A Mirror's New World

She awoke as a baby in an Orphanage not long after her death.

It was an all-girls' orphanage. She was given the name Elena. No surname.

At age four, she was taught language that's thankfully the same language she knew. English. She was seen as a quick learner hence and she got schooled about her new world.

Language. Math. Music. Dance. Acting Skills. Social Skills. Manners and Etiquette. It was all in their lessons plans she thought they'd be just housewives in their future or something. And every meal, they get pills she thought were vitamins. Thoughtful! But they always tend to get groggy at night...

She's in Mars to her disbelief.

"There's no plans to Terraform Mars! Its a waste of effort!" she thought.

Life is not possible in Mars as its soil is Regolith. Not suitable for farming. That even asteroids held more value than Mars and it was grounds for PLANTS, as Asteroids are a good source of resources when Naturals literally pushed Coordinators to a corner, be it metal or its very soil which was suitable for agriculture. As for water, in the beginnings of PLANTS, water was taken from Earth and treated for PLANT use, also saving humanity from being drowned by rising Sea Levels. The water is constantly recycled and purified hence.

As for water, whatever heck happened to Mars billions of years ago that its the red barren world it is today, its water has to be mined underground as a result.

Yet in this world, Mars is terraformed, but heavily reliant on Earth for resources, but alas, corrupt government that everyone barely gets by.

Then why build civilization on Mars then neglect people after?!

Is this their solution to Overpopulation on Earth?

Probably.

Good thing she was still herself, and remembers all education she had back at the PLANTs. Being a Coordinator made you a very fast learner that 16 year olds are already in College. Prior to her recruitment by Durandal, she was in Mass Communication Course. And learning how to be Lacus Clyne got her interested in Robotics and Technology because Athrun made those toys for his fiancee to the point she was interested in how mobile suits are made, as she owned a pink ZAKU for her performances. She was given a Red Haro to complete her image as Lacus was always accompanied by one.

Once she was ten, children were taught to cook, do laundry, do chores and other sorts of tasks, including operating stuff. Easy. However, why is part of the curriculum making them watch porn?! There was even hardcore!

And they were given...toys...and they were told how to use said toys to 'feel good'! This got her friends experimenting...

Her peers are clueless of the true horrors and grew to enjoy rated-18 activities because they were groomed into the idea. She was not amused and horrified but acted 'just as happy'. It was common to see girls play with their toys and feel good. It will be weird if she didn't do it so she was forced to play with herself with the toys. The adults encouraged it all!

Considering the pills she gets for dinner have a sedative hidden among them to make the girls sleepy to sleep on curfew on time? Its actually to prevent escape if they realize its all wrong...and getting too far, if ever. So she pretends to take it when in reality its under her tongue all the time, and spits it out in the toilet.

However, once they were ten years old? A bunch of men marched into the orphanage around 6 pm after classes and she got curious. It was the day before graduation day.

Considering porn was part of the curriculum and they were taught in the classroom how to do the act, she had a bad feeling...and eavesdropped.

'Are the merchandise ready?'

'They'll graduate tomorrow. They'll be initiated then to show the fruits of their education. They're well-trained, worry not.' said the Headmistress coldly whom she thought was kind and grandmotherly to the girls in the orphanage.

She skipped away quietly and ran. Her heart pounded.

That definitely confirmed it! They're trained to be prostitutes and they'll be sold off tomorrow!

She snuck into the Security Office after curfew where it was under watch by two men. The cameras are only on the grounds, not inside the building so it was safe to freely roam around.

Using sticks she sharpened beforehand, with all her strength, stabbed the back of their necks, killing them instantly and watched the monitors as to where the other adults are. They were preparing the auditorium for the...Initiation. Its no Graduation Ceremony, its a nasty orgy awaiting them! Their buyers will be pedophiles!

Taking her chances, she closed the monitors leading to outside the grounds to prevent recording of her leaving later, snuck into the Headmistress' Office to erase her 'existence'. All data about her gone and she quickly rummaged for files containing her name and took it with her, roughly stuffing it in her pocket. But she knows the men may possibly have data of her. Nothing she can do about that now.

So she also fled, taking what she can with her. Spare clothes, comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, a bottle of shampoo, a bar of soap, and money off the mens' corpses and their cards.

The cards came in handy...she could not go out the walled orphanage without a card otherwise!

She fled to the city, tears flowing down her face.

Guilt heavy on her shoulders as she can only save herself. None of the girls will believe her and land her in trouble for knowing too much.

Tomorrow, is hell for them.

The Headmistress and the teachers did a dang good job building their image!

Even she could not believe Athrun that Chairman who treated her so well was a bad guy...until her bodyguard offered to 'kill the fake Lacus' so she can return onstage. That was the damning proof.

She has to act quick, and hid in the slums, mixing herself with other kids. It's so cold outside and its not even winter! There's no winter in Mars at all, being always cold, worse so at night due to being far from the Sun.

'Whoa!'

'Who're you and why're you here?'

'I-I'm gonna be sold off...I overheard the adults, so I ran away!' she cried. 'Let me hide here, please!' she begged desperately. The other kids exchanged looks.

'Alright, but you'll have to work your keep! Deadweights aren't allowed here!'

'I can cook and do the laundry?'

Sold.

'Alright, you can stay. What's your name?'

'Meer.' said Elena, now calling herself by what she felt, was her real name. 'Meer Campbell.'

Meer is the only female in a gang of boys whose sole concern was survival since being orphaned. They were pickpockets and she does their laundry and cooking their meals as per their deal. From the wealthy pop idol she once was, how low she had fallen, reduced to this! That sometimes while the boys are gone, she would cry over her new lot in life. She's dirt poor and living in fear, hiding in dirty slums that's so smelly and cold! She did her best to get along with her gang who noted her puffy eyes from crying in her first few days with them.

She used her fear of being found as an excuse for her tears while she's crying over something more in reality. The boys were sympathetic over 'the reason' she was crying as nobody wants to be sold as slave.

It was from her gang that she learned what Human Debris are...and while boys are used for just about anything except one, girls do 'that one job' boys can't do as Human Debris. They all knew what she ran from when she told them she was to be sold off...that she told them her time in the Orphanage, and how she can only save herself because lets face it, would her childhood friends believe her? They are now in literal hell!

'Yeeeah, even we'd have trouble believing you if we grew up together like that.' said one of the boys. 'All of you are fooled for years. You're lucky you overheard or you're sold to some brothel by now.'

Considering how weak they all were, capable of hunting drunk men and their meager budget, she can only cook vegetable and egg dishes, but made it taste great nobody complained. She would tell them what to buy for her. But in the budget, is always black hair dye she needs to hide from the orphanage which she needs every two months. And 'certain things' every month. She had to say what for, and why that got the boys terrified of girls due to that notion and were happy they were born male. Jerks!

And she wears loose shirts, jackets and knee-length shorts to conceal her figure. Why? The frigging vitamins made her grow big that she was a B when she turned 12. And she risked going out at night with the boys as bodyguards to get herself underwear. The dark hides her better while at day, she fears being found. She also teaches the gang language by buying notebooks and pens, and basic Math of Addition, Subtraction, Division and Multiplication, Measurements and teaching them how to pronounce words, and their meaning through a Dictionary.

The boys had to hover behind her as they learn from that book though. They also wear their nicest clothes, and buy books off of schools, so they can self-study by reading the books at their own time, buying books for Grade 1-6, now that they know their words.

She also maintains peak condition through dancing to stay in shape.

So her stamina is preserved incase she needs to run.

However, there came a time that the boys found work and took her with them. The work was for a Private Security Company in Chryse called CGS.

She applied for the job Cook. She was literate and has good handwriting. So she was given a monthly budget to feed the Third Group, and she has a monthly salary of 9000 Galars because she was only 13 and already has her own room alongside her employment. No day off for cooks.

That 9000 Galars is basically minimum pay for child cooks. And she's 13. Meer was inwardly snickering but held it in. Her salary is huge even by Earth standards and she can comfortably live with it!

The Martian Galar is worth 25 US cents in Earth! A quarter! Every four galars is a dollar. The total is still a huge deal, which is a sign that these guys aren't so smart. But she's not gonna say anything...

She's annoyed with the salary of her friends though. Just 2000 galars or 500 dollars.

She was made to cook for the young boys since the adults eat out.

'So these are our new colleagues.' said Orga Itsuka, the leader of the Third Group introducing their fellow young employees. 'Meer Campbell our cook, and our fellow Mobile Workers Lamy Gress, Boris Keijin, Colin Marley, Tikkes Camus and Peter Wovan. All 13 this year! Get to know each other at dinner, fellas! We get more time to talk at night! Right now its work hours and nobody wants to be punched by that asshole Haeda!'

'Yessir!'

'Yamagi give Meer a tour of her workplace and her assigned dorm! Eugene give the new boys a tour of where we work at! Everyone else, to our stations!'

'Waitaminit Orga...'her'...?' Norba Shino asked Orga. Did they hear it right? The boys all looked at Orga who sweatdropped.

'Oi, you got a problem with Meer?' Lamy glowered at him. 'She's the backbone of our gang! Without her making us food and doin' the laundry, we'd have spent way too much money on so little, but expensive food and we'd get sick from dirty clothes! And she's educated us so we avoided getting cheated in the stores!'

They also avoided Alaya-Vijnana Surgery because they can read and write and proved it. So they have to learn by instruction how to operate later.

'Whoa there sparky,' Norba raised his hands in surrender, sweatdropping as the new boys glowered at him. 'I was just worried because she's a girl in a place like this! With bosses like ours!'

'Yeah, I'm sure while applying for work, you've seen their pleasant personalities.' said Eugene Sevenstark sarcastically.

'She's one of us anyway.' said Peter with an armfold. 'We've known shitty adults in the slums, nothing new to see!'

So the other boys shrugged.

'So Meer, you're really a girl?' Yamagi Gilmerton asked her after introducing himself.

'Yeah. But I lived as a boy and dressed like one since running away.' said Meer. 'To look cute is to invite misery on yourself in the streets.' she stated bitterly. 'Back in the Orphanage, I was among the cutest so I was doted on...to hide the deception of the Orphanage Caretakers and the true horror of our graduation to adoption which in reality, was to sell us off. It was like we were raised to be pets for the bored rich.' Yamagi shivered at her words. 'So I dress like a boy, cut my hair and dyed my hair and eyebrows, and I always wear a cap.' she said. 'So I guess I'll never take off my CGS uniform either to stay safe. These big uniforms effectively conceal my body, making me look like one of the guys unless I talk.'

'Heee...'

Meer's voice was high and pleasant to hear, different from theirs.

'...do you think I can get soldier training when I'm not cooking...?' Meer asked Yamagi softly.

'You'll have to ask Orga. He's in charge of all of us here.' said Yamagi.

'OK.'

'Then again, its a good idea to get some training...incase you grow up...' and should she ever do...what'll happen next, is obvious incase the adults get bored.

'Yeah...at least I want to shoot those liars between the eyes...they betrayed me and my friends in the orphanage...its been three years since I ran away.' said Meer, looking at the sky through an open window. 'How many girls, have they betrayed for money?'

'...don't ask such a scary question...'