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Hera sighed impatiently, annoyed at the secrets her brother and her cousin kept from her. Today she managed to get rid of Noel, somehow convincing the adamant boy to leave her alone. It felt strange to have lunch without him, and Hera realised she was getting used to spending time with him. He came around when she had no friends left to hang out with, and she appreciated the company he provided.

Today Hera had decided to confront her cousin, and she would make her talk no matter what. She looked ahead, running her gaze absent-mindedly over the soccer field, not seeing anything in particular. They had already wasted seven minutes of their lunch break by simply sitting on the bleachers. Hera was hungry but endured the stupid growling in her stomach for Abby\'s sake.

"Abby, you can\'t avoid the topic forever. I\'m not letting you go until you tell me everything," Hera said determinedly. Her cousin was taking her sweet time, and she was already tired of waiting. Abby should\'ve known by now how impatient Hera was. The more Abby stayed silent, the more it scared Hera.. She somehow grasped that the situation was more dangerous than she thought.

Taking a deep breath, Abby blinked back her tears and brushed her face with her palms before meeting Hera\'s gaze. Hera muttered words of encouragement and waited a minute more, allowing her cousin to gather her thoughts.

"You remember I told you about the club?" Abby asked, and Hera nodded.  "It\'s a strip club, and Danny wants me to dance there," Abby revealed, her words rushed out in urgency. "He what?" Hera yelled in disbelief. She couldn\'t believe she heard it right.

\'No, it can\'t be true.\'

Hera thought there was a mistake or a misunderstanding from Abby\'s side. Her brother would never ask her to do such a despicable deed. She wanted to scold her cousin for blurting out nonsense, but she held her tongue and waited for Abby to elaborate. She listened while Abby revealed everything in detail.

Danny met Jack through one of his biker friends, and soon he learned the man earned a lot of money by selling illegal drugs to the local bars and clubs. It seemed too fascinating to see the parcel of money exchanged just for a pinch of fine white crystalline powder. One day when Jack offered the chance to earn that bundle of notes, Danny couldn\'t resist and dived into the pit without much thought.

It didn\'t take time to realise his mistake, though. When the rational thoughts returned, he knew he would be earning the title of a criminal if he committed this crime. Danny couldn\'t sell the poisonous dust of cocaine, and it was a spur of the moment decision when he flushed the goods into the toilet commode. He was scared, and in his panicked state, he acted in haste without thinking.

Now Jack wanted the money for the lost goods, and it was too large of a sum for Danny to repay.

Abby only revealed part of the truth, and she felt guilty for putting all the blame on Danny. But there was no time for regrets because she wanted out, and she would find a way. Hera was oblivious to the reality of how her cousin conveniently hid her share of the sin in the act. She believed the false tale Abby concocted, deceiving so cunningly.

"Jack and his friends are dangerous people, Hera. They\'ll kill Danny if we don\'t return the money sooner," Abby said, wringing her hands nervously. Hera held Abby\'s trembling fingers and rubbed soothingly, offering comfort. "Don\'t be scared, Abby. We can go to the police," Hera suggested sensibly. Abby shook her head frantically, rejecting the idea immediately.

"We\'ll get into more trouble if we go to the police, and they\'ll inform our parents, Hera," Abby said, cursing in frustration. "Didn\'t you hear what I said, Hera? They\'ll kill Danny," she was quick to remind. Hera swallowed to ease the sudden dryness in her throat. "Is Danny addicted to drugs or something? Did he use it for himself?" Hera asked in a low whisper. She was too shocked to absorb all the information.

Hera sighed in relief when Abby shook her head in reply.

\'What did you do, Danny?\'

Hera didn\'t know how to comfort her cousin or what to do to help her brother.

"Jack has offered a way out. If I dance in his strip club for a few days and earn him money, he would let us go," Abby stated further. Hera watched helplessly while Abby\'s shoulders slumped in defeat. "Trust me, Hera. I want to do it for Danny. He\'s my cousin, after all," Abby said, crossing her arms around her middle, a defensive move. Hera could tell she was scared to death.

As if reading Hera\'s mind, Abby confessed the same. "But I\'m scared, Hera. I don\'t know what kind of place it is and what kind of people will be there," Abby voiced out her fears, a faraway look in her eyes. A shiver ran down her body, thinking about the consequences it would bring.

Drunkards, alcohol addicts, rich kids, druggists, perverted men, rapists, criminals, Abby kept on mentioning what kind of people she would encounter in the club. The lump in Hera\'s throat grew big, and her stomach painfully twisted as Abby broke down in front of her.

"What if they do bad things to me, Hera? I\'m terrified of the thought of those men touching me," Abby confessed in a whisper. Hera wrapped her arms around the broken girl and hugged her tightly. Abby\'s tears soaked her uniform top, and Hera cried along, whispering words of promises.

"You know I would\'ve done anything for my brother if I had one, and I always regarded Danny as my brother and loved him unconditionally," Abby said and pulled away from the hug to look into Hera\'s eyes. Hera nodded, muttering, "I know." 

"It\'s my duty, my responsibility to protect him as his cousin. I have to do this for him, no matter how dangerous it is," Abby concluded and wiped her tears while attempting to smile. She studied Hera\'s expression and recognised the moment her words sunk into Hera\'s conscience. When Hera closed her eyes, letting the tears spill out, Abby knew Hera bit the bait.

Abby waited until Hera opened her eyes and spoke again. She never wished anything wrong or evil for Hera, nor did she want to hurt or betray her, but she had to do it to save herself.

\'Why should I suffer or sacrifice in place of Hera?\'

\'Why should I risk my life instead of Hera?\'

\'It\'s Hera\'s fate anyway.\'

\'It\'s Hera that Jack wants, after all.\'

Abby kept reminding herself, and it helped in quashing aside the nagging guilt. She would have plenty of time to regret and repent later but now was not the time.

Hera opened her eyes, and Abby noticed how the vulnerability she saw earlier had disappeared from Hera\'s eyes. She seemed more confident and determined when she spoke.

"It\'s not your responsibility, Abby. It\'s mine. I have to help my brother, and I\'ll do it," Hera promised. Abby gasped in surprise and pulled Hera into a tight hug. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief.