Chapter 29: Twenty nine

I heard clouds rumble in the sky, I guess I didn't notice it before because of the commotion but it looks like it's about to rain. Will Lizzie come back for me?

How am I supposed to get out of this box?

I heard the patter of rain on the lid, and then I felt my hair get wet. The pattering increased and so did the wet feeling on my head, I looked up and the droplets of rain fell on my cheek.

Oh no... The little holes on the lid were letting the rain in. Soon enough the box started filling with water. It was already small enough and with my mass in it, it didn't take much time for it to fill half the box.

"Help!!!" I cried, "Please!!! I'm stuck!!" But who would listen to my pleas on a hill much less my cries were completely erased my thunder and lightning.

"Lizzie!!!!" As the water level kept rising I started tossing and turning, "Alios!!!" Tears started rolling down my cheeks, the only warm thing in the cold weather. I screamed on the top of my lungs but it became nothing more than a muffle as thunder rumbled along, my heartbeat sped as the purple lighting illuminated the sky followed by the loud screams of thunder.

The water level had risen until my shoulders, slowly reaching for my neck. The feeling of suffocation was already hitting me even though I could still breathe.

"ANYONE!!!!!" I pushed my back against the board on my back, again and again. "Help!!! Hmp." Some of the water got in my mouth. I reached for the lid. Smashing my hands against it as I tried breathing. The flow of rain was heavy and it didn't take it long for the water to reach up to my nose.

With the last of my strength, I gave the final pushes on the lid, then the box was filled with water.

I held my breath in.

Am I going to die?

I closed my eyes. Then. I felt vibration. As my began to conscious fade I opened my eyes and saw the lid getting broken off. Someone's hand came in and pulled me out.

I gasped for air, then began coughing. It was cold. Very cold.

"Who is she?" A man asked the one who had pulled me out, his hand still gripping the back of my collar. I was shivering.

"I don't know, I saw the box move so I came out of the car to see what was in it."

In the heavy rain it was hard to adjust my eyes but eventually the image cleared and I saw two bulky men, all in black staring at me. I knew that not all cars passed me. I had a feeling that one or two stopped nearby.

"What do we do with her?" The one holding my collar said. He put me down and held my arm. My legs wobbled but his grip kept me in place.

"She must be with Liz. Let's just sell her somewhere." The other one took a nice look at me and gave me a nasty grin. It made me feel disgusted. "Throw her in the trunk."

No!

The man started dragging me towards the car, parked a little further away.

I don't want to!

Frantically, I looked around. Nothing but uneven slippery plains and rain and rising fog.

I started resisting.

"Let me go!!!" I screamed and the man stopped to look at me. He was frightening, with narrow eyes and oddly sharp features. He yanked on my arm as he pulled me along.

I kicked his leg and as he paused I chomped his hand with all my might. His grip loosened and I stepped out of his grasp. The other man, who had stayed behind to take a look at the trolley and around then came running towards me and impulsively I ran in the opposite direction. The rumbling made cover my ears and the flow of rain was as heavy as ever, almost blinding a person. Since it was a hilly area, fog had formed around and perhaps it was the only ally at that time. But yet again it was because of the fog I couldn't see where I was going and ended up slipping from the edge of the cliff. I felt something sharp brush my back.

After that everything went black.

***

I opened my eyes to the sound of birds chirping. Letting my blurry vision adjust I sat up only to find myself in a wooden cabin. It was warmer due to the fire lit in the fireplace.

My eyes landed on some clothes, spread on the rack in the corner.

My clothes.

I panicked and looked down at myself. I was only wearing my tights while my chest was covered with bandages. Nothing was wrong in the front but I felt a piercing sting as I tried to move my back.

But more than anything else. I wanted to escape. What if those guys come back? I tried getting up despite the pain and get my clothes on. They had already dried and I tried wearing them but I felt dizzy, so dizzy I felt the world spin around me and I fell down with a loud thud. A sharp pain jolted throughout my body and I cried out in pain.

A few seconds later the door to the cabin opened and an old man entered the room. After seeing me he rushed to my side.

"Child! You shouldn't get up! You're injured."

I didn't even know him and I hadn't seen him in my life but as I saw his face filled with worry for me I felt comfortable and then it was impossible for me to remain silent. Letting myself relax, I started crying and even though he didn't know what was wrong, he pulled me in his old yet gentle and warm arms and kept stroking my head.

"It's fine now." He whispered the words until I drifted into sleep again.

***

A few weeks passed and the oldman, Leore, took care of me. He tended to the cut I got while I fell down the cliff, gave me food and let me play with his dog, Mikey.

"I'm sorry Rosalie. I can only make you herbal medicine." He apologized as he banadged me again after applying the medicine. He was a monk. Or that's what he liked to call himself.

"It's okay Grandpa. It's good. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"I'm glad." He chuckled, "But it will leave a scar."

"It's okay!"

"You're a good kid." He patted my head and stood up, "Should we go to get some food?"

"Okay!"

Grandpa was a good person. He started taking care of me. He used to be a teacher in his early days so he even offered to be my teacher. And let me go to a school nearby. It wasn't anything fancy considering it was right where the hills started and barely had any kids but still it was a proper school.

Grandpa and Mikey then became my family for the next five years.

***

I sat next to the grave of Grandpa. He always wanted to be buried in nature and so I made sure his wish was granted. It had been five years since that day Grandpa took me in. And I don't regret them a single bit. Each day was a good day, with Grandpa teaching me, then we would go to the river to catch fish and sometimes we would go down to the nearest town or sometimes the city.

I stood up to go back to the cabin, "Let's go Mikey."

He woofed an okay and followed me.

As I was busy reading in the cabin there was a knock on the door.

A man opened the door and entered.

"Miss Rosalie Yuki?"

I stood up and looked at him, "Yes?"

"Oh Good. We're from the police."

"Police?"

"Oh you don't need to worry or anything!" He waved his hands around, "Since now your guardian is gone. You will have to move back to the city."

"I see."

But since I didn't have a place to move into. The orphanage took me in, not as an orphan but as a worker. I got along with the kids there well and my time there was pretty normal, till the time I turned eighteen.