"We can't accept you."
"What? Why?!"
Paige fidgeted with their hands before shoving them into their lap to try and keep them still. Three years since the arson incident and this was the farthest they'd ever made it in a job interview. Please, PLEASE I can't keep living like this!
"You know exactly why," the human enunciated, tipping their glasses below their gaze.
"N- no? I don't, actually."
The human sighed and straightened the papers on her desk. "It would look awful for the company as a whole if we were to hire someone in your... condition." That last word hung in the air, although Paige wasn't sure what they were implying by that.
"But... I promise I can work hard! I really can, I'll get anything I need to done! If it's really that much of a problem then you can just keep me hidden, right? I can still-"
The human pressed a finger to Paige's mouth, shutting them up. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Paige felt something gross and sickly run through their veins. They'd felt it many times before, but had always managed to push it back. Like when you're about to vomit but you swallow the bile. They subconsciously felt their hand reach towards their pocket where the scissors rested.
"Please... I don't have anything..."
"I'm not changing my answer. Now GO." The human stood up and shoved Paige out the door. As they walked down the hall, they heard one of the employees mutter, "I don't know why THOSE sort of objects think they can fool us. They should stick to working in cults and shit..."
"Yeah, you'd think they'd be more clever, considering what they've done..."
...
Paige curled up against a tree in the middle of a clearing in the middle of the woods. There was always a wood to live in. And it was an okay place to be in if one was homeless.
Of course, that didn't exactly make their life any easier.
Paige's stomach grumbled with the force of approximately 60 lion roars and they tried to curl up in a ball to muffle it somehow. Crap, it really was about time to go on a food run. But uh... they didn't exactly have many options left.
The object spotted a squirrel running past them and thought to themself, "How much nutritional value does a squirrel have? How much does a squirrel have to be cooked before it's edible? Would I be able to make a fire without using my sketchbook pages? Would I have to use parts of my hair or face? I mean I could always grow that back but I'm not sure how to make a fire with right proper wood."
"Wait a minute, maybe there's a book in the library that can teach me how to make fire, and maybe how to cook a squirrel! Right! I can just sneak into the library and find the right book! Oh... but... If I'm already going to be sneaking in somewhere... I might as well go and steal some food from the store and skip the squirrel altogether."
A sharp noise resounded through the trees. Paige whipped their head around, their short, multicolored hair flapping around in the wind. They were certain they spotted someone in the trees. Or maybe they heard someone? They weren't quite sure...
"I'm sure the universe won't mind if I steal something just this once. After all, it is the one who put me in this situation." They stood headed off towards the outskirts of the city again. "Besides, I won't be taking all that much, probably just a few fruits or some cooked meat. That's got a lot of calories probably!"
...
Paige hopped on top of the dumpster and crawled in to the store through the little window at the top of the wall. They face planted directly on the corner and flipped themself backwards in a bridge shape, landing on their feet and standing upright again. "Nailed it!"
They slid along the walls out of sight of the security cameras and into the open area of the store. First step down, now time to get some food. Paige sidled up to the fruit stand and subtly shoved a few small apples in their pockets. Checking the perimeter for any witnesses, they carefully edged closer to the potatoes and swiped a rather dinky looking one. Surely no one would mind if they took one of the worse ones right?
Correct! No one suspected a thing as Paige not-so-casually strutted out the store, waving goodbye to the store clerk and boosting away at sonic speeds once out of sight of the outdoor cameras. Another day, another successful getaway!
...
Paige stared at their miserable little pile of food. They'd found a completely different squirrel's carcass and decided to take it anyways. Might as well...
It was so so dark out. Even so, after three years of living in the woods they'd learned how to check the day depending on the stars.
"It's my birthday today..."
"Happy 19th birthday Paige!" said the apple.
"Yeah, you're so cool and creative and clever, I'm sure you'll get a home someday!" continued the squirrel.
"Thanks guys."
Paige looked up at the stars again. They stood up and felt their body waver from exhaustion and anger. They grabbed at the handles of the scissors, even though there was nothing to cut, and thrust them towards the sky.
There was only one thing on their mind; one thing to say about their situation.
"FUCK YOU! GO FUCK YOURSELF!"