*WARNING. This chapter contains graphic content. Proceed with caution.
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At this point, that encounter at the entertainment house was implanted in my head. It was by far the most disturbing in this present. Luckily, nothing else more unfortunate unfolded that day. I've had alike situations in my past lives, perhaps ones far worse but it can still shock you when you are going through it with a new mind and a new body.
It's what swine must feel like when they are being examined to be sold off as either a breeder or for slaughter. I had failed to predict that my mother was capable of going through such outlaw of an outcome. Perhaps I had painted her in a prettier light than she deserved. I didn't know Lupa Bricallis went through it much earlier.
It is currently raining hard today as I am resting here in the comfort of my own home watching the relaxing rain fall. I only came back to get some stuff for my moving out to the hill where the temple is but the rain had settled before I could leave in time. According to my mother, I was eight years old and a half so I figured I am old enough to leave this house. Did my intelligence falter because I have a stupid mother?
The weather conditions may also pose as a problem for me living outdoors but at least it rarely rains nowadays. I haven't came home since she took me to the brothel. But whatever the condition, this place is more like an abandoned shed than what you can call home, so it's worth the mosquito bites living outdoors than this infectious environment. Something is rotting here, someone pissed everywhere, rotting food waste and the smell of cheap perfume. My mother must have been here though she never bothers to clean anyway.
The mistreatment I am getting from this place is getting quite out of hand these days that I'm afraid my little make-shift herbal medicines won't be able to save. Which is why I decided to move to a place where I have more of an advantage all at once. My father might be an alcoholic but he is still quite young so he has plenty of energy to waste on my beatings.
If I live in that hill, there's fruits and the temple's vegetable garden that I can scavenge for food. I'll learn how to cook so I'll make use of that. It is also where I'll be meeting the protagonist so I'll be able to tell right away when he'd arrive if I lived there. Living this life isn't as scary as my last, at least now I can escape when I can.
The rain doesn't seem to stop anytime soon and with every falling raindrops so does my eyelids, I once again reminisced on my pasts and so for a while I took a nap.
….…
Awoken by the sound of annoying thunder, giggling and sneering, I had no choice but to open my eyes even though I was comfortable in my sleep. When something bothers me awake, I fail to fall asleep again. But what greeted me when I opened my eyes weren't someone worth seeing. It was the bunch of village children outside my window where their heights could easily reach.
"Hey, tiny whore. Your father asked us to fetch you"
"Did he?", I asked groggily as I turned my back on them to try and go back to my nap. Doesn't sound like father at all.
"Yeah, come with us"
"He sent us to get you", from the pausing of laughter being hold off, I could easily tell they were up to something.
"No, I'll stay here", I responded but…
"No! You have to come with us, your father is mad!", one of them quickly pulled my arm out the window almost causing me to fall.
In the end, I didn't pick my choice as they dragged me out of my own house to the wet grounds outside. And I thought we would be going to the soldier's post or the market entrance where my father usually drinks with his friends but instead they took me to the back of the old village hall.
Sigh. The rain's still pretty heavy but they don't seem to mind getting drenched in the rain out here with me.
"So. My father is clearly not here", the sarcasm as I turned my back on them, ready to leave. I have no time for this nonsense.
"And where do you think yer goin' ", before I could even take my leave, one of them had blocked my path and walked towards me forcing me to step back.
"We didn't get you last time"
"And because of you snitching, I got scolded"
"That is none of my concern"
"'That is none of my concern' nyah, nyah' "
"HAHAH!", they mocked.
"Don't be an old lady. We just want to be friends with you"
"Yeah"
"You don't consider us your friends?"
"No"
"Come on, we're the only kids in the village we lot should stick together"
"..."
"Aren't you lonely? Don't you want to play with us too?"
Actually, I'd rather dine with rats than befriend brats like you. No matter how you look at it, I am the youngest and weakest in this group. If I were to join forces with you I am at a great disadvantage because you children love to prey on the weak as per your entertainment.
"And how you greet a friend is by abducting them from their homes to get bullied?"
"HAHAHA!"
"That's because you're a snub!"
"You don't do what we tell you to do"
Sigh.
I could see their smug faces getting uglier and uglier when I turned my back on them trying to leave.
"Get her!", but I didn't even get to resist as two of them grabbed my arms to secure me in my post.
"My mom said that you're full of diseases"
"Ew!", the two quickly let go of me and pushed me around.
"Don't let go of her you idiots!"
"But she'll spread her disease on us"
"Not if it's raining, it well just wash off of you, now grab her!"
'What are they up to now--'
*SPLAT!*
Before I could even gather my thought, I was met with an unexpected humiliation. Quite literally as my face had just been hit by a ball of mud.
"Take that witch!"
Then I was met with a flying kick to my stomach. It wasn't even that hard but I'm just a kid with a frail body so of course it hurts. It felt like I couldn't breath for a solid second and gasping for air again made my guts curl as I dropped to the ground. They didn't let me rest after as they all started attacking me with their kicks, kicking everywhere on my body.
"Your hair so dark, it's so weird"
"You're the ugliest kid here even though your mom is the prettiest"
"I know right"
"She got it from her ugly father!"
I've upheld my role, I did nothing wrong to them, I ignored them and let them be arrogant children. I thought that would make them leave me alone. My character's destiny is in pinned doom, so it's unfortunate that I have a stigma for reputations like this the moment I was born into this world. It's not even the gods' fault anymore for controlling their minds, it's in the given pace of the story, it's their instinct at this point.
But I didn't think they would be this pathetic.
Them relishing off of this moment rang my ears to deafen as I myself got a good inner laugh out of it. Lupa is my character but that doesn't mean she is who I am. She is what I am, I'm not bound to such a dull mental state. And I have no patience for children.
With all the force I could muster, I kicked whoever was nearest to me in the face as hard as I could and got up to a sit where I then scooped mud with my hand and shoved it into his mouth, over and over. Then when someone tried to pull me I bit their arm. When another tried to choke me, I buried her head in the mud.
My adrenaline rushed in, it was all happening too quickly .
"If you don't leave me alone, I'll gouge your eyes out", I warned them as I roughly pulled on the last one's hair as she squalled like a pig getting slaughtered.
I could see my reflection in their eyes with absolute terror. Terrified and confused, they composed themselves well enough to make a run for themselves. I wiped the mud off my face and collapsed unto a sit on the ground as my knees weakened. It's no use staying to wait for the rain to stop when I'm already this drenched so might as well make use of my time. When I recovered enough it's about time for me to move to the hill, going back home to fetch my belongings and then leaving.
I exerted too much stamina today. I feel so drained. I might have busted a tooth as well.