can we leave her? How can we leave our daughter in this dangerous world by herself?”

“We can take her to the Torental Government School. And when we are better-off we can adopt her again.”

“But…..”

“No buts. We’re going to the school tomorrow.”

“But, how do we pay the debt? It’s not a small amount we owe. It’s a substantial amount. It’s going to take years or even decades.”

“Well, we’ll find a way.”

What are they saying? What is a government school? Who is that ‘her’ they are giving away? I was about to walk out of the bathroom, when I heard….

“We have to bring Mika’s forms for the school,” lamented Mina,

They are giving me away. Why? I ran to my room and tried to forget what I had overheard.

I woke up panicking. Was that why I didn’t cry at the funeral? Was that why the anonymous letter read ‘This is what they left you with’? It was because of the debt that they left me. But how did I forget? I walked downstairs to eat dinner. As I walked, I wondered maybe my questions will be answered tonight while I am asleep.

After dinner I went to my room. The lights were already off. I figured I should go to sleep.

“Mika we are going to the Amusement Park today. Are you excited?” asked Mum.

“Yeah, it’s going to be exceptionally fun,” murmured Dad.

 “I’m excited because this is my first time!” I replied.

Somehow the atmosphere seemed uncomfortable, like they were lying. But, they are lying. They’re leaving me in a place called the Torental Government School

“Beep! Beep!”

“Honk! Honk!”

“Ahhh!” we screamed in unison.

“Crash!”

“Boom!”

“Bang!”