Reincarnated As The Heroine?! I refuse!

17: Crossing The Bridge | 2 |

[A/N: Lea's PoV.]

"I started living alone in my 9th year." I said as I pondered deeper into my memories. Revealing countless sad ones, while scarcely of the good ones.

"My family of four was normal until the car accident when I was 5 years old. The consequences was devastating with both my parents leaving me and my older brother behind. I didn't have it so badly since I had a brother to rely on, but it wasn't the same for him...." I said, grimacing at the memories.

After what may have been a long silence, I returned to my consciousness and continued.

"We had a vast age gap. I was 5, he was already in his senior year in high school. I was adopted, while he was the biological son.

"We only had one family of relatives in the city, but they were too poor to offer us support. My brother had to stop his education and joined the work force instead."

A tear was threatening to escape from my eyes, but I bit the skin in my mouth to stop the involuntary urge. To my relief, my tear gland obeyed my will.

"He made it possible for me to be educated. At the same time, he strongly wanted me to survive on Earth even without him. So he started putting me through consecutive training regimes. I later learnt it was similar to how spartans trained their young soldiers. The young me was too reliant on him and my world was him. I obeyed every and each of his words. Without even questioning the sanity of the situation, I learnt to survive in the wilderness by being left alone in one at several occasions."

Looking back, I think my brother must have had his plans since I was very young to leave. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so prepared in making me independent. He had his own peers, unusual bunch. I couldn't really get to know them well due to my brother's over-protectiveness. Sometimes, I wondered if he was very eager to get rid of me, or he simply doted on me in a different way. Anyways, I loved him very much and I wish he loved me just as much.

"A child of 6 normally would be able to comprehend commands because their cognitive brain starts to develop fast from that point on. So it wasn't unusual to me when I became experienced in tactical battles against wild animals, such as boars, wild dogs or aggressive herbivorous wild animals."

Or maybe it was just because my brother told me my efforts weren't enough and I should normally have been able to do better. Expectations pressured on me, it occupied everything of my time. Reading books and practicing my limbs for different battle situations in order to simply receive a praise from my brother.

Three years past just like that. At one point, I eventually stopped going to school to focus more on my brother and my training. He was actually the one who urged me to do so, so I was never able to experience spending time with children my age. My brother didn't want me to meet other people too, even his friends.

So for all those times, he was the only one who brought me comfort akin to that of human warmth.

"After 3 and a half years, my brother changed drastically. His handsome features turned that of disparity. As I was very worried of him, I stopped my training for a while to find out what he had been up to. To my surprise, I learned he had been getting in and out of a certain business with his peers that allowed him to earn plenty of money. Yes, he was part of an illegal business."

After those few years of spartan training, my body developed reflexively and thus I was more fit compared to others my age. Enough that I could defeat a bear a few feet high by good tactical plans.

I was also devouring books like there was no tomorrow during my free time, which has increased my knowledge on every subject. I especially focused on reading survival books. And it was also then that I learnt the importance of books and knowledge. It nourished my mind to be critically thoughtful of my surroundings, making me notice things that others would usually miss. I must have developed into a wilderness fanatic along the way too.

Even though I hunted wild animals, I was friends with some other animals too. They were comfortable to be with as I knew most of their behavioral patterns and I knew I can handle them without letting my guard up too often.

In a way, I like them because I understand them.

"It didn't take long before my brother ruined himself. With the cops on his back, he made sure to leave me with enough money to support myself for a few more years. Although I was grateful for his actions, I was heart-broken with his departure."

I knew it was for the better that he left, but he was my world.

"So I would sometimes go around our city in search for clues of him, making me quite a notorious individual in some territorial areas. They were mostly chasing me, and I didn't like that. It was annoying, so I made them stop every time. But every time I did so, there were less people who tried to approach me. Although it turned to be rather convenient."

I decided to enroll in high school after skipping grades in middle school to at least learn about the society I was part of. I wanted to make use of my brother's money effectively. I promised to myself I would find a job that could make him proud, as well as a different path from what he took. I hoped to find him later in life, so I was determined to finish school fast.

I focused on gaining appropriate grades, and avoided contact with others as they were simply not convenient. I never knew how to communicate properly and I was afraid of experiencing the same devastation with what happened to my parents and brother. Especially my brother.

I chose to be alone, but animals were still a great comfort for someone like me who lived in the wilds most of the time. They didn't have to be part of the wicked society I had no choice but be part of.

"Then I met you guys in high school. Even then, I have yet to find any clues of my brother. But I suppose at this point, I don't really have to...." I said, as I mused.

Silence took over.

[A/N: Sorry about the sudden background story. I just needed to create a solid base on Lea's capabilities, and she was the most mysterious one of the group.

If it would make it fair, I'll eventually reveal some bits more of the others' background history, but not as full-blown as Lea's. She was a very quiet individual. Anti-social, lonewolf and detached, so she was the most unusual to have around.

I simply had to elaborate her more. Unfortunately, she didn't turn out to be so great, ye?

Next chapter will be written in 3rd perspective.]