Mana: Before The Rise - Chapter 290

The Present…

She has not heard anything about these girls aside from that, her niece Alice must have tried to track her down or something of that nature. The System had often sent letters asking her to take in her nieces, which she had denied.

(A/N: Gaze is not an expert on modern times, Most of her knowledge stems on the development of the Red Empire. Although it is wrong of her to assume things.)

The system should not treat children badly even if the parents where awful, the public loves children and extra services should have been though of too care and protect. Gaze then lifts up her feet up and takes a nap on her couch. Her niece is in a spare room, with a cloth over her head and a bowl of porridge ready for when she wakes up.

Alice woke up her eyes showed intelligence beyond her age. She dazedly turned her head to the sweet-smelling familiar porridge she had once before. She sat up and began to consume it meanwhile crying all the same time. She was sobbed as she took every bit, she stopped crying once she finished her meal.

She had been reborn again; this had happened to her twice.

Before her first rebirth in her original life, after her aunts visit (She didn’t know that Gaze was her aunt at the time), she fought to stay with her parents. Later, she realized that it was a mistake and ended up catering to her parents, while the lives of her sisters where unknown to her. Her parents refused to tell her anything. She lived blind till her late twenties when her parent hade killed her for a life insurance put on her.

In her second life she was awakened on the day after her aunts visit, when the two friendly police officers collected her. At the time she repeatedly told them that she did not want to live with her parents and that they where horrible and miserable people, that hurt her badly. It was then that they told her that it was her aunt who had them take her away. If she genuinely wanted to leave her parents, they would help her.

In her last life when she stubbornly said that she wanted to go back to her parents they turned around and brought her back respectfully and nicely they gave a lollipop and told her to have a nice day.

But, this times they looked happy to take her away as if they where truly worried and cared about her wellbeing. They ended up telling her some stories about her aunt that got her hopeful, she was disappointed when she learned that she wasn’t being taken in by her aunt and was put into the foster care system which was a relatively new thing.

She struggled there, and not in a good way. She had no time for herself and was constantly asking the system to send her to her aunt. It never happened. By the times she finally had time for herself, she was in her thirties and had made a name for herself as a popular author.

She hired a private detective and investigated her family. The things she neglected and didn’t know she finally does. Her parents died in a car crash years after she was put into the care.

She learned about her second sister being killed in a car crash and Her younger sister was paralyzed and adopted by another family soon after the accident. They paid her parents generously, and so her younger sister had lived a good life and is married with a husband and two kids. She does not remember about her or their parents.

She couldn’t visit her younger sister and tell her about the awful things of the past when she was so happy.

Her eldest sister who was ran away; it turns out she did not run away but their parents sold her illegally. The Private detective found tracked her down as an unidentified Jane Doe body. Apparently her oldest died of intensive injuries when Alice turned eighteen and was leaving her foster home. She gave her a proper burial.

Lastly her Aunt who remained the biggest mystery to her, she had such a great reputation. She found that her Aunt committed Suicide when she was fourteen. Her Private Detective turned out to be the Son of the Principle her Aunt used to work with.

With the information on her aunt form the old principle she was left with more questions and answers. That night she went to bed and woke up in her fourteen-year-old self a week before her aunts’ suicide. She made the decision regardless of consequences and stole her foster parents’ money and took bus upon bus across states to get to her aunts house.

She thought this was a chance God had given her to do some right.

Unfortunately, she got sick during the trip and was taken to the hospital, by now she was adrenaline because to day was the day her aunt who commit suicide, she snuck pit of the hospital in the pouring rain. She rang the doorbell nearly out of breath and running a fever.

She saw the women who looks like the female version of her father open it and frown at her. She knew she had to say smoothing, so she thought of the first thing and those words came out of her mouth. Her spirits lifted up until she fainted in the doorway.

She looked around the room, in amazement. She was told that this house was built by her aunt with her own hands. The original place burned down, and She bought it from the original family at a good price. Her aunt had some good stocks in companies and has a lot of money.

The place was downright gorgeous, but it was homely at the same time. She sat up and opened the door. It wasn’t to far from the living room and the moment she steps out the door she was her aunt sleeping on the couch. Even the living room was beautiful, she felt a little regretful, but she wondered why her aunt never took her in.

“Awake?” Gaze said without opening her eyes.

“…. Yes” The girl said slowly observing Gaze, her face was lightly flushed. Her Dad wasn’t good-looking, but her aunt is beautiful although she has the same features.

“I made a few calls, your life in foster care shouldn’t have been unlivable. Why, come here?” Gaze finally opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.

��…..” Alice went quiet, she did not know what to say. “I’m sorry” she said that after a long time.

“Tomorrow, the agency will come over to settled paperwork. Your Foster parents also want to be compensated because you stole money from them. So, congratulations, you will be living with you estranged aunt from now on.

Since the system is so excited at your initiative to live with a blood relative.

What will happen next is that I will give you a week to adjust before enrolling you into the school. Your Room is going to be upstairs, the second door closet to the stairs. It is empty as no furniture had been put into it. So, for now you sleep in the spare room, But, I’ll take you furniture shopping to chose what you want for your room. As well as all the necessity for School.” Gaze got up with an exhausted expression while Alice stood in place obediently listening. She walked to the kitchen counter and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“In school, I expect the best effort from you. Seeing as how you will not turn fifteen until next year (The legal age for working). You will participate in community activities, build a name and a reputation for yourself among the community. Simple jobs such as babysitting and tutoring, lawnmowing for the neighbor’s simple jobs. Those are things you will do regardless of whether they will pay your or not. The point is for you to get a good reputation. Do you understand.” Gaze said in a realistic tone as she turned to face Alice who nodded her head.

“When you reach fifteen, start looking for an official job, the more experience you have on your resume. The more options you will obtained, as for your sisters I won’t be unfair, I will try to get ahold of them. Today for now get some rest and tomorrow Afterall the adoption paperwork is settled we will go out and pick up your furniture.” Gaze waved her hand. “As for the house that can come sometimes later. Right now, I’m tired and am going to bed myself…..OF Course, after this cup of coffee.”

“…..”Alice stood staring at her aunt, she felt a little emotion in her eyes. “Can I have a cup, too.” She asked quietly. Gaze moved over and did not give her an answer. Alice walked over and grabbed a cup out of the cabinet, looking back and forth between her and the cup she grabbed and slowly make herself some.