Out of the ten of us, 7 boys and 3 girls, I was the only one to strive for something better,

The only one to study and finish college,

The only one to have a proper and successful marriage;

I was different.

The rest of them were dominant and cruel with sinister ideas intended to hurt others.

But as in every society, there was a leader.

He was the most controlling and the most deceiving of them all.

He constantly abused me, physically and verbally,

And he got away with it, too.

Dragging me across the plaza floor by my pigtails,

Cutting me across my freckled face with that sharp knife,

Burning my legs with hot oil that seemed to smirk back at me.

But it was all okay

Since he was an excellent liar!

Despite that, I did declare I was different, didn’t I, dear?

I was never timid or embarrassed about my lifestyle,

Or my only pair of ripped sneakers that would get soaked in the snow and rain,

Or the three cheap and worn out shirts I owned,

Or my visible ribs from the lack of food around.

Probably because the other nine had it just as bad as I did.

Staying sad was simply stupid with several siblings surrounding me.

Even if those siblings harmed me.

Because at least it made me feel human.

I’ve even got scars and photographs and memories to prove all this!

But frankly, few would believe; for, we are forever a family.