Looking to Belong: Griz

Chapter 1

She ransacked through the bins, searching for food. She needed food. Her parents had thrown her out when they saw that her looks weren't going to change. She was an oddity. A disgrace on the family name, hated, unwanted. A freak. She stared at her hands, her skin was pasty, always pasty, no matter what she did. 

Someone poked her really hard on her neck.

"Don't tell me that you, Griz, was off guard." A voice said behind her, it was ruff, but she recognised it straight away.

"Scout Richard, I know better, I was distracted."

"Don't get distracted then."

"Easier said then done."

"I have a job. Fairly good pay..."

Griz span around, read Scout's scarred hard face.

"Really? I don't believe you."

"Okay, was a joke. You're late. Grizela West, take up arms."

Griz span around, looking for a weapon. She vaguely heard Scout saying something, her time was up. She dived and rolled as a knife whipped over where her head was. Griz picked up a rotten tomato, she threw the bitten fruit at Scout's face, only having bitten it herself. She lunged at him, wrapped her arms around his middle and brought her knee up, making Scout groan.

"You fought well." Scout said, groaning, bent double.

"I did my best, as I always do." Griz walked best the man towards the supermarket's bins. She grabbed a loaf of bread, which had gone past its sell by date and started eating.

"I have no idea why they throw this stuff away." She said through mouthfuls of bread, it was a bit on the dry side, but otherwise perfectly fine.

Scout nodded. "You had a sensitive stomach as a five year old, but you have grown an iron stomach in the past nine years. Which is a good thing."

"What do you want?" Griz said, watching the man carefully.

"People have heard about John. They have made their minds."

"It was an accident. Get on with it."

"You are to be captured on sight." Scout said, after sighing. 

Griz swore, her parents would have scolded her for it, but they didn't care about her now, they didn't even know where she was. 

"It was an accident! What don't they see about it!" Griz had scoured a bin for food, John had done the same ten minutes later and fallen into the bin, and become trapped. Griz went past, thought that he was some creature and trapped him in the bin, which was later picked up by a truck and the contents crushed, along with John, who had died. 

"I know, but you have to leave. I don't know what they are going to do if they catch you, and I can't do anything, you understand that."

Griz nodded. She spun back around to the bins and grabbed more food. She ran over to her bag, which was dirty and old, left next the bins. Stuffing the food in her bag, she looked at Scout. "Thank you, for everything, I wouldn't be alive if you didn't care for me. You've been more of a parent then my actual parents."

Scout walked over, and brushed a thumb around her cheek, "It has been a pleasure enough to watch you grow up. One thing hasn't changed about you in the years that I have known you, you've never told me why your skin always has a grey tinge, and why your black hair has grey streaks in it, and your eyes, why your eyes are grey, black, silver and gold. Please tell me why, that is enough to repay me for my troubles for bringing you up."

Griz sighed, "I haven't told you for a reason, you know, I don't know why myself. My parents look completely normal, and their strange child was thrown out. My siblings, they look normal, it is just me with my skin, eyes and ears. I will give you a promise. When I find out, if I find out, I will tell you the truth, the whole truth."

Scout nodded and stood back. "If I'm alive then. Off you go, look after yourself."

Griz walked away, down the dirty alley, with the buildings rising high above them, onto a wide street, blending in as best as she could with the crowd with her dirty clothes, she turned back one last time, gazed at Scout, nodded and disappeared into the crowd.