Chapter 33
Tasha and Jake’s past
There were many things that Tasha and Jake refuse to speak to Diana, especially their past time at orphanage. They didn’t want to bring it up the topic. They were rescued by Alvin on that strange encounter, before they were sold to the traffickers like a meat for the butcher shop.
In the orphanage cafeteria, the rotten stench of food on the floor spread as one of the orphans poured the hot water to kill the germs. The cook was just sitting there, eating his food while the orphans cook for themselves. The officers in the upper room were having gorgeous meals together. The smell swirled and came down on the first floor.
The orphans were having cabbage soup. There was a sign hung on the wall saying ‘Imagine, then you can be anything.’ The cook encouraged orphans to think that the soup is meaty. The cook was the nasty old man who had a big ugly nose and a black hair. Habitually he beat up anyone who complained about the food, and made him or her to wash all the dishes they ate.
Usually, the orphans made soup and cleaned themselves, although only recently arrived orphans did the entire job. Orphans made the hierarchy for themselves, and the officers working there encouraged them to keep the “rebels” under control. But all seniors did it to the orphans were just bullying them. They spat and stepped on their subordinates’ food for entertainment and moved in herds to take the food from them. Among them, the famous ones were Douri, Toin and Mus.
Jake was beat up by that group of seniors because Douri spat on the food and said. “Eat this soup, if you love me” showing his green gluey spit on the spoon and sniggered. Jake refused to eat it, which pissed him off. “What, don’t you love your seniors? What is that look on your face!” Mus took the soup and threw it on Jake’s head. “Hey, look! This kid got some bad attitude toward seniors!” said Mus to Toin; they started punching and stepping on him.
One girl watched this, frowned, getting sick of this. She put down the spoon and got up, spat on the floor and walked toward them. There she stood, between the three big boys and Jake. They were startled by her.
“What Tasha? Are you a bitch to this cunt? Why don’t you give respect to the seniors? You freak?” snarled Mus.
“I think you guys are piece of shit to step on someone weaker, just to feel superior!” roared Tasha. Kids at cafeteria looked at her, shocked and amazed, gulping their saliva. Most of them turned back, tried to ignore her because they feared the retribution. But few watched, curious.
“What did you say? You arrogant bitch?” said Toin, taking out the knife which he got it from the kitchen. Tasha had a pretty face; Douri groaned thought for a moment and gave a hideous smile to Tasha.
“Ok, ok, guys, relax, what are we fighting here for? I’ll forgive you because I’m a gentleman. But you, in return, will have honor, to give me something back” said Douri, with a disgusting smile. Mus and Toin were shocked, but soon they realized what he meant and started sniggering. They came close to her with their big fist, fork and knife.
Tasha gulped, sweating on her forehead, stepping back.
“Maybe we can go to the back of the kitchen. You can apologize there. Then we’ll bother with him no more,” said Douri, he held the edge of the knife with his mouth, trying to make him look tougher. He stretched his muscle and took down his zipper. Looking at this, Toin and Mus sniggered and laughed.
The other kids were merely watching them, afraid, because at night, seniors used to gather them all around and beat them up for what they did during the day, checking every move about respecting a senior. Most of the poor kids were beaten up all night for not saluting the seniors, forgetting to clean or walking past the seniors, even when they accidently stepped on the shadow of seniors.
Tasha looked at Jake. His helpless face was covered in tears, looking between the guys and her, shaking lightly. Tasha glimpsed at Jake; he startled.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” growled Tasha, turning to Jake. She held his collar and pushed him against a table behind, clutching his neck. Jake panicked and was afraid. Tasha slowly grabbed the fork on the table, from Jake’s back. Her eyes focused on the seniors coming closer.
Tasha winked at Jake,
“Run,” she said and pushed Jake away. With a full swing, she stabbed the Douri’s face with the fork, plunged right through his mouth, and pulled it toward her body so it ripped his entire mouth. Douri bellowed and writhed in pain, his blood dropped like a bunch of marbles. Toin and Mus were too shocked to do anything. They screamed and went away from Douri as he was spouting blood all over the place. Tasha was horrified and dropped the fork on the floor. Toin and Mus growled at Tasha but dared not to stab her. They threw away the knives and just start beating her up. And there was a frenzy yelling among orphans, filled with enthusiasm.
She felt numb and helpless. Her limbs were cracking and breaking down. For a while she coughed and screamed. The atmosphere was filled with delirious howling and angry shouting, and from her blurred vision, she saw someone stopping them, like a big giant swinging his hands.
“Stop! All of you!” said the man with a loud voice. “What’s going on here?”
It was one of the officers in the orphanage. The cook was merely observing this from the kitchen. Seeing the officer, he turned and went back to his kitchen. Jake was grabbing his head, ripping his head in horror. Looking at Jake, Toin pointed his finger at Tasha and said,
“She… She stabbed him with a fork sir. We are trying to save him!” shouted Toin. And everyone agreed, nodding and muttered in affiliation.
“Yes, she was saying that she will let him touch her breast is he gave up his lunch!” said Mus.
“Is that right?” the officer said, looking at the Mus. Douri was trying to stop the bleeding, wriggling in agony.
“Yes, I saw her stabbing him for no reason! She is crazy, teacher! She is a bad girl!” Mus shouted.
The officer looked at Tasha on the floor. She was barely breathing. He grabbed her shirt and lifted her up. She dragged on the floor like a doll.
“You little whore! You are in big trouble, you devil!” and slapped her. Loud whacking sound was heard two times. He took her outside, pulling her roughly.
“Now all of you; finish your meals!” shouted the officer. Jake just looked at this, whispering helplessly. Toin looked at Jake and kicked his face. Mus started sniggering.
“Look what you’ve done,” said Toin and spat at Jake, and started stepping him. Toin and Mus laughed and went away. Jake grabbed his fist, grunting, filled with rage.
Later in the evening, the orphans were cleaning the common bedrooms. Jake slipped and walked away from it and went to the nursing room where Tasha was lying on the bed. He saw her, her pretty face was bloated and full of scars which ruined her face. She was sleeping, unconscious.
Jake went to her quietly. He walked close to her, hugged her, and went to sleep too.
After this event, the orphanage principal thought their behavior was inappropriate and they were sexually immoral, so, they sold to some traffickers a few days later.
Two traffickers came to the orphanage, both carrying revolvers. The principal was glad, although looked at traffickers with arrogance and loftiness. As if he was trying to distinguish him from them, his head was leaned backward and his eyes looked downward at the traffickers.
The principal cleared his throat and said. “We, ahem! Take care of the orphans, although those poor souls need to be saved but I couldn’t handle such a reckless evil from birth. Oh, I must give up to you to set an example so that others grow to become kind and good officers who serve these nations.”
“Shut up, will you?” threatened one of the traffickers, spitting on the floor.
“Where are those kids?” said the other, tapping the gun against his leg.
“Of… Ahem! Of course, I’ll show you the way,” said the principal, with a rotten smile. They went out of principal’s office and went to the room where Tasha and Jake were held at.
When the traffickers saw Tasha
and Jake, they examined them for the health condition, looking them closely. Tasha barely moved as her limbs were broken. They frowned at Tasha’s condition. The principal made an innocent expression as if he doesn’t know what happened to her. The traffickers brought Tasha outside and put her into the trunk of the truck. They’ve tied up Jake, and put a tape on his mouth and threw him on the trunk too.
With a dumb luck, they had a car accident with the man named Alvin Caravel. At that time, Alvin was still working for Nina. Stein was making a fuss about Alvin hiring a housemaid, Diana. Alvin was getting the toilet paper in a grocery store, after hearing hours of Diana’s excuse and complaints that she is a lady and she cannot go to buy a toilet paper because she is a lady. “Greatest housemaid ever existed,” he mumbled. He grabbed a coke from the refrigerator and got into the car. It was a hot summer day and the air conditioner was broken down, blowing only the hot air to him. Alvin was mad, shouting in his car alone,
“Ok why does she always do that? I mean I skipped her last month wage yes, I’m sorry! I’m sorry bitch! I mean still, I’m her boss. Do all pretty girls do that? Ah shit I should’ve checked her before I hired her, yes! Yes! I know some girls look like an angel and I just can’t help it! What am I doing? Following her like a dumbass and… Ahh come on grandma! You bitch! I’m being fried! Like fucking French Fries! Move!” he honked in the street, cursing at the car lingering in front of him. He had to stop before the red light.
The traffickers stopped at the red light alongside Alvin, smoking cigarette in the car. The traffickers in the driving seat looked at Alvin shouting with all his might. He rolled his eyes and threw a cigarette on Alvin’s window.
Alvin suddenly stopped and leered at the burning tail of cigarette on his car window. The sudden rage spiked up in his head. Alvin got out of the car with a coke bottle, and looked at two men. The traffickers looked at him, puzzled, frowning at Alvin. He stretched a muscle and with a full swing, threw a bottle at the driver. The driver ducked and the one at the passenger seat was hit in his head. Although the bottle didn’t break, he passed out. The driver started shooting at Alvin. Alvin got out the car and hid behind it.
“How can I not love this neighborhood?” Alvin murmured. He took his portable machine gun out of his jacket, he made a shrewd smile.
After few seconds, the two traffickers had their whole body shredded by the machine gun, completely drenched with their blood. Alvin cursed at his car for having bullet holes, kicking at the door.
“Diana will kill me…” he complained. “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to fire her, yes!”
“Wait, if I can sell whatever those guys have…” Alvin murmured, and starts searching for the wallet inside their pocket.
“Bear with me my friends. Hmm, yes, there you are,” said Alvin, with some blood soaked cash on his pocket. He wondered what is in the back of the truck, ‘maybe there are some cargos’ he thought.
Alvin went to the back of the car, few cars passed by him, terror-stricken, not stopping at the red light. He opened the trunk. And there, he saw two kids cowering in a corner, frightened.
Later, Alvin took kids to his house, Diana was swearing at Alvin. He was defending himself that he was out of his mind from the heat.
“They shot it first,” he said. Diana didn’t listen and called him a monster. Eventually she stopped after making him promise not to shoot at people anymore. When she saw the children, however, she stopped and became delightful. Alvin was concerned about Tasha, so he called Dr. Berman from Nina’s base, and asked him to treat her. There was no doubt Stein will be furious at this, so Dr. Berman came in secret. Berman treated Tasha’s wound, adjusting her bones and wrapped around bandages all over her body. Diana was feeding Tasha who was lying down in Alvin’s bed. Jake was sitting at a chair, looking at Tasha and Diana.
“What is your name, my little angel?” she said to a boy who was eating the clam chowder she made, and the boy murmured quietly, Diana leaned forward to him so she could listen.
“He is Jake and I’m Tasha,” said the girl, from the bed.