Chapter 154: Lesson Learned Pt.3
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The minute she decided on stealing and felt like there was nothing wrong with it, her entire mind was thinking about how to do it successfully. She was young but not without smarts entirely. For some reason, there were these little actions and thoughts engrained in her naturally that made her feel more confident. It could have been education taught to her before she was abandoned on these streets.
She could not recollect the past but whatever she had learned was still locked inside her. Since she did not speak to others nor did she herself doubt the knowledge, no one could tell that she was years ahead of someone her age. Stalking her prey, observing different actions and putting it into her brain were hard concepts for young children. They usually were able to see A to B but questioning how A to B would happen was beyond them.
Would they even know to look for a bell? Probably not, so it was an example of where she was above others. This did not mean there were not other children like her, however, those who matched their skills in such a way were definitely not better off than her. Education could only do so much, real life experience is what set street kids apart. While most of them may not be able to pass a official test, they were the ones that picked up the skills to survive in this world. That could not be said for the 'richer' children, they could pass the test but would not make it through a couple days on the streets.
There were so many unspoken rules here that you would only learn through breaking them or someone being kind enough to be their guide. Though who would willingly take on a dependent and show them around if they did not have to? The old man who took care of her was well into his years and was comfortable enough to do so but a regular child would not have that capacity. If they did, often enough there were ulterior motives behind their actions.
Just because someone looked your age or kind, did not mean that they would not offer you up to die in place of them. Usually, other children would initiate younger ones into a life of crime. There were many little ringleaders on the streets that used children as their money source. From begging to mini crimes, all of it was committed. The older the child got the more dangerous their act would be up to something like murder. Many people knew the law and took the lenience given to children as a loop hole. People did not outwardly suspect children to be evil so they let their guard down around them.
That proves to be a fatal mistake when that same 'innocent' child murders them in cold blood. The reasoning could be as simple as the money for the act or being promised a higher position in the gang. Your position increased by your value and the amount of blood you had on your hands. Even going to jail was considered a good thing, it validated you almost like adding stripes on a uniform. Since children were punished lighter than a.d.u.l.ts, it was a perfect force to utilize. For this to work, you would need more people and there were children who worked as those 'initiators.' At the end of the day, everyone was dispensable and their presence in your life always has a time limit.
Ying Yue tried her best to stay away from everyone lest she got caught in something like that. She did know such things were happening at that age but made the connection that it was bad. There were other kids that she used to watch regularly come by her spot, she watched them as if it was her television. However, one day an older kid had come up them and was all smiles. They all hung out as a group for a couple of days but after that none of them came back.
This pattern repeated one more time with another children before she made the connection. It put fear in her heart immediately and made her walls go up higher. Coupled with the fact that she was already reclusive from being bullied and teased, it just pushed her further away. That vigilance kept her safe so far and was the reason no one was able to teach her how to steal.
She had to depend on herself and the brain she already had in order to complete the act. Thankfully, whoever had abandoned her gave some education before they did. The observations she made such as the bell and the flow of customers helped her build a good plan on when to sneak in. The sky was getting darker and she knew that it would help her to have that coverage. If she ran away into the alley like the other child, the darkness would help shroud her body and make it harder for the baker to track her.
With a vague plan in her head, her eyes became more focused as they stared at the bakery. She had spent a bit over an hour watching and stalking the bakery. Only now did she feel settled enough to sneak in, she knew her chances were not one hundred percent. Yet, there was a high probability in her favour so it did not matter that there was chance for error. Everything had risk and this was one she was determined to make.
Her face held a little smile as she imagined the baker's anger when he realized another item had been stolen. She was not kind and her entire motive was revenge. It did not matter that she was hungry, she could go to another easier store and steal. However, she wanted this bakery to be her first.
She quickly covered her mouth, the giggle was light but could have been loud in such an empty street. In front of the bakery it was active but where she was positioned only she was there. Looking down at herself, she check her body over to make sure she was ready. When she touched her cheek she realized that her face was out in the open.
The cold had made her forget that there was nothing covering her face. The baker had taken a good long look at her while hurling abuses, if she were to run in now he would know her. Which technically would not be a problem. However, if the baker tried to look for her and placed her picture everywhere that would not fare well for her.
It was important she lived low-key and had less people who knew her face as a thief.
'I have to cover face.....'
With that thought, she started looking around on the floor to cover her face with something. There were no clothing items around here, no scarf she could use to cover. If there was, she would have long used it to cover her body for some warmth. Finding those items discarded and still in good condition was a luxury item and came purely on luck.
She did not have the chances of seeing something like that and could only give up using that as a cover. Walking further into the alley away from her spot, she kept her eyes trained for something that could help. There was only random piles of food waste that was littered around and discarded packaging. None of these she could put on and frankly, looked gross to touch. They were wet from the snow as well which made the items even grosser.
A puff of irritation left her the longer she looked, she was ready to go in but was stopped at the last second by this problem. Finding a spot under an arched roof, she plopped down onto the floor in a sad mood. It was the only dry spot where she sat so it was comfortable to sit down and stopped most of the snow from hitting her.
Kicking her feet in irritation she stretched her limbs to keep them warm. As she did this, she noticed little specks of brown fly off the ground. The sudden movement made her surprised and subsequently still her movements. The brown flew up and landed on her clothes staining it. Slowly she did it again and the brown stained her clothes once again.
It was a lightbulb moment, she scrambled onto her knees and started digging with her hands. She had no considered it earlier but using dirt was an easy option. Usually you would need some water to make it like paint but the snow had done it for her. Digging under for some new dirt she gathered a little bit of snow and mixed it into a liquid texture.
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The minute she decided on stealing and felt like there was nothing wrong with it, her entire mind was thinking about how to do it successfully. She was young but not without smarts entirely. For some reason, there were these little actions and thoughts engrained in her naturally that made her feel more confident. It could have been education taught to her before she was abandoned on these streets.
She could not recollect the past but whatever she had learned was still locked inside her. Since she did not speak to others nor did she herself doubt the knowledge, no one could tell that she was years ahead of someone her age. Stalking her prey, observing different actions and putting it into her brain were hard concepts for young children. They usually were able to see A to B but questioning how A to B would happen was beyond them.
Would they even know to look for a bell? Probably not, so it was an example of where she was above others. This did not mean there were not other children like her, however, those who matched their skills in such a way were definitely not better off than her. Education could only do so much, real life experience is what set street kids apart. While most of them may not be able to pass a official test, they were the ones that picked up the skills to survive in this world. That could not be said for the 'richer' children, they could pass the test but would not make it through a couple days on the streets.
There were so many unspoken rules here that you would only learn through breaking them or someone being kind enough to be their guide. Though who would willingly take on a dependent and show them around if they did not have to? The old man who took care of her was well into his years and was comfortable enough to do so but a regular child would not have that capacity. If they did, often enough there were ulterior motives behind their actions.
Just because someone looked your age or kind, did not mean that they would not offer you up to die in place of them. Usually, other children would initiate younger ones into a life of crime. There were many little ringleaders on the streets that used children as their money source. From begging to mini crimes, all of it was committed. The older the child got the more dangerous their act would be up to something like murder. Many people knew the law and took the lenience given to children as a loop hole. People did not outwardly suspect children to be evil so they let their guard down around them.
That proves to be a fatal mistake when that same 'innocent' child murders them in cold blood. The reasoning could be as simple as the money for the act or being promised a higher position in the gang. Your position increased by your value and the amount of blood you had on your hands. Even going to jail was considered a good thing, it validated you almost like adding stripes on a uniform. Since children were punished lighter than a.d.u.l.ts, it was a perfect force to utilize. For this to work, you would need more people and there were children who worked as those 'initiators.' At the end of the day, everyone was dispensable and their presence in your life always has a time limit.
Ying Yue tried her best to stay away from everyone lest she got caught in something like that. She did know such things were happening at that age but made the connection that it was bad. There were other kids that she used to watch regularly come by her spot, she watched them as if it was her television. However, one day an older kid had come up them and was all smiles. They all hung out as a group for a couple of days but after that none of them came back.
This pattern repeated one more time with another children before she made the connection. It put fear in her heart immediately and made her walls go up higher. Coupled with the fact that she was already reclusive from being bullied and teased, it just pushed her further away. That vigilance kept her safe so far and was the reason no one was able to teach her how to steal.
She had to depend on herself and the brain she already had in order to complete the act. Thankfully, whoever had abandoned her gave some education before they did. The observations she made such as the bell and the flow of customers helped her build a good plan on when to sneak in. The sky was getting darker and she knew that it would help her to have that coverage. If she ran away into the alley like the other child, the darkness would help shroud her body and make it harder for the baker to track her.
With a vague plan in her head, her eyes became more focused as they stared at the bakery. She had spent a bit over an hour watching and stalking the bakery. Only now did she feel settled enough to sneak in, she knew her chances were not one hundred percent. Yet, there was a high probability in her favour so it did not matter that there was chance for error. Everything had risk and this was one she was determined to make.
Her face held a little smile as she imagined the baker's anger when he realized another item had been stolen. She was not kind and her entire motive was revenge. It did not matter that she was hungry, she could go to another easier store and steal. However, she wanted this bakery to be her first.
She quickly covered her mouth, the giggle was light but could have been loud in such an empty street. In front of the bakery it was active but where she was positioned only she was there. Looking down at herself, she check her body over to make sure she was ready. When she touched her cheek she realized that her face was out in the open.
The cold had made her forget that there was nothing covering her face. The baker had taken a good long look at her while hurling abuses, if she were to run in now he would know her. Which technically would not be a problem. However, if the baker tried to look for her and placed her picture everywhere that would not fare well for her.
It was important she lived low-key and had less people who knew her face as a thief.
'I have to cover face.....'
With that thought, she started looking around on the floor to cover her face with something. There were no clothing items around here, no scarf she could use to cover. If there was, she would have long used it to cover her body for some warmth. Finding those items discarded and still in good condition was a luxury item and came purely on luck.
She did not have the chances of seeing something like that and could only give up using that as a cover. Walking further into the alley away from her spot, she kept her eyes trained for something that could help. There was only random piles of food waste that was littered around and discarded packaging. None of these she could put on and frankly, looked gross to touch. They were wet from the snow as well which made the items even grosser.
A puff of irritation left her the longer she looked, she was ready to go in but was stopped at the last second by this problem. Finding a spot under an arched roof, she plopped down onto the floor in a sad mood. It was the only dry spot where she sat so it was comfortable to sit down and stopped most of the snow from hitting her.
Kicking her feet in irritation she stretched her limbs to keep them warm. As she did this, she noticed little specks of brown fly off the ground. The sudden movement made her surprised and subsequently still her movements. The brown flew up and landed on her clothes staining it. Slowly she did it again and the brown stained her clothes once again.
It was a lightbulb moment, she scrambled onto her knees and started digging with her hands. She had no considered it earlier but using dirt was an easy option. Usually you would need some water to make it like paint but the snow had done it for her. Digging under for some new dirt she gathered a little bit of snow and mixed it into a liquid texture.
The minute she decided on stealing and felt like there was nothing wrong with it, her entire mind was thinking about how to do it successfully. She was young but not without smarts entirely. For some reason, there were these little actions and thoughts engrained in her naturally that made her feel more confident. It could have been education taught to her before she was abandoned on these streets. She could not recollect the past but whatever she had learned was still locked inside her. Since she did not speak to others nor did she herself doubt the knowledge, no one could tell that she was years ahead of someone her age. Stalking her prey, observing different actions and putting it into her brain were hard concepts for young children. They usually were able to see A to B but questioning how A to B would happen was beyond them. Would they even know to look for a bell? Probably not, so it was an example of where she was above others. This did not mean there were not other children like her, however, those who matched their skills in such a way were definitely not better off than her. Education could only do so much, real life experience is what set street kids apart. While most of them may not be able to pass a official test, they were the ones that picked up the skills to survive in this world. That could not be said for the 'richer' children, they could pass the test but would not make it through a couple days on the streets. There were so many unspoken rules here that you would only learn through breaking them or someone being kind enough to be their guide. Though who would willingly take on a dependent and show them around if they did not have to? The old man who took care of her was well into his years and was comfortable enough to do so but a regular child would not have that capacity. If they did, often enough there were ulterior motives behind their actions. Just because someone looked your age or kind, did not mean that they would not offer you up to die in place of them. Usually, other children would initiate younger ones into a life of crime. There were many little ringleaders on the streets that used children as their money source. From begging to mini crimes, all of it was committed. The older the child got the more dangerous their act would be up to something like murder. Many people knew the law and took the lenience given to children as a loop hole. People did not outwardly suspect children to be evil so they let their guard down around them. That proves to be a fatal mistake when that same 'innocent' child murders them in cold blood. The reasoning could be as simple as the money for the act or being promised a higher position in the gang. Your position increased by your value and the amount of blood you had on your hands. Even going to jail was considered a good thing, it validated you almost like adding stripes on a uniform. Since children were punished lighter than a.d.u.l.ts, it was a perfect force to utilize. For this to work, you would need more people and there were children who worked as those 'initiators.' At the end of the day, everyone was dispensable and their presence in your life always has a time limit. Ying Yue tried her best to stay away from everyone lest she got caught in something like that. She did know such things were happening at that age but made the connection that it was bad. There were other kids that she used to watch regularly come by her spot, she watched them as if it was her television. However, one day an older kid had come up them and was all smiles. They all hung out as a group for a couple of days but after that none of them came back. This pattern repeated one more time with another children before she made the connection. It put fear in her heart immediately and made her walls go up higher. Coupled with the fact that she was already reclusive from being bullied and teased, it just pushed her further away. That vigilance kept her safe so far and was the reason no one was able to teach her how to steal. She had to depend on herself and the brain she already had in order to complete the act. Thankfully, whoever had abandoned her gave some education before they did. The observations she made such as the bell and the flow of customers helped her build a good plan on when to sneak in. The sky was getting darker and she knew that it would help her to have that coverage. If she ran away into the alley like the other child, the darkness would help shroud her body and make it harder for the baker to track her. With a vague plan in her head, her eyes became more focused as they stared at the bakery. She had spent a bit over an hour watching and stalking the bakery. Only now did she feel settled enough to sneak in, she knew her chances were not one hundred percent. Yet, there was a high probability in her favour so it did not matter that there was chance for error. Everything had risk and this was one she was determined to make. Her face held a little smile as she imagined the baker's anger when he realized another item had been stolen. She was not kind and her entire motive was revenge. It did not matter that she was hungry, she could go to another easier store and steal. However, she wanted this bakery to be her first. She quickly covered her mouth, the giggle was light but could have been loud in such an empty street. In front of the bakery it was active but where she was positioned only she was there. Looking down at herself, she check her body over to make sure she was ready. When she touched her cheek she realized that her face was out in the open. The cold had made her forget that there was nothing covering her face. The baker had taken a good long look at her while hurling abuses, if she were to run in now he would know her. Which technically would not be a problem. However, if the baker tried to look for her and placed her picture everywhere that would not fare well for her. It was important she lived low-key and had less people who knew her face as a thief. 'I have to cover face.....' With that thought, she started looking around on the floor to cover her face with something. There were no clothing items around here, no scarf she could use to cover. If there was, she would have long used it to cover her body for some warmth. Finding those items discarded and still in good condition was a luxury item and came purely on luck. She did not have the chances of seeing something like that and could only give up using that as a cover. Walking further into the alley away from her spot, she kept her eyes trained for something that could help. There was only random piles of food waste that was littered around and discarded packaging. None of these she could put on and frankly, looked gross to touch. They were wet from the snow as well which made the items even grosser. A puff of irritation left her the longer she looked, she was ready to go in but was stopped at the last second by this problem. Finding a spot under an arched roof, she plopped down onto the floor in a sad mood. It was the only dry spot where she sat so it was comfortable to sit down and stopped most of the snow from hitting her. Kicking her feet in irritation she stretched her limbs to keep them warm. As she did this, she noticed little specks of brown fly off the ground. The sudden movement made her surprised and subsequently still her movements. The brown flew up and landed on her clothes staining it. Slowly she did it again and the brown stained her clothes once again. It was a lightbulb moment, she scrambled onto her knees and started digging with her hands. She had no considered it earlier but using dirt was an easy option. Usually you would need some water to make it like paint but the snow had done it for her. Digging under for some new dirt she gathered a little bit of snow and mixed it into a liquid texture.
