Abby took a sip of water, “At Goodwill, we have food and drink, which is already pretty good. You don’t know… we had AIDS babies there, in an orphanage that even ordinary people wouldn’t visit.
Those AIDS patients were bullied by other stateless people with disabilities, and the instructors didn’t care at all.”
Hearing this, Nina sighed again, “If we really want to compare hardships, it would never end.”
At night, due to the cramped space in the orphanage, six bunk beds were placed in one room, designated for children over twelve. The girls slept on the upper bunks, while the boys took the lower ones, a measure taken for safety during nighttime bathroom trips. This way, if a girl needed to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, a boy would always be there to accompany her. Moreover, “Goodwill” only housed them until they turned sixteen; after that, they had to leave and face the harsh realities of society alone. Thus, many children who left “Goodwill” either became apprentices in technical fields with room and board or excelled academically, earning scholarships to attend school.
Nina, however, belonged to the former group, unlike the consistently bright and outstanding Lanky. They were like two extremes, which was something that frightened Nina. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lanky; she was just worried that their worlds would drift further apart…
In the middle of the night, the counselor was making rounds with a flashlight. The flickering light cast shadows across Lanky’s face, stirring him from his light sleep. In the darkness, Lanky noticed that the counselor seemed to be holding something small, which made his instincts go on high alert.
The counselor stopped in front of Lanky, whose upper bunk was occupied by Nina. Lanky squinted and leaned over to look; he saw the counselor gently pull back the thin blanket covering Nina, revealing her delicate white calves. Then, the counselor picked up a small V8 camera with a red light and began filming up Nina’s leg, which was conveniently covered by her nightgown. The counselor, undeterred, placed the flashlight at the foot of the bed and carefully lifted the girl’s nightgown. He saw that Nina was wearing pure white cotton underwear, and he felt a thrill as if he could smell her virgin fragrance. Just as the counselor’s lustful intentions grew bolder, planning to remove the girl’s underwear, Lanky, sensing something was wrong, rose with a cold expression: “What are you doing?!”
The counselor was startled and, without a word of explanation, turned and ran outside. Awakened by the commotion, Abby saw the red light of the V8 still flashing on the bed and quickly followed the counselor, ready to confront him.
Nina, hearing the noise, also groggily got up. She checked the recording on the V8 and felt her face flush with anger. Seeing this, Lanky realized it wouldn’t contain anything good, so he followed Abby out.
Suddenly, Nina heard the sound of a car screeching to a halt…
Bang!
Nina, still on the bed, felt a chill run down her spine, her body covered in sweat, and her scalp tingled with a strange sensation, bitterness rising in her mouth. She quickly jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put on her shoes, and ran outside.
But what awaited her was Abby lying in a pool of blood, his pained groans sounding like a final lament for himself. It was as if he was bidding farewell to the world… You don’t like me… so I must leave. My soul will fly to a place that can accept me, a place filled with hope and love.
