The Field

Chapter 1

The funeral only consisted of one person. But to be honest, the only person who showed was the only one who knew of the funeral's occurrence. The only person who showed was also the only person the one under the ground would've wanted to be there. The one under the ground was Soyoung, an orphan who somehow left her abusive family in Korea and ended up in the pits of LA. The streets were no place for those who couldn't protect themselves; nonetheless someone who didn't reach 168 cm or 100 pounds while being unable to speak English. And it's why Soyoung was now buried in a field outside the city, with no gravestone or other fellow dead folk for miles around. It's why the only one standing above the grave brought her there. 

Danielle Robins lived in the streets of LA since the age of eight. She survived off thievery and those she was able to take advantage of and manipulate. Soyoung wasn't either someone she stole from nor someone she hustled. Soyoung was someone Danielle Robins truly cared for. And now she was gone - like the rest of them. Like every other person Danielle Robins knew and got involved with. Yet the current one under the ground was the only one she has ever cried over. The last eight years she never let someone see her vulnerable because she never became vulnerable. Now she allowed herself to cry. Her cheeks were soaked with the pain she felt from losing the only person who loved her. 

They met four months ago. Danielle Robins saw the strange man from a mile away but poor Soyoung did not. Danielle never bothered to save someone before, considering she believed everyone got what they deserved, but somehow she knew that wasn't the case with Soyoung. Wearing nothing but a ripped T-shirt and denim shorts showing off her tan but bleeding knees, Danielle felt something she barely experiences - pity.

The man was an easy opponent - clearly inexperienced with the knife he was carrying. Miss Robins was able to disarm him, break his dominant wrist, and had her foot on his throat in three simple manoeuvres. Calming down the crying Korean who was just being beaten was much more difficult. 

The man ran off without any other threat (obviously a new street-goer), leaving the crying girl up against a wall choking on her sobs. Miss Robins considered leaving her, but the Korean didn't look much older than her, and realised she should at least get her something to eat. 

Miss Robins threw the knife to the floor and stepped on it before kneeling in front of the skinny girl. She didn't talk much, especially to poor pretty girl she didn't tend to pay much attention to. But this one was different - it reminded her of herself when she first entered the streets alone, scared and hoping for a miracle. The girl never looked at her, not that she would see much with the tears that never seemed to end. 

Danielle Robins stood up and offered the girl her hand, without even expecting her to take it. She stood with her outreached hand for a minute befor revoking her offer and walking away slowly. She heard each movement the Korean took afterwards; her head tilting up, her hands moving beneath her and eventually pushing herself up against the wall, and Danielle Robins heard the desperate squeak of the girl's weak voice. 

"Wait," was the only thing she said, in a thick Asian accent. Miss Robins stopped and turned, looking at the ground rather than wanting to see someone so young, so broken. She extended her hand again and heard before she saw the girl's feet approach. She felt the thin fingers of the girl enter her even smaller hands. Miss Robins gripped her wrist and ran off, praying the poor girl could run. 

She could. 

They ran off together, Danielle Robins leading the way to a safe house she made for herself long ago. It took half an hour before they reached it, the half moon their only light up ladders, across rooftops, and down alleys without a single word muttered between them - which Miss Robins was grateful for. She was also grateful the poor thin girl could jump and climb, all with the one hand Miss Robins was was not gripping; she kept a hand on to assure the girl did not get lost. But they finally reached the two story small Café on a well-respected but still poverty-stricken street. The owner saved Miss Robins from starvation her second year on the street. The owner was also a blind old lady who Danielle Robins was able to assist in retrieving ingredients and customers for her bakery. The lady allows Miss Robins to come and go as she pleases, and offered anything in the building to be her own.