"A MOTHER SHOULD STAY WITH HER KID, AIN'T THAT NATURAL?!"
"DON'T EVEN START WITH ME!"
"ME?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S ALWAYS—"
He slammed the door, walking out into the cool night air, looking for everything only to find nothing. His family wasn't perfect, far from it in fact. His parents loved each other once, but such love has disappeared long ago. He couldn't even feel any traces of love from his parents. He was nothing more than an unwanted child, he knew that. But what's left of his heart still panged with the smallest ache as that fact was nestled inside his mind.
"Hey brat!"
Gajeel glared at the man with a look that no child should have, a harsh look with emotionless eyes. A distraction already, wasn't he lucky? Gajeel cracked his knuckles. With a "Gihee," he immediately punched the guy in the gut. Once he was out of the picture, his lackeys started creeping out, but they weren't much better than their 'leader'. Simple, but tiring. Gajeel can never act tired here, if his guard's down, he'll end up in a trashcan somewhere.
At home, at school, even in a dump like this, he was unaccepted. He belonged nowhere. He couldn't change that, because no one wanted him around. It'd be better if he just disappeared and survived on his own.
"My, such wonderful skills in one so young," a haunting voice complimented.
He didn't even feel the presence of this shadow man, let alone hear his footsteps! "Who the hell 're you!" Gajeel's alert was on high, the hairs on the back of his neck were sticking up, this guy didn't seem anything like the guys from earlier!
"I am the headmaster of Phantom Academy, and I must say that you're wonderfully suited for my school. How old are you, 10?"
"12," he gruffly answered.
"Wonderful, almost done with elementary school. It's the perfect time. Have you picked a middle school out yet?"
"What's it to ya?" Like there would be a single middle school that wants him. His elementary school doesn't even want to deal with him anymore, so Gajeel just goes out to some random place and spends his time there. For him, there's nowhere he can go, nowhere he can stay, nowhere he can call home.
"Join my school boy. I'll give you whatever it is that you desire, all you have to do is accept."
Gajeel looked at his hand suspiciously. "What's in it for me?"
"Acceptance and respect, dignity and honor, are these not things that you desire?" Gajeel's heart swayed at the idea of having a place to belong. For a child who had nothing, for a child who lived with tainted emotions of hatred and anger, for a child who wanted acceptance, this offer was dreamlike so he took the man's hand, not realizing what he just set into motion. With a smirk, the man happily said, "Wonderful."
