Hailey's Point of View.

Looking at the sunrise from my window is part of my daily routine everyday. I always look forward for another day, for another sunrise. 

"Rise and shine, Hailey!" I exclaimed after sighing. I already started another day. Another day of my cycle. 

"Hailey, are you there?" I heard Yaya's voice from outside of my room. I am still looking at the sun that just rose a while ago.

"Yes, Ya. Let me get ready first. I'll just go downstairs after." I answered her and turned my back to look for my robe. 

"Your robe and things to get you ready are already in the bathroom. I'll wait for you downstairs. We'll leave by 2 pm. That time is your schedule for today." Yaya said as if she red my mind. I nodded to myself and walked towards the bathroom. 

"Oh, wait. Where are we going, Ya?" I asked her when what she said earlier sinked in my mnd. I can't remember anything that I planned for today. 

"It's your first check up day of the week, Hailey. Just to remind you. Go downstairs after you get ready, okay? I already cooked for our breakfast. I'll wait for you." She answered that made me look at the calendar on my desk. I saw that there is written on it. 

'Monday. First check up day of the week.' 

"Oh, yeah." I said to myself. When I saw my hair being messy, I sat on the chair in front of my mirror and looked for my brush. 

I brushed my hair and after doing so, I saw my shoe rack being unorganized so I stood up to arrange it but my alarm clock vibrated. It made a loud sound that shocked me. 

My laptop also turned on and showed a note. 

'1st thing to do in the morning, take your bath, Hailey.' That's what the note said that made my brows furrow before it synced in my mind. 

"Oh. Shoot! Yeah, take a bath!" I exclaimed to myself and stood up to walk to the bathroom. 

Asher's Point of View. 

"You never did something about our state of living! I thought you already changed. I begged my family to find a huge amount of money so that I'll  get you out of that prison! I said that you already changed. Owen, I can't understand you! I want to help you in any way to get out of this kind of living but how can I help you when you as the father here is just being addicted in your vices!" I heard my mother yelled and I also saw her coming out of their room with my father. 

I looked away and just smiled when I saw Aaron, my younger brother stared at me. I pat his head and mouthed, 'it's okay. just eat.' which he followed. 

"Is this the help you are talking about, Marites? You're just simply yelling and complaining at me. I am doing everything to get a job! Why can't you understand that?! Can you shut up? It's early in the morning. I don't want this to be our breakfast." I heard my father answered my mother. 

I didn't mind them at all. It's always like this in the morning. I just kinda got used to it. If it's not them yelling, it's my mother being crazy over finding where my father is. It's just between the two. 

"I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go to grandma's. Anne also wants to get out of here." I heard my little sister said that made me look at her. 

She's already bowing her head as she wipe her tears falling from her eyes. I saw her lifting up her stuffed toy named Anne. 

"Grandma isn't in their home, Lili. Also, I can't get you out of here. You know Mom will get mad. So, just eat there, okay?" I answered her and smiled. 

"Can we go to the studio? I want to go there, bro. I also don't want to be here anymore." Aaron said that made me let out a sigh. 

I looked at my parents who were still yelling at each other. I haven't caught them looking at us so I stood up and took Lili out of her chair by carrying her. 

"Okay, we'll go there but promise me not to be so loud. Mom might notice us getting out. I will be dead the second she notice that you are gone, okay?" I whispered to them and when I got a nod as a response from them, I tip toed. I walked to the way where my parents can't see us getting out. 

When we got out, I let Lili stand up on her own. Aaron also walked outside and smiled at me. 

"Okay. Promise to stick with me, okay. Here, hold my hand." I said and gave them both of my hands to hold. 

Hailey's Point of View. 

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled but my smile vanished when I started to see my little self and a memory I badly want to burry.

"Mommy, I want to paint this. I practiced for this for two weeks!" I exclaimed and raised my two fingers to show it to Mommy. 

"Okay. You want to attend and win the competition, right? We must get ready now. If you want the judges to look at that, we must be early. Let me tie your hair up." Mommy answered and made me face my reflection in front of the mirror. 

"Does my painting look great, Mommy?" I asked her while she's still tying my hair into a bun. 

"It looks so good, baby. You'll surely win if you do that painting later. But remember that I am always proud of you no matter what happens, okay?" She answered me and I just giggled by that. 

"Okay. You're all set." She added and then smiled as she looked at our faces through the mirror. 

"Mommy, I am nervous." I said and bit my lip. I felt her held my hand and put it on my chest. 

"Whatever this says, paint it. Speak through your painting and your painting will come out good. Especially you painted it from your heart." She answered me that made my jaw drop. 

"Tsk what am I saying? You surely won't understand that now, Hailey but once you grow up, you'll get what I meant by that." She added and then smiled to me. 

I smiled back at her showing my teeth. A wide smile. 

"Wait for me downstairs. I'll just get ready, okay?" She asked me and got me out of the chair I was sitting on. She kissed me on my temple that made me smile. 

"Hailey, are you done? I've been waiting for you for minutes now. Do I need to come in there? Are you having troubles getting ready?" I heard Yaya's voice that made me blink my eyes and also brought me back to reality. 

"Uh... No need, Ya. I'll just change my clothes and go downstairs after." I answered her and sighed. 

"Oh. Okay." She answered me before I heard footsteps walking away. 

I stood up as I shook my head to remove any thoughts of the past get over me. I found myself standing in front of my walk in closet. I suddenly felt weak that even my feet seems like it can't walk anymore. I found myself on the floor closing my eyes. 

"What are you doing there, Hailey? You're clearly wasting our precious time here! Such a loser!" 

"Get your ass off the stage if you can't paint, stupid!" 

"Do you really think wasting all of our time is funny?!" 

I held the paint brush but my hands are already shaking. I don't know what is happening to me. I practiced for this. I am confident to finish this. 

I was shocked when I felt a crumpled paper hitting me. I raised my hand to make it as a shield from the continuous throwing of crumpled paper at me. 

"STOP!" 

That was the last thing I heard before I felt my world shaking, it made me close my eyes. I felt like darkness is already welcoming me. 

"Hailey! Hailey! Wake up!" I heard someone's voice shouted at me and I also felt being shaken that made me open my eyes. 

"Oh thank God! You already opened your eyes!" I saw Yaya being the one shaking me. I heard her sigh and I also noticed seeds of sweat on her forehead. 

"What happened?" I asked and stood up. I touched myself and I am just wearing a robe to cover myself which made my brows crease. 

"You badly need a check up. I'll help you get ready now." Yaya answered me and pushed my slightly in my walk in closet. 

Asher's Point of View.

"Oh. Ash! You're early. I thought you have to feed your siblings before going here?" Dara was the first one to see me. 

I scratched the back of my shoulders when she asked me that. I also saw Cassian and Inez looking at me now. 

"Uh... That thing... uh... I brought them. Is this okay? Aaron wanted to go here so I brought them." I said and then Aaron and Lili walked out from my back. 

"Lili!" Inez exclaimed and quickly walked to Lili to play with her. 

"What are you talking about? Of course, it's okay! You brought them here the other day, too, right? We won't mind. The studio isn't busy. We aren't busy so it's okay!" Dara answered and smiled. I felt her hand tapping my shoulder before walking to the kids. 

"So, what happened?" I heard Cassian asked me when I sat on the sofa beside him. 

"Same thing everyday." I answered him and shook my head. Inez and Dara are already playing with the kids. 

"I wonder why your neighbors doesn't get annoyed with your setup everyday." He said and then chuckled. 

"I also wonder why I got used to it." I answered him and let out a sigh. As I was staring at Lili playing, I suddenly thought about Zyra. 

"Brother, I am hungry. We haven't ate food for days now." My younger sister said in the middle of us here in the streets. 

"I am doing my best to find food, okay? We'll eat, okay? I assure you that. Wait for me here." I said to her and smiled. 

"Mommy! There's a little girl there!" I heard a girl's voice that made my brows furrow because when I looked at her, she's already pointing at us. 

She ran to where we are even if her mom is pulling her away from where she's heading. I saw her mom sighing. 

"Hi, little girl!" I heard her greeted and then waved at Zyra. 

"Hailey, stay here. I'll just answer this." I heard her mom said and she just nodded. Her mom left her and answered the phone call.

"I am Hailey Leigh and you are?" She asked Zyra and Zyra didn't respond. I saw her looking at the bunch of foods the little girl is holding. 

"Oh, you want these? Okay. You can have it. I am already full." She added and then gave Zyra the paper bag she is holding. I saw Zyra quickly grabbed it. 

"You're so hungry. I see." I heard her say those words to her and she sat down to look at Zyra.

"Hailey, it's time to go home now." I heard a voice and saw that it was the little girl's mom who said those. 

"I'll follow you to the car, Mommy. I'll just have something to talk to them." I heard the little girl who introduced herself as Hailey answered. 

"They look nice!" She said and then pulled a paper from her pocket. 

"Take this. There's an address there. Go there and look for me if she needs food. I'll help. Just please don't call the numbers there. Those aren't mine. It's my mom's." She said and gave me a piece of paper. 

"Hailey, let's go!" I heard her mom calling her. 
"Coming!" She said and before she turned her back to me, she looked at Zyra and to me. She smiled that made me smile, too

"Have you guys eaten already?" I heard Dara asked Lili that made me brought back to reality. I stood up and answered it instead of letting Lili answer it. 

"Yes, I already fed them. We already ate, Dara. So, we're okay. You don't need to worry." I answered her and smiled. 

"I want ice cream!" I heard Lili exclaimed and followed by Aaron, "I also want ice cream!" 

I bit my lip and then looked at Dara. She shrugged her shoulders to me. 

"They want ice cream. We also need to buy things and stocks here, Ash. I'll go buy. Wait here." Dara said and was about to get out but I stopped her. 

"No. Let me. Just list down the things that we need here. It's embarrassing already that you will be the one paying. I can buy those things. Just don't let them get out of here." I said that stopped her from going out. 

"Okay. If you say so." 

Hailey's Point of View. 

"But Ya, it's stated on my schedule that 2 pm is my schedule for today." I said to Yaya as she pack foods for us. 

"You collapsed, Hailey. You need to go to the doctor now. I am so worried. Please, don't disagree with this. I am just worried about you. If anything happens to you because I didn't brought you to the hospital as early as possible, I will blame myself for it." I heard her answer me that made me shut my mouth. 

"Get in the car now. We need to go to the hospital now." She said that I followed. Later, I found the both of us being driven by our driver to the hospital. 

We were on our way to the hospital but our car suddenly stopped that made me blink my eyes and also made my brows furrow.

"What happened?" I heard Yaya asked the driver in the front. 

"We ran out of gas." He answered that made Yaya sigh. 

"So, what now?" Yaya asked the driver and the driver opened the door and answered, "Stay here. There's a gas station beside the mall that we stopped to. I think I can buy there." 

Yaya nodded and opened the windows of the car for me. We're in the middle of the way. We stopped in front of a mall. Something caught my eye. I saw a shop with so many painting materials inside. 

I wanted to talk to Yaya about it but it took minutes from now and I can't utter a single word. 

"I'll go to the driver. You stay here, okay?" She said and left me here. 

I couldn't even answer her and I just sighed. I looked around and remembered about the store that I saw earlier. 

I just have to be quick, right? 

Asher's Point of View. 

"Here's your order, Sir." I heard the woman said and gave me the paper bag which contains the food that they wanted me to order. I decided to go buy these first because I saw the long line here earlier. 

"Here. Thank you." I said and gave the money as a payment. I walked out of the store with the paper bag. 

I pulled the list that Dara made earlier with the materials we need for painting. When I saw the National Bookstore, I immediately walked in. 

I was busy looking at the list that Dara made and I didn't notice the people around me. A girl bumped into me that almost spilled the foods that I am holding. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I heard her apologize as she picks up her things. When I saw her things, I was shocked to see that those are for painting. 

"Are these for painting?" I asked her and she is about to answer me but then a woman interrupted us. 

"Hailey Leigh. I told you to stay inside the car, right?" I heard her say those words while pulling the girl away. Before I could react, they vanished from my sight like ash. It made me think why her name sounds so familiar to me. 

Wait, what? Hailey? No.