I'm Liz, I'm 22 years old. I got pregnant very early, at 15, the baby's father Antonio, who was my boyfriend at the time, was already 20. My family didn't accept the relationship, first because he was older and second because he lived in a favela.

I had my first time with him and ended up getting pregnant.

When I told my parents they had the worst reaction possible. I got a beating from my mother and they kicked me out of the house with only the clothes on my back.

I had no alternative, I was forced to ask my boyfriend, the father of my child, for shelter.

He already lived alone in a room and bathroom in the favela. He took me in.

Throughout my pregnancy he even treated me well, he rented a slightly bigger house in the community.

A year after our son was born, my hell began, verbal and psychological aggression, humiliation, it didn't take long to turn to physical aggression. Today my son is 7 years old and I get beaten and raped by him practically every day, I get beaten even more for defending my son and not letting him lay a finger on my boy. My son doesn't suffer from the aggression, but he suffers from the environment you know.. I've tried to run away and I've been beaten so much, so much that I was all broken and he still left me tied up for four days.

I've already given up on life, I just haven't ended it all because of my son, I have no prospect of change or improvement. Where am I going to go? I'm alone in the world. Once I tried to ask my parents for help, I was despised once again. So I survive like this, imprisoned, he doesn't let me go out and much less work.

I'm Cobra, I'm 30 years old and I'm the boss of Morro do Chapa, I inherited this morro from my father, whose name is Joao, known as Joao de Ferro, the old man lives here in the morro with my mother Helena, but he wanted to retire and passed the leadership on to me. Despite living and growing up in the life of crime, I had a peaceful childhood, my parents have always been and are very loving to me, in adolescence I started to get more involved and be aware of the business. My father has always been a great administrator and became very rich, and I maintain it in the same way as him. I built a house for myself to live alone near my parents' house. My mother didn't want me to leave home, but privacy you know. I've never gotten attached to anyone and I don't want to, with me it's sex and get out, the girls here just want money and status and they won't get it with me. Here the community is organized, it doesn't accept scoundrels and if there are any I take them straight to the unraveling. I had a top school built for the children of the community with a swimming pool and everything. Many are afraid of me, but they can't deny that I'm a good boss.

LIZ

But a day begins.

"Wake up, son, it's time for school."

I woke my boy with lots of kisses, dressed him, gave him his breakfast, and waited for the neighbor to take him to school, since I couldn't leave the house. He ran his little hand over a wound on my face and looked at me with a sad look. The neighbor shouted. I went to the gate and she looked at me with pity. Yesterday I got another beating, I'm used to it now.

My little one left for school, he spent the whole day there.

I started doing the housework until Antonio woke up and sat at the table.

"Where's my coffee, you useless thing? Are you not even good for that anymore?"

I put the coffee and bread with butter in front of him with my head down and without saying a word.

He ate in silence and left for work. I breathed a sigh of relief, at least I didn't get beaten early in the morning. It wasn't uncommon for me to start the day with a beating.

I finished washing, ironing, cooking, it was almost noon. I stayed at the window for a while watching the movement, since I don't even have a cell phone. I looked at the blue sky and wondered if there really is a God and if there is, why he never looked at me. At that moment, my mother's words came to my mind, she told me when I went to ask for help.

💭 You chose this life, Liz, you had everything and you chose this life. Now endure it and forget that you were born from me 💭

Tears rolled down my face.

💭 She's right, it was my choice, I want to endure it 💭

It was almost 5 pm and my son arrived, hugged me, he is my point of strength and peace.

I gave him a bath and put out his dinner.

We were in the living room hugging when I heard the sound of the gate. It was my nightmare arriving once again.

I asked my son without showing fear to go to the room and not leave for anything and try to sleep. His sad little eyes said nothing and he did what I asked.

Antonio came in drunk and agitated as always, I was sitting on the sofa and I already got a slap in the face.

"Where's my food, you useless slut."

I didn't answer anything, I walked to the kitchen, heated up the food, he sat down. I made a plate and put it in front of him.

He took about three bites.

"Your food is getting worse every day, and he threw the plate against the wall, shattering it."

I cowered in a corner scared and was grabbed by the hair, my clothes were torn off and I was raped again in the kitchen. While he orgasmed, he beat my face and hit my head against the floor.

I got up and started vomiting, disgusted by that man, repulsed by myself.

"I HATE YOU."I screamed.

And a beating session began. I was beaten like never before, I didn't scream, I don't want to scare my son even more.

I was beaten so much, he hit me with the hot pressure cooker, I ended up passing out.

Antonio took a bottle of drink, poured it all into his mouth and went to bed to sleep, leaving me passed out, bleeding, almost dead on the floor.

COBRA

Another quiet day here in the community, I don't like mess, here everyone has to walk the line or they'll face the consequences. Me and my second-in-command Derel manage it very well. When I need support, I run to my old man.

I was here at the spot doing the accounting from the last party and the turnover was very high.

A runner enters the room.

"Boss, there's a teacher from the school wanting to have a word with you."

"Didn't quite understand, but I told him to let her in."

I stood up waiting for the woman. She entered, she was a lady of about 60 years old, with a friendly face.

"Hi Cobra, I'm Dirce, I'm a teacher at the school. I teach the second grade."

"Yes, teacher, give me the vision."

I noticed that she was embarrassed to speak.

"Well Cobra... I thought a lot about coming here... because I know your ways of solving things... but, I have a situation at the school and I don't know what to do, maybe you can interfere."

I kept looking serious and she continued.

"Well... I have a student who has many problems with socializing, he doesn't talk to anyone, he's always sad and his parents never show up at meetings... I tried to talk to him, but I couldn't get anything."

She continued...

"Well...I asked the woman who picks him up every day at school and she confessed to me that this boy lives a real hell inside the house, that the mother is beaten daily and that she lives in confinement and that the father is a drunk."

Derel already looked at me seriously. We don't allow violence against women and much less against children here and the punishment is harsh.

"Cobra, I ask that....."

"You can leave it to me, teacher. What's the minor's name?"

"It's Andre, but we call him Dede."

"Teacher, gather everything you know about the family at the school and bring it to me here, tomorrow I'm going to start acting."

"Thank you very much, Cobra."

"Teacher, you can call me Gael. Great respect for your attitude."

"All right Gael, I'll bring you everything early tomorrow."

The woman left and Derel sat in front of me.

"Damn man, something like this happening and we didn't even see it."

"The community is very big, partner, there are residents we've never even seen. But this asshole will suffer the consequences in the worst possible way, it's good that it will already serve as an example."

It was already night, I always stayed at the spot very late, at night the movement in the twelve spots spread throughout the favela is frenetic and I always like to follow everything closely.

I was at the door of the spot watching the movement, it was already about two in the morning and everything was getting deserted.

I looked to the side and saw at the end of the street a small skinny child, wearing tattered pajamas and barefoot. He was walking hugging his own body, crying looking around.

💭But what the hell is this?💭

I went towards the boy who, when he saw me, tried to run away, but I managed to grab him by the arm, he was trembling and crying a lot.

I picked him up and took him to the spot.

I put him sitting at my table and sat in front of him.

"Calm down, little friend, nobody's going to do anything to you."

"What are you doing alone on the street at this hour? What's your name?"

"De" Dede

At that moment I got chills, I already remembered the teacher who came here today.

"And what are you doing alone on the street in the middle of the night."

He started crying

"I ran away... I think he killed my mommy, she's lying on the kitchen floor with blood." He said between sobs

"He who Dede?"

"My dad."

"And where's your dad"

"Sleeping."

"Where is your house?"

"It's the cement house."

"Do you know the name of the street?"

He shook his little head, denying.

"Dede you're going to have to help me, so we can save your mommy, right. You're going to go out with me and try to remember the way to your house, okay little friend."

I called Derel already giving him the vision.

I called two runners to accompany me, put the rifle on my back and picked up the minor, I went with him in front pointing me in the direction of his house.