1 Prologue

A daily late-night news program was broadcasted on an analog TV screen inside a makeshift ramen restaurant in Bridgewood City.

"A big syndicate was successfully taken down by the authorities today at Bridge wood City. Many children were saved from the traffickers while the syndicate members were sent to prison and were facing huge criminal charges. The authorities were urging the families who had lost their children to visit their offices and coordinate with their personnel so that they may be reunited with their kids." The news anchor announced.

"Tsk! I pity those children who were rescued from those bastards." One customer told his friend.

"Yeah. It must be very traumatizing for them. I hope they'll chuck this experience and move on with their lives." His friend also added.

"I also feel worried about the impact this news would cause on the economy in our city. This might affect the potential investors' decision to invest in the companies here."

"That's true. I hope the authorities will eliminate them all so we don't have to worry about the impact this would cause to us."

This time, the owner of the ramen restaurant approached their table and brought their order.

Isaiah's face was covered with his gray beard which he trimmed every other day.

He would wear a mask every time he was in the restaurant for sanitary purposes.

"I agree with you folks. Even I am affected, too. There are not many tourists within the area. I'm lucky that I have a good spot. Without you guys, this whole place might shut down." He said as he put down two bowls of hot ramen in front of them.

"Should this continue, this is can be sad news for us, Isaiah," the man in his office attire talked to him.

"Yeah. Especially now." He uttered as he lifted the tray and walked back behind the counter.

The next morning, Isaiah took a break from wearing his apron and instead changed into a proper suit.

Today, he left his Ramen Restaurant to his hardworking assistant Eric as he had a very important appointment today.

After driving for a while, his car stopped in front of a building that was an orphanage.

He was there to give someone a new life.

When he arrived, the staff politely greeted him.

"Mr. Jansen?"

"Yes. Pardon this old man for being late." He tried to crack up a joke which made the staff smile.

"You're only a minute late than scheduled, Mr. Jansen. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Isaiah did not comment on it. Though he was already seventy-five years old, he wanted to do a lot of things. Unfortunately, his body could no longer keep up with what his mind wanted to do.

Being short for a minute was already a big deal for him. He was so particular with someone else's time.

"Well, I hope she did not get bored waiting for me," Isaiah asked the staff who smiled warmly at him.

"She's inside. She knew that she is going to be adopted today and she had already packed her little stuff. Come. I'll bring you to them."

"Okay. Please lead the way."

The female staff led him to a closed waiting room. With great anticipation, he waited for the door to be opened by the staff. This was the first time that he was going to do this.

"Are you ready to meet her, Mr. Jansen?"

"I am! I'm a little nervous honestly." He said while looking at the closed door.

"Well, at least she's already twelve years old. Maybe when she finally opened up to you, you'd have a loving daughter. She had not talked to her fellow children here in the facility. She had only spoken once and that's when we knew her name was Zarah."

"Zarah. That's a pretty name. Well, I think I can handle her. I have a son who does not speak as well. I think they had the same degree of stubbornness."

"Thank you for doing this Mr. Jansen. The authorities had given her an ultimatum. She had to adapt to life outside otherwise, she'd be forced to be locked up in a facility." The staff reminded Mr. Jansen.

"Be locked up? Why? What happened to her?" Mr. Jansen asked her.

"This is not to scare you sir but she was very violent when she arrived at the mental facility. She almost killed her doctor. Thankfully, for six months, she had not acted up. Then, she became one of the candidates for adoption and you picked her among others."

"Should I be worried about her violent outburst?" He innocently asked.

"So far, she hadn't done anything that could harm herself or the people around her. She was just quiet on the corner. Her doctor suggested that her guardian should wait for her to come around herself rather than forcing her. Don't worry, the police will drive around your place from time to time just in case she becomes violent and you can't control her. Also, she has to seek therapy every month to monitor her progress regularly."

"Damn, that's a lot to take in. Can I still back out?" He suddenly said which caught the staff off-guard.

Well, the adoption procedure was done and he now had the certificate that he was the legal guardian of Zarah Jansen.

Yes, they had not disclosed this to him for fear that he would not continue with the adoption. Honestly, they were scared of Zarah. Though she did not do anything and just sat there in the corner, her gaze could send shivers down their spine.

So they wanted to send her right away and hoped that someone would be liable for her too soon.

"Oh, then --I-- have to talk to my supervisor."

Just then, Isaiah chuckled. He was already there and had chosen her because he felt sorry for the kid. And so his second thoughts earlier were just a bluff.

His chuckle confused the staff even more.

"Don't worry, Ma'am. I knew her full background. I'm friends with the chief. And he entrusted me to take good care of her." He said.

"I know all of you are scared to have her around. However, did you even consider placing yourself in her shoes? She grew up in that place and had only seen the world from that small side. She has not explored the bigger world that we have enjoyed, yet. And then one day, her small world was shattered. Whatever belief she had in her was broken! How would you react if that was you, Ma'am?" He continued which made the female staff speechless.

"I'm not going to be her enemy. I'm here to be his friend. Since legally, I'm her guardian, her father according to the law, I'll play that role well. I'll raise her as my own and help her overcome her demons. And I hope one day she'd come to this place and prove all of you wrong! She won't stay as the same kid that all of you feared!"

The staff's face turned red in shame. His words hit her like a knife.

"Now please open the door as I want to see my daughter and then bring her home."

She turned the knob and then when the door finally opened, she gasped the moment her eyes locked with the child's gaze.

He also saw that she was looking in his direction and his breathing hitched when they made eye contact. If her sharp gazes could kill, he was probably dead by now.

However, compared to the staff, Isaiah masked his reaction well. He didn't want her to see him as her new enemy. And he saw a subtle reaction from the child and she then looked away.

She then apologized for her reaction and called the child. "Zarah! Mr. Jansen is here to pick you up. Come here!" She ordered the child and Zarah did not even bother moving.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jansen for her misbehavior. She's always like this."

Instead of being grateful for her words, he waved his hand in front of her to stop her from continuing.

"That's enough. I know my child is good. Please leave us for a while," Mr. Jansen said.

The staff had no other choice but to retreat. However, she left the door open because she feared that Mr. Jansen would be assaulted by Zarah.

Left alone with the child, Mr. Jansen looked at her and studied her behavior. He found her attitude interesting.

He then tried to get her attention and have a few exchanges with her.

"Zarah."

She did not look at him but she moved her right index finger.

"Your name is Zarah right?"

She moved her right index finger again.

"I'm Isaiah. You can call me Old Man Isaiah if you want. You're going to stick with me from now on Zarah unless you tell me now that you don't like to be with me." He gently told her hoping that she would react more than just tapping her finger.

Isaiah looked at her closely. She was dressed in a boy's clothing and her ash-brown hair was in a bob cut. Her deep green eyes showed no sparkle but emptiness.

There were even bald patches on her scalp.

Isaiah's heart ached for the child. There were also scars on her wrist.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk to me. I know you don't trust me either. However, I'll give you the chance to decide for yourself. I'll walk outside the door. I'm going to wait five minutes outside and see if you will follow me. After five minutes and you did not come out, I'll leave this place without you and will not come back."

Being true to his words, he got up from his seat and turned his back and walked out to the door, and left.

The female staff looked at Isaiah with a confused expression. However, he ignored her and looked at his wristwatch.

For three minutes he heard no movement from the inside. However, he did not mind. Two more minutes.

A minute had passed and still, there was no movement from the inside.

Since he was old, he estimated that it took him fifteen seconds to reach the door.

He wondered if the kid would grab this opportunity to make this very important decision for herself.

He would be lying to himself if he would say that he was not a little disappointed with the child.

Thirty seconds were left on the time he had given her and he was preparing to enter back the room.

Whether she'd follow him on her own or not, he was determined to bring her home with him.

It was just a little test he prepared to assess how he would approach her afterward.

He no longer wanted to be a dictator- kind of a father. For him, this was his redemption for failing as a father. His second shot to fatherhood.

A smile crept on his wrinkled face when he saw that a small pair of hands came out of the room and then seconds later the fragile girl came out. She was standing in front of him.

He smiled and looked at his watch.

"You're right on time! I would have preferred that you did not make me wait longer. My legs and knees could not keep me standing over a long period." He said lightly to lighten up the atmosphere.

He looked at the child who had delayed growth.

Her profile said that she was twelve but she was shorter than the children her age. She only stood a hundred and thirty-seven centimeters.

She also had multiple scars all over her body. She was even limping a little when she walked. She looked so fragile and any parent would hug her if not for her dangerous glares.

Isaiah looked at the little bag that the girl was carrying behind her back.

"Would you like me to carry that for you?" He asked while pointing at the bag on her back.

She made no reaction other than holding the strap firmly. The other staff looked at the girl and the old man in front of them.

They were worried that the girl would become violent with him. After all, the doctor sternly reminded them to never touch that bag. It's her most prized possession.

However, much to their surprise, Zarah looked at him; contemplating whether he could be trusted or not.

"It's fine if you don't want to. Let's head out now, shall we?" He then handed his hand and waited for her to grab it.

However, she did not let go of the strap instead.

Isaiah understood what she wanted. Thus, he started walking out and Zarah followed behind him.

Isaiah was not bothered by this. After all, she had not fully trusted him yet. Nevertheless, he was optimistic that one day, she would hold his hand and they'd walk together.

***