Chapter 35
Sansa's Pov
"Hey! "Come back here, you bi***." A cruel 40-year-old man with a terrifying small eye chased 14-year-old me down the street.
I ran into the crowd to blend in, pushing people away to make my path clearer, but he couldn't take his eyes off me. The fat man was slower but tenacious in his pursuit of me.
"Thief!! Capture her! She's a thief!" The man screamed and alerted others to make his capture easier.
My ripped old gown, dried lips, frail body, messed-up hair, and dirt on my face did not warm his heart, but the half-piece of bread was more important to him than my hunger, which drove me to steal. I held it tightly in my hand but had no time to eat because the shopkeeper chased me to the end of the street.
When the path was blocked, I came to a halt in the narrow street. Breathing heavily, I didn't want to throw away the half-bread that my stomach had been begging for days.
I'd never witnessed such humiliation in my life. My father used to treat me like a princess, but when he died, the kingdom he built around me crumbled.
"You thief, bit**, hand it over to me." My ear was hurting from the man's cursing.
But it was my fate, not his words, that was making me feel miserable. I returned my gaze to him. For a split second, my angry eyes made him hesitate. I tried not to become enraged.
"Give me that bread!"
To satisfy my hunger, I had to kill my self-esteem. Even in my humiliation, I bit into a piece of bread.
He jumped on me to steal the last of my bread. His intentions were more powerful than my hold on the bread. With hatred in his eyes, he snatched the bread from my grasp.
"You filthy scumbag!" He slapped me so hard that my cheek turned tomato red, and I collapsed on the floor.
A man walked away, cursing me constantly. My ears were not focused on the bad words coming from his mouth, but rather on the bread, he was taking away. A piece of bread had fallen to the floor.
My hunger compelled me to seize that small piece. I picked up like I'd conquered the world in a split second.
I began to eat, but my eyes began to well up with tears on my one small bite; that small piece of bread was difficult to swallow when my self-esteem was cursing me.
People were passing by from the other street, even though it was an empty street where no one could bother me in my growing depression.
When I was living on the street, I knew all the ways to escape, but I shifted to other streets when I found men with lust around to harm me.
I didn't have enough money to buy a full gown to cover my half-revealing legs on a cold night with a full moon and bright stars.
It is simple to give up on something. I had no choice but to surrender. I pushed myself further, forced myself to breathe, and shielded myself from the beasts known as humans. I never imagined that I would have to face the harsh reality of the world.
In the narrow street near the trash can against the dirty wall, I was crying with my head down on my knees.
The approaching footsteps alerted my ears. I raised my head to see a 17-year-old boy extend a large piece of bread to me, which was more than I stole.
I was entranced by his hazel-colored eyes. A fringe haircut on his dark red hair attracted his appearance. He was dressed in a grey long coat.
He couldn't take his gaze away from me. The beautiful smile on his round, handsome face made me feel alive again. The hatred I saw on their faces when they cursed me was palpable. I took the bread from him.
He was unique; he appeared as a ray of hope when I had lost all hope. He gave me a reason to keep going in life. My first love was him. When I was feeling down, I remembered the first time I met Logan. That gave me strength.
I was lost in my thoughts while standing by the window in the tree house when Bella sat on the chair near the bed and Hina sat while embracing her knees.
She was making me think of myself. She was struggling; I was unaware of her problems, but she was in pain, as her anxious body demonstrated.
"Kya Kar Rahi ho yahan?" Bella asked in a foreign language.
The girl was afraid to speak and avoided making eye contact with Bella.
"Hina, Batao Mujhe," Bella tried to persuade her of something.
"Mujhe Dar lag Raha hai, Mujhe Kahin ni Jana," Hina's voice was shaking.
"Kab se ho yahan?" Bella was worried.
Hina revealed the shocking truth."Main wapas nai JA saki."
Her words were a mystery to me. Hina kept looking around, feeling insecure and afraid. Bella said nothing as if she knew something about her.
"Theek hai Aaram kro, main yahin hon," Bella said as she lay down.
Bella and I emerged from the tree house. The sun was setting. when the birds were perched atop the trees.
"What was that language?" I inquired.
"Urdu language," Bella said.
"Is she in good health? Did she say anything?" I inquired out of curiosity.
"She doesn't want to go back because she is afraid," Bella said during the conversation.
"Afraid of what?" I inquired.
"Afraid to reveal; give her some time; she would reveal."
"What's the matter with her?" I was intrigued.
"Don't stay out here too long because you might alert them. Go back; I'll stay here."
"Who did that to her?" I inquired in the hope of receiving an answer.
"Why don't you mind your own business? If you want to escape, find a way out rather than waste your time," Bella said as she walked away.
"You're keeping something from me," I said behind her back.
Bella turned back to face me after hearing my words.
"She is not normal; there is something wrong with her." I was concerned about the young lady.
"You are correct; something is wrong with her, and no one can help her," Bella says angrily.
"Why"
"Can't you see it? She's a witch." Bella disclosed
Bella's words piqued my interest in Hina, a mountain girl. She was the very first witch I met.
"She is dying," Bella revealed.
Seeing her in pain and now hearing the news of her death made me sad.
"Leave before they come here," Bella said, leaving me with a lot of questions.
When everyone was busy with their lives, I returned to the mansion.
They were all having a good time at the dinner table, and their voices faded to my ears when my mind was preoccupied with the girl.
What's the matter with her? Is she going to die? Who can help her? How much time does she have left? I was asking myself those questions when I didn't even know the answers.
My attention was drawn to Bella, who was eating food at the far end of the table and ignoring me as if I didn't exist.