"We meet again, you idiot," the man in uniform pushed hardly his forefinger at Ruby's temple. She did not mind – at all. The man's eyebrows creased in exasperation.

"You, idiot," Ruby repeated while making faces in front of the cop. She was brought to prison because of theft—the third time this month. She was imprisoned countless time, but the law never had teeth for minors like her—more like they did not even care at all. This time, she snatched a cheap mobile phone in the hope of the thought that she could exchange it for a small amount of money.

Desperation.

Ruby had no one and Ruby had nothing. She was brought to several juvenile facilities before, but it was like 'flee' was next to her name. She was more accustomed in streets than inside the walls. While many homeless people seek comfort of shelters, it was not the case for her. She found it difficult to adapt, to follow rules. She would rather spend her time doing shitty things with other strangers her age. If she was lucky, she would spend the night with not a single bruise – which never really happened.

"Lock her up!" The young woman victim cried at the police station. She was fuming. "You good-for-nothing thief! Your hands should be cut off!" She eyed Ruby with her vicious glare.

Ruby, being rebellious on her teen age, did not waste a word on the lady. She barely even listened to the officers. Instead of apologizing, she scoffed and spitted on her face. That, made the woman even more furious. She got the nearest thing on her—which, unfortunately, a thick blotter book—and swayed it right straight on Ruby's face. It hit her. It hit her hard. She tasted tang of blood, her lips were bleeding, so as her cheeks. Instead of crying, she managed to flash her smile.

If there was one thing she learned on streets, it was that, tears would not solve anything.

It was unruly ten-minute of chaos before everything settled down for the case. The woman got her things back, the cops were done scolding the teenager and lastly, Ruby was pretty much beaten and behind the bars—again.

"Tch, now it's boring!" She yelled as she kicked the bars. "Go get the boys!" She added in frustration. The other teenagers managed to escape when they were chased by the cops earlier that night.

She wiped her face with sleeves of her oversize worn-out shirt. She looked horrible with bruises.

It'll be another long cold night. She thought. This time, there was no one in the prison cell but her, as if it was solely meant for her that night. At least I have roof over my head for tonight. She thought.

"How long are you going to be like this kid? Don't you have any hope for yourself?" It was Officer Smith, the head chief of the station.

She ignored him, she knew the old man since she was a kid. They knew him for being a soft-spoken man, he was fond of kids. At Christmas, he made sure to patrol the area only to give out food and presents to homeless kids. Ruby received presents from him too.

"You should start thinking of your future," he sounded concern. She must admit, of all the people she met, Officer Smith felt like a father figure as she grew. He was approachable and never intimidating. They all got to his nerves for all the chaos they did in the area but not once he got mad. He was strict but he was compassionate. He made sure that people understood the consequences of their actions.

"Get out there, there's food, help yourself."

Ruby did not think twice and joined the police officers with their little feast.

From then on, Ruby learned a new way to get to life. Smith gave her hope when he offered her a job at the station. An errand girl, but sometimes, all she had to do was to keep the area clean. The longer she stayed with them, the more she felt welcome, and Smith, felt more like a father to her.

As Christmas approached, the stations got a little more busy than usual. They went on patrol almost every hour to implement peace and order protocols. Ruby, as an errand girl, was asked to pick up some food and drink at the near convenience store which she later distributed. As she entered Smith's office to hand him a sandwich, she was welcomed with his warm smile.

"Ah, Ruby," he called before she made herself out of the way, "How about you spend Christmas at our place?" he invited. Ruby's face lighted up. "But never tell anyone I invited you, they might get jealous," he joked, "That'll be our little secret,"

~ * ~

"We're here," they stopped in front of a small brick house. The lights were off, no smoke on the chimney, seemed like no one live there aside from Smith. It was far off from the station too; she did not know he lived that far. "Just make yourself comfortable,"

"You live here alone?" She inquired, curious.

"No," he chuckled, "My wife and son will be arriving a little later," he added.

Ruby made herself comfortable as he said. It was her first-time spending Christmas on an actual house – if only she could call it her home. She explored a little around the house, there was not much, not even a single photo frame, but it was clean, everything was organized almost as if it was just a model unit.

Smith was on the kitchen preparing for dinner. The sun was already down but his family had not yet arrived.

"Why don't you go wash up already?" Smith asked, he gestured to the room he provided for her.

After taking a bath, she made herself comfortable dressing up hidden in the darkness of the room. She was about to put on her dress when she felt the door slowly opened. She looked back only to see Smith locked the room and turned on the lights.

"Uhm...I was not done yet," she nervously said. She felt something off.

"It's okay," Smith said it so soft that it was threatening. He made his way towards her, "you wouldn't need them anyway," he grinned.

Ruby felt shiver on her spine. Her eyes roamed around the room to look for any weapon she could use as she swathed herself with the dress she was supposed to be wearing.

"You've grown to be a fine..." he paused, then looked at her from head to toe with such thirst. "Sexy, young lady, Ruby." Smith uttered with full of lust. The father-like figure was gone.

"D-don't come near me!" She shouted.

"Oh, you don't know how long I've waited," the man said followed by an ill-omened laugh. "Don't make this hard for me young lady," he was loosening his belt while having a devious grin on his face. "I can no longer wait for another year, you've grown enough to be beautiful like your mother, but unlike her, I will be the first one to taste you,"

"You—you maniac!" Ruby threw her pillows into the man's face. It did nothing. The fear inside her grew bigger when she felt nothing but the wall behind her back. What could a fifteen-year-old girl could do?

He grabbed Ruby by her shoulders, pinned her facing the wall and tied her hands. "we won't be needing these," he started dressing off her just-worn undergarments.

Ruby was muffled by the wall, crying as he began to explore her body. He was smelling her hair. He was feeling her skin. He was touching everything.

She felt his hands in parts where they should not be. She tried to kick him from behind, but she was frail. She knew her strength would not match the old man's. She was just a kid after all.

"Ooh...feisty, like mother, like daughter. This excites me even more Ruby," he snorted as he laid her down his bed. He was kissing her with force while his hands squeezed her breast. His strength was felt on his every grip. He kissed her on her jaw, bit her lips. He tasted her down to her neck, down to her breast, to her stomach—down between her thighs. The man feasted on her flesh.

Her knees weakened. Her tears streamed down as he forced himself into her.

Ruby's face was lifeless. She wanted to shout. She wanted to scream for help, but words no longer made it out to her mouth but uncontrolled moans that pleasured him more.

It hurts down there. Her small body could not take his large frame. She felt her insides being ripped on every thrust. He did not care where it went as long as it was inside her. He fucked her in many ways he could.

He sucked every inch of her youth and innocence.

It went for days, maybe weeks? She did not know. She was locked up, tied up naked. 

It felt like an enternal torture and agony. It was hell—for what sin? She kept on asking, for stealing cheap things?

What was clear to her now was – he was done with her.

It was dark and foul smell was all over the place. She did not know where he dropped her off. Her body was numb, she could barely move from the ground, but she felt the cold water rushing against her body. All she knew that she was nowhere clean, and nowhere clean.

Tears pooled down her eyes as she matched her monster's gaze one last time.

"Here's something to cover up yourself," he smirked as he threw newspapers at her face before he drove off. She stared blankly until the lights from his car no longer illuminated her eyes.

What was the hope he was talking about? Future? Bullshits.

That night, there was only the moon as her witness. 

There, she pleaded for death.