The lady who asked.

Trigger warning: sexual assault, rape

He rembered that day to the meal he ate in the morning and the first person's face he felt like punching.

Sixteenth of October.

They met at their usual table at their usual coffee shop.

Jake was complaining about his parents as usual. Max was making jokes here and there while the ten of them laughed. It was a relatively normal day for him. "Today," Sam started patting Jonas on the back. "Jonas gets to spin the bottle."

It was planned they were going to raid the apartment complex that the bottle landed on. Jonas spun the bottle so they entered the apartment which he chose as well.

Simple rules.

They broke into the apartment. They was no one there so they took what they could. Just as they were about to leave she entered and just because it was he who spun the bottle he was given the previlage to decide what he wanted to do with her so he did. Mainly to prove his strength to the rest of his 'friends.' He came to New York to finish his studies but he was put in the wrong room.

After he finished and was about leaving, she asked a question which consisted of one word. "Why?" She whispered out. Her blue eyes glossy with tears. That was when he felt the impact of what he had been doing for years.

Weeks after the incident he pulled out from they gang lying to them so they wouldn't come after him. He didn't want to be involved anymore so he called his brother, Fredrick and moved to Canada.

"You are such a coward," his mind criticized him often and he knew it was right. When leaving New York he didn't really have anything planned he just wanted to escape from it all. The nightmares, the coffee shops which they held there meetings. Everything. He got a job as a bouncer at a fancy nightclub which paid him minimum wage and lived with his brother and his family.

"Uncle Jonas!" His brother's daugher called out pulling him out of his dark mind. He forced a smiled and looked at her. "What is it Evelyn?"

She showed him a drawing she had been drawing for almost three hours. She always did. She loved drawing and was very good at it too.

But this drawing... it was different. It was a girl with curly back hair which fell over her face like a curtain. She was wrapped in a ball as if trying to keep everything out. She wore a tattered dirty white shirt which showed the scars on her hand claw marks as of an amimal attacked her.

He stared at the drawing which almost caused him shock. It felt as if he didn't feel remorse until this drawing slapped him. It felt as though he was the girl, vulnerable to all the vices of the world. He wanted to protect her and any other girl who felt like this out there.

"W- Where did you see that?" He stammered, shocked at the drawing. It mesmerized him. Even his mind stopped judging him just to analyse the drawing.

It might have been a normal drawing to any other person but it meant a lot to him. He snapped his eyes to her prompting her to answer. The eleven year old shrugged. "Inspriration comes and goes," she explained putting the new piece of art into her file.

But this wasn't just an inspiration, this was God giving him a sign and he took it.

He joined a non-governmental organisation(NGO) against rape and child abuse. It gave him peace in some way. He didn't feel so hallow anymore. Expect for in the dead of the night where he saw her blue eyes asking him 'why?'.

He hadn't heard from his gang members. He was grateful and it showed him how little they actually cared for him.

Every Thursday he would go one f the homing centres close to where he lived to chat with the girls and boys give them gifts. It wasn't necessary but it gave him a little flame in his dark life.

Elizabeth, one of his colleagues who stayed there and looked after the children, greeted him on his way in. "Good day Jonas. You are thirty minutes late." She scolded. "I thought you weren't going to show," she said a smile making his way to her face. She always smiled.

He sighed taking off his coat. "Hectic day. You wouldn't believe it,"

She chuckled "Trust me I would."

He would sit there till Eight p:m doing whatever the children wanted.

Then he would go back to his deadbeat apartment. He hated it but it there but it was all he could afford.

The kids loved him and he loved them too. He thought of getting one of his own one-day.

New children came every week to their different branches. But no new kid had come in months so when he saw the new five year old with blue eyes which reminded him if the past he new he had to talk to her.

She was a shy little girl who only nodded and answered him in short lines when she needed to. Until she got used to him and started introducing him to her toys who were only few in number.

Then her mom called out to her and a chill ran down his spine. He knew that voice anywhere. Paige took her mind head introducing her to her new friend. Little did she now.

"This is Jonas. He is my new friend, he is nice mommy." Paige cotinued blabber. His eyes were fixated on the woman who took charge of his nightmares for six years. She had a smile on her face as she looked down at her child.

"That's good honey, but it's bed time now say good bye to your friend," she said to her child. The girl nodded waving at him. He smiled waving back at her.

His eyes met hers. The woman who changed him unknowingly. He gave her a small smile. She returned his smile as if telling him that he was forgiven before leading her daughter out of the sitting room.

That night he had a dream but instead of glossy blue eyes he saw a bright smile. He felt at ease...