Chapter Text
“Get out!” The man growled furiously. His immaculate hair was now falling apart due to him rustling with his already wrinkled suit.
He readjusted his tie for the 4th time while desperately trying to reach for a cigarette.
Impatient and irritated, most likely to use force if you continue speaking.
“But father-” You whimpered pathetically. The grip on your slightly oversized shirt tightened over time as your nails nearly dug into your skin.
Your father lashed out again, chasing you out of his office.
How did this happen? A day ago, you were the youngest daughter of the most well-known company in your China…now your family is facing bankruptcy. Tears began to gather in your eyes, and it hurt your pride to let even a single drop slide down your face. You blink quickly as a pitiful attempt not to let yourself cry. After all, you're one of the heirs to the biggest corp in China!
That was a reallyyyy futile way to cheer yourself up.
You gained your composure back just moments later. You have to stay optimistic! So then, you began to search for your mother. Her words of wisdom never failed you.
…
Until they do.
“Mother, I-” You gently push the door open while calling out for your beloved, dearest mother.
“Child, we’re sorry,” She paused, “For all this.”
“...Huh?” You ask, confused.
What is she talking about? She’s supposed to reassure you, not randomly apologize for something she can't control! No one is at fault for your family’s bankruptcy.
“We’re sending you away.” Her voice trembles, yet her tone is stern.
She’s being serious about this. Her brows furrowed, and her hands turned into fists.
“Wha- Why?” You question her with the voice you dare not raise normally, “Did I do something wrong?”
She sighed and turned towards you.
“No, my child,” She mumbles, “It’s because you’re a failure.”
Your mother’s face began to distort unusually, black goo leaked out from her eyes. She stares right into your soul with a look of animosity. Her long, flowy hair blocks half of her face, but it couldn’t deny the fact that in this moment, she despises you. She loathes you. She hates you.
You sick, ungrateful monster, she’s your mother, she obviously loves you!
Yet the look in her eyes says otherwise.
—
You jerk awake as cold sweat covers your entire body. To your surprise, you didn’t scream your lungs out, which you usually do, and get rewarded by getting beaten up by some other homeless people. Also, did you fall asleep? On the streets? In that vulnerable state? You lost your mind. You feel your shirt clinging to your sticky figure. Your vision started to become more and more blurry day by day. Should you be concerned about that? Maybe not, let’s try out your luck for the day. The rats in this filthy and shady alley squeak as you search into a trashcan just inches away from them. Unfortunately, luck was not on your side today; you’ve found nothing other than rusty cans. Oh well, might as well sell them. Bucks are bucks.
In a matter of seconds, rain droplets came crashing down like missiles. You groan, annoyed. First, you have a terrible nightmare of the past, now it’s pouring down on you. How ‘delightful’! You quickly stood up and skidded away while searching for a proper shelter. Risking being sick with your empty wallet is not an option. You’re generally so broke that you’re the definition of poor.
You look around to search for any type of bags available to store the cans you’ve found in the trash bin. Unluckily, there was none in this hellhole today. The sky had turned as grey as ever. Looks like a storm is about to hit. You'd better make a decision fast. you picked out as many aluminium cans as you could possibly take, and by pulling your dirty shirt outwards, you managed to shove a few of your ‘treasure’ in there.
Before you could grab some more, a man shoved you away, resulting in you landing on your butt.
“HEY!” You scream, the cans you’ve gathered in your little storage bag fall out and scatter all over, “Watch where you’re going!”
The man didn’t even spare a glance at you as he searched for the very same bin you’d foraged. Upon not finding anything useful to him, he glares at you before walking away into the shadows.
“What a weirdo.” You thought to yourself as you collected those scattered tins.
Some of them were crushed due to you sitting on them. Damn it. That’s RM1 down the drain.
You sigh in disappointment while simultaneously navigating for the nearest recycling station. Those uncles from the place are nice to you, sometimes you might even get a few extra change from them! Hopefully, they feel generous enough to provide you with temporary shelter during this cruel downpour.
Just metres away from the station, a few people dressed in full black and armed with something sharp — perhaps knives? — launch themselves at you until they forcefully drag you into a white van. You tried to fight back, but it's no use. One uppercut to the jaw and you’re knocked out. Before your vision went blank, you could see a few older men running towards you while screaming something, yet you’re too tired to keep your eyelids open.
Food. You’ve been craving them for a good amount of time. Oh, to have three meals a day, proper shelter with the security and attention. Not in a bad way, of course. You’ve been yearning to be cared for, to have someone’s full attention, to be loved. After all, you’re just some 12-year-old kid who just so happens to be privileged in the past.
Keyword: Past.
Yes, that’s right, you’ve been drugged and transported to who-knows-where in some mysterious ways after the lashing out from your father, the abandonment from your mother, and the ignoring from your older siblings. You swear they weren’t like this before dad invested in some dumb shit. Or is this their true nature? Y’know the saying that goes ‘certain situations must happen so that true intentions can be shown’? Yeah, whatever that is.
Anyway, one day you woke up in Malaysia, homeless and helpless. No kidding, you literally woke up by the shore as if you’re Ariel or something. Yes, you do have a Malaysian identity card because you’re technically mixed. But none of the orphanage accepts you, perhaps due to your heterochromia eyes, which are yellow and blue. So from then on, you began wandering from street to street, meanwhile living like a sewer rat. Searching and fighting for food from time to time is like breathing to you — even if you’re considered underweight and physically weak, you still did whatever you had to do to survive.
Fighting, stealing, threatening, or even joining a mafia group just for a proper food source might sound diabolical, but this is your life. C’est la vie.
You missed your old life, the life where you’re served and practically worshipped. Most importantly, you missed being surrounded by people you love. You missed being accompanied.
TW: MINOR MENTION OF RAPE, ABUSE AND SOME FUCKED UP SHIT, SKIP TO TW END IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SEE THIS CONTENT!!!
You were woken up by a pang on your jaw. You blinked before realizing you’d been kidnapped, and you’re now bound to a chair.
By a group of men.
Fuck.
You really can’t have a peaceful day, can you?
“Boss, are you sure…? She’s just a kid…”
Wow, this guy has some basic human respect, a rare finding.
“Do I look like I give a single darn if she’s a minor?” The older man roared.
“But…” Another voice murmured, sounding hesitant.
“Shut your mouth, am I the boss or are you?”
It goes quiet for a moment before you hear the door slamming shut and the sound of boots getting closer to you.
“You’re about to enjoy this, yeah?” The same voice, the old man, spoke to you. But it sounded more like a command, not a question.
You kept your mouth shut.
“Ooh, secretive,” He teased, “I like it.”
His hands slide down your waist…
…
It hurts.
You’re bleeding.
You feel unclean.
God, what sins have you committed to be suffering like this?
This is agonizing.
You miss your family.
…
You’re wishing for someone, anyone, to save you from hell.
But nobody came.
…
He sliced you with his dagger.
Are adults into these kinds of shit?
Your skin burns as his dagger dances on your skin.
One of his hands grabbed onto your neck, choking you.
Dissapointed but not surprised
…
You’ve been thrown into a dungeon-like cell without any food or water.
Wow, what a surprise.
…
The younger man who argued with his so-called boss sneaked you some food. It’s a croissant cut in half. Still, you appreciated it.
He looks at you with empathy in his eyes.
You refused to face him.
…
TW: END
You ran away with the help of the younger man, but in return, he got caught. Who knows what will happen to him? It’s none of your business anyway. He chose to help you, he just needs to face the consequences of his choices.
Then why does your chest hurt? Why does it burn? Why do you feel guilty?
Yet you still ran, you sprinted, you bolted as fast as lightning. As if you can outrun your iniquity. Until eventually, your little legs couldn’t sustain you any longer, and you crashed onto a house fence.
You don't know how long it has passed, but you feel safe and secure for the first time in your 1 year of homeless life. Even in your head. It looks like you have no control over your body at the moment. You’re just wandering around a seemingly black void where the ground (can you say that? You’re in your head) is made out of a weird liquid. Funny enough, it's a liquid, but it doesn't make you wet. What is this, middle school physics or something? You couldn’t care less.
The feeling of dependability calms you, it makes you serene. You wish you could stay like this forever. No more stealing, no more getting beaten up, no more dirtying your hands to survive.
“Oh…Dear, are you awake?” A fragile voice asked softly.
You don’t respond.
You can’t respond. You have no control over your mentally and physically exhausted body, remember?
Judging by the voice alone, it’s a woman in her mid-60s. Her voice is soothing. She doesn’t have grandchildren or a significant other. What? This is the experience of living on the streets with a special kind of brain and eyes. God forbid a girl has unusual abilities.
She placed something down. About a metre away from your body. It’s a liquid in a container. Possibly soup due to the aroma of pepper. Oh boy, you’re starving. How long has it been since you’ve had proper food? By proper food, grass, tree bark, rotten fruit, and moldy bread do not count. Oh, right, maybe the half croissant counts.
The older woman stayed silent for a moment before sighing.
“Poor child… You weigh less than 2 sacks of potatoes.” She muttered pitifully.
You don’t understand why, but tears were forming in your eyes. Maybe it’s because you haven’t felt any care for a year. In the end, you’re just a child who was forced to grow up. Perhaps you deserve love just for a moment or even a second.
Uncontrollably, tears slid down your cheeks.
“...Sleep well, girl.” She uttered. Her footsteps echoed around the room, and finally, the door slammed shut.
Just what have you gotten yourself into?
You can’t be serious, can you? You don’t even know who that lady is, but you feel comforted by her?