Hatred
She hated her. She absolutely hated her.
Who? Oh, only her dear, dear sister, the over-achiever, and the successful Turk. Elena had never loathed anyone more in her life, if she was to be perfectly honest. Not only was her sister someone who worked for that evil, bloodthirsty ShinRa company that Elena had such a distaste for, but that same sister of hers was the one who received all of the glory and praise from their parents and friends, while Elena (as the younger sibling) was left to hear comments such as 'why can't you be more like that?', 'Oh, your sister could do that without even trying!', and so on. What Elena didn't understand was how someone with a poisonous attitude like that of her sister could be showered with so much praise for being a Turk, of all things! Turks were evil and inhumane monsters. They killed, they kidnapped, and they hurt the innocent, all because they knew no better than to follow orders. Even common wild monsters that were encountered in the plains were above them in Elena's mind, for most wild monsters only killed for a reason. Still, whatever the type of monster, monsters were only monsters for a reason. Turks chose this path all by themselves, and then allowed someone else to make all other decisions for them. That was their reason for being monsters, whereas wild monsters were born to be hated and misunderstood. They, unlike Turks, had no choice, and couldn't help being what they were.
As you may well assume, these opinions and comments didn't go down too well with her family (being closely connected with the ShinRa company), or even the gifted older sibling herself. Although her sister was hot-tempered, she managed to hold in her rage until all eyes were turned in another direction, which was when Elena's punishment would begin. This 'punishment' could range from small things like verbal arguments, all the way to more serious things like Elena finding herself locked in the dark, spider-filled cupboard under the stairs, or just plain being beaten, depending on her sister's mood at the time. Turks truly were merciless creatures.
Their most recent battle this afternoon had resulted in Elena suffering several blows, while managing to deal some to her sister in return. This battle had been what had made up Elena's mind, and had made her understand that she had just had enough. That battle would be the last, and this was her vow as she barricaded herself in her bedroom after she had fled from the combat that had been raging just downstairs in the living room. She was getting out of here. She knew she just couldn't live like this anymore. Although Elena had nowhere to go, the blonde teenager knew well enough that anywhere in the world was much better than here; this place that she was ashamed to call 'home'.
With one look around her small bedroom for what she believed would be the last time, the teenager then hurried over to her wardrobe and searched it high and low, finally finding that the rucksack that she had been searching for was stowed away in one of the top compartments.
It was a challenge to climb up inside of the wardrobe to reach the rucksack, due to the high wall of boxes that were stacked upon the floor in there. Still, she managed to overcome such a difficulty by jumping up clinging to the silver rail above, upon which several coat hangers bearing clothes were hung. This rail aided her efforts to pull herself up into the deep, main body of the wardrobe. Elena really wished that she at least had better footing than that which she had been provided with her, for the folded-down tops of the boxes beneath her feet were uneven, and she wobbled every so often as she stood upon them, a fair distance from the hardwood floor below. If they gave way and she fell, it would definitely be a fall to remember. That wasn't a comforting thought at all, since she could practically feel herself sinking a little ways into the topmost box, which gave a terrifying shudder (even under her light weight) that almost drew forth a cry of fear from Elena. To make matters worse, this wardrobe was rather dark save for the light that filtered in here and there, which reminded her of that dreaded cupboard under the stairs that had served as her prison on far too many occasions. Such memories sent a shiver of terror through her, and she hastily grabbed the decently-sized black rucksack and hopped down from the cardboard platform which the several boxes had provided for her. How she had managed to stay atop those uneven boxes was a mystery to her, but she supposed she owed it to luck more than anything else.
With rucksack in hand, she went about grabbing some essentials, such as a wallet filled with what money she had saved up, a few clean changes of clothes, a few comfort items like her MP3 player and a particularly cute toy that she was rather attached to, some snacks that she had found hidden safely within one of the drawers, and several bathroom supplies from her shelf.
Escape
With only one last look around her bedroom to remind herself of what it looked like, Elena approached the window, slipped the rucksack on to her back, and climbed up on to the window ledge. As someone who had never thought too much of herself (thanks to the negative opinions of herself that she had received from others who thought that she was worthless if she wasn't her sister), Elena naturally doubted herself upon reaching this stage. Deep down, part of her heart knew well that this was just a childish game, and that she was too weak and stupid to ever go through with such an operation. 'I can do it,' she thought with some uncertainty, pressing one of her hands flat against the glass. She knew that once she did this, there was no turning back, and no going home. Was she sure that this was what she wanted?
"Elena! Sweetie! You can come down now if you've thought about what you've done!"
That forced sickly sweet tone of her sister's was enough to make up her mind, and as she heard the sounds of footsteps upon the stairs leading up to her room, Elena knew that she had to do this. With one deep breath, she made a leap of faith through the open window and in the direction of the tall tree that stood proudly not far from it. It paid off. Her desperate hands managed to grasp at one of the outstretched branches, which felt horribly rough and coarse against her soft skin. Still, freedom was worth the scratches that her hands and body received. Remembering that her sister would no doubt be preparing to enter her room by now, Elena hastily scrambled down the branches as fast as one could in such inappropriate dress as a white shirt, a red sweater, high socks, black school shoes and a short black skirt possibly could be expected to. She was so very relieved to reach the ground, and upon setting her feet down upon it as she hopped down from the lowest branch, the teenager could identify the feeling of her heart pretty much singing. She was free, and hopefully she had made her escape into a world where she would no longer be hurt or punished for thinking what she thought. Wishing to immediately taste this freedom, she fled.
"...and I guess that's how I got here," the teenage blond sighed to herself as she stood outside the creepy old ShinRa Mansion, of all places, with its creepy squeaky gate (which was covered with crawling ivy), broken windows and run-down garden out front. The building's bricks were dark, dirty and worn with age and the effects of weather. In short, it looked like the classic set of a horror movie. Why was it that old, abandoned, badly kept mansions were so damned terrifying, and yet so very intriguing? Still, she couldn't be too scared about staying in this place when her situation at home was the thing that seemed so much scarier. Today's fight really had been a big one, and she was glad to be away from it, even if seeking sanctuary in this old place was the same as seeking refuge with an old (and particularly bitter) enemy. Still, regardless of the fear and awe that was building up in this place, she knew that she couldn't dilly-dally here for too long, for fear that anyone may have followed her, and had plans to drag her back home they second they caught sight of her. That was the last place she wished to be right now, especially while that beast was there, probably receiving bucket-loads of sympathy for having such a worthless, badly behaved brat for a sister. Such a thought was all that was necessary for a scowl to darken her features, and, summoning all of her courage; Elena forced open the old oak double doors and entered.