The Last Hope

Chapter 10

****Demetra’s POV****

“But-But I don’t wanna go with them Demi!”

“I’m sorry but it’s for the best baby girl,” I whispered to Stella, holding her tight against my chest. My little sister, only 8 years old and leaving to a foster home.

“But I don’t wanna leave you! Don’t let them take me away!” she sobbed into my shirt, clutching me with her tiny hands. The social workers waited impatiently a few feet behind us, tapping their feet. I glared at them as I continued to comfort Stella.

“Stella, you need to. It’ll be safer, trust me,” I whispered, stroking her dirty hair. We all needed a shower greatly.

“Why do we have to go away?”

“Because Daddy cannot take care of us anymore,” I said, then thinking bitterly; as if he ever could before. “You’ll go with these nice people here.”

“Wh-what about you?”

“I’m going on a small trip. It won’t be long,” I promised and smiled down at her. Lies. All lies.

“When will I see you again?”

“Soon, baby, soon,” I soothed and smoothed her hair. The social workers finally grew too impatient and told us it was time to leave. I pried Stella off of me, kissed her forehead, and took her hands.

“Listen baby girl, just do as these folks say and when they place you with a family, be good. Don’t fuss, don’t talk back, be a good little girl alright?” she nodded her head and I reached into my pocket. I pulled out a small, yellowed photograph of the two of us. I had gotten some stranger on the street to take a picture a few years ago.

“Take this, okay?” I said and closed her hand around the photo and she nodded once again, wiping her eyes and sniffling. I kissed her forehead one more time and watched her be escorted into a car by one of the workers and they drove off. A worker came back to talk to me.

“After we drop her off, they’ll come back for you okay? I’ll stay here until they do,” she said with a small smile. I nodded my head, fully regretting what I had to do next to this poor woman.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, I pulled my fist back and punched her in the face. She fell and I sprinted off, slipping through alleyways and far from the place I had lived for 12 years of my life. What I was to do now I had no idea. I had no home, no relatives that I knew of. I was on my own.

I sat up, breathing heavily. That was the day I was on my own, against the world at 12. So long ago…and a time I never wanted to remember again. In the experiment, about a week before I started roaming the streets, after the serum was injected and I had finally calmed down enough I was in a rage. I tore through everything in sight, burning, tearing, throwing, full blown destroying. I was angry, blind from the pain that still was fresh, angry at the man who had done this to me, the man I refused to call a father. After a few minutes of my wrecking, I found him cowering in a corner. I had lifted him up by his shirt collar, bruised him a bit, and swore that I would find him another day to kill him. Then I dropped him, collected my 5 other siblings downstairs, and got the hell out of there.