Chapter 4

It's funny how the world works....

Two days.I have been out on the streets of this odd place for TWO WHOLE DAYS surviving only on petty stealing for survival.

With no food

No money

And no shelter

But honestly I'm surprised I even survived at all.Proud even.My clothes had been long gone since the first day I got here,stolen by some street kids for their own survival.But at least I still have my scarf,my one and only companion.

I tug at the strings on the hoodie which I'm wearing from the dark corner of the alley I'm in.It is a little smelly but at least I don't have to fight for the space-for now.

I get up and wash my face and hands with some water from a dingy bowl that a kind little girl left for me,she is a street girl just like the others.....or at least I think so, but she never sticks around more than a split second anyway though.

I walk out of the alley while covering my face with hopes that I can find something to eat that isn't stale bread or anything of that sort but then again I can only hope.

Again I ask myself the question I've asked since the day I got here

......where do I go from here?....

I cover my head with my hoodie enclosing my thick short curly hair and tuck my hands into my hoodie pockets mixing along with the usual crowd.My stomach grumbles furiously obviously angry at me for not feeding it the night before.I grunt in dismay.

Now I know I have to get something to eat and fast.

I find a way to push myself into the thick crowd and become one with the sea of heads.I don't even bother forcing my way forward-I allow the crowd to do that for me, pushing me a little bit this way and that way in the process but still end up going forward-I dont have the strength for that anyway.It took me awhile to finally get used to the rhythm of the moving crowd but within these two short days I finally mastered the art.

After what seems like eons of being pressed between sweaty bodies I seem to finally spot a food stall.

Ahh this is my stop then.

I struggle to wiggle, push and elbow my way out of the crowd only to mix with a much more lighter crowd-but then again it is still quite a crowd.

Why is the streets always so crowded?

It was never like this back at home...hmm shall I even call it home?

I scoff at the thought.It was never a home...well at least it used to be before I lost my family...I scoff bitterly at that thought.No one would care if I am dead or alive for all I know they'll be happy they got rid of me.I was always just a freak to them anyway.

As for my aunt-the retched woman-she wouldn't care less either.She always found a way to prove I was useless to her anyway.The only reason she let me stay in her house was because my uncle said so-bless his soul- but ever since her husband died and left us she finally showed her true bitter colors and lashed out her frustrations on me.I should have known better-she always did seem a little too nice to the point she became overbearing.

As I move closer to the stall I strategically avoid getting pushed with my weak frame as I try to keep my head low.I raise my head up just a little bit once I finally get close enough,I eye my surroundings left and right to see if anyone is watching but of course the usual crowd is nonchalant and even oblivious of my presence-as always-I hold my breath in anticipation as I quickly snatch a single apple stuffing it in my hoodie pockets and hasten my pace yet trying not to walk too fast so people won't get suspicious of me.Once I'm far away from the stall I let go of my breath.

Now to find a place to sit.

By this time I know better than to go back to where I was before,I'm pretty sure it's already been taken by someone else now.

After a few minutes of walking along with the crowd I finally find another alley and squeeze my way out of the mess of the crowd.

I make my way into the lonely alley which is surprisingly not so dingy.Other than the trash that reeked and a few other trash on the floor it is quite neat,at least it was neater than the others I've come across.

I sit on the floor not caring if I stain my jeans that aren't even mine to begin with.

I bring out the apple from my pockets and look at it in dissatisfaction frowning a little.It is quite small and I know it won't really do me much good but I eat it anyway, faster than I've ever eaten anything in my life.In seconds I'm done devouring it and I sigh bitterly still feeling my stomach roar in dissatisfaction with the pathetic meal I just fed it.

I need more....

For a petty thief I am quite greedy but I can't help myself.Hunger is a human's worst enemy,it drags your dignity down the mud and kills you twice;it deadens your mind then takes your life.

I get up and dust off the dirt on my jeans.

I walk into the crowd less timidly than I did before now fully blinded by hunger.

My plan is very plain and simple.

Steal, obviously.

But from who?

The crowd is filled with different people ranging from the ones with heavy looking brief cases with matching monochrome ties that look like stranglers to the ones that seem the least bit decent that maybe just maybe might have a couple of change to spare down to the ones that look just as hungry tired as I am.

Sigh

As I squeeze between bodies in motion I systematically search through pockets of the oblivious crowd that bump into me with my frail fingers collecting just a few currency from each soul and then placing them into my hoodie pockets.

I smirk at myself with my head low so I won't bring any attention to myself.

At last I'm not so useless after all,take that world!!!

In between my mini victory in my imaginary world I suddenly feel a strong grip on my arm,my blood instantly turns cold once at raise my head and make eye contact with bloodshot red eyes.

"You just stole from the wrong person you thief"comes the man with a gruff voice.

Everything about this man makes me sweat in fear, from the bloodshot red eyes to the stench of pure cruelty that lingers around him,even his decaying teeth scares the life out of me.

He smiles seeing the fear in my eyes before yanking me towards him making me stumble forward.I know struggling will be of no use but what now,is this how my story will end?

No

I have to help myself out of this predicament one way or the other.He continues to yank me away from the crowd into a less crowded area that looks like an alley.

Is no one seeing this,does no one care ?

I try my very best to halt and drag my feet and even try to yank my hand away but nothing works.At a point he turns to look at me with his scary eyes obviously angered by my stubborn struggle.

It's now or never.

Within a few brief seconds it feels like everything is moving in slow motion but then everything moves fast again.I no longer feel the the strong grip on my hand and the man is now on the ground clutching his groin in pain.

I run into the crowd not even bothering to worry about his screams calling me a thief and other curses.

"Thief, someone stop her!!"

I run as fast as my legs can take me occasionally bumping into into moving bodies a few times every second.

I feel hands tug at my hoodie,I manage to turn around through the tight crowd and kick at who ever has a hold of it.

Thankfully the hand let's go and I

run in the opposite direction.I struggle,push and elbow my way out receiving curses in the process till I finally break loose from the chain of the mechanical movement of the crowd.

I run till I reach the alley that I had slept in the night before grateful that no one has already taken the spot.I slump down panting heavily.

At this point the hunger has seemed to have left me, typical isn't it?

I hear foot steps coming in my direction and I immediately stand on my feet ready to run.

But where to?

The alley is a dead end.There's no way I'll be able to escape.

I look around to find any thing I can use as a weapon.My eyes spot the umbrella from a few days before and I run to it, grabbing hold of it like my life depends on it.I take my best fighting stance that I could think of shivering with fright

If I'm actually going to die I'll die beating my enemy with an umbrella.

At this point I'm beginning to wonder where I'm getting all this courage from but whoever is doing it is doing a horrible job.

I swallow hard once I see a moving shadow coming in my direction.I instantly begin to swing the umbrella in every direction here and there with my eyes closed in fear.I feel my umbrella get pulled out of my grip and I open my eyes to see a short man with an annoyed look on his face holding my weapon....I mean umbrella.

"Do you want to live?"he asks in a low voice

I stare at him not knowing what to say.

"Do you want to live or not?"he asks again

As if on cue I hear voices coming towards us and they do not sound friendly.

I immediately shake my head

"Yes"

"Come with me"he says as he leads me out of the alley to where a black car is parked.I don't even think twice before getting in.He does the same and before I know it he speeds off.

I pant heavily for some time before I finally calm down.

"Thank you"I say in a hoarse voice that even I don't recognize.

He simply nods his head and continues driving.

It's at this time that I take a good look at him.Other than him being little short he has light skin and is fairly handsome but his handsomeness is a common type.

He is dressed in a simple t-shirt and blue trousers.His hair is in a simple carpet cut everything about him is just simple.

I also take a few glances at his car,it's quite decent and neat that's pretty much it nothing more to it.

However it's only after some minutes that my brain begins to actually function again and I ask myself the question I should have asked before I got in.

Where is he taking me?

For some reason my lips become sealed and I can't seem to bring myself to ask.My courage has finally left me.I might as well sit and wait for my fate.

After some more minutes of driving we finally leave the crowded area and get closer to a much more quieter surrounding.

The more he drives the more we enter into places that feels deserted.Cold chills run through my spine as my mind runs wild thinking of what he might do to me.

All along the drive there has been total silence, the suffocating kind and I can't help but find different ways to keep myself busy so I won't die of anxiety.I tug at my hoodie, then my scarf then I occasionally play with my fingers.

"We're here"he says in a low voice.

I look up at the sight before me.A house not just any house.A mansion,a beautiful one at that.The kind I can't even imagine in my dreams.

As we get closer the gates automatically opens and he drives in.Just then it begins to rain and we run to the front door.

"My name is Nicodemus by the way"He says as he steps into this huge mansion.

At this point I'm still trying to decide whether owns the place or not.

As soon as I get in I am greeted by the breathtaking sight of the house.The lighting are dim but anyone could tell that the room decor is superb.From the huge fancy chandelier to the massive TV,the cozy looking couches down to the linoleum floor.

A woman steps into the living room gracefully and I scan her from the bottom up.She is fairly tall with rich dark ebony skin embedded with golden patches of skin that glows under the dim lights,she has on a flawless black kente gown that reaches and sweeps the floor with a matching scarf that she uses to wrap her thick locks in a traditional low bun but leaves a few strands to dangle and dance on her face.She walks with an air of grace and pride that makes her look intimidating although the soft expression on her face highly contrasts that.She has no ounce of makeup on but seems to make up for that with her mild amount jewelry.One simple word to describe her.

Elegant.However this elegant tall woman seems to be very familiar.

She smiles at warmly me.The simple gesture seems to ring an unknown bell in my mind as I squint my eyes still trying to recall who she might be.

"I believe we've met"she says in her familiar accent.

"Welcome to my humble home"

The umbrella woman?

Humble home?

You've got to be joking.

I raise an eyebrow in disbelief.That seems to amuse her as she smirks still strutting towards us before halting right in front of us.

I'm quite shocked she remembers me though especially since she has never exactly seen my face to remember in the first place.

As though she senses my confusion she nods her head at the umbrella under my arm then gestures her head to the big portrait above our heads.

I look down slowly at the small logo on the umbrella that I conveniently seemed to have missed all these while then at the sign.They matched.Though it was small and simple it was elegant.

☾♞Ⅼ○ⓡⓓⓢ™

"Oh so you've met my wife then"Nicodemus says snapping me out of my thoughts

Your wife?

The two were quite a pair I'll have to admit.While the woman is eccentric feigning simplicity her supposed husband is the human definition of simplicity down to the very core.

She gives him a knowing smirk before turning to me and nodding at me lightly.

"I had a feeling we'd meet again"she says with the smirk still on her face.

"So child what is your name?"

"Mirai"