Chapter Three

Dhalia Uson came from a poor family . . . living in a patchwork house. She have five siblings and she was the third of the eldest. They live closely to the river where garbage floats and gives off a foul smell with human excrement when it rains. Because of an absence of toilet, most of them just throw their human waste on the river.

Their parents leave their home early to collect garbage in the other town and trade it. That was the main source of livelihood of their family. That was the one that supplies their food and daily needs. Their parents would just come home when it was already night time.

One afternoon, after she had cooked the rice she had washed on the stove, she went straight out of their small kitchen. She looked for her little brothers. Her parents would probably scold her if something bad happens to them.

She was only twelve whens he learned to be independent. Well. she had no choice because her older twin brothers are both irresponsible. They were already nineteen but couldn’t even manage to help in providing for the family.

They only practice drinking alcohol. She was sure that up to that moment . . . they were still lying down, snoring in their own room. She even overheard them coming home that morning and their father have scold them for giving illogical reasons. They said that their friend from Manila invited them to go out and have fun.

It would have been better if that was all they were worried about. But she heard from some of their neighbors that his two older brothers were allegedly selling illegal drugs. She could not dispute the gossip about her brothers, though, because when he arrived from school one time . . . she saw in their very room that they were currently sipping fine white powder-like powders in a sachet.

She was almost sweating from coming outside because it was already past ten o'clock. The rice was already cooked. The tomatoes, dried fish, and salted eggs were also on the table so her siblings has already something to it in case they would think of going home from playing.

She thought of eating later because she still had projects and assignments from her classmates to finish. At a very young age, she somehow learned to earn. For each work she finishes, she would be paid five pesos. Her classmates will be the one to take care of the things she will use for doing the tasks. Somehow, her earnings from that helped her get her daily allowance.

"I'll just have a little patience to finish you . . ." she whispered while doing a lettering on the white folder.

Suddenly, a shout from the other room stopped what she was doing.

Dhalia wanted to be angry, but she had better obey as she didn't want to be scolded by her older brother Jethro.

She hurriedly ran to their room. His older brother Jethro was already sitting. He had no clothes on his upper body so she could clearly see his massive chest. She didn't know but she was suddenly feeling embarrassed to enter because she noticed that one of his older brothers, Jhai, who just remained to lie down. But she was sure that he was only wearing a boxer because her older brother Jethro didn't pull it when he went up to the floor to stand up and walk towards her.

"Dada, make me some coffee," he said hoarsely.

She immediately nodded and hurried to the kitchen to light a fire on the stove. She saw him enter the bathroom.

Dhalia almost jumped in shock when she heard her brother Jethro shout again. “Dhalia! What the heck? Why is there no water in the bathroom? Didn’t I tell you before that you should always fill the container here with water? Why are you so stubborn?”

"S-sorry, brother, I-I would just finish the projects that my c-classmates asked me to do," Dahlia said almost trembling.

“You’re really a useless piece of shit!” annoyed, Jethro said. He immediately took a bucket and threw it at her.

Dahlia on the other hand did not escape it so her thin body was hit. She suddenly stiffened and couldn’t move from her place until tears gradually well up in her eyes. Instead of arguing with him, she just kept quiet.

"It’s still so early in the morning and your already so noisy!" Jhai who just came out of the room complained.

She then started fetching water and refilled the containers they have. She went back and forth. It had been almost half an hour until she had finished fetching. She was also very wet.

She was currently changing clothes when Jethro entered the room. She was suddenly nervous when she saw that he has only a towel wrapped around his waist and still a bit wet from bathing. She was almost deafened by the force of her heartbeat when he suddenly grabbed her and quickly pulled her out of her room.

“What are you doing, brother? P-please, d-dont . . .” she begged but he seemed to be deaf. She was almost overwhelmed by the pain she felt when her body hit the hard floor.

"Don't, brother!" she shouted. But he doesn’t seem to be in his own state of mind.

She was already crying when he started to attack her.

"P-please, brother, stop it. That’s enough," she begs. She pushed him hard but he was deliberately strong so it was no use. He seemed to be out of his mind that he couldn’t even hear Dahlia’s plea. She still tried so hard to fight as his lips were planting small kisses on her face. But she finally became hysterical when she felt his lips on her neck. She even felt a blow to the stomach which made her completely lost consciousness.

Suddenly, the door opened and the eldest of the twin, Jhai, entered. He only looked at their sister Dhalia while his twin remained on top of her, still greedy for groping the girl. He was busy feeling the young body of the younger sister.

"P-please, help me, brother," Dahlia asked for help. But Jhai just smirked at her and mocked her. Dhalia's eyes widened when she saw him lock the door. He immediately approached, then started caressing Dhalia's smooth and fair thigh. She was only wearing shorts, so the two got even hotter.

Dhalia's crying continued. She struggled but they held her tightly. Then, again, she tasted a crisp slap. She cried out when her brother Jhai suddenly tore her clothes. She was consumed with dread and fear at the visible lust of the two. She knew they were still in the spirit of illicit drugs.

"Do not do it! Please! I beg you!" she repeatedly pleaded. She crawled away even if she was feeling weaker.

“Just be quiet, Dhalia. You will also enjoy yourself for a while. You know, we've wanted to do this to you for a long time. But you are so wild!” Jethro laughed. It was as if an evil spirit were possessing him. Even his older brother Jhai was just laughing.

She barely blinked when they started approaching. On their lips was a devilish smile. They forcefully pulled her away but she remained pressed to the corner.

“You, son of a bitch, Dhalia! Just submit to us. I'm sure you'll like it too,” Jhai said.

But Dhalia just kept crying while bending over. She was trying to cover her body.

When Dhalia saw Jhai leave, she thought they would stop with what they were doing to her. But she was wrong because she saw him take a sachet of shabu. He immediately put it on his palm.

She could feel Jethro pulling her. He kicked his hand but nothing happens either. She did not expect what happened next. They made her smell the drug!

"Don't, brother!" she protested. But they just kept on laughing.

In the next few minutes, she seemed to be spinning all around. She seemed to feel light. She didn't seem to care about her own body.

The two stared at her with a happy smile on their lips then they started gently touching Dhalia's almost naked body. With their every touch is a desire for their younger sister. A lust that they couldn’t even stop.

IT WAS almost evening when Dhalia came to her senses. She got up from lying on the floor and winced as he felt a strange pain in her lower body and joints. She immediately covered her mouth when she suddenly started crying.

Trembling, she ran her hand over her body.

She felt that she was so dirty in that moment.

She remembers almost nothing but she was sure that his inhumane brothers had succeeded with their evil plan!

She was about to run out of the room because she heard his parents coming. She wanted to tell them what her older brothers have done to her. But Dhalia backed away when suddenly someone stopped her.

"All right, try to report it, and we will not only kill you but also our younger brothers and sisters," Jhai said who was holding a gun at the time.

Dhalia's world almost wanted to collapse. She clenched her fist. She can do nothing but follow what they asked her to do.

Dhalia just closed her eyes when she felt her brother Jethro's warm kiss on her shoulder.

SHE WAS in the middle of reading in their school library when Dhalia heard a series of footsteps. She noticed someone standing on the side of her table. She heard his continuous gasp as if she just came from running fast.

"Dhalia."

She immediately turned around and saw it was Szutette, her best friend.

Though curious, she continued reading and taking down notes in her notebook. She had to hurry up because it was almost time to go home.

Dhalia felt Szuttete sitting next to her but she only looked at her slightly then continued what she was doing. Even though She was wondering for her best friend's strange behavior, she couldn't mind about it yet.

She was sure of she was just going to talk about a gossip or news she found out about the BTS-Army. She was so obsessed about them anyway. Well, there were just a few in their class who do not talk about K-pop all the time.

She’s not an anti-fan but she just can’t go along with them. She is very busy with her studies especially that she has a maintenance grade because she was only a scholar at the school she was attending.

“Dhalia, do you know the news? Your older brothers Jethro and Jhai were caught in a buy bust operation in the other town,” she said whispering to Dahlia.

She stopped taking down notes. Her full attention was focused on what her friend was saying. “W-what are you saying, Szuttete?” Dhalia still couldn't believe what she heard from her best friend. She finally folded the notebook she was writing in. After all, it's only five minutes left before going home.

"Yes, best, I got through my timeline on F******k earlier then I saw someone doing live there," Szuttete shared with her.

She swallowed and clasped her palms over the table. Her eyes twinkled. In fact, she could not show the slightest mercy to the brothers. She hates them to the core!

Ever since her brothers did that thing to her, she has harbored resentment between the two. There isn’t a day that she doesn’t curse the destruction of her femininity Her life has been hell with the two siblings over the years. Whenever they have the opportunity, and whether in the spirit of alcohol or drugs, they just drag her and abuse her.

She became a target of her brothers. They were very mean. She just did not have the courage to report because of what they always threatened her. That they would kill their siblings and parents.

She suddenly turned to Szuttete who just tapped her on the arm. “What are you still doing there, best? Why are you just standing there? Let's ring the bell!”

“All right, best, you go first. I will go through Sir Edmundo. I will just submit the report for our English subject,” she replied. She also stood up and accompanied her friend on walking out of the library.Szuttete who even sends her to the door of their English Teacher's office.

“All right, I'll go first, because I'm going to the Computer Shop. I will also finish our Thesis so that it can be complied with.”

Dahlia waved at Szuttete as she turn in the hallway then turned her attention back to the closed door. She didn't even bother to knock and immediately turned the doorknob.