Chapter 157: A Successful Exit
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As soon as the countdown hit one, her body was already moving forward as fast as she could. The a.d.u.l.ts and children were now congregated at the door, with one in specific opening the door. Getting through that door was her goal and she had only this chance to do it.
Her mind was blank as her whole focus was on that door and the people in front of her. She could hear the surprise gasps from the people around her and a vague sound coming from her right. However, she disregarded all of that as she grew closer to the family.
"Who's child is this?!"
"What is this?!?"
"What's on her face?!"
"....dirty," the last comment being made by a younger sounding voice. Those comments did not bother her, even she felt a bit dirty with the mud dripping down her face. It was fine caked but now it was getting all over her and the floor. There was a bit of wetness on the floor from the melted snow and mud coming from her. This made it slippery for her to run, she tried her best to evade the wet spots but could not help stumbling a bit.
Just as she was five steps away from the family, her legs gave out and collapsed beneath her. Using the momentum of the fall she closed her eyes out of instinct and threw herself forward. She looked like a loose cannonball that had been launched into a crowd. The a.d.u.l.ts quickly tried to evade her in fear of getting hurt or getting her mud on them.
Despite that, she still managed to knock herself on one of them. The bones of a.d.u.l.ts were a lot stronger and she directly knocked her stomach into a calve. Thankfully it was not her head or legs but the stomach hurt just as much. However, it was one she could b.a.r.e through for the moment. Reopening her eyes quickly she looked up at the door and saw that it was still open.
Her sudden fall must've shocked the one holding the door so they had not moved. The door was even pushed a little wider from the excitement of it all. Regardless it helped her purpose, the chaos of it all was perfect for her escape.
Getting up she ignored the pain in her stomach and dashed towards the open door.
"STOP CLOSE THE DOOR, DON'T LET THE THEIF ESCAPE!!!!"
Right then she could hear the angry shouts of the baker scream out behind her. He was still behind the counter but had noticed what she was doing. The scream also helped clear the a.d.u.l.ts' minds from the confusion they had before. Seeing a young child run out of nowhere with mud all of her face and torn clothes would stun anyone.
They could not understand where the child came from and her sudden actions stopped them from thinking further. Questions like:
Why were they here?
Why were they running?
What did they come here for & did they steal?
None of those questions came to their mind nor were they given any time to process them logically. The baker's accusation of her stealing was enough clarity they needed for their minds to become normal again. From dazed expressions to stern expressions, the a.d.u.l.ts all became angry at her.
She could feel the change in atmosphere, the previous loving family had become the gatekeepers to her exit. It felt like she had been transported back into olden times or at minimum, a football game where there were so many opponents against her. They all had ideas of taking her down and grabbing what she had in her possession. Her role in this was to evade them and successful make it to the goal post a.k.a. the door.
Pushing her head further down and her shoulders forward, she sped up even faster. The door was closing quickly as the a.d.u.l.t pulled it inwards. Maybe it was God helping her or some natural coincidence but there was a strong wind blowing against the bakery. With that wind, it was harder for the a.d.u.l.t to close the door and had to use two hands to pull it. That change in environment was more than enough for her to escape.
Running through she braced herself for the impact and bashed in her shoulder on her way out. There was a clang behind her as the door closed and the wind reminding her she was on the other side of it. She wanted to feel happy but there was not enough time for her it. The clang behind her resounded again as people rushed out from inside it.
She could not understand why normal customers would involve themselves so much for a mere child like her. It was one thing when she was inside the store, she had already left so why keep chasing her. The baker was the only one who had the right and reason to be mad at her, what loss did the customer suffer? Or did they feel indignant on the baker's behalf because she was from a lower status than them?
The answers didn't matter much as she forced herself to clear her mind again. Turning around the corner her body moved on autopilot as she raced down the alleyway. There was a set of steps racing behind her that were slowly increasing upon her. They kept following her even after five minutes had passed and after many turns were taken. The people behind her were so determined they did not care how many zigzags she made, every action was followed. It was at this moment she saw a small gap in a fence into a residential property. She took her chances again and barrelled herself through the hole.
It was a tight fit but she was able to slip through, that did not stop her from trying. Pausing to catch her breath she debated on continuing running but her legs were beyond tired. Taking deep breaths she tried to control her breathing while keeping a fearful look above the tall fence. She wondered if they would jump over or chase her to the other side to grab her.
Just as she expected, they followed her right up to the fence. Since she was still there she could catch the bits of their conversation.
"She got away!"
"Damn, should we go the other way..?"
Those two voices were from the men in the family, she remembered hearing it in the bakery. There was another set of rushed steps that sounded behind the fence. She assumed that another person had caught up to the group.
"THIEF THIEF DID YOU CATCH HER?"
'The baker....' The angry and spiteful voice resounded and she knew that the baker had arrived. It was not as if he would sit by idly, she was just surprised he could make it this far. He only made it half the distance when the little boy had run. Maybe it was fueled by anger and her being the second one to steal from him today that made him come this far.
"Sorry we could not, we tried our best but she escaped through this hole. Its only big enough for a child to go through and the other side is residential property. Sorry mister, we tried to help but we can't do anything more."
"No no thank you for your help, should not have had a customer help me in this. I just wish I caught a glimpse of her face, it was covered with mud so I didn't get a clear image."
"Ah I think its best you go back and count your losses. After all how much could a child take?"
"There was another child today, aiya what is happening to me."
"Another child you say? Sir, don't mind my superstitious comments but maybe someone has put bad luck on your bakery. That is truly unfortunate but I'm still sure by her size they could not have taken a lot. There was nothing in her hands that I was sure of, maybe she snuck in for warmth? Either way best to come back and check. Sorry I could not help further, these street kids have been unruly for a while."
"No no you have been more than enough help. Come back to the bakery, let me thank you with a warm hot chocolate and some free pastries on the house."
"I could not accept that just after this incident."
"Its okay, its okay. I could not let you guys leave empty handed."
Those were the final comments before she heard the steps of them walking away. There was a mocking smirk on her face as she heard the conversation. For a little girl like her they had chased down streets in this cold just for a couple of croissants. However, here the baker was offering more free items to them for their 'help.' If he had that liberty why could he not give her or any of the other children any? It was obvious he could afford.
'Selfish they are all selfish.'
Touching the colder croissants in her pockets, the mocking smirk became a genuine smile at her success. Her body hurt, she put herself in danger and narrowly escaped but had successfully completed her revenge. This was a new feeling for her, she usually kept to herself and for the first time she did something against her character. A new gleam emerged in her eyes at the thought, a subtle sign of the irreversible change inside her.
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As soon as the countdown hit one, her body was already moving forward as fast as she could. The a.d.u.l.ts and children were now congregated at the door, with one in specific opening the door. Getting through that door was her goal and she had only this chance to do it.
Her mind was blank as her whole focus was on that door and the people in front of her. She could hear the surprise gasps from the people around her and a vague sound coming from her right. However, she disregarded all of that as she grew closer to the family.
"Who's child is this?!"
"What is this?!?"
"What's on her face?!"
"....dirty," the last comment being made by a younger sounding voice. Those comments did not bother her, even she felt a bit dirty with the mud dripping down her face. It was fine caked but now it was getting all over her and the floor. There was a bit of wetness on the floor from the melted snow and mud coming from her. This made it slippery for her to run, she tried her best to evade the wet spots but could not help stumbling a bit.
Just as she was five steps away from the family, her legs gave out and collapsed beneath her. Using the momentum of the fall she closed her eyes out of instinct and threw herself forward. She looked like a loose cannonball that had been launched into a crowd. The a.d.u.l.ts quickly tried to evade her in fear of getting hurt or getting her mud on them.
Despite that, she still managed to knock herself on one of them. The bones of a.d.u.l.ts were a lot stronger and she directly knocked her stomach into a calve. Thankfully it was not her head or legs but the stomach hurt just as much. However, it was one she could b.a.r.e through for the moment. Reopening her eyes quickly she looked up at the door and saw that it was still open.
Her sudden fall must've shocked the one holding the door so they had not moved. The door was even pushed a little wider from the excitement of it all. Regardless it helped her purpose, the chaos of it all was perfect for her escape.
Getting up she ignored the pain in her stomach and dashed towards the open door.
"STOP CLOSE THE DOOR, DON'T LET THE THEIF ESCAPE!!!!"
Right then she could hear the angry shouts of the baker scream out behind her. He was still behind the counter but had noticed what she was doing. The scream also helped clear the a.d.u.l.ts' minds from the confusion they had before. Seeing a young child run out of nowhere with mud all of her face and torn clothes would stun anyone.
They could not understand where the child came from and her sudden actions stopped them from thinking further. Questions like:
Why were they here?
Why were they running?
What did they come here for & did they steal?
None of those questions came to their mind nor were they given any time to process them logically. The baker's accusation of her stealing was enough clarity they needed for their minds to become normal again. From dazed expressions to stern expressions, the a.d.u.l.ts all became angry at her.
She could feel the change in atmosphere, the previous loving family had become the gatekeepers to her exit. It felt like she had been transported back into olden times or at minimum, a football game where there were so many opponents against her. They all had ideas of taking her down and grabbing what she had in her possession. Her role in this was to evade them and successful make it to the goal post a.k.a. the door.
Pushing her head further down and her shoulders forward, she sped up even faster. The door was closing quickly as the a.d.u.l.t pulled it inwards. Maybe it was God helping her or some natural coincidence but there was a strong wind blowing against the bakery. With that wind, it was harder for the a.d.u.l.t to close the door and had to use two hands to pull it. That change in environment was more than enough for her to escape.
Running through she braced herself for the impact and bashed in her shoulder on her way out. There was a clang behind her as the door closed and the wind reminding her she was on the other side of it. She wanted to feel happy but there was not enough time for her it. The clang behind her resounded again as people rushed out from inside it.
She could not understand why normal customers would involve themselves so much for a mere child like her. It was one thing when she was inside the store, she had already left so why keep chasing her. The baker was the only one who had the right and reason to be mad at her, what loss did the customer suffer? Or did they feel indignant on the baker's behalf because she was from a lower status than them?
The answers didn't matter much as she forced herself to clear her mind again. Turning around the corner her body moved on autopilot as she raced down the alleyway. There was a set of steps racing behind her that were slowly increasing upon her. They kept following her even after five minutes had passed and after many turns were taken. The people behind her were so determined they did not care how many zigzags she made, every action was followed. It was at this moment she saw a small gap in a fence into a residential property. She took her chances again and barrelled herself through the hole.
It was a tight fit but she was able to slip through, that did not stop her from trying. Pausing to catch her breath she debated on continuing running but her legs were beyond tired. Taking deep breaths she tried to control her breathing while keeping a fearful look above the tall fence. She wondered if they would jump over or chase her to the other side to grab her.
Just as she expected, they followed her right up to the fence. Since she was still there she could catch the bits of their conversation.
"She got away!"
"Damn, should we go the other way..?"
Those two voices were from the men in the family, she remembered hearing it in the bakery. There was another set of rushed steps that sounded behind the fence. She assumed that another person had caught up to the group.
"THIEF THIEF DID YOU CATCH HER?"
'The baker....' The angry and spiteful voice resounded and she knew that the baker had arrived. It was not as if he would sit by idly, she was just surprised he could make it this far. He only made it half the distance when the little boy had run. Maybe it was fueled by anger and her being the second one to steal from him today that made him come this far.
"Sorry we could not, we tried our best but she escaped through this hole. Its only big enough for a child to go through and the other side is residential property. Sorry mister, we tried to help but we can't do anything more."
"No no thank you for your help, should not have had a customer help me in this. I just wish I caught a glimpse of her face, it was covered with mud so I didn't get a clear image."
"Ah I think its best you go back and count your losses. After all how much could a child take?"
"There was another child today, aiya what is happening to me."
"Another child you say? Sir, don't mind my superstitious comments but maybe someone has put bad luck on your bakery. That is truly unfortunate but I'm still sure by her size they could not have taken a lot. There was nothing in her hands that I was sure of, maybe she snuck in for warmth? Either way best to come back and check. Sorry I could not help further, these street kids have been unruly for a while."
"No no you have been more than enough help. Come back to the bakery, let me thank you with a warm hot chocolate and some free pastries on the house."
"I could not accept that just after this incident."
"Its okay, its okay. I could not let you guys leave empty handed."
Those were the final comments before she heard the steps of them walking away. There was a mocking smirk on her face as she heard the conversation. For a little girl like her they had chased down streets in this cold just for a couple of croissants. However, here the baker was offering more free items to them for their 'help.' If he had that liberty why could he not give her or any of the other children any? It was obvious he could afford.
'Selfish they are all selfish.'
Touching the colder croissants in her pockets, the mocking smirk became a genuine smile at her success. Her body hurt, she put herself in danger and narrowly escaped but had successfully completed her revenge. This was a new feeling for her, she usually kept to herself and for the first time she did something against her character. A new gleam emerged in her eyes at the thought, a subtle sign of the irreversible change inside her.
As soon as the countdown hit one, her body was already moving forward as fast as she could. The a.d.u.l.ts and children were now congregated at the door, with one in specific opening the door. Getting through that door was her goal and she had only this chance to do it. Her mind was blank as her whole focus was on that door and the people in front of her. She could hear the surprise gasps from the people around her and a vague sound coming from her right. However, she disregarded all of that as she grew closer to the family. "Who's child is this?!" "What is this?!?" "What's on her face?!" "....dirty," the last comment being made by a younger sounding voice. Those comments did not bother her, even she felt a bit dirty with the mud dripping down her face. It was fine caked but now it was getting all over her and the floor. There was a bit of wetness on the floor from the melted snow and mud coming from her. This made it slippery for her to run, she tried her best to evade the wet spots but could not help stumbling a bit. Just as she was five steps away from the family, her legs gave out and collapsed beneath her. Using the momentum of the fall she closed her eyes out of instinct and threw herself forward. She looked like a loose cannonball that had been launched into a crowd. The a.d.u.l.ts quickly tried to evade her in fear of getting hurt or getting her mud on them. Despite that, she still managed to knock herself on one of them. The bones of a.d.u.l.ts were a lot stronger and she directly knocked her stomach into a calve. Thankfully it was not her head or legs but the stomach hurt just as much. However, it was one she could b.a.r.e through for the moment. Reopening her eyes quickly she looked up at the door and saw that it was still open. Her sudden fall must've shocked the one holding the door so they had not moved. The door was even pushed a little wider from the excitement of it all. Regardless it helped her purpose, the chaos of it all was perfect for her escape. Getting up she ignored the pain in her stomach and dashed towards the open door. "STOP CLOSE THE DOOR, DON'T LET THE THEIF ESCAPE!!!!" Right then she could hear the angry shouts of the baker scream out behind her. He was still behind the counter but had noticed what she was doing. The scream also helped clear the a.d.u.l.ts' minds from the confusion they had before. Seeing a young child run out of nowhere with mud all of her face and torn clothes would stun anyone. They could not understand where the child came from and her sudden actions stopped them from thinking further. Questions like: Why were they here? Why were they running? What did they come here for & did they steal? None of those questions came to their mind nor were they given any time to process them logically. The baker's accusation of her stealing was enough clarity they needed for their minds to become normal again. From dazed expressions to stern expressions, the a.d.u.l.ts all became angry at her. She could feel the change in atmosphere, the previous loving family had become the gatekeepers to her exit. It felt like she had been transported back into olden times or at minimum, a football game where there were so many opponents against her. They all had ideas of taking her down and grabbing what she had in her possession. Her role in this was to evade them and successful make it to the goal post a.k.a. the door. Pushing her head further down and her shoulders forward, she sped up even faster. The door was closing quickly as the a.d.u.l.t pulled it inwards. Maybe it was God helping her or some natural coincidence but there was a strong wind blowing against the bakery. With that wind, it was harder for the a.d.u.l.t to close the door and had to use two hands to pull it. That change in environment was more than enough for her to escape. Running through she braced herself for the impact and bashed in her shoulder on her way out. There was a clang behind her as the door closed and the wind reminding her she was on the other side of it. She wanted to feel happy but there was not enough time for her it. The clang behind her resounded again as people rushed out from inside it. She could not understand why normal customers would involve themselves so much for a mere child like her. It was one thing when she was inside the store, she had already left so why keep chasing her. The baker was the only one who had the right and reason to be mad at her, what loss did the customer suffer? Or did they feel indignant on the baker's behalf because she was from a lower status than them? The answers didn't matter much as she forced herself to clear her mind again. Turning around the corner her body moved on autopilot as she raced down the alleyway. There was a set of steps racing behind her that were slowly increasing upon her. They kept following her even after five minutes had passed and after many turns were taken. The people behind her were so determined they did not care how many zigzags she made, every action was followed. It was at this moment she saw a small gap in a fence into a residential property. She took her chances again and barrelled herself through the hole. It was a tight fit but she was able to slip through, that did not stop her from trying. Pausing to catch her breath she debated on continuing running but her legs were beyond tired. Taking deep breaths she tried to control her breathing while keeping a fearful look above the tall fence. She wondered if they would jump over or chase her to the other side to grab her. Just as she expected, they followed her right up to the fence. Since she was still there she could catch the bits of their conversation. "She got away!" "Damn, should we go the other way..?" Those two voices were from the men in the family, she remembered hearing it in the bakery. There was another set of rushed steps that sounded behind the fence. She assumed that another person had caught up to the group. "THIEF THIEF DID YOU CATCH HER?" 'The baker....' The angry and spiteful voice resounded and she knew that the baker had arrived. It was not as if he would sit by idly, she was just surprised he could make it this far. He only made it half the distance when the little boy had run. Maybe it was fueled by anger and her being the second one to steal from him today that made him come this far. "Sorry we could not, we tried our best but she escaped through this hole. Its only big enough for a child to go through and the other side is residential property. Sorry mister, we tried to help but we can't do anything more." "No no thank you for your help, should not have had a customer help me in this. I just wish I caught a glimpse of her face, it was covered with mud so I didn't get a clear image." "Ah I think its best you go back and count your losses. After all how much could a child take?" "There was another child today, aiya what is happening to me." "Another child you say? Sir, don't mind my superstitious comments but maybe someone has put bad luck on your bakery. That is truly unfortunate but I'm still sure by her size they could not have taken a lot. There was nothing in her hands that I was sure of, maybe she snuck in for warmth? Either way best to come back and check. Sorry I could not help further, these street kids have been unruly for a while." "No no you have been more than enough help. Come back to the bakery, let me thank you with a warm hot chocolate and some free pastries on the house." "I could not accept that just after this incident." "Its okay, its okay. I could not let you guys leave empty handed." Those were the final comments before she heard the steps of them walking away. There was a mocking smirk on her face as she heard the conversation. For a little girl like her they had chased down streets in this cold just for a couple of croissants. However, here the baker was offering more free items to them for their 'help.' If he had that liberty why could he not give her or any of the other children any? It was obvious he could afford. 'Selfish they are all selfish.' Touching the colder croissants in her pockets, the mocking smirk became a genuine smile at her success. Her body hurt, she put herself in danger and narrowly escaped but had successfully completed her revenge. This was a new feeling for her, she usually kept to herself and for the first time she did something against her character. A new gleam emerged in her eyes at the thought, a subtle sign of the irreversible change inside her.
