I walked on the long muddy road alone, the rain still pounding against my body causing me to shiver. I felt the chill down to my bones and I couldn't help the chattering of my teeth or how my skin wrinkled from the rain. I hugged my body and tread forward on the empty road, searching for some shelter; I did not realize that it would be this hard after coming out from within the clan's walls.
My weak, malnourished body couldn't hold up against the harsh wind and rain, and I thought being captured by law enforcers would have just been better rather than resign myself to life on the streets. Why did I think I could survive on the streets when I couldn't even survive in the clan? I had always been worthless, born from a mere concubine that had been a prostitute before and not even able to wield the clan's magic; I was trash.
All people in the clan could at least use some form of magic whether they could wield water, lightning or wind magic, and some geniuses could wield two types. But I... I couldn't even summon a single drop of water or a single spark of lightning, much less a gentle breeze.
I tightened my grip on my cloth pouch; I shivered more when an even larger and colder gust of wind blew against my already cold, drenched skin. I squatted down and rubbed my skin furiously, trying to warm myself up. The cloak had been long drenched, and I was freezing now. Standing up wearily, I continued searching for a decent spot to live under, but other beggars and homeless men and women occupied every suitable spot. I wanted to head to an inn and hopefully wait the night out, it would be safer and I would have a warm bed to spend the night. Thinking like that, I tried to find an inn.
I quickly realized I had never been outside the clan walls and could not figure out where to find an inn, so I had gone back to square one just randomly wandering about aimlessly. My eyes widened when I came to a small dumpster but that wasn't what I was excited about behind the dumpster had a cover that extended further outwards big enough for me to get some shelter, though it was minimal. I wanted to camp out here and head to an inn the next day.
I crawled under the small covering and hugged my knees to hide more from the rain. Although I had found a small shelter, the rain still hit me but it didn't hit me as much, but the wind, however, still bit my skin, creating a cold burning sensation on my body. I debated whether I should take off my cloak and reveal my hair and people might find out I'm from the Weather Clan but then I realized my hair was silver and eyes a deep blue contrary to the dusty grey hair and silver eyes of the clan. I pulled off the cloak and wrung it out. I took my pouch and ate the cold bread that had become soggy with water. I scarfed it down quickly, and I drank two sips of water.
I looked back at the pouch that only had three more buns and half a bottle of water that had diminished after my long journey and my constant sips. I opened the bottle and put it out to collect water. I had wanted to carry more supplies but my body could barely support myself with my strength and I struggled to carry the drenched, heavy cloak and the pouch along with my weakened body from the cold.
I hugged my pouch tight and tried to get some sleep. I felt my eyelids become heavy, and I just realized how exhausted I had been. I surrendered to the sleepiness that fell over me and pulled me into a deep sleep and entered my dreamland.
"YOU WASTE!!!" A harsh voice shouted from above his voice booming "What are you even good for you worthless bitch!!" His foot came down on my head roughly and I could feel him twisting his foot on my head and he crushed me against the floor. I screamed in pain as he lifted his leg and slammed his foot into my head again. My head was spinning and I could feel blood trickling down my head and my ears rang like a bell. I could barely see that demon of a father's face through the swells that appeared red as a tomato, appearing as if they were about to burst. At least that's how it felt. He was beautiful just like most of my clan members, but to me, he looked the devil reincarnate himself. He had curly dusty grey hair that fell to his shoulders and silvery eyes that glinted in the light. He was tall and had a large muscular frame unlike the usual thin frame of the clan.
Tears streamed down my face constantly as I struggled to stay conscious. I groaned when a rough hand yanked me by the hair and lifted me from the ground. I felt like my hair would come out not without two layers of my skin. "What are you crying for, you bitch! HUH! Don't let a single tear fall, nor a single sound out of that wretched mouth of yours! The offspring of a shrew will be useless! TRASH!!" He threw me to the floor, and I bit my lip till it bled, holding back the fiery tears and pained screams. I looked up at my father with dead eyes. "I was so gracious to your mother., took her home, gave her food and shelter a place to live but what did she do? Cheat! Gave birth to some other man's pig! You bastard child!"
"She... didn't" I feebly tried to croak out in defence of my mother.
"What did you say?! Then explain this silver hair of yours and those eyes, those cursed blue eyes, you bastard child of a cheating shrew!" He knelt beside me and screamed into my ears, covering me in his saliva. He was right. It was a well-known fact that if a man from the Weather Clan and woman from outside had a child, the child would take after the man, but if it was vice versa the child could take after either parent. That's why a man could marry a woman outside, but a woman from the clan had to marry a relative from the clan to keep the bloodline pure. I'm not sure why it works like that, but the clan elders said something like the Weather God; our clan's ancestor made it so. I knew this, but yet I just couldn't see my mother cheating. She would never.
He threw me back to the ground and got up and left in anger. In the shadows, I heard a low giggle that jingled like bells through the entire room. I twitched my fingers, which was my attempt to clench my fist as I looked on, knowing full well that that half-sister of mine was there lurking in the shadows seeking pleasure in my misfortune.
"Little sister, are you ok? Did you anger Daddy again? I heard you stole from the kitchen again. "What was it for again?" She walked out from the shadows, tapping her lip in contemplation. Her voice was a disgustingly high pitch and her waist low dusty grey hair swayed with each step. "Oh! Right, was it to feed that shrew of your mother?" She knelt beside me. "It must have hurt, right? You should have thought of that before you went trying to get food, your food comes from the pigs' leftovers? Let me assist farther in punishing you," She stood back up, her plump pink lips forming a deep smile. She pulled out a long black whip with barbs protruding from its surface.
"Oh, I covered it in lemon and salt to further get it through your head, you're less than a lowly pig in this clan!" She said as she snapped the whip and sent it crashing towards my back I bit my lip as the barbs dug into my skin followed by the painful scorching pain of the salt and lemon. The barbs got lodged deep within my skin and she or rather Filipe pulled it back harshly, tearing my skin away with it. "AGHHH!!!" I shrieked in pain and despair which garnered a maniacal laugh from Filipe she covered her mouth with her hand "Ahh, sister your screams are like music to my ears," I bit down on my lips harder till my lips bled holding back the screams of pain that threatened to spill from my mouth as the whip continuously fell upon my back.
I was his daughter, yet he treated me so, but that half-sister of mine he pampered and held within the palm of his hand. I burned with jealousy, and all I wanted was to shred them apart with my very own hands- no; I want to cut them to pieces with an old rusty dagger. Even that pain won't measure up to the amount of pain I experience daily or the sharp words that cut me deeper than a double-edged sword. But I lived on because I had my precious mother who held me dear and would sing lullabies to me gently at night and rub my back and dress my wounds when I came limping back to her after countless tortures.
"Argh!" I jolted awake soaked in a cold sweat and I touched my cheek that was wet with tears. I was trembling this time, not from the cold but from fear, hatred and sadness. I held my knees closer and sobbed into my knees as I cried my pain away and time seemed to drag on for eternity.