Malak sat down facing Badr and Yousef. "But don't tell anyone okay?" They nodded in approval then she took a deep breath and started: "I was born in Rimor as you probably guessed. But when I was five years old, my parents died from a car accident."

"Oh my God...really?" Badr gulped.

"Yeah, but that didn't matter so much to me anymore because I lived with my grandparents."

*****

"Hey! Hey!! Grandpa, teach me how to draw a house!" Six-year-old Malak nudged at her grandfather's trousers.

"Oh c'mon! I already taught you so much drawings today! I have to feed the horse, chickens, hamster, and dogs at the stable!"

"Then I'll go with you!"

"Hhh...Fine okay," sighed Malak's grandfather. His wrinkled hand held hers and Malak happily accompanied him to their small stable.

*****

"I lived very happy days with them. My grandfather was a mechanical engineer and he taught me many things he knew." Malak's dry lips formed a smile that was filled with sorrow. "But soon enough, he died...from a heart disease."

She started to tear up and her shaky voice returned yet she still continued, "So I continued to live on with my grandma and I started um...elementary school. She too was the sweetest...human being on this planet." She closed her eyes to reminisce the memories.

*****

"Grandma! Grandma!" Seven-year-old Malak appeared behind her grandma, who was rocking on her chair near the window. "How warm! Your lap is so warm!"

"And how sweet you are, my darling."

"Grandma? Will you tell me a story?" asked Malak excitedly as she rested her head on her grandmother's lap.

"You are just like your mother indeed," the old but gentle grandmother chuckled quietly. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl."

"How little? Was she younger than me or older?" pondered Malak.

"She was young and beautiful and wonderful. Similar to your age, Malak."

"And that girl loved her grandma who let her sit on her warm lap to tell her stories every day before bedtime! Right?"

"Of course," she carried Malak and placed her on her lap. "Her beauty was unmatched. Her hair was the color of wheat under the bright sun. Her eyes were so lovely, they shined as bright as the stars and the sea's clearness was within them. And her voice was finer than the chirping of birds."

*****

"But days started to get worse when my grandma's vision became weak. She was already always on her rocking chair, but she became weaker and weaker until...an illness struck her and she died...right before my eyes."

A few tears started running down her cheeks. "None of the herbs...I made helped her..." She sniffed with a rather brittle voice.

Badr and Yousef could not hear that part properly but they just sat there, shocked at how many precious people Malak lost in her life.

"Th...then our neighbors heard and they immediately sent me to live with my aunt and her husband. They were the only relatives I had left."

"You don't have any cousins?" Badr interrupted.

"No, maybe that's why they were so mean...or they were just selfish. They sold everything my parents owned: their house, the stable, the money...EVERYTHING! And they claimed it was for my benefit."

"Why?" asked Yousef.

"Because I had to go to school. I transferred to another school because their house was far from my parent's house. As soon as I went there my happy days were over. I was new and I had no friends. So I tried to make some but...after that incident..."

"What incident? Tell us..." Badr pleaded.

Malak briefly told them about the incident involving the diary.

"Ohh so that's why," Badr understood. "It's strange though, I always see you smiling so I thought you were happy."

"You're right," Malak gazed at the sky above her. "I thought that if I smile, the bad feelings would just go away...I don't know...what's wrong with me. I can't stand it anymore. Everyone is gone away from me. And I couldn't make any more friends. Then, two years later, Jack came to my school and he was the only nice one to me...but I distanced myself from him because I thought that our friendship wouldn't last.

"So my marks started dropping and my aunt kept scolding me for it. Her husband was especially mad, because I spent a lot of time drawing and not studying. So he used to force me to go and earn some money."

"By yourself? Weren't you too young?" Badr questioned.

"Yeah I was about nine or ten...so I just had flowers, matches, leaves, my drawings...I tried to sell them...but of course why would anyone buy anything from a young girl? I tried to sing, to clean their shoes...just anything so that he won't be mad."

*****

It was a cold night and the snow breeze would not stop howling. The little street seller staggered her way back to the house, fearing the punishment she'd receive for not gaining enough money. She hoped for at least a single bite of bread in exchange for the coins she earned.

As she got closer to the small villa, she carefully knocked on the door. When the door opened, a man with a bad mood moved closer to her.

"What is this? Is that all what you earned?" jeered the irritated uncle.

"Y-yes," replied Malak, her fingers trembling from the cold weather. Her arms and legs both felt numb and she was barely able to stand straight.

He grabbed Malak's hair and pulled her towards him. He snatched all the coins that the little girl collected then pushed her violently onto the cold doorsteps.

"NO FOOD THIS WEEK! STAY OUTSIDE! YOU WORTHLESS LEECH!"

*****

"But whatever I earned he would just use it for himself and kick me out of the house if I didn't earn any money. He always hit me, and made me feel worthless, and when I told him that I won the lottery, he told me that I'm not allowed to go!

"I was fed up with his cruel treatment, so one day I thought of killing him. I lighted up some matches in his room while he was asleep, packed my things and ran away."

"Did you... kill him?" Yousef asked in shock.

"I don't know for sure...the house didn't burn...I ran away to the airport right after that! I wanted to come to Evenlane no matter what! Because it was the only chance for me. It was the only way my life could change. But I'm still the same as ever: boring and all alone."

There was a long pause after that, which meant that Malak was done. For a second Badr felt like he nothing he'd say would make anything better for Malak, but he reminded himself to at least try.

"Look Malak, you're not boring. On the contrary, you are fun to be with!"

"R-really? Thank you! A-anyways I'm really sorry you had to hear all of this. I'm fine. I don't mind it anymore. I should be used to it anyways. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal about it." Malak covered her face with her right arm. Then she sniffed and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Thank you for listening. You guys are really kind!" She smiled, stood up and carried her school bag on her shoulders.

"WE SHOULD BE GOING HOME NOW! OH MY GOD, WHAT IF THE BUSES ALL LEFT?" Malak suddenly panicked.

"It's okay we've walked to the dorms before.." Yousef stared at his watch. Then he placed his arms at the back of his messy, semi-spiky blonde hair. "So are we friends now? Or what?"

"Well, it's okay really. You don't have to force yourselves," Malak replied.

"NO! We'd love to be your friends! Don't worry about anything," Badr assured her and he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Really? But...how, aren't you disgusted of me after hearing all of this?"

"Of course not, none of that matters Malak. What's important is to live your current life happily with no worries!"

"I know that but...I mean...is it really okay with you? For me to be your friend?"

"Yes of course! You're always welcome to hang out with us anytime!" Badr exclaimed.

"Geez yeah...stop being so hesitant okay?" Yousef said.

"Thank you guys so much! I never met anyone like you before," Malak looked at them with teary eyes. At that moment she realized who her true friends were. They were the people who cared most about her and listened to her troubles. They were the schoolmates who didn't ignore her when she walked with them. She fit in with them and now it didn't matter to her whether they were different in gender.

They all smiled genuinely at each other and the one with the biggest and warmest smile was Malak. She finally felt valued and cared for again. Light has finally entered her life once more.

Throughout the same week and even after that, Malak has been approaching Badr and Yousef more often and was not as cautious as she was before. However, she wondered why they weren't speaking to Yahya anymore.

A few days later Malak strolled through the school, looking for something to do. Badr and Yousef had football practice for the upcoming match. Malak didn't understand why they had to train so much; she thought they were already skilled enough.

"Just get it, that teacher is a f**king retard. She just sends people out if they whisper or turn around. She's hella crazy!" she heard Zach yell. She noticed him and his group of boys were sitting on a nearby bench.

'They're so loud, and why do they always curse?' Malak thought while trying to get past them without them noticing.

"Oh look, the trash girl!" Anas pointed. Bursts of laughter came from all the boys, including Yahya.

Malak glared and scurried faster.

"Hahaha, she's running away!" Zach laughed.

"I'm not!" Malak argued.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Zach rolled his eyes. "Anyways, you dirty girl, why don't you go and look inside the trash again? You might find something to feed the starving people!"

The boys laughed once again, this time louder. Malak went red right up to her ears; her eyes reddened and she was on the verge of crying.

"And why don't you go and throw yourself in the trash then?" a voice was heard from behind them.

Author's note: Hey guys once again! Too much drama right?? This is the second part of chapter 16. If you didn't notice, this part is based on a story called 'The Little Match Girl'. We hated the ending too much so we decided for Malak to have a similar experience but survive and have a happier ending.

I hope you enjoyed reading it and thanks if you did! I would love to hear from you guys so, if you would like, consider voting or commenting :D