Lonely - The Selection

1. A Past Life

"Mother?" Hyrie questioned as she rubbed at her eyes to rid them of the drowsiness. Her mother turned her head to look at her from the passenger seat of their car. 

"Oh? Did I wake you, sweetie? I'm sorry." 

Hyrie shook her head back and forth as her black hair fell over her face. Her mother watched with a gentle gaze as her daughter yawned adorably. She pulled out a wrapped candy out of her bag and handed it to Hyrie. 

"Here sweetie, you must be hungry after your nap, eat this." Hyrie took the candy from her mother's hand and unwrapped it while glancing out the car window at her right, watching as lights danced across her vision, gold against the black of night. "We're almost there Hyrie, and when we get there, you'll be able to see uncle and the twins and grandma and grandpa, okay?" Hyrie nodded contently as she chewed slowly on the soft candy, savoring the sweet taste of strawberry before it melts on her tongue. 

She stared half-asleep at the bright passing lights as she dreamt of candies and strawberries and coconut trees. 

Just then however, two circular lights side by side and brighter than the others appeared in her line of sight and she stared transfixed at them for a moment. That is, until the calm silence of the car shattered and Hyrie felt as if she was floating. She grinned a little at the feeling of flight 'until the ground cruelly pulled her back down. Her head crunched against something smooth and sharp before everything went dark. The lights disappeared and the noise dimmed as a single feminine voice yelled out a sentence that would forever be etched into the girl's mind. 

-

This is the middle-class region, she realized, the entirety made up of  fours and fives. Men and women of all ages thundered past her as they rushed down the crowded street to whatever destination they had in mind. Women with rings adorning their fingers and big black cases on their backs. Men in business suits and overalls and tall white hats. The girl buried her face in her folded arms as she drew her knees closer to her chest. 

Tonight is a cold night. The girl scooted farther into the tiny crevice carved into the wall of a building as she tried to keep herself warm. The smell of fresh bread and gooey Alfredo from inside the restaurant made her stomach protest loudly. Tonight is the second night she had gone hungry. Her damp black hair clung to her face and arms as she shivered violently when a gust of wind blew in her direction.  

It had been three weeks. Three weeks since she had lost everything. Even at the age of five, the girl knew, no matter how much the nurses or her aunts try to tell her it's gonna be alright, she knew it would never be alright again. Because they were gone. They were gone and they're never going to come back to make things better. So she ran. She ran from the lies and false comforts and the white walls that made her head ache so badly. 

And so she ended up here. 

The girl puffed warm air onto her hands and pinched her blue fingers and toes to return their circulation. It had been a stupid idea. A stupid, stupid, stupid idea. But she knew that if she could go back and do it over again, she would still run. 

But now that she ran, what is she to do now? No money, no clothes, no food, and no home to return to. 

Will she perish here? The girl suddenly jolted up at the thought and slapped her cheeks with both hands. No, I can't die here. No like this, so pathetically.

And so she waited for a miracle to come and save her from the misery.

- 

To say Thomas is in a hurry is an understatement. His work had gone later than usual tonight as the Liams needed him to perform an extra shift at their family get-together. And knowing that his wife, Miranda, back at home would be expecting his return at precisely 10 on the dot for dinner, he could not be late. Not like last time, he shuddered at the thought. The small spot on the back of his head ached as he remembered the wooden spoon his wife had taken up as a weapon. Then he grinned as he remembered that cute pout on her face when he promised he wouldn't be late again.

All the more reason for me to hurry, he thought fondly. The Sungs were newly married, just last month even. Miranda was a real estate agent when following in her parent's footsteps while Thomas was and still is a talented musician. They had a romantic teenage years as neighbors and when they surpassed the legal age, Thomas struggled to propose to Miranda, as he is a five and her a four. He did not want Miranda to live a lesser life like his. 

However, Miranda had gladly accepted his proposal when he finally mustered up the courage to ask the fated words. They married 3 months after that and lived happily till this day. But Miranda wants a child that he could not provide. Both Thomas and Miranda knew about his own incapabilities and Miranda tried to stay strong for him but he could tell she was heartbroken. He sighed internally. 

Thomas then decided to take a detour around Andy's Spaghetti House to get to his small apartment complex faster. Just as he entered the mouth of the alleyway, Thomas almost nearly tripped over a small bundle that was huddled close to the restaurant's exterior wall. Thomas quickly collected himself from his temporarily stumble and through the neon glow of the restaurant logo, he could barely make out the shivering form of a little girl. 

Thomas gasped inaudibly at her as she glanced up at him through her dark bangs. The girl drew her knees closer to her chest as Thomas took a hesitant step forward. 

"D-don't come a-any closer." She forced through her blue lips and chattering teeth. "Please." Thomas froze, his right hand halfway suspended in the air as he intended to touch her shoulder. He crouched down so they were both at eye level.

"Hey there." He started in a gentle tone, his hands innocently up in the air in a surrender pose. "What's your name? I'm Thomas."

Just as the girl's mouth opened to throw out a retort, her stomach grumbled loudly and echoed in the emptiness of the alleyway. Her eyes widened and she tucked herself impossibly further into the crevice. 

"Oh you must be hungry!" Thomas ruffled through the pouch of the black case at his side to search for the money he had just earned. "Please wait here, I'll be right back."

Thomas dashed into the Spaghetti House, not wanting to keep the girl waiting. 

The moment he came out with a steaming plate of chicken Alfredo he had purchased with a coupon Andy had once given him when he performed there last month, the first thing he noticed were the soft snores. Thomas smiled contently at the black-haired girl dozing off next to his instrument case. He set down the food and hefted the girl onto his back securely before picking up his items and heading off to his home and to a waiting Miranda.

"...My name is Hyrie..." He smiled.