Starting today, I live my life all alone. I quit school at the age of ten. I simply don’t see how I can continue in that toxic environment where everyone is wishing me the worst. At home, my butlers and maids cared for me, but my mother’s husband was always angry at me. I also hurt my mother in the process, and that was the most unfortunate part in all of this.

  It’s been three days since I wandered alone in this world. I left my birth city just yesterday on foot. I simply walked everywhere without a clear direction. As long as I walk the opposite way from that building where my mother lived, I’m good.

  As for my daily nutrition and survivability, I usually find someone who’s selling food where there aren’t that many people around. I stunned the vendor and took their food, but not too much, just enough to fill my small belly. Since my Faith power stuns someone for five entire minutes, that’s a really long time to eat their food and completely disappear afterwards. It feels like I was just an illusion from their point of view.

  I have never been caught in any trouble so far, but it’s good now that I have a strategy to survive without money. I was just worried that I’ll get used to this quickly and become lenient to the point of being careless, and that might cause some problems in the near future. I have to steel myself and keep reminding myself to always be cautious, no matter what happens, because I am all alone now in this world.

  It's 11 in the morning now, and I am currently in the neighbouring city. I am heading towards the airport, hoping to be a stowaway aboard the plane. I still don’t know how I am going to get past the security guards.

  I am eating a hot dog that I just took from a poor guy just to the right of an intersection behind. I walk on the sidewalk where many cars pass by on the main roads.

  There were many other adults and kids alike walking along this sidewalk, and I was asked quite often about why I was alone, seeing how young I am. I always avoided further interaction by saying, ‘Sorry, I am not supposed to talk to a stranger, really loudly, and everyone who asked a question immediately left me alone.

  Phew! At least this way I won’t attract any unnecessary attention. I continue to make my way towards the airport.

  .

  .

  .

  Nine hours later. . .

  *pant pant pant*

  This is tiring. I’ve walked for nine whole hours without stopping. My pace was slow to reserve stamina, and thanks to that, it’s already this late.

  I have arrived at the gate to the airport, so I make my way to the terminal, and it’s another long road from the gate. Normally, anyone needed a ride to reach the terminal, but I can’t complain now! I am all alone after all! I have to pick up the slack myself for things other people have access to.

  An hour later, I finally reached the terminal, walking all the way from the gate.

  The terminal itself looks very large, and its walls are glass, so I can see the inside, and there are so many people inside.

  *pant pant pant*

  And I am so exhausted, I don’t think I can stand up anymore. I am currently lying down on a long bench available outside the door to the terminal on both sides. I put my small suitcase next to me as I just lie on the bench. My hand hurts from pulling my suitcase, and my legs are hurting like crazy from the walk.

  It is currently eight at night, and the airport wasn’t as busy as during the day. Many people exit and enter through the main door, and there are also several others who sit on the bench as well.

  When I lie down and look towards all the people going in and out of the terminal, I feel jealous all of a sudden. I see so many kids going on travel with their parents, and some of them are even going in a large group with multiple families as one group. It is something that I know will never happen to me. Just the thought makes my heart sting a little bit. And without realizing it, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

  .

  .

  .

  *!*

  I wake up abruptly and immediately sit up from my lying down position.

  *pant pant pant*

  I just had a nightmare where my mother’s husband is beating me and then my mother as well for no clear reason.

  *pant pant pant*

  Thanks to the nightmare, I feel exhausted somehow, even after I fell asleep.

  “(Just a dream. . .)”

  I checked the giant clock inside the terminal from my position and saw that it is currently nine at night. I immediately get up from the bench to plan to infiltrate a plane somehow. I saw the boarding schedules from outside, and there is one flight happening in half an hour from now. There are also multiple ones happening right now, but I figured it would have already been too late.

  I tried to grab my small suitcase, but I just realized that it wasn’t there at all.

  “H-Huh?”

  I looked down, and my small suitcase was nowhere to be seen.

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  “N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

  I started screaming on reflex, and some of the staff nearby approached me.

  “W-What’s wrong, young lady??” said a female staff member.

  *!*

  “(Oh no! This is bad! If they start questioning where my parents are, I’m doomed! They’ll forcefully send me back to that ‘home’ and I definitely don’t want that.)”

  “N-Nothing! I just woke up from a nightmare, and I immediately screamed when I woke up! Sorry to bother you!”

  I bowed my head down as I came up with a lie to the female staff. I also immediately walk away afterwards, saying to her that I need to go to the bathroom. The female staff member asks no further questions.

  PHEW!

  Crisis averted. That was a close one. I am so bummed about my small suitcase, but there’s no choice! I have to continue without it.

  Urgh! And I love the way it looked, too. And all of my clothes are there too. . .

  *Sigh*

  Can’t help it! I was passed out, and my suitcase was probably pushed by me during my sleep, and so someone just took it, thinking it was no one else’s. Oh, well!

  Inside the girls’ bathroom, I hid myself in one of the stalls. Thankfully, this airport is open 24/7, so I’m good if I just stay here and sleep. But now, how am I going to sneak onto an airplane? I genuinely have no idea what I am doing. This is my first time after all, being outside all alone by myself without anyone I can turn to.

  “. . .”

  *SIGH*

  This sucks.

  This is not fun at all.

  This also doesn’t feel as liberating as I thought it would be. Being all alone is quite a challenge and painful.

  “. . .”

  I think to myself for minutes upon minutes, and then eventually I just fell asleep inside the toilet stall.

  .

  .

  .

  *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

  “Hello? Is anyone there?”

  *KNOCK KNOCK*

  “Hello?”

  *!*

  I woke up in shock when I heard the loud banging on the door to the toilet stall. I also heard a female voice speaking to me.

  “Hello?? Is anyone there, miss? Young lady? Ma’am?”

  *KNOCK KNOCK*

  *KCHLACK*

  *!*

  I open the lock and open the door slightly just to peek my head a little bit. I see a female janitor in front of the toilet stall.

  “S-Sorry, my stomach was hurting like crazy! And I was embarrassed to speak during the. . . you know?”

  “Ah! If that is all, then I apologize! I thought you were doing something inside there. Please continue, and I apologize for interrupting you, Young Lady!”

  “T-That’s alright!”

  I closed the door again and waited until the female janitor had left. I quickly went outside and headed to the main lobby.

  *!*

  I was so surprised to see daylight outside. The sun is very bright today, and it feels like it’s already noon. I turn my head towards a clock in the lobby.

  “(10:18?? HOW LONG DID I SLEEP IN THE TOILET? URGH!! I MUST STINK LIKE ONE BY NOW!!)”

  Though the bathroom stalls were very clean and didn’t stink at all.

  *GROOWWLLL*

  My stomach suddenly growls, and I put my hand over my belly instinctively.

  “(My stomach hurts. I am hungry.)”

  I look around me, and there are so many people inside the lobby, as well as food stalls inside the terminal. It would be impossible to use my Faith power without getting caught.

  “. . .”

  I had no choice but to leave the airport. I need to eat, or else I’ll starve and have no energy for my journey towards. . .

  Towards. . .

  Uuhh. . .

  Towards. . .

  Where am I heading again exactly?

  If I got on the plane, where was I going exactly?

  I. . .

  I never thought of it that far ahead. . .

  This feels like a massive roadblock already.

  Where am I going?

  Where is my destination?

  Where exactly am I heading?

  I myself genuinely have no idea.

  This whole escaping from my ‘home’ feels like it just fell apart completely.

  I did not have a concrete plan, so of course, this is how it would turn out.

  . . . .

  Should I. . . go back to mother. . .?

  But I hurt her. . .

  I don’t have any rights to face her anymore. . .

  Seeing her painful expression hurts me a lot. . .

  Wait a minute, why do I even think like this?

  That’s backward thinking!

  I made a decision to leave, so I'd better struggle like there’s no tomorrow!

  Life is not easy! I’ve learned that the hard way!

  I have to become someone who can take care of herself!

  Once I’m done with my deep thoughts, I realize that I’ve walked all the way from the terminal to the gates of the airport. My feet didn’t feel any pain this time. This has to be the power of a mindset that affects my body. This is good to know!

  From now on, I have to be someone independent of others’ help!

  Let’s do this! I’m sure I can do this! I am a Believer after all!

  THAT IS RIGHT!! I AM DIFFERENT THAN ANY NORMAL HUMAN BEING!! I AM A BELIEVER!!

  I DEFINITELY CAN DO THIS!!

  YOSH!!

  I ran away from the airport gate towards the south of the city.

  Since my stomach is very hungry, I started looking for a lone food stall in the city. I walk and walk and walk, and it is now two o'clock at noon.

  *GROWWLLLL*

  “Urgh! My stomach hurts, and I still haven’t found food yet. . .”

  I walk on the sidewalk and look around. I see a rather empty and lonely alleyway, so I took a turn there. I was hoping to find a lone food stall so I could steal some, but I have no idea why I thought of that. There’s no way someone just parked a food stall in some back alley. Guess this can be a great lesson for me on how cities work in general.

  After walking ten meters into the alleyway just to find nothing or no one, I turn around to leave.

  “Is that the girl?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she is!”

  “She does match the description, though I don’t see any suitcase anywhere on her.”

  *!!!*

  I saw three young men entering this alleyway. They are dressed casually, and they all look like they’re in their twenties, possibly attending college.

  “(Hm? Why do they look like they are searching for me? But who on earth looks for me, though? I have nobody like that in my life!)”

  I simply approached the three of them nonchalantly, as any normal person would with strangers. But as I got closer, their eyes were locked onto me. That is no coincidence; you don’t just lock eyes with someone for this long.

  I gather my courage to ask a question.

  “E-Excuse me, you three misters, do I know any of you?”

  *!*

  “Oh! Sorry to scare you! We have no plan to intimidate you whatsoever, but can you please come with us?” said one of the three young men.

  “Huh? Why? I don’t recognize any of your faces!”

  I was a bit scared by their invitation, and my fear surfaced a little bit on my face.

  “W-Wait! Wait! We are not dangerous people! We’re just college kids tasked to bring you home with us!” said one of the three young men as he raised both of his open palms at me.

  “Y-Yeah! The rewards for bringing you home were quite a lot, so we took this request!”

  “(Bring me home? Who on earth wanted to do that?)”

  “Uuhhh. . .”

  “(Wait, is it my mother? If that’s the case, I’ll gladly come home to her!!)”

  “If I may ask, who tasked you three, mister?”

  “It was a man, one of the richest guys in the town next door! He said that his daughter ran away to the city and got lost! Let’s go home, miss!!” said one of the three young men as he offered me a hand.

  “(Oh. . . It’s that man. . . Should’ve known. . .)”

  I quickly bow my head towards the three of them.

  “I apologize, mister, but I don’t wanna go home right now! That man is abusing me, and he keeps hitting me! He’s one of the reasons I ran away in the first place! I’m going now, so please act as if we never met! I beg of you!”

  “. . .”

  “Well, this is a problem. . .”

  “I don’t really wanna do this! This would make us look really really bad.”

  “Yeah, but we kinda don’t have a choice here!”

  *GRABS*

  *!!!*

  Instead of being let go as I assumed they would, one of them grabbed me by my wrist really hard, to the point that it hurt.

  “Ukh!”

  “I’m so sorry, young lady! But you are coming home with us, and that is final!!”

  *!!*

  “(Tch! I have to do something!)”