Chapter 8 I was actually pretty smart as a kid . But after getting beaten so much , it messed with my brain development . I became what everyone called " the slow one . " Three years after my youngest sister was born , my mom finally had a boy . With that kid , my dad finally felt like he'd accomplished something in the neighborhood . While my little brother got treated like a normal child , me and my three sisters were basically feral . We had to do all the housework , never got enough to eat , and when we got sick , we were on our own . Thanks to public education , I was lucky enough to stay in school . My grades just sucked . If I hadn't inherited a decent face , and if my dad hadn't figured out that pretty girls could make more money in " certain industries , " I probably would've been pulled out of school completely. When I was twelve , some kids visiting their grandparents brought chickenpox to our neighborhood . All five of us kids caught it . My parents focused entirely on my brother . The rest of us were left to fend for ourselves . Even after all these years , I still remember how hopeless I felt during those sick days . Despite running a fever and itching like crazy , I couldn't focus on myself . My three sisters had it way worse than me . My oldest sister could barely breathe . The middle one scratched herself bloody . And my youngest sister passed out from fever on the first day she broke out . We were the sickest kids in the neighborhood . Other families took care of their kids , and those kids were well - fed and healthy . Unlike me and my sisters - we'd been living on scraps since my brother was born . Our immune systems couldn't handle it . My middle school was about forty miles from home . Because we qualified for poverty assistance , my dorm fees were waived . The school even let me do odd jobs to cover my living expenses . So as soon as I recovered , my mom shipped me back to school . She was terrified I'd eat into my brother's food allowance . My grades were mediocre , but my homeroom teacher knew our situation and told me to stay at school during breaks so she could tutor me . Those tutoring sessions became my sanctuary - and my biggest regret . When I finally went home , I found out my sisters all had complications from the chickenpox . My oldest sister couldn't stop coughing - kept everyone up at night . After getting woken up one too many times , my dad dragged her out of our room by her shirt collar and threw her out of the house . Chapter 8 A few days later , someone found her body halfway up the mountain . My middle sister was left with scars all over . Dad decided she was " damaged goods " and not worth the investment , He handed my ten year old sister over to some guy who promised she could make money working in the city . Later I heard from neighbors that she jumped out of the car and ran away . No one's seen her since . My youngest sister's brain got fried from the high fever . She was never the same . When she tried to take an apple from my brother because she was hungry , my mom shoved her so hard she hit her head on some farm equipment . She died instantly . So when I came home after a month away , I noticed people giving me weird looks . Anxious , I rushed home and overheard my parents talking by the back door : " Well , that's a relief ! Three less mouths to feed ! Do you know how much money we wasted on food for those girls over the years ? " " Don't sweat it ! We still got the pretty one . Some guys in town already noticed her . The smarter she gets , the more she's worth . Now that it's just two kids , let's keep her in school . We can use whatever she makes to get our boy set up nice . " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!