Hey, guess who's back after a two-year long hiatus? I'm really sorry for leaving you guys hanging, I don't even have an excuse beside school and all that mess that's happening in my life. I read through the chapters I already posted and decided to edit them before re-posting them. There's some things I wanted to fix and also re-arrange the plot a bit to fit in what I plan to do to get the next plot point. Oh and I changed the title from "A new beginning" to "Bits and Pieces" as well. I hope that's alright.

So, on with the story!

Chapter 1

Edited: 15.10.2017

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Every kid has that one reason to not like one thing about their life. Sometimes it's a silly reason, like having to wash the dishes. There are times when you just wish you had different parents. You think you have a miserable life and need to get away from it all. Well, meet Lilia Ketchum. She wished nothing more than to have her parents yelling at her, and even forcing her to do chores. In short, she's your total opposite.

Lilia has never met her parents, at least not that she could remember. She knows nothing about them and has lived her whole life dreaming of just how they will come for her one day. The eight-year-old had big dreams and goals in life that one day she wanted to reach. There are times when she just wants to give up. Sometimes her mind tells her that she will never, ever meet her parents. She will never get to know them. Or even know how they look like!

It's only her guess to figure out whom she looked more like. Her mom or dad? She had no idea. All she knew was that she had long, jet black hair that went all the way down her back. After a shower, her hair would get all unruly and frizzy. In order to somehow tame it, she would pull it back into a single loose braid. Her bangs would brush over her dark brown eyes blended with her toffee-brown skin. For some reason she also got Z-marks on both her cheeks. She knew who she was and how she looked like, but she didn't know where she got her looks. It made her cry thinking of all the happy families out there, having dinner together, spending time together, and simply just being a family. Lilia never knew the feeling of someone caring for her. She's never heard anyone say 'I love you' to her. That's why she had set a goal to find her parents, even if she had to do it by herself.

Another thing that bugged her was that she didn't know how exactly she got her name. Did her parents name her or did the orphan pick a random name that seemed to fit her somewhat? Did the hospital name her? She didn't know anyone with the last name 'Ketchum'. She was so curious about her past. She remembered always being in the orphanage, she couldn't recall being anywhere else. She didn't know if her parents just abandoned her, or if there were some mistake of her being in this terrible place. No one could answer her questions. No one, but her parents, wherever they were.

Being in the orphanage for eight whole years did really make you feel unwanted. You always got the impression that nobody really wants you. You get lined up with all the girls and a couple picks one out of all of you, just like that. Almost every day. It's like you're a starter Pokémon!

You feel like a reject and don't know what to do but feel disappointed when you're not picked. In the end it doesn't do anything but tire you out. There was no right cure for feeling unwanted. All you could do was hope and maybe one day you'll find the right family. You know one thing: Your life isn't going anywhere. For as long as you live in the orphanage, you were a nobody.

It was even harder when you only have one friend out of so many girls in the building. And to find out that a family has adopted your only one friend—you feel your whole world just crashing down. There's no one else there for you and no one cares. It doesn't matter what you feel inside to anyone, the workers just want you out of their responsibility. They don't care if you're with some strange people; it's not their problem. Simple as that.

"We didn't even get dinner," Anna, the only friend Lilia has ever made said in tired tone as she rubbed her stomach.

In short, being an orphan was really hard. Other than wondering and asking unanswered questions about your past, you were pushed around all the time and only fed when they felt like feeding you. It was up to them when and what you go eat; it was never up to you to do anything. Sometimes they fed you dry and tasteless leftovers just because they're too lazy to cook. They just didn't care if you suffered or not.

"Maybe we'll get some late snack." Lilia tried to brighten up her friend, though she was equally as upset. "We get that sometimes."

Anna was the one going to a loving family tomorrow, and she'll probably get her own room with everything she needed and she would probably never starve ever again.

It was past eight and none of the kids has eaten lunch or dinner. Dinner was usually served around five, and now that it was eight, it meant no dinner. They were lucky enough to have breakfast. It was nasty and disgusting, but at least they got a little amount of food in their bodies for the day. Starving wasn't fun. Your body keeps on making you barf, even when you had nothing to throw up.

"You need to get out of here, Lilia." Anna said, sitting up the squeaky bed.

"I can't! It's impossible to get out of here," Lilia shot back.

She was terrified by the thought of being caught. That would get her punished and probably something else too. This wasn't an easy little game, this was her life. One mistake could ruin it.

"It's not impossible, we've talked about this before! We'll wake up early, tip-toe downstairs before the sun comes up and look through the files. We'll find it. You'll find the address of where your parents live. Come on Lilia! Don't you want to go meet your mom and dad?" Anna begged. "I can't just leave you here in this prison."

"What about you? What if we get caught?" Lilia asked, trying to keep her cool but her bottom lip was trembling.

"My soon-to-be parents will be here tomorrow afternoon, you have to be out of here before they get here! Lilia, you're my best friend, I'll feel horrible if I was to leave you behind. I want you to be safe too," Anna pleaded.

Lilia let out a sigh and stared at her best friend with a doubtful look. It was hard to say no now. Her best friend, probably the only person in the whole world who at least gave a care about her was trying to help her find her whole life story. Her best friend just wanted her to be free and out of this torturous place. The decision was hard, but Anna's idea seemed to be the best. As much as Lilia disliked the thought of getting in trouble, it actually sounded pretty adventurous in her ears. That somewhat gave her a kick.

Glancing at her friend's face expression, Anna smiled widely. "Great! Be sure to be up before anyone else," Anna exclaimed, keeping her voice down so the other girls couldn't hear them.

The bedroom lights suddenly went off. That only meant one thing: bed time. It was still too early to be going to bed, but it wasn't like they got another choice. Once the lights were off, they had to be in bed. No questions asked. They were all sent to bed today, with empty stomachs.

"GOOD NIGHT, GIRLS!" Mrs. Jeffrey, the head leader of the orphanage, shouted.

The whole room went pitch black and silent after the older lady slammed the door shut. No one spoke after the lights went off. It was the number one rule. If you were heard talking or whispering or even sleep talking, you were in trouble. And being punished by Mrs. Jeffrey is something no one would wish upon each other.

Lilia ducked under the covers and closed her eyes. It was settled. This would be her last night in the orphanage.

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Thanks for reading!