Episode 4

LEILA

Early in the morning, I woke up and prepared myself for classes. I went to the dining hall and did my best to avoid Ivone. At the end of the day, I returned to the room and found a girl my age with black, curly hair. She was stunning, with fair skin and large, dark eyes. As soon as I entered, she greeted me with a smile.

"Hi, I’m Katya, your new roommate," she said.

"Hello, I'm Leila," I replied warily and climbed into my bed after setting aside my books.

“Aren’t you going to change into your pajamas?” she questioned.

"I don't have any," I turned away and grabbed my pillow.

"Here, you can have these," she offered a pair of new pajamas and I was at a loss for what to do. Taking them could mean punishment, just on Mr. Villareal's orders, and that scared me.

"I don't want them," I replied, frightened.

"Why not? Don't you want to be my friend?" she inquired.

"It's not that, it's just that I could be punished for taking them, so better not," I answered.

"It’s just pajamas, and no one will come into the room at night, so use them," she handed them to me and I hesitated for a few minutes.

"Thank you, Katya," I took them and went into the bathroom to change.

When I put them on, I felt so good. I had never worn anything so nice. They were brand-new pajamas and looked really expensive. When I came out, there was a princess blanket on my bed and she had already settled in for the night.

"Thank you," I said and climbed into bed.

Every morning I’d wake up before anyone else and carefully stow away the blanket and pajamas. At first, Katya didn’t understand why I did this, but as days went by, she got it. She tried to defend me from Ivone, but she couldn't do much. Anyway, I was always the one who was punished.

I told her my whole story. The only days I was happy were during vacation because I was alone and there was no reason to punish me. Even though Katya and I became roommates, you might wonder what that meant. Well, outside the room door, we avoided each other. If she saw me fighting with Ivone, she was forbidden to approach. Inside the room, however, she would lend me her things and gave me several very nice items, though everything was kept in her closet because no one could know that we were friends and that I was using such expensive things.

That's how we passed five years. I had learned to endure every hit and punishment at this boarding school. The pain from the beatings didn’t even register anymore. I had gotten used to it. Even the rats and cockroaches in the hole were my friends. Katya felt sorry for me, but still, I wouldn’t let her do anything. I didn't want her driven away from me, the only person who was close to me and who cared about me.

"I’m going to show you what I smuggled in for you," Katya pulled a laptop and a mobile internet device from her bag.

"Really?" I asked, excited.

"Yes, no one saw me bring it. Now we just need to find a way to hide it where no one can see," said Katya.

"The floor will be fine. Look," under my bed there were some loose wooden planks where I could hide the laptop.

"That's a good hiding place," commented Katya.

"Thank you, this will help me find out about my brother," I said and hugged her.

"I know. Also, you told me that before coming here you could even view messages on other people's phones. So, you can do it again. And I heard from a good source that with a computer and internet you can make a lot of money without leaving the room. That way you’ll have money saved up for when you leave here," Katya added.

"Yes, you're right. But you'll have to help me and let me borrow your account. You know I’m invisible to everyone and can’t leave this place," I responded.

"I’ll always help you," said Katya.

"Thank you," I replied and hugged her.

That night, for the first time in six years, I connected to the internet. I looked for news about my brother from the day we were separated. The first thing I found was a charity act by Mr. Villareal. He had adopted the son of his employee after her and her twin sister’s death. This showed his kind heart—or so the press said. If they really knew him, they wouldn’t praise him so much.

What surprised me the most was a news article from two days ago. It confirmed the engagement between the adopted son of the Villareal family and the sole Smith heiress. The young people, just sixteen years old, would say 'I do' upon completing their university degrees. My brother looked so happy in the pictures that he didn't seem the same boy who was pained by being separated from his sister. He looked truly happy and blessed amid all the luxury. The press highlighted how much the young Villareal could spend—it was a fortune. He had the best cars and the latest everything. That night I wasn’t sure if my brother would keep his promise to find me one day and make Mr. Villareal pay for our mother's death.

I went to bed with that uncertainty in my heart. I was afraid that my brother would let me down, so I needed to get his cell phone number and break into his phone. I had to find out if he still remembered me, but that would take time. I haven’t done this in a while, and I must familiarize myself with everything again. A way to get his phone number would be to access the Villareal company server. There it would be easy to get Mr. Villareal's phone number, and of course, after having Mr. Villareal's number, getting my brother’s would be a piece of cake. He’s his son; his number must be saved in his phone. Now with a plan in hand, I would follow it to the letter the next day.

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