True Colours : Chapter 1 - Prologue
The Underground City , where most of the criminals resides , where most make a living out of illegal activities , a place where the sun light will never reach , a wretched place where there is no justice and righteousness. Human trafficking is one of the most successful family business here in the Underground District , the organization kidnaps children , buys them from parents with unplanned pregnancy or simply , pick the abandoned ones up from the streets. It is not uncommon for kids to be abandoned as countless families here live in poverty and barely had enough to feed themselves ; Everyone here selfishly lives for themselves and only for themselves. Children who are more fortunate than the others will be named by their biological parent before they are raised and sold as products. Boys are often sold as slaves to rich families living on the higher ground while girls are commonly sold to Brothels as prostitutes or as house maids to rich families. Lucky children would be traded with cash to desperate married couples who couldn't bear any off springs. Children in the human trafficking business never leave the home beyond the age of 13.
Born out of wedlock , out of a shameful deed of infidelity between a rich merchant's daughter and a lowly military soldier , Elizabeth Franklin was forcibly sold away as an 9 months old infant to the Underground City by her disapproving grandfather. The act of adultery was discovered after Elizabeth was born. The once well reputed Franklin family name was put to shame ,and the couple was publicly exposed and humiliated in the middle of the busiest street in Trost district. Adultery was punishable by death. On a day prior to the execution date , the bodies of the star-crossed lovers were found hanged in their separate cells.
Elizabeth's grandfather mourn over the tainted name of his family and deem the infant as a filthy untouchable bastard. She resembles too much of the sin that his daughter has committed , raven dark hair like her mother , and large cold grey eyes of her father. He thought the most appropriate place for the untouchables to live is the Underground City , where the citizens there should never see the bright daylight , just like their crimes and the despicable lives they led. Elizabeth was quickly rid of and sold to the Underground notorious human trafficking organization shortly after the death of her parents. There ,Elizabeth Franklin grew up not knowing the identities nor the tragedy of her parents. She was fed with minimum nutrition and given numerous chores daily to complete as soon as she turns 6 when her motor skills were fully developed. She was a submissive and frightened child , never complained nor questioned what she was told to do , being afraid of the painful and harsh punishment that awaits her if she says otherwise. She was also an inquisitive girl with an intensely curious mind , always wondering what life is like on higher ground. What do people living upstairs do for a living ? How do they dress? How does sunlight feels like on her skin? What does the sky looks like? With her highly imaginative mind , Elizabeth would sketch and draw images of how she thought life is up stairs. Colourful buildings , man wearing fancy hats , stalls selling attractive yummy sweets , she enjoys composing her own ideal world in her head and from there , she developed a love for drawing. Never given an opportunity for education , Elizabeth will sometimes sneak out of the trafficking house unnoticed just to stand by the door of a small classroom. Lessons were only provided for children who were more blessed than the others , the more privileged children in the Underground city will be taught how to read and write by a tutor. Initially , Elizabeth will be shunned away countless times by the tutor only to return back the subsequent lesson. The determination of the young child impressed the tutor and Elizabeth eventually earned her place in the classroom by the back door. Even when she was not provided with any studying material , Elizabeth tried to learn what she could absorb at her best effort at every lesson , taking notes with stationeries she have stolen at the trafficking house. This went on for 3 whole years until a caretaker spotted her exiting the back door by chance. Elizabeth was ruthlessly punished , caned , starved , and given extra chores.
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" Get out you bastard! " The caretaker of the trafficking house threw Elizabeth out the front door and down the stairs to the cold hard concrete ground. " Learn your place before you break another rule again. " the middle aged old woman spat and cringed her nose in disgust before turning away and shutting the door behind her. Elizabeth hasn't been fed for 3 days , she was caught for taking candy off the table and refused to spit it out when berated. Her cheek swelled up with redness where the caretaker slapped her but she bit her jaw hard together , as if clinging onto the piece of candy for her dear life. Her petite and scrawny body lied motionless on the ground , still sucking on the candy she stole earlier. Her body was underdeveloped for a 11 year old child , shorter and much more skinnier than an average kid her age due to the lack of nutrition. Tired, hungry , and with nowhere to go , Elizabeth didn't try to escape from the trafficking house even when she was thrown out. The Underground district is not a big place , they'll find her eventually wherever she run to, she has no one to turn to anyway. Being in her state of hunger , she couldn't sustain herself for long. She contemplated on stealing food but her weak legs wouldn't bring her very far nor even fast enough to outrun a person with 1 leg. The corner of her mouth lifted up a little to a weak smile when she imagined a person hopping on one leg trying to chase her , finding a pinch of comedy in her head despite her situation. She contemplated about her past , there wasn't a single moment of joy she could find except when she was alone drawing or when she was standing by the classroom backdoor learning about the wonders of language. She thought about the tutor who showed her a little kindness by allowing her to attend his lessons , though they did not have an actual conversation , she greatly appreciates it. She contemplates about her future , she wondered where will she be sold to or will she even live pass today or die of hunger. Even if she dies today , no one will remember her nor have she got anything to lose , She has no future , she's worthless. " It will be good if i could die today. " Elizabeth thought to herself as she closed her eyes, slowly wanting to drift into unconsciousness.
" Hey girl , you alright? "
Elizabeth lifted her eyes weakly and tilted her head to match a pair of concerned grey eyes. Kneeling in front of her is a slightly older teenage boy with a head of pale brown hair.
" Guys , we got to help her. I'm carrying her back. "
Elizabeth felt her body being lifted up gently by a pair of strong arms and placed close to a muscular chest. She heard disapproving noises around her.
" She's probably from the trafficking house , we'll get into so much trouble if we took her away. "
" Yeah she might be trouble , just leave her at where you've found her. "
" The safe place is not an orphanage , you can't just pick up kids like that and adopt them. "
The boy spoke again , " Don't worry , i'll take care of everything. " .
He felt the gaze of the girl he was carrying and looked down to meet her blank , tired and distant eyes. The last thing Elizabeth Franklin remembered before she drifted into a slumber was a kind smile and a voice saying , " Hi , I'm Farlan Church , nice to meet you. " .