Chapter One:
Kentrell lost both of his parents when he was only four. Suddenly, the world became a place he didn't understand, and before long, he found himself on the streets, alone and scared.
It was there, amidst the chaos of the city, that he met Suga. Suga was different—bubbly, kind, and somehow able to make Kentrell feel safe. They became fast friends, he showed his that there was a whole nother world from home, and it wasn't long before Suga took him to the so-called orphanage shelter.
But it wasn't really a shelter. No warm beds or comforting guardians—just a gathering of orphans trying to survive. Suga, however, had his own crew of boys, and he welcomed Kentrell into it as if he had always belonged.
There were five boys in total: besides Suga, there was Kelly, Kentrell's second-best friend, and three others—Jay, Milo, and Taye. Together, they formed a makeshift family, a crew that protected each other in the only way they knew how.
The city was unforgiving. At the orphanage—or rather, what passed for one—there were nearly two hundred children with no parents, no guidance, and barely enough to survive. Every day was a fight to stay alive.
The next morning, the children scattered across the streets, scratching, begging, and searching for food. No matter how far they walked, no matter how much effort they made, there simply wasn't enough. Many of them succumbed to starvation, their bodies too weak to fight another day. Others fell to illness, the kind that took hold when no one could care for you.
And the worst part? The streets were cruel in other ways too. Gangsters, some only a little older than the orphans themselves, bullied them, exploiting their lack of protection. Worse still, some of the older criminals—those who trafficked cocaine—used the orphans for their deadly games. Children were forced into impossible situations: swallowing drugs that could kill them, sent into violence with no choice, no escape. Some never survived encounters with the police, others were dragged into gangs, their lives ruined before they even had a chance to live.
Seeing these Kentrell was strongly grieved, feeling a deep pain and burden but what could he do he was only a child.
It was a place where innocence died, and only the strongest—or the luckiest—managed to survive.
Kentrell was ten now. Years had passed, and all that anger and frustration he had been holding inside kept growing.
One day, a group of bullies came to the orphan shelter. They started picking on some of the other kids, pushing them, hitting them, mocking them.
Kentrell, full of rage, couldn't control himself anymore, didn't care what happens the anger was overwhelming felt like it controlled him, walking step by step closer to them. He picked up a brick and struck one of their heads.
The tension in the atmosphere'
No one could believe their eyes, the bullied where appalled, whilst the orphans in disbelief.
It was normal to be bullied with them, they never fought back, never dared to, they were too scared to know what could happen afterward.
The others wanted to fight back. Suga, Kelly, and the rest of the crew froze for a moment, fear gripping them. The bullies were dangerous, and the thought of what could happen made their hearts pound. But then, seeing Kentrell on the ground, ready to face them, they realized it was everything or nothing. That fear stayed with them, crippling, but it didn't stop them. Together, they jumped in and joined him.
Together, they beat the bullies, and the bullies ran off in dispair and disbelief.
But Kentrell didn't feel justice. He felt fear. Fear because he had crossed the line. He knew trouble was coming but still he couldn't shake off the feeling that came with fighting back.
Afterwards, the group of bullies were shaken, confused, embarrassed about what had just happened. They tried to attack again several times, but every time, Kentrell and the crew pushed them back. They realized that coming after the group as a whole, they could not win—they were outnumbered.
Kentrell felt it, deep inside, that rush, that joy, that heat, the joy of fighting back, of standing, of being able to defend himself, defend them, his brothers. The way the group reacted, cheering, hitting, pushing, together—it made him feel alive, powerful, like nothing could stop them.
One of the older ones, his friend Timmy, came to him. He sat down beside him and said,
"Hey Kentrell', you have actually fought with these people that we have been trying to avoid all this time. Now that you have crossed the line, what are you planning to do? Are you not scared that they are going to retaliate and harm us more than they did before? We did not fight them before and they already did so much bad things to us. now that we fought them, what are you going to do?"
Kentrell, full of worry, took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. He said nothing.
Meanwhile, the bullies waited, watching, planning, trying to catch Kentrell and his brothers—the ones who had jumped into the fight.
Meanwhile, the bullies could not get Kentrell. Kentrell was a very reserved person. If he wasn't working or doing anything to help, he stayed at his tent with himself, reading, trying to learn, observing, thinking, learning, observing more.
Suga, on the other hand, was very different. He was playful. He liked to go outside, take chances, live, make noise, do things without thinking too much.
So it was easy for Suga to fall into their hands.
'kentrell, Kentrell' a voice yelled from afar as Kentrell tried to take nap, he snapped out from his sleep at the desperation of the voice,
" what happened" he said in concern
"Sug_ Suga they got him' Timmy said as he tried to catch his breath.
Kentrell hearing this flipped out of his bed running outside.
His eyes caught a glimpse of the scenerio, Suga in the middle of several boys stumping, kicking, hurting him in everyway.
Kentrell couldn't handle this__ the feeling, he loved Suga too much to see him in such condition,
His fist was to swift as he clocked one over the jawr making him stumble hard with his head straight to the concrete,
Seeing Kentrell step up again they all jumped in, to the rescue saving Suga from their hands.