Warning: Mentions of abuse. Don't like, don't read.
Hope Mason stayed perfectly still in her room. Maybe if she was quiet and did not bother anybody, she might be fine. The bruises from yesterday still felt sore.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on her door. "Who's there?" asked Hope nervously.
The door slowly opened to reveal a pretty girl Hope's age. She was holding a plate of rice and chicken. "Hungry?" she asked.
Hope sighed. "Alyssa, you know that I'm not allowed to..."
"You didn't eat anything today," said Alyssa. "I don't want you to starve."
Even though Alyssa Howes wasn't Hope's biological sister, she was the best friend Hope could ever dream of. Unlike her parents, Alyssa had always treated Hope like family. Unfortunately, Alyssa's parents were aware of how close the two girls were and that made them treat Hope worse.
Hope had been living with her foster family since the age of eleven since her biological parents gave her up for adoption due to financial issues. At first, her foster parents had merely ignored her. But when she started to befriend Alyssa, they started to treat her cruelly.
Hope was forced to do all the housework. Any tiny mistake was always rewarded with abuse. Hope was always beaten and had to go without food for days.
Alyssa always made sure to sneak her some food in secret so that she wouldn't starve. Once Alyssa called CPS, but her parents managed to convince them that Alyssa liked to make up stories. And after they left, they locked Hope on her room for a week.
Just as Hope started eating, the door flew open. Her foster father was glaring at her. Alyssa quickly moved in front of her.
"Please Dad, she was starving. I couldn't..."
Mr Howes took no notice of her, pushing her aside and grabbing Hope by her arm.
"No! Please! Stop!" begged Hope. But she might have just as well be talking to a wall for all the notice her foster father took of her. He brought her to the backyard.
Mr Howes started beating her legs with a bat. She screamed. "Help! Someone help me!"
The pain was so unbearable that Hope couldn't take it anymore. At this rate, it wouldn't be too long before she passed out, which didn't sound too bad to Hope. At least she wouldn't feel the pain if she was unconscious.
Suddenly, she heard a scream from her foster father. She saw that a plant had grabbed him by his ankle. What on earth was going on?
Just then, the back door opened. Hope spotted four boys wearing gis. One was in red, one was in blue, one was in black and one was in white.
"Over there," came Alyssa's voice. "My father is abusing my foster sister!"
Hope only had a vague memory of what happened next. The red and blue guys held her foster father back while the guy in black gently carried her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"It hurts. Everything hurts," said Hope. She now remembered who the four boys were. They were the ninja.
"I think that she needs the hospital," said the black ninja. That was the last thing Hope remembered before passing out.