Ch. 01: The Girl Who Lived
Cold steel wrapped around your frail little arms as you were tossed into the darkest part of the truck. You knew this was your end. A life of a wandering girl searching for light, to decrease her stakes of dying in a world like this. This was you. It's your story.
The vehicle moved, making you swerve to the right. The force crashed into your already weak body. Hunger was taking over you, making you much more tired and weak.
Days have passed since your house and parents were burnt to ashes. It was all coming too fast. Your parents helped you get out and only for them to sacrificed their lives just for you, their precious little daughter.
Your tired state is slowly taking over you. Your eyelids have to flutter every now and then to make yourself awake a little longer. Who knows where they are going to take you... or kill you.
"Wake up, girl."
You slowly opened your eyes and took the time to adjust to the brightness of the room. Your handcuffed hands were free now, and you found yourself lying on the cold floor. Your legs felt shakey as you stood slowly.
Where? The room was all elegant and expensive-looking. Who could have thought to take you in here? This is a place for the rich.
"Now, now. We know you are asking in that little of head of yours of why you are here,"
The voice from before belonged to a man. His clothes were as expensive as the room.
"Sorry for being rude to bring you here in such short notice. But, we brought you here to keep you safe from the criminal underground organization as we call the Port Mafia."
You've heard of the Port Mafia. They were famous for criminal activities in the area where you live.
"They were the ones who killed your parents,"
Your throat was dry and you gulped the last bit of saliva in your mouth. You thought of vengeance... but quickly swept it away for it may not help you. What can you gain from revenge? Let karma do the job.
"I have heard that your family has a bloodline of ability users... very skilled ability users,"
The man continued on.
"Also, we are seeking to end the reign of the Port Mafia in this place. And we might need your help. That is your purpose for now."
"How did I get here?" You spoke your first words when you have arrived in this place.
"We put you up in the truck, of course. And whisked you away to our airship Moby Dick."
"I thought I was gonna die in there. I thought my body is going to be sold in the black market,"
He removed his coat and placed it on your shoulder. You were fine with your ripped ragged clothing, but reluctantly accept the offer of the man.
"Negative thoughts in those kind of situations don't help, girl." He paused for a while to think on what to say.
"I apologize for the late introductions. I am Francis Fitzgerald. Mind if I know yours?"
You clutched the coat tighter to your body, "my name is JK... JK Rowling,"
"Ah... we were too late to get her, Elise-chan,"
"If only you have sent your skilled subordinates this wouldn't have happened,"
The little blonde girl sprawled on the floor. She grabbed a black crayon and drew on the floor.
"Everything has been burned to ashes even the bodies. Even the person we are aching to look for. But I have no regrets if we lose everything in that mission. If we have her or not, we're still fine. But if we still have her, we could have been the slightest bit advantegeous."
He raised a thin stick as dark as charcoal. He waved it around, "and this is the only thing that is ever left in the fire."
The little girl called Elise, added the finishing touches to her drawing. She drew the family she grew up with. The Port Mafia.
The wind whipped your hair as you observe the people loading cargo to the ship. You were assigned to watch over the docks to see some strange sightings, if there were.
"Fancy meeting you here, Miss Alcott," you greeted the shy tactican who immediately curled up into her own shell.
"M-Miss Rowling, I ha--"
"Miss Alcott, you're older than me. Why the politeness?"
"I-I'm sorry!" Her fretful face turned to worry.
"I sense a terrible future coming and you were there... in the pandemonium." She breathed in heavily, her glasses clouding her eyes, "what have you done wrong?"
There was a big change in her mood. When a hand touches her shoulder, it faded away.
"Where is she?"
The sound of flesh being pierced rang in your ears. Blood sprayed over your face. Louisa May Alcott fainted as she was stabbed by the boy who's famous over being called as the 'Silent Rabid Dog'.
You've checked up on his profile years ago when you were still finding out what your ability is.
Louisa was dropped to the ground like a heavy sack. Unnoticed from before, everyone was laying fainted or dead.
The 'Silent Rabid Dog' coughed in between words, "where is she? Where is this Rowling girl?"
As the only person with conciousness, you have to eliminate this foe. You punched him but he blocked it off with his coat that cut through your wrists.
His coat bared fangs at you, the menace in his aura shakes you with fear. You were powerless against him. You don't even know what your abilities were. Fighting against an experienced ability user over your unknown ability, the odds flew off through the sky.
"So this is what the guild is," the words he spat has poison, "weaklings."
"Whatever the case, I am not ignoring this mission for my own benefit." He looked at you, his eyes sending a bolt of fear to anyone who would stare at it.
You remember that he was looking for you. Why would he need you? He is a member of the Port Mafia, what can he benefit from the likes of you? He doesn't know what you looked like, he only knows your name. An advantage to use.
"Tell me where is this Rowling girl or I will kill you. I have an important package to give her of."
Package. Could be a bomb. But at times like this, a package for you, a probability of a trap or he was saying the truth.
"Why do you need to send her a package, anyway?"
"You think I'm lying? Pathetic girl." He threw a long, slim, object wrapped in white clothing to your face.
"He said he knows. He wants to see her unleash it." He slowly made his exit out of the dock.
You felt useless as you see him walking farther away. Losing a subordinate at your useless state, guilts you to the core. You set aside the 'package' and stood up. Bruises covered your legs and arms, your shorts and shirt ripped.
"Akutagawa, your fame has reached my ears." You said.
He stopped walking but never turned to face you.
"Why not kill me along with the others? You had the chance back there."
"Killing someone as weak as you is a waste of my time."
You knew he was lying. He killed the innocent who got along with this massacre. Why hasn't he targeted you first?
His shady figure faded along with the setting sun. You ran off to find Louisa, the girl had nothing to do with this. Even the people who mindlessly loaded the cargo to the ship.
"I'm sorry, Miss Alcott."
"Three years, Miss Rowling. For three years, you still haven't learned your ability."
"But Mr. Fitzgerald, there must be a weapon or something that got burned in the house fire back then, that is why she can't activate it."
Louisa lay on the hospital bed. She had been stabbed on the stomach and turned out to be fine. Her dark expression before that inicident happened, were still very fresh in your mind.
You still haven't reported the package that the Port Mafia gave to you. It must have been very important to give it to you in person, in a very shocking way. You took out the object, still wrapped in the clothing.
"I apologize that I intereupted your discussion, Mr. Fitzgerald. But the Port Mafia has given me a present. I haven't opened it, yet."
The person who supposedly saved you years ago, snatched the object out of your grasps and unwrapped it hastily.
"A stick." He looked baffled. "Why has the Port Mafia given you this useless twig?"
"Um... why would they give the effort to give this to JK?" Louisa chimed into the conversation, "it might have been a wand."
"Your fantasies Ms. Alcott, do not exist in this world." Francis growled to let out a bit of temper. He's had enough of you loafing around and with Louisa making it quite worse.
"Wow. Fantasies? How come almost everyone in this room has superhuman abilities?"
"What are saying in an inaudible tone, Miss Rowling?"
"Nowt," you replied slyly and silently whispered to the tiniest bit that only an ant can hear, "what a shirty man,"
He gave the stick along with the cloth back to you and silently went out of the room. There was a moment of a serene wonderland. In all quietness and stillness.
"Mr. Fitzgerald isn't usually that short-tempered or hot-tempered, it's just the way he treats you."
"Well, blimey..."
The sound of the air conditioner hums, audible whispers of employess outside the room resonates. It was almost deafening. The silence in the room.
Just like that day. You've been deaf in that fire storm. Leading you into the hidden trapdoor, seeing their skin forming a burn, bubbling up and turning to mucky red.
Your father's left eye crackled due to the immense heat. Even if you were to pull them down, they would eventually die. This degree of burn is deadly and with the weak body.
"Go. Go!" Your mother shoved you deeper into the void of the trapdoor.
"Go on. Live."
Her smile punctured your heart, knowing that they will die. And she pushed you with the last bit of her strength, you fell down into the trapdoor and landed on your bum.
Realizing that the place was almost as your height, you pounded on the door, begging for them to come with you. Alas, you cannot open it, to no choice but to go through this pit.
How long have you walked through that passageway? Albeit you never even made the effort to walk, enveloped with the sudden grief of the loss of your parents... and everything.
Lest, it was only you. You only have yourself to rely on.
Sitting in that dark passage for minutes? Hours? Days? You haven't known for only darkness is what you have seen.
Remembering what your mother had said, you stood up on your fourteen year old feet and walked to where the void is going to take you.
The rays of the sun blinded you as you went out of the sewers which meant to be the passageway. Towering men of ripping muscles awaited you on the exit.
Yes, they were waiting for you. They took hold of your arms, shackled your hands, and overthrew you into their vehicle.
You were the girl who lived through this.