Unknown L (Book 1) [Editing]

~~ It's a Power, Not Puberty ~~

L had been around seven at the time, living with a young couple named Grace and Ruben. They were kind and welcoming, they couldn't have kids of their own and they seemed to like L straight away. She didn't exactly like them but she didn't mind them either. It went well for a little while, until they took L to the park one sunny day.

L didn't play well with other kids so she sat on the swings while Ruben pushed her; she enjoyed it for the most part, Ruben pushed her higher and she laughed. They took her for ice cream, L got a cone with a flake and sprinkles on top. They sat on the grass and Grace and Ruben talked to her about her life and what she wanted.

L could see their faces as clearly as if she was back there and she knew what was coming, she tried to break free but it was useless. She had to watch and listen to the memory play out again, sitting on the grass in her seven year old self, discussing her future. Ruben and Grace were smiling from ear to ear while they asked L what she thought about being adopted.

L had been shocked but happy, they were thinking of adopting her and at seven years old she couldn't think of anything better. They told her they planned to finalise it as soon as they had spoken to her. L tried not to feel those same hopeful feelings, she tried not to watch the memory but it dragged her in.

Ruben had left to make a call about adopting her, L and Grace had talked about how nice it would be when it was official. Grace told her she could have another ice cream and L had gone to get it herself, she had been so excited at the time; she would have real parents who wanted her and she would legally be theirs forever.

The feelings the memory brought up were as fresh as that day and L tried to struggle away again. She remembered standing in line to buy her ice cream. She looked back to where she and Grace had been sitting, Grace waved to her with a wide smile on her face. L smiled back and moved up in the line to get her ice cream, once she had it she walked back to Grace and she licked at the ice cream.

But as she looked around, Grace was nowhere to be seen, she wasn't on the grass and L couldn't see her anywhere. L thought maybe she was looking in the wrong place and she searched the whole park; neither Grace, nor Ruben were anywhere to be found. At the time L was innocent, she believed in people and she thought maybe they had just lost her.

She stood on a picnic table and stayed there so they could see her, L remembered all the kids and parents passing her and muttering about how strange or wild she must be. She had stayed there all day, the ice cream lay forgotten on the ground and her hope for them finding her lessened with the light and the park steadily emptied.

L was left alone in the cold and dark, the couple had abandoned her but she had no idea why, they had been talking about adopting her and then just left her. She was scared, alone and angry, and that was the exact moment L had lost all faith in people. It was also the first time she had properly run away, she left that park and kept on running.

It was weeks of stealing from market stalls or shops to feed herself. She cut her hair short to manage it better and wore whatever clothes she found in donation bins. The police officers eventually found her, she was malnourished and dirty, they took care of her and took her to the next foster home. L never got close to any of them ever again, she had learned her lesson.

The second the memory was over, L felt her heart stutter into full throttle and the images sped up, she was shown other things that weren't familiar. She had no idea what was going on but she was distraught, reliving her past was traumatic enough. The new images tumbled over themselves and merged with some things she did recognise. Faces; Robbie, his parents, Bryce, Maeve, Emilia and Illiana, Folen, Gart and Lort, Matilda, they all flashed before her.

All of a sudden she was thrown away from the portrait with one last image imprinted in her mind. It was a simple image, her parents staring down and they had so much love in their eyes it caused a lump in L's throat. Somehow she knew it was a memory, not just an image and that it was one of hers. She was remembering her parents, she knew she was looking up at them through her own eyes.