Martha was a quiet intelligent person and she never really cared what people thought of her. She loved her family and she would do anything for them. She always made time for them.

She had dreams of becoming a pilot. She was fascinated with Earth’s appearance. She was really good at maths and planned to get a full scholarship so that she could pursue her goal of becoming a pilot. Her parents could not afford to send her to university.

Martha had some crazy friends, Thembi and Themba. People always said they were a bad influence but Martha didn’t mind. There were always bullies and popular kids at school. Thokozani and Mgini were the two popular kids, and they were siblings.

“Hey look, Mgini is checking you out,” Thembi said.

“No, don’t be silly,” Martha said.

Thembi was not exaggerating, Mgini was eyeing Martha. He approached her and asked in a calm, soothing voice if they could meet after school. Martha wasn’t sure: her heart said yes, but she really didn’t want to.

“Please,” he asked, giving her puppy eyes.

Who could say no to that? Martha said yes but she didn’t know she was getting herself into a very big mess. Mgini had an abusive stepdad and his mother was an alcoholic, so their lives were very tough.

After school, the two sat at the park talking about their dreams and what their goals were. Mgini had big goals too. Every break they sat together and after school they walked home together. They were getting close. One day her friends asked her why she was hanging out with a cool boy.

“I just enjoy his company,” Martha said.

Then it was her final exams. Martha was anxious, but Mgini calmed her down. But when she stepped into the room her heart was pounding and she was out of breath. The teacher calmed her down too, she then relaxed and was ready to write her exam. When Martha looked at the test she could not see a word, it was all blurry. She took deep breaths and then she could see clearly. She answered the question quickly. She started gaining confidence and finished the test. She walked out of the exam room with confidence.

That night Martha’s parents had a fight. The place Martha thought was the best instantly became the worst. She would always be with Mgini. They couldn’t live without each other.

Eventually Martha found out why her parents were arguing. It was because her father had two other children. They were Thokozani and Mgini. Martha couldn’t believe that the boy she could not live without was her stepbrother. When Martha closed her eyes she would think of her siblings. Martha would ask herself, “Why me?”

***

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