Past: 9 years old

Weaving my way through the crowd gathered in the market, my eyes darted all around. Where is this guy? This satchel full of stolen items was heavy and the longer I stayed out here, the more likely I would be caught. Sighing, I stopped at the sound of my name.

"Cori Sommers! Stop right there!" The voice belonged to a military police man, who started into a dead sprint. Usually the only ones who ventured this far into the underground were fat and slow, giving up the chase easily. This guy, however, gained on me with every step he took.

The things I carried slowed me down. Damn, is this the day I have to kill a military police officer? A hand wrapped around my upper arm, pulling me into an alley. Without thinking, I swung.

"Easy, brat." Levi said, easily catching my fist. He shielded me from view, carefully watching the man out of the corner of his eye. "What did you steal this time?"

He frowned.

In the time that I'd known him, Levi had finally begun to trust me and accept me as part of his life. It's been almost five months since that day we'd met. "No idea, actually. He gave me a drawing and a location and I stole it." I shrugged my shoulders. Don't ask questions that could get you killed.

Levi flicked me on the forehead. "Idiot. Don't take jobs that are so vague. You'll be caught or killed for sure."

Ouch! I put my hands on my hips and grinned at him. "Are you worried about me, Levi?" I asked. The answer was clearly yes. He shouldn't be, though. I'm an expert of taking care of myself.

With an annoyed eye roll, Levi grabbed the satchel off my shoulder. "Farlan wants you to come over for dinner. He's the one who's worried about you. Where's your drop? I'll take this." Keeping a tight grip on the handle, he sighed. No one asked you to do this for me.

"I don't ne—"

"Need my help. Shut up and do as you're told, kid." He cut me off. There he goes insulting me again. Must be a hidden talent of his.

But, I knew he could be stubborn. I gave in and nodded. "Yeah yeah, I'll go. The guy is supposed to meet me up ahead at the fifth staircase. He's from the capital." To this day, I've never won an argument with him. It's not like the drop will be dangerous either. Plus, I bet Farlan is cooking something really good.

Levi stared at me. "Take the back way." With that he walked away.

Not worried, huh? I took his advice and stuck the alleyways. The military police were everywhere. Making it unnoticed took a long time, and I sighed when the door clicked closed behind me. The smell of fresh food filled my lungs. "Watcha making?" I asked, slipping my shoes off. No way was I cleaning the floors tonight.

Farlan turned around from his spot at the counter with a grin. "Chicken with some fried vegetables. I'm glad Levi found you, Cori. Seems your visits are getting further apart. Is something wrong?"

Talk about a mother hen…

I sat up on the counter next to him. "Nope. Just busy. I have a lot of requests. Some are easy. Some take days." I stole a piece of chicken off the carved carcass. It melted in my mouth. "That's so good."

"Cori." Farlan's cheerful grin had disappeared. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Huh?" His question caught me off guard. I blinked in confusion. The last time I ate? It took a few moments to respond. He was goading me. "Yester-"

"Cori, stop lying." Farlan cut me off. He let out a frustrated sigh. "You can't starve yourself. You need to eat, and you also need a place to stay. Levi and I have decided that you're going to stay with us."

My cheeks grew hot out of embarrassment. "I have a place."

The door to the bathroom creaked open and a girl walked out with towel on her heard. "Was that Levi… oh hi." She smiled awkwardly.

I've seen her before.

"Isabel, is this the kid you were telling us about?" Farlan asked.

Then it hit me. She used to live near the house that I crash in. The one I stayed in was falling apart. No one wanted it, but there was a dusty bed and it stayed empty for the most part. This girl had come in once to talk to me, and I'd thrown a knife at her. She never came back after that.

Isabel nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah, that's her."

When Farlan turned his gaze back to me, I felt like a child in trouble. Anger rose up. "I don't need anyone to take care of me!" I shouted, bolting for the door, only stopping to grab my shoes. I didn't fool with putting them on. Then I ran, which was one thing I was good at.

"Cori!" Farlan shouted after me.

My whole body shook with anger and sobs when I reached the top of the ridge. The only reason I stopped was the tears in my eyes were making it extremely hard to see. Sitting on the ledge, I tried to calm down, wiping the tears away with the back of my hand. "What does he know!? No one should care about me!"

The city below me bustled with life. All these people…they're worthless! No one really cares about what happens to me. I'm just another number, another nuisance. Anytime adults talked to me, all they wanted was to use me and then throw me away.

The sound of 3DMG gear whirled and someone landed behind me. "You're a lot of trouble, brat."

I rolled my eyes and threw a rock at him. "Go away. I didn't ask you for any of this."

Levi folded his arms. "I asked around about you. Besides your criminal record, you're pretty hated around the orphanage you grew up in."

Anger swelled through me and I turned around, fists clenched. "You don't know anything about me!" I shouted. What the hell kind of person asks around?

"That's because you won't talk to us, Cori," Farlan had landed gracefully beside Levi, concern written all over his face. Stalkers.

I couldn't help but laugh, making both of them confused. Nothing about this situation was funny, but still, I laughed. "Why the hell would I tell you anything? There's a reason why they kicked me out of the orphanage at eight years old. Did they tell you that or did they spill that shit they told the military police about me running away?" They're silence and shared look said a lot. "I don't need your charity. I don't need anything from anyone. I'm fine on my own."

"Cori…" Farlan searched for words but nothing came to him. It was clear he cared for me. Why? I'm another mouth to feed. Another burden to carry.

"Then why do you keep coming back? If you don't want our help, then get lost," Levi said.

Now I was speechless. His words caught me off guard. Of course, if I'm not cooperative then they'll throw you away.

"Levi!" Farlan was shocked too.

He shot Farlan a deathly glare before turning back to me. "You know what I think? I think you're scarred, terrified, to rely on anyone else because you're afraid of being abandoned. The owners didn't say why you left, but they told me about your mother. She dropped you off when you were four and never came back." Levi's harsh tone softened as he spoke and walked towards me. "This city is a shithole where everything is a struggle. You should know that, Cori. Which is why no one should be alone at your age. You're a child, whether you like it or not."

That's the most he's ever said to me. More tears spilled over. "S-she left me to go to the capital."

"Your mom?" Farlan asked.

I nodded. "She met a merchant. He didn't want kids so she abandoned me. She even told me that she loved me. What bullshit." The ground that I starred at became blurry. She loved me enough to leave me to die in the Underground city. She doesn't deserve to be happy.

Levi set his hand on my head and patted it. "That sucks, Cori. But now you have the option to move on. Screw your mom."

The gesture calmed me. Maybe I can trust them. The thought actually sounded nice. Much to Farlan's displeasure, I still refused to stay with them. That was a big step, and I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. My visits became more and more frequent, always with the incentive that there was free food and warm showers. I even started to like Isabel. Things became comfortable, almost. Maybe… too comfortable.