He Was Different

'Oh, right~' A little brown snake raised its upper body. It had just remembered something else it had learned, its tail swishing across the ground. 'I heard some rich person wants to donate to you~ and take you to the seaside~'

Not particularly interested, Tom stared blankly at the sky. It was probably just another wealthy person looking to use this opportunity to pick out children they liked. Whether it was for adoption or some other reason had nothing to do with him. He was not that naïve. This place was already far better than those filthy places.

Casually rummaging through the scattered items on the ground, Tom raised an eyebrow. A silver thimble, a harmonica that had lost its shine, and a yo-yo spool—what was so special about these things? Still, he did not want to disappoint the little ones, so he slipped the items into his pocket.

'I'm leaving first. Be careful not to get discovered...'

Getting to his feet and brushing the dirt off himself, Tom returned to the yard. He coldly watched Billy in the distance, who had thrown his pet rabbit to its death. "He really moved fast," Tom muttered, standing at the corner and watching Billy hang the dead rabbit from a tree with disdain.

"I would never do something so low-class."

With his arms folded as he leaned against the wall, Tom watched Billy as though watching a clown. The piercing cries made him frown. So annoying. Couldn't he cry a little more quietly? It was so fake—he didn't even have any tears. Shaking his head, Tom left. He knew it would not be long before he was sent to confinement.

After sneaking into the kitchen to hide away a piece of bread, Tom strolled into the yard. Before he could say anything, a slap landed across his face. The force nearly knocked him off his feet. Turning his head and gritting his teeth, he tasted rust in his mouth and knew that the corner of his lips must have split open.

"What did I do this time, Mrs. Cole...?"

Mrs. Cole flung the dead rabbit she had taken down at Tom's feet. Disgust poured from her eyes, making her already unattractive features even more twisted. "How could you do something like this?! You know, murderers with mental problems start by abusing and killing small animals! Get to confinement and repent!"

The corners of Tom's lips curled up slightly. His dark, unfathomable eyes swept over Billy's ugly expression before he turned and left indifferently. What use was explaining? Who would believe someone as isolated and helpless as him? Lies born of jealousy could never make those ugly people acknowledge the truth.

"So disgusting... Urgh..."

The faces of everyone in the orphanage twisted and spun endlessly in Tom's mind, as though they had turned into hideous, revolting monsters. He could not suppress the urge to vomit. Falling to his knees, he kept dry-heaving, though he did not know how long it lasted.

Only then did Tom feel as though he could breathe again. With reddened eyes, he collapsed to one side. He knew why those people hated him. It was because he was an outsider here, because he possessed a pride and dignity that did not belong in this place, and because he could not blend in with those who had completely bowed their heads to fate.

He would not easily bend his knee to anyone else unless that person could bring him something—benefits. Yes, as long as something was advantageous to him, he could wear the perfect smile, cater to other people's preferences, and make use of his own strengths.

Unfortunately, those people who came to the orphanage with ulterior motives were not worthy of making him cast aside his pride. After all, he was different, wasn't he? Over all these years, he had never found anyone else with the same abilities as him.