In the city where small lamps were gleaming, garnish the town with its light. A small girl, old enough to be admitted to middle school was running. She's gasping for breath, and she's running from her pursuer with her bare legs.
"Hey! Stop you lil' rat!"
On her back, a grown man is wearing a flat cap and suit with an overcoat.
Even with his shout, everyone in the surroundings didn't show much care for the situation. They were only looking without showing any care and just walking. Using her small figure to her advantage, she forces her way through, leaving a big gap from her pursuer until her figures are fully immersed in the sea of people inside the shopping district.
"Darn it! That lil'rat,"
"That rat's really quick on her feet,"
Given up, the man who pursued her walked away from the spot the girl was gone.
Deep in the alley, on the ground using a card box as the pad, the girl sitting down hugging her knee with a loaf of bread in her hands. Nibble it bit by bit until her hunger feels like it has already subsided. As she ate, droplets of water began to fall, slowly soaking the makeshift tent where she was staying. The girl's small body shivered as she began to feel the chill. A white fog can be seen from her breath, indicating that the temperature was low enough for that little body to shiver.
"...."
The deafening sound of rain echoed in her ears, as she huddled in her comfortable spot. However, her makeshift shelter slowly began to crumble as a drip from above wet the cardboard beneath her, drenching it. As time passed, the rain grew heavier and the once-annoying drip became even more bothersome.
With heavy feelings, she lifts her feet seeking a place to take shelter. In the narrow alley, she's walking searching a place that she deems decent to take shelter. As far as her eyes can see, there's no more than trash piled up. She intentionally avoids the main road where townsfolk take because she knows no one will care about a slum girl walking on the street. As she previously snatches some bread or fruits from the stalls there.
As the sun slowly descended behind the clouds, the people of the city went about their business, knowing that the night was fast approaching. Amid this hustle and bustle, a little girl trudged along a deserted alleyway, her eyes darting around in search of a dry place to rest. She continued on her journey, eventually finding herself in the heart of a neglected district where the outcasts of society had made their home. Despite the danger that lay ahead, she bravely pushed forward, determined to find a place to rest.
The solitary figure of a young girl walked down the empty street, her gaze fixed on the ground. The townsfolk passing by barely gave her a second glance. As the sun began to set, a cool breeze swept across the town, accompanied by a dense fog that slowly crept up and enveloped everything in sight. The streets became quieter as most of the townspeople retreated to the warmth of their homes, leaving the girl in solitary at the deserted alleyway. She found a small corner to crouch in, hugging her knees close to her chest for warmth. The rough brick wall beside her provided a sense of comfort as she gazed out into the foggy night, lost in her thoughts.
The rain was stopped, and a dripping sound that reverberated came from the ceiling and the people that passed by.
Her little body a while ago shivering now has been subsided. Somehow warm feelings surged from the inside and made her mind fluffy.
With a low voice, she says, "..... Warm,"
Her breathing became rough, her body was scorching hot, and her head was fluffy. When the drowsiness hit her, her mind began wandering somewhere else. She saw a man, opened the door and came inside while she was waiting in front of it. Laughing together and eating a meal that the man was brought, a memory of her past before the unknown took her brother.
When she was about to close her eyes, a silhouette appeared in front of her, walking slowly closing their distance. By the time the silhouette was near enough to touch the girl, her mind blacked out.
Some time passed, and a warm feeling could be felt covering the little girl's body. A rock-hard ground that she chooses to sit on before becoming comfortable. Slowly, her eyes opened. She was inside a room unbeknown to her lying on the bed with a blanket covering her whole body.
In her mind, she said, 'Warm....'
'....How long ago it is the last time I slept on a warm bed,.....'
She's still panting, her head still feels fuzzy. She's wandering her eyes around, observing the room with her heavy eyes forced open. On her sides, there's a girl with a book in her hands flipping sheet by sheet solemnly. Her white silver hair was beautifully organized, sometimes she brushed her hair to the sides so her activity remained uninterrupted.
The little girl stared in awe, mesmerized by the beauty beside her. With a glance, the white silver-haired girl looking at her, noticed that the girl was already conscious.
"Oh, you're awake?"
She reaches the little girl's forehead, checking the body of its temperature, and with a smile on her face, she says, "Don't worry, it seems your body still has fever. Just go back to sleep,..."
Gradually, the eyes that were already open began to close again. A comfortable feeling that the little girl felt, a feeling of safety that currently enveloped her heart made her easily close her eyes for the second time.
After some time, she opens her eyes. The room light greets her eyes and makes her eyes squint. She's still on the bed, fighting the headache that she feels and slowly turning her head sideways. When she looks around, the unfamiliar room greets her and a sense of strangeness comes for the second time.
In her head, she says, 'How long ago was it, the last time I slept on a warm bed like this?'
When she is still in a daze, a sound comes from the door. A girl with silver-white hair emerged from behind, greeting her with a smile on her face and a tray on her hands.
"Oh? You're awake,"
She nonchalantly walks in, closing her distance. When she was close enough, she put the tray on the table, pulled a chair, and sat down.
"Did I wake you up?" Said her.
The little girl only shakes her head weakly.
While checking her forehead, the girl says, "Are you hungry? Can you eat?"
Slowly, the little girl woke up from her position. Looking at that, the white silver-haired girl reaches her back, helping her wake up. When the little girl was in the right position, the girl took the bowl that she had brought. With her hand, she feeds the little girl carefully.
After one bite, the little girl paused. She looks down, staring at her hands. A different warm feeling surged from inside her body. The soup was delicious, it was warm and easy enough to digest. Overcome the memory of the feeling of eating the hard stale bread that she used to. At that moment, droplets dropped from her eyes wetting the blanket that still covered her half-body followed by a soft sobbing sound.
The room turns quiet, the sound of a downpour outside can't be heard anymore as the rain already stopped a while ago. Now turns the soft-sobbing sound that reverberated.