𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐂𝐄 : 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐈

❝ I sat alone, in bed till the morning❞
xxiii. woods: don't look deep

──

The colorful birds were soaring the morning sky from everywhere to everywhere, the blazing sun was kissing the fair skin of a young lady. The atmosphere was calm and still like ocean water scattering its pleasantness to each and every viewer's eyes. The road was always silent, it wasn't a much-used pathway. The young lady was approaching her school, trying to keep a low profile and enjoy nature instead of seated inside a luxurious car suffocating under the air conditioner.

While walking, a strange and fragile hand grabbed her box-pleated skirt; It was unusual and scared her a bit. She deflected her eyes from sight-seeing the surroundings and averted her gaze towards the odd hands grabbing her attire.

She saw a little girl, almost bones and skin was tugging her as if reaching out for help. The young lady's heart was overwhelmed by pity to see a kid, only wrapped with a thin layer of skin and messy hair as if her hair contained bird seeds.

"Hey, what's your name?" The young lady knelt to the little girl's height and questioned her familiarly. The little girl however was hesitant and mute for a while as if an invisible force was preventing her from trying to answer any question that was shot at her. 

"I'm Lilian Westwood"

"..."

"Can you speak?"

"..."

"Where are your family?"

"Family?" Her little brown eyes twinkled at the word. Lilian was somehow satisfied that the little stranger can speak, so that if she was accidentally abandoned by her parents or lost she could find them easily. "Yeah, family!" Lilian's voice was bittersweet, she loves families, but when it comes to her own, her face always responds with a disgusted look.

"What's a family?" The little girl's absurd question almost swept Lilian off her feet. On the contrary, the little girl was so chill as if she just didn't ask a question straight from a lack of basic necessity that anyone should know. Lilian, despite being still comprehending this situation tried to explain what a family is, "you know, a mother, a father, a sibling and you all live together! Where is your mom? dad?"

"What's a mom dad?"

Lilian was taken aback again. The little girl was coming up as a really big surprise with each and every question she asked, it was kinda sad according to her. To be a child who doesn't even know what a father or mother is should have been a hell growing up. Lilian smiled and brushed the little girl's hair softly, "Did you have any breakfast?" The little girl just blinked her eyelashes rapidly and Lilian understood she didn't.

She noticed a bakery shop (since the area was abandoned and not much used, the bakery shop was really compact and had almost no visitors) next to her and immediately went inside to get the girl some food to satisfy her hunger. The little stranger, not knowing what to do trailed Lilian like a lost puppy inside the bakery by grabbing her skirt. Lilian unexpectedly felt comfortable with her, she felt happy taking the little one under her wings even though it's just temporary. 

I know it's strange to get attached to someone whom you just met, but whenever Lilian looked at the little one's eyes, she felt like family. 

***

Days passed on slowly, every time Lilian crossed the road where she last met the little stranger she examined the whole area trying to find her and the little one would come running to her with a bright smile plastered on her face. She would buy her some food, talk to her for a while and leave to attend her school by forcing herself. 

The little one would just go and sit on a bench until Lilian comes back, it became a routine to her. No matter how long it takes, she knows Lilian would return to her. Lilian even named the little one, finding it hard to address someone without a name.

"Jisoo," she whispered. "My name is Jisoo."

Jisoo fidgeted her fingers and bit her new fabric (which Lilian bought for her) remembering that today was Lilian's birthday. Lilian would sometimes rant on how her family never gifted her anything for her birthday, it was almost as if she was living in a house of three unknown strangers. Lilian had a little brother, who was of the same age as Jisoo, and still, she was much less strange towards Lilian.

Jisoo was still wondering what she should present to Lilian, she always brought her something every time they visit. Jisoo always had the urge to pay back Lilian's kindness, and today is the day where she can make something up to Lilian. Jisoo bit her lips, it was almost time for Lilian to come.

Suddenly an idea popped inside her head as she ran inside the bakery. She enthusiastically jumped up and down and up and down before the shop owner (who was around his 30's). "Can I have some cake?" Her voice was loud yet feeble, soft yet playful. The owner examined the young girl, he has seen her roaming in the area like a stray but, has never visited his shop. 'She is a stray,' he thought.

"Here," his hard voice barked while reaching out a soft plum cake to Jisoo. She jumped out of joy and grabbed the cake from him and started to leave the shop but, the hoarse (and creepy) voice of the baker made her halt in her position. His lips had a devious smile as he leaned in and whispered,

 "you have to pay."

***

Lilian was wearing a bright smile than ever on her lips, she is legal to adopt Jisoo. She doesn't care if her parents or siblings rebel, after all, they have no right to give her even their opinions as they only ran after business and money for their selfish reasons. She promised herself that today is going to be the best birthday she has ever had and there is no way it is going to go wrong.

Her smile faded slowly when she saw Jisoo before her, drenched in blood and holding a crimson cake in her hands.

"happy birthday, ma."

***

"You can't just barge inside our mansion with a stranger! and gosh, she stinks and is covered with some crimson liquid!" Namjoon (also known as her 'brother') shouted in frustration. Lilian was sweating abruptly holding the clueless Jisoo in her hands. 'She just killed someone,' Lilian thought in her mind while tugging Jisoo more closer. She knows what her little one did was wrong and sinister, but that isn't enough to break the bond they both shared.

"Shut up, Namjoon. I don't care about your opinions, but I'm taking her in," Lilian pushed Jisoo back a little and shielded her, putting her little one into safety. Namjoon snorted in response, "are you nuts, sister? be sensible for at least a moment in your life, we're not going to adopt a stranger!" Jisoo grabbed Lilian's skirt tighter being scared of the negative energy Namjoon was releasing.

"It's not a 'we', it's an 'I'. I have already completed the formalities, Namjoon. And oh, am I now valuable enough to be called 'sister' by you?" she questioned with a mocking tone. Namjoon was angered more and glared at the poor Jisoo, who had no idea what was going on here.

"A NO IS A NO SISTER, DROP HER BACK IN THE SWAMP YOU PICKED HER FROM."

"Zip it, Namjoon."

"WHAT WOULD OUR PARENTS THINK OF US?"

"tsk, parents you say? I know a way for convincing them."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"I know the contract, the one they did with the current ruling party to transfer the funds that were for the recent natural calamity compensation for the poor family to the military for machinery," Lilian had her eyes sharp and Namjoon gulped a slap down his throat. "Why are bringing that, INTO THIS?" Namjoon shouted. Jisoo was too young and lacked the education to understand the seriousness of the conversation that was happening before her.

"Are you seriously going to blackmail our parents, sister? It's a really bad move. We shouldn't be knowing things we were NOT supposed to poke our noses into!" Namjoon was concerned about the opposite of a 'sensible' decision his elder sibling did, he knows she won't listen to him and neither does his voice reaches her ears but, at least he had to try.  

"Watch me!" she was too stubborn to understand the consequences. "And if you dare do something to Jisoo in my absence, it would be you who would lose the right to address me sister, Namjoon," Lilian spoke as Namjoon's gaze bored on Jisoo's eyes, she was intimidated by him, his action, his tone, his everything. Lilian knelt down and helped Jisoo sit on a chair, her lips still smiling as always, "I'll be back soon, 'kay?" Jisoo nodded her head.

According to Lilian, there are two types of people: The columns, who would shield any soul under their wings and kind enough to forgive a troubled apology, and The ones who need to be protected and accepted. Lilian is a person who believes that evil individuals don't exist, just evil society that molds a naive stranger. She was too naive and too kind. Namjoon hated her guts and instincts, he hated how every time she was the one who sorted issues that he, himself brought upon him even though he shoved away. He hated how kind she was.

Jisoo and Namjoon watched Lilian walking towards the parent's room. Deep down she was scared, but she knows she has to stand up today. They both waited and waited for Lilian to come back, but she never returned. Jisoo was still seated in her chair, her eyes stuck onto the door which Lilian went through a few hours ago but still, there was no sign of Lilian. Namjoon sighed, losing hope and leaving the place. But, Jisoo was still waiting.

"No matter what it takes, Lilian would be back and Jisoo would wait for her," she softly muttered waiting.

──

❝ I'm crying, "They're coming for me"❞

+ happy belated wishes pooja :D