❝ If you're as forsaken as you say you are, why are we still here? ❞
Vermillion Oakes is as sweet as can be. Her parents, on the other hand, are not in the slightest way sweet. They were cruel and terrible. Anytime poor Vermillion would ask a simple question, they would flip out on her. "Mom, why is my hair brown, and yours blonde?" Punishment. "Dad, why can I light up my lamp without touching it?" Punishment. "Why can I see into animal's thoughts?" Punishment.
She just realized that anytime she asked anyone a question, she would get punished. This drove her into a frenzied fear of anyone, and everyone. Except for animals of course.
People would ignore the poor girl- even though she had ragged, dirty clothes, and plenty of bruises- while she played with the wildlife. She would play with deer, rats, wolves, stray dogs, snakes, birds, and butterflies just to name a few.
She was fine for a couple of years, up until her 11th birthday. This is where her whole world fell apart. Well, more than it already had.