Chapter 2 : Saviour
Elizabeth woke up alone in strange place. The room was dark with a dim light shining through the small opening of the room door , illuminating the surrounding area. She hears noisy ramblings coming from outside the room. " Where am i ? " She thought to herself while sitting up from her lying position. Slowly , everything became clear to her at the remembrance of the last face she saw before she drifted off into unconsciousness. " Farlan Church…" She whispered at the thought of the teenage boy. As if on cue , the door opened slowly revealing an unfamiliar face of a teenager with a crew hair cut.
"Farlan! She's awake! " He called.
The door opened wider , the light source from outside poured into the room blinding Elizabeth's eyes. She squinted, allowing her eyes to get used to the brightness. Three other teenagers appeared from outside the room, Elizabeth recognized one of them who introduced himself earlier as Farlan Church. " I'm glad you're awake. " He spoke. Elizabeth couldn't help but stared at the tray of freshly baked bread rolls and glass of milk that Farlan is approaching her with , anticipating to devour everything, she hasn't ate anything for days after all. " You hungry? " Farlan asked , offering her the tray of food he brought in for her. Desperately , Elizabeth stretched out her thin arms to grab 2 rolls of bread , 1 on each hand and began eating them simultaneously. Without a care in the world , despite having 4 strange boys watching her intently while she chews with her mouth full , she finished a roll of bread in her right hand and grabbed the glass of milk gulping it down urgently.
" You sure are hungry. " Farlan chuckled.
" What's your name? Where are you from ? " He asked.
In the moment of hunger , Elizabeth have temporarily forgotten that she still have to return to that horrendous place to surrender herself and receive her punishment, and who knows what those horrible people there might do to her. In fear of being beaten up and starved again , she dropped the half eaten bread roll on her lap and bury her face in her palms. She hid her teary eyes while sobbing softly. Her sudden change in behaviour drove the boys frantic.
" Shut up Farlen! Look what you've done! "
" You guys shouldn't have crowded around her! Back off and give her some space! "
" I'll fetch more bread ! She likes bread right?! "
Confused by the bickering around her , Elizabeth lifted her head up showing her tear stained face and bewildered expression. All commotions seemed to stop at that moment.
" Hey , i'll reintroduce myself again. I'm Farlan and these are my friends. He's John , Samuel , and lastly , Yan. " The brown hair teenager spoke , introducing the gang as they stood in front of her grinning widely, waving in a friendly manner.
" So what's your name? " Farlan continued.
" I'm Elizabeth Franklin. " She said meekly.
" Are you from the trafficking house? " Farlan pushed on. Elizabeth lowered her eyes and responded with a small nod. " I have to go. Thank you for everything. " Elizabeth removed the blanket covering her small body and shifted her legs to get off the bed. She felt a hand stopped on her shoulder behind her. Elizabeth was uncomfortable with people touching her , it wasn't pleasant whenever someone laid hands on her as it always brings about a slap or a pinch , She turned and brought her hands up in defense. Taken aback by her reaction , Farlan promptly removed his hand. " You're just going to be sold away as a slave if you go back there. " He said in all seriousness and concern was plastered all over his face. " You've just escaped , you don't have to go back. "
" They will find me , " She paused , " I don't have a choice. ". Submitting to her fate , fact is she had no where to go , fact is she had no future , she was simply a victim of her own circumstances binded by a unpleasant obligation that she may never escape from. " We could help you. " Farlan tried to assure her. He remembered that he used to feel helpless , defeated and lonely. Until he met a small group of people who came from similar backgrounds , parentless , purposeless, and hopeless ; he stuck around with the boys and they drew strength from one another to live on in hope that their lives will change for the better. In the eyes of the others they are delinquents , but they knew that in order to survive in the Underground City , one must be tough. Living here is all about the survival of the fittest.
" I have created enough trouble for everyone, please let me go. " Elizabeth pleaded. She have witnessed kids trying to escape from the house , it doesn't end well . She do not want to be placed in a cage no bigger than a dog house for a very large canine. She have heard about what happened to those kind people who tried to provide temporary refuge for kids who have escaped , they have all became homeless with their houses burned. Some unfortunate souls have their bodies charred , unable to escape from the arson. Every sound mind in the Underground City all knew to not mess with the Colbert's family business. The Colberts are heartless creatures , they justify their actions as a punishment for those who tried to "steal" their slaves.
Elizabeth proceeded to push past the boys out of her way and ran for the door. They were kind people , she could not bear to get them into more trouble. The boys stood still, they understood that the Colberts are powerful and merciless , it is not wise to be associated with them.
" She's right , the Colberts are troublesome. There's nothing we could do. " Samuel spoke. There was an intense silence in the air , Farlan fixed his eyes on the widely opened door , frowning he wasn't about to give up so easily yet.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Elizabeth winced at the pain of fresh bruises inflicted on her . The Colbert trader was furious when he found out there was one missing head count for meal attendance and poor Elizabeth was the cause. Despite surrendering herself , leaving the premises of the trafficking house was still an unforgivable mistake. As her punishment and also serving as a warning to the others , Elizabeth was beaten aggressively with a thick wooden stick in the main hall with everyone watching, she laid helplessly on the wooden floor in a fetal position , shivering in pain. Even with repeated questioning about her whereabouts , she refused to speak knowing it will bring an undeserving catastrophe upon Farlan and his friends , she would never bite the hands that tried to help her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Boldly , the group of teenage boys approached the front door of the Colbert's home with Farlan in front of the others acting as the group representative .Desperately trying to hide his anxiousness , he lifted up his kuckel and landed 3 knocks on the wooden door. Shuffling of footsteps were heard from the other side and the pounding of Farlan's heart grew louder at every steps that grew louder by the second. The door gaped open and a wrinkled eye peeped from behind.
" What do you brats wants? " the hoarse voice behind the door bellowed.
" I'm here for business. " Farlan stated with firmness , silently praying that no one could detect his nervousness.
The wrinkled eye raised its brow in surprise before the door opened fully to reveal a plump middle age man with a face that resembles an english bulldog.
" Business for? " He questioned.
" We need a slave. " Farlan replied unyielding.
The plump man let out a mocking laugh , " You twerps couldn't afford shit , what makes you think humans are sold cheap? "
" Save the mocking, state your price. " Farlan was getting a little annoyed. He absolutely detest it when adults look down upon youths like him. Being abandoned at the age of 9 , he had struggled for 7 whole years in tough conditions and managed to survive in triumph till today. His last memory of his parents , of a responsible adult has been voided since a long time ago. Farlen had gained independence throughout all these years that he had struggled to live.
The plump man acknowledged his sincerity , " 300 crowns for girls , 400 crowns for boys. " .
The stated price was definitely more than a fraction of what Farlan and his gang have earned and saved over the years in total , it will cost them an arm and an leg , and jeopardise the little stability they have if they insist to press on with the deal. They're living a somewhat comfortable life now, at least they wouldn't need to fret over their daily necessities like before. Earlier back at their hideout , the gang have discussed over the ways to save Elizabeth without putting themselves at risk. Samuel was at a disagreement with Farlan's plan but knowing his stubbornness , he reluctantly agreed to him. After all , Farlan had saved him too when he recruited him into his little group.
" Fine. I'll have my pick. " Farlan demanded.
" Tch , " the plump man clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning around , " follow me. " .
The boys followed the plump man's foot step into the house and they scan their eyes around in awe the moment they step inside. The interior was rich, clean and spotless . Shiny marble floor and, expensive looking vases and paintings were decorated along the hallway leading to the main hall. It was such a waste of a beautiful house , the looks of this place could deceive anyone from the vile business this place was built on , selling human slaves.
"Assemble! A customer is here! " The fat man hollered.
In an instant , the boys heard noisy footsteps coming down from the second floor and other parts of the house. Unkempt looking children started to appear in front of them , lining up orderly in double file. Farlan counted quietly in his mind , 13 children , 9 boys and 4 girls , awaiting to be sold to rich families or brothels as slaves or prostitutes. His heart ached for them , he was powerless , he couldn't save them all even if he wants to. Their eyes reflected a sign of defeat and hopelessness , just like Elizabeth. Farlan scanned around for a familiar face and failed to spot any.
" Are these all you have? " He questioned. Elizabeth was not among the 13 children.
" These are all the healthier ones. You wouldn't be interested in a sickly looking slave. They are all between ages 8 to 12. " the fat man rudely retorted.
" I'm looking for a maid with specific looks. Do you have any girls here with dark hair ? " Farlan probed on carefully while trying not to reveal any signs that he had prior contact with the girl.
" Tsk , you're a different kind of picky. Oi Franklin ! Get down here now! " the pudgy man called out frowning in annoyance.
The boys heard soft footsteps slowly approaching , anticipating to see Elizabeth's face. Shortly , a petite girl appeared from behind a wall entering into the main hall ,her eyes widen in shock when she spotted 4 familiar faces. "They should not be here." Elizabeth thought as she lowered her eyes trying to hide her expression and joined in the formation with the other children.
Farlan studied Elizabeth from head to toe as he approached her , placing a finger below her chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. It was not the kind expression that Elizabeth had saw earlier , this time he was emotionless , his eyes were cold and there was no smiles that assured her. He took a prolonged look at her face before stepping back.
" She is exactly what i'm looking for. I'm willing to pay 100 crowns for her. " Farlan stated coldly.
" Oi Kid are you shitting me? I quoted 300 crowns for girls and you're offering less than half of it! " the trader shouted , he was close to running out of patience to entertain Farlan.
" She's a defect , too thin and look at all those bruises. I'm looking for a presentable looking maid , not a prisoner of war. It is your duty to feed her and groom her to make her look presentable for the buyers. She clearly hasn't been fed well and who knows what kind of health complication she'll bring later on looking at her current state. " Farlan retorted , partly stating the truth and deriving a tiny sense of pride from talking down to the trader. John nudged him a little reminding him to not poke too far.
" I refuse! Don't you dare to short change me you twerp! " The plump trader was angered and started to intimidate the boys but Farlan stood his ground.
" 150 crowns! That is all i am willing to pay! Take it or leave it. I know children beyond age 13 will be harder to sell off at a good price in this child trafficking business , and i doubt the brothels will want any sickly thin unappealing girls. This will be my final offer, the ball is in your court. " It was a risky gamble , it all lies in the choice of the trader which would unknowingly change Elizabeth's fate to a great extent in the future.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
For the first time in her life , Elizabeth felt like there was hope. She walked out of the Colbert's house as a free man after staying there for 11 years , she felt her chains tied to her miserable fate were broken , she felt empowered , she was saved by a kind stranger name Farlen Church , it was fate that she happened to be at the right place at the right time , meeting the right person at the right time. The air around her felt fresher , and her foot steps magically felt lighter than before , at that moment she forgot all about her pains and hurts.
She felt a nudge on her arm , she turned her and met the familiar warm eyes of her saviour. " I'm sorry, i didn't meant what i said just now. About you being a defect , looking sickly thin and unappealing. " He said meekly . " Anyway , now that you're with us , welcome to the family. " He flashed her a kind smile again , a smile that she'll get used to. She didn't care about what he had said , Elizabeth was more than grateful to him , and forever she would be.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Writer's Note :
Hi there ! Thank you for taking time out to read. This is my very first attempt at writing a fanfiction. If you want to , you could leave me a review, it will be appreciated (: Cheers ~~~
Spoiler :
Levi makes his appearance in the next chapter.