T.A series volume 1: The Extinction Heist

Chapter 41 - A Lost Fox

At the age of two, the first memory Ranran recalled was being all alone in a rundown home.

In a rundown townhouse on the edge of town, a child's attempts to sleep on a sofa were futile, in a living room filled with the sounds of the city. The adults in her family had long gone to work, leaving the child to fend for herself in a place that was far from safe. The townhouse was in a state of disrepair. The paint was peeling, the windows were dirty, and the porch required a good paint job. But the most noticeable thing about the townhouse was the fact that it was rundown.

Even the living room was in a state of disrepair. The wallpaper was peeling, the carpet was stained, and the furniture was outdated. The only thing that seemed to be in good condition was the child, whose added misfortune was being born beautiful.

Although most adults would be blessed in having given birth to a handsome or beautiful child, especially the poor parents, Ranran however was a different matter. Because the townhouse was situated in the slums of London, crime rates are unfortunately rather high. The child had seen things in this townhouse that no child should ever see, and they had experienced heartache that no child should ever have to endure. Today happens to be one of those days.

"Open the damn door, girl!"

The door would often bang loudly by some drunkard with ill intentions toward little girls, but the door will remain intact as it is. Kudos to her dad's handiwork that the door's resistance is so tough, he once claimed even an elephant can never break into it. Therefore, no matter how strong the man is, it's bound to be a failure.

Both her parents had her too early, so money was tight. So tight, they were relying on the finances of her maternal grandmother besides their income. It was to a point where even hiring a babysitter wasn't even an option. So back then her grandmother would carry her from the back while she heads out to work. What she was working as was unclear back then, but this went on till she turned 2, that's when the adults began to leave the girl at home on her own due to unforeseen circumstances, with the door barricaded and windows blocked with tough bars to prevent any adult from breaking.

Back then, Ranran didn't know all of this defines the true meaning of poor; the only thing she ever knew was all this was normal for her. During the first 7 days when she was left alone, she used to cry a lot because of that nasty man's vile words, as well as the things it threatened to do to her.

However, one can never cry forever.

Perhaps that mental impairment she received when that careless nurse dropped her upon delivery was a blessing in disguise. Cause when most children her age living in this run-down building will never stop crying for many years to come,  she stopped crying and became numb for only a day, eventually adapting herself to the hostile surroundings. Still, 2-year-old Ranran dislikes loud noises. Also, she grew bored with the toys she had, bored with the drunkard's empty threats.

Despite this, however, she still found a way to deal with it.

If one wants to entertain herself, one should sit in front of the Tv all day with no adult telling her not to in the living room. There, she often binged on Fairy tales, especially Cinderella. Where she was ill-treated by her step-sisters and stepmother, only then meets a fairy Godmother to magically cast her a gown, ends up at a luxurious ball party and dances with Prince Charming.

It was then that Ranran wished to live like that, though she thinks she can go without a prince since she didn't like sharing. The rundown townhouse was a far cry from the sprawling estates Ranran often dreamed of and wished to live in. But it was all her family could afford on their salary. As Ranran observed the kids on TV having everything delivered to them on some diamond platter, she wish for such a life, having never worked a day in her life.