“I promise you… hic… I’ll get better. I promise, my son. I promise. Starting this Monday… hic…It was a small, windowless room, barely three meters wide and four meters long. In one corner stood an iron bed, held together by countless pieces of scrap metal, glue, and rusty cans nailed wherever they could fit, as though sheer desperation were the only thing keeping it from collapsing. A thick piece of cloth lay across it, though its shape and size suggested that it had once been something far larger—and had seen considerably better days. Beneath that thick cloth—which, generously speaking, could be called a blanket—lay a piece of burnt mattress, clearly torn from a burned-out car and repurposed as a pillow simply because it was softer than the floor."Sorry....Sorry...my son....Sorry...it's my fault...I promise you...I'll get better...just wait a little...I'll finally get my points up, and I'll be allowed to move up...I promise you...I'll get better...just...just a little more..." A he

"Oh, look who we have here? A bunch of crying babies! Just to add to the mix, I can't remember the last time I cried, unlike some people." Words with a slight hint of mockery echoed through the cave."Get out," Barry said, his voice slightly hoarse."Why? I helped you build this place, so I can be here as much as I want," a thin voice answered, gradually becoming more cheerful, as if she enjoyed answering them."No! You can't be here!" Jesse's voice was no longer cheerful. "You..." he whispered his next words. "You're a money for sex!" he said with a mock seriousness that had a hint of hesitation in it, as if he really knew what those words meant and that wasn't hidden from the other person."A money for sex? Heh heh heh... Do you even know what that word means, kid?" The sweetness in the thin voice was completely evident."Yeah!" Jesse said seriously, but after a moment of silence, he continued. "N...no. Can you tell me what it means? My father just said I shouldn't hang out with peo

Like a thorn in a big and beautiful flower bush, that clean boy who emerged from the temple gate caught the eye of every sneaky onlooker, drawing an envious reaction from someone."What's that boy doing there!? Wow, I'm so jealous of him." Jesse shared his feelings with his friends in a whisper."Where??" Chao raised his voice slightly, his jealousy quickly turning into silent anger, and his gaze shifted from joy to a frantic search. "Oh, I saw him! Look at him! He looks strong even from this distance. I can promise he's never been hungry for a moment in his happy life." The words came out like curses, effortless and bitter."Oh, I saw him too. What a handsome boy." Elena added, her silent anger adding fuel to the others' jealousy."Shut up, Elena." The three friends said together; even Jesse glared at her."What does he have that we don't?" Barry asked. The rest of his friends' gazes followed suit."Maybe that yellow-haired guy is very valuable," Jesse commented."No, he must be tall