Owned? - Chapter 101：Side story

You might never know, but you might have met a very important person in your life somewhere in the distant past.

That person is there in the fleeting memories and so even when you meet that person again in your life you might not remember.

Just like that, an interaction that was meant to be happens among all the coincidental ones and escapes within the back of our minds.

Unknowingly, we live like that.

In oblivion.

***

Azalea, as a four year old child ended up getting lost when her aunt and uncle brought her and the kids to a carnival in another city.

A city near the border.

Azalea was an innocent child, pure like untainted snow and like any other child her age, she was fascinated by everything happening in the carnival.

For a four year old, the world felt too big, she darted her eyes around everywhere.

Her big round blue eyes staring at everything, the stalls, the food, the bubbles that reflected the rainbows in them, the juggler outside the circus tent.

Without realizing she had let go of her sister’s hand and got lost amidst the crowd.

Fascinated by the colors of the funfair she didn’t realize she had followed the blue bird to another place.

Only when  the bird soared high in the sky and returned to its owner did she look back and realized her sister was not there.

A sudden sense of impending doom overcame her.

There were so many faces around her, but none she could recognize.

“Leah?” She called out to her sister but ended with no reply, “Uncle? Auntie?” None of the adults spared her a glance as she stood in the empty space between the stalls. Shaded from the glaring eyes on the sun, she seemed invisible to every person who was passing by.

It wasn’t exactly their fault.

It was a place of rush.

Azalea stood there in fear for many minutes, then looked back. The space between the stalls extended far, or that was what seemed to her.

In the way back, where the shadows of the stalls finished, Azalea saw a group of children, on the other side of the fence walking together.

What went through her mind? No one knows. Perhaps she saw it as a form of hope.

Maybe she thought that the group of children was lost like her and were making their way back to their families.

Or maybe she felt comforted when she saw kids her age. Perhaps a sense of familiarity came from them.

Whatever the reason, she impulsively followed them.

After all, what could a four year old have thought? Children don’t think much.

She tried jumping over the fence but fell badly to the ground. The fall impacted her clothes the most.

She tried again and succeeded half way but now that she had reached the top, she had no idea how to climb down.

Azalea glanced at the kids. They were walking quite far now.

“Wait!” She jumped and somehow managed to stay alive, but now she was dirtier than before since she landed on her hands and knees.

“Wait!!” Azalea didn’t waste any time and started running after the children but only when she had reached the slums Azalea realized she was now, even more lost.

The group of children had dispersed and she now stood alone in a weird place.

She didn’t know her way back or the way ahead, she didn’t know the people around her or the ones passing by.

Every single face she set her gaze on was foreign.

‘Am I lost forever?’

‘Am I never going to get home?’ Terrible thoughts started plaguing her mind

In the moment of fear tears began to fall down her cheeks and she started crying while she clenched her fists and closed her eyes.

Just a few moments later Azalea suddenly stopped crying when she felt a hand over her head, “Why are you crying?”

She looked to her side. There stood a pretty girl with shoulder length blonde hair and honey colored eyes.

“I’m pretty?” The boy smiled, “Big sis?” Arius smiled at the child’s innocence but he didn’t correct her thinking that maybe it was more comfortable for the child in thinking that he was a girl, “Why are you crying?” He crouched down on one knee and patted her head.

Azalea wiped her tears, “I can’t find my family.”

“Ah…” Arius immediately realized that she wasn’t from the slums. How? The people who lived in the slums had a very different aura around them. A different sort of gloom they can’t get rid of.

Azalea started crying again all of the sudden and Arius flinched, “H-hey! What’s wrong?”‘What could possibly make her cry again?’ He thought. He didn’t do anything mean to her

“I’m hungry!”

“…” Yes, there was always hunger, “I see…” It was something that made people do way more stuff than just crying, “Caesar!!” Arius looked back at the black haired boy, “Do you have any bananas left?”

Caesar nodded his head and walked to him, then took out a banana from his pants.

“Why are you hiding them on the inside?” Arius stared at his friend weirdly.

“…Internal pockets…”

“Oh!” He took the banana and gave it to the little girl in front of him, “Have this.” He stood up, “We’re leaving, so we’ll take you with us.”

“Take her?” Caesar asked.

“Yeah, we’ll drop her at the police station or with an officer.” Caesar didn’t say anything else. He looked at the girl staring at her banana.

He walked to her and took it from her, peeled it and handed it back.

Azalea finally started eating it.

Arius giggled, “So you don’t know how to peel huh?” He held out his hand and grabbed hers.

“Sis does dis for me.” Azalea spoke with her mouth full.

Arius and Caesar gave each other a smile, “Let’s get you to your family.”

Arius didn’t know why he decided to help out the little girl, he just felt like doing it.

***

As children neither of them realized that perhaps it was fate that they met that day. The meeting was short and soon became a distant memory but it was because they met that day Azalea was able to find her family again and meet Arius once again in the future.