Defrosting Her Cold Heart

Casey kicked out suddenly, her legs thrashing, her body arching off the bed as she tried to resist the drug in her body system but couldn't due to the heavy dose of tranquilizer injected into her body; her limbs soon relaxed, surrendering to the numbness.

Observing her defiance, one of the doctors remarked to the others, "She's fighting the sedative," The doctor noted, "despite her severe injuries. We need to find a way to calm her down."

Director Steve, The head of the orphanage watched the 18-year-old on the bed with a mixture of fascination and concern, his eyes crinkled in thought.

Her file lay open on his desk, detailing her remarkable history. Found severely injured near a rural village, she had been raised by wolves since birth. Rescued at five, she was adopted by a loving family, only to lose them to bandits a year later.

A nurse whispered to a colleague, "Wolves raised her, can you believe it? Found in a cave, taken in by a stranger who adopted her to his family at age five..." The words trailed off, but Casey's ears picked up the faint hum of gossip.

Casey's memories blurred, but the image of a rural village lingered - the scent of damp earth, the cries of birds, and the pain.

Her eyes fluttered closed, memories of that fateful night resurfacing: flames engulfing the small cottage, screams echoing through the darkness, and the acrid smell of smoke. Since then, she had been labeled a harbinger of misfortune, shunned, and bullied by the villagers.

The villagers' wary glances and whispered insults still stung: "Cursed child," "Wolf's daughter," "Bad luck." The labels clung to her like a shroud.

The bandit leader responsible for the death of her adoptive parents, Unbeknownst to him, found her and trained her into a lethal weapon, and she eventually turned against them, exacting revenge for her deceased adoptive parents.

Memories of the bandit camp flashed through Casey's mind: endless training, the bandit leader's cold gaze, and the satisfying crunch of bone beneath her fists when she finally turned against them.

Unconscious due to injuries sustained in the confrontation with the bandits, she was brought in by the security men of the orphanage.

Had the doctors not sedated her, she might have wreaked havoc in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SIX MONTHS LATER

Casey felt something hitting him and suddenly opened his eyes, only to see some kids throwing pebbles through the hole in the door of his room. The kids immediately run away when they see him standing up.

In confusion, Casey moved forward a little bit and felt that the doctor had not administered a significant amount of tranquilizer that day.

After a few months of being sedated, she doesn't have any extra energy most of the time except to get up to eat and walk a little bit. That was the idea of the Director of the base.

He allowed her to stay in this tiny room but deprived her of the energy to cause any trouble. She was left here to wallow in this dark and depressing room where she could only see the stars through the tiny window when nightfall.

A girl's voice drifted through the door's opening, hesitant. "Brother Casey, will you join us for dinner? Cook made something special today..." Her tone faltered under Casey's silent stare.

Casey ignored her and moved to the bedside. Casey's eyes adjusted effortlessly to the dimness, her footsteps silent on the familiar floor. She navigated the room with practiced ease.

Casey has been living alone in the dark room and has already gotten used to the darkness. She stood before the mirror.

The reflection in the mirror was of a tall, 18-year-old boy who appeared much taller than her peers but possessed a youthful countenance. His complexion was fair, and her eyes resembled radiant stars but emanated a coldness.

Her somewhat disheveled, short black hair contributed to her somewhat unconventional appearance, prompting her to casually shake her head, ruffling her hair slightly, which made him look so cool.

The girl at the door was amazed at how handsome she looked.

Casey Angeles is the most good-looking boy in the orphanage but doesn't like being in a gathering of people, a typical loner.

Whether he was having a meal in the cafeteria or being called by the instructors in the base to be in the midst of the other kids, he would always stand in a corner, cold, quiet, and unapproachable.

Envy simmered in the boys' eyes, while girls' gazes lingered, drawn to Casey's chiseled features and icy demeanor. Even though he has a bad temper, they are always looking for a way to get closer to him, but they are always cut off coldly.

As a boy, he was exceptionally handsome, yet always radiating an aloofness that kept others at bay. His features mesmerized, but his eyes chilled - a beauty tempered by steel.

"Brother Casey, "Would you like to eat dinner with me "? I heard that the cook made a lot of delicious food due to some visitors that will be coming......

But Casey's gaze chilled her. "Shut up and go away."

Frightened by him, the girl still took the courage to come over. " Brother Casey, I will be waiting for you to come out; I just want us to be friends...

Casey suddenly turned to look at her; the girl was so scared by his cold, sharp-like dagger eyes that she ran off immediately.

The room returned to silence and the boy in the mirror remained unmoved. Casey's thoughts drifted to her past.

She didn't know she was a human until she was taken from the wolf cave when she was five, then she gradually figured out that she was a girl.

Memories of the wolf cave lingered, echoes of a life before humanity. Casey recalled the warmth of a furry body and the freedom of the wild. Her adoptive family's faces blurred, but the sense of loss remained."

But while living with the bandits, she has to disguise herself as a boy to survive. She must receive training and work as a boy to get what to eat, or else she will be taken as a waste and killed.

Eventually, as time goes on, she almost forgets her gender. While she was working for the bandits, she was caught by the policemen severely, but she always managed to escape.

But she never expected she would be confined and controlled here with tranquilizers one day by some unharmed people.

She moved back to bed thinking; then she remembered the girl saying earlier that there would be some visitors in the base today, wondering what their intentions would be.

This place is known as an orphanage, but she discovered one day, while she was walking around, through the conversation of some of the instructors, that most children, especially boys, are being raised here to be sent to some agency.

While contemplating these, she dozed off

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The gate of the orphanage that had been closed for a while was opened, and a military jeep followed behind by three vans.

The door of the jeep was opened.

"Boss," One of the people that came down from the vans said, looking so respectfully and solemnly at the man getting down from the jeep ."Here we are."

Huh," Lucas nodded indifferently and entered the orphanage.

Lucas stepped out of the jeep, his presence commanding attention. His sharp jawline and piercing gaze seemed chiseled from granite, exuding an aura of authority that silenced the surrounding chatter."

Seeing the legendary Lucas Blackwood finally show up, the director of the orphanage came up to greet him. " Mr Blackwood, this is your first time being involved in the selection. Nice to meet you"

Lucas walked straight in and coldly replied," Nice to meet you too, Director Steve; every four years, M base chooses new members from orphanages around the country based on the agreement with the government. So you are just following the routine and so do I.

Yes, but you're the Director of the M base. The children in our orphanage will depend on you to take care of them in the future. They are all orphans, but if they become successful in society in the future through the training in M base, It will also be a great achievement and blessing to their generations."

Lucas Ignored the director's flattering words.

Every four years, talent selection of the M base was just a routine, and not up to a tenth of the orphanages would be chosen. After all, not all the kids have the ability to pass the tests and checkpoints set by the base. To become a member of the base, one must be fully qualified mentally and physically.

As he walked into the orphanage, everybody was fascinated by his visage; he had well-shaped eyebrows, deep dark grey eyes that showed a speck of green due to the sunlight, a high and straight nose bridge, and cold, thin lips..... (everyone's thought) is he from a painting?.

All the instructors and other workers in the orphanage were already gathered, waiting for the mysterious eldest son of the Blackwood to appear.

The Blackwood family is one of the most powerful families in the US. Although on the surface, it was a business family, it owns the largest talent training base in the shadows, training talents for the use of government officials and the country's armed forces.

Lucas Blackwood, the mysterious eldest son of the Blackwood family, is a legendary man both in the business and underground world. His name is more powerful than his family name.

From the age of five, he was trained in the M base; at the age of eighteen, he left the family business to start his own company, and within five years, his company (Lucas empire) became a great sensation in the business world.

"Whispers trailed Lucas like a shadow, his name spoken in hushed tones by the orphanage staff. His presence seemed to draw the air tighter, commanding attention."

Now that he showed up in the orphanage, everybody was being careful because he was rumored to have a bad temper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laughter rang out in the cafeteria, sharp and mocking, cutting through the low hum of chatter. A group of boys huddled together near the entrance, their attention fixed on a tall, handsome boy sitting alone at a corner table. He was eating in silence, his posture upright and composed, but his expression was distant as if the noise around him didn't exist.

The ringleader of the group picked up a small pebble from the ground, weighing it in his hand with a smirk. "Watch this," he whispered, his tone dripping with mischief. With a swift flick of his wrist, the pebble sailed through the air, striking the boy's shoulder.

The boy paused mid-bite, his gaze snapped toward them, his eyes narrowing.

The boys came closer to her; one said, "Why are you glaring at us?" With a crash, one of the boys grabbed her plate and threw it on the floor, spilling her meal all over the ground.

Your piece of shit, you have just been here for a few months. How dare you keep mute while we are speaking to you? Don't you know that we will soon be selected to go to the M base," Oh, I have forgotten that the director only takes you as a piece of trash and doesn't include your name in the list of candidates; you will be left here to rot away. The boys jeer, pushing her to the wall

Casey's face remained blank instead She grabbed the arm of the boy who held her, and the boy's face immediately turned pale.

"Get away from me. Why did y'all come here babbling at me? or did you want to be enrolled into the base with broken bones?" She said indifferently and her voice was as nonchalant as her expression. Pushing the guys away " Get the fuck out of my sight".

"You mongrel, how dare you talk to us like this? Where are you really from? I heard your surname is Angeles. Don't you know that there is only one family that is allowed to use that name? Who gave you the courage to use that name?" One of the boys said.

Casey didn't want to waste time on these boys and was about to turn around when one of them reached out to grab her again. Casey's eyes narrowed as the hand closed around her arm. She spun, her fingers instinctively wrapping around the wrist, ready to twist and break free."

She paused. It just happened that today, The doctor gave her half a dose of the tranquilizer due to him being in a hurry. Besides, she has already grown kinda immune to the tranquilizer after being Injected with it for a long time, so she has recovered a little bit of her strength and she is not as weak as before.

So she twisted her wrist. Cra.. the cracking sound of the wrist was followed by a scream.

"Are you relieved now that your wrist is dislocated?" Casey looked back, amusedly glancing at the boy who was holding his wrist and was writhing in pain and then at others.

The boy whose wrist dislocated roared in anger and his face contorted in pain. He yelled at the others," You all grab him ! Beat him up !! I want to see what this mongrel is capable of !" when he saw others still hesitating, " he can't take all of you at once!"

Casey remains indifferent to his words. The boys didn't expect him to be so good at martial arts. After all, none of the kids knows anything about him except for being known for his cold temper.

However, the boys stopped hesitating and tried to attack her; Casey casually moved to the side to avoid their moves, and her movement looked natural, unrestrained but aggressive. A pebble on the floor suddenly moved through the group, and with force, it hit one of the boys hard on the forehead.

"Ouch" "The boy raised his hand to cover his bloody forehead and fell to the ground in pain. Not expecting him to be so ruthless, the boys stopped for an instant, not knowing whether to attack him or not.

At that moment, she strikes one of them in the lower part of the body, who immediately lets out a painful scream. Before they could realize what had happened, Casey had already left their encirclement, turning to get a new portion of food with a deadpan face.

"Shit, this brat!"

"Let him go. We'll see how he will end up miserably"

Ignoring their words, Casey got a new tray and a portion of food. Whispers followed Casey through the cafeteria, admiring glances flicking toward her striking features.

Yet, she sat alone, her expression a mask of indifference, discouraging anyone from approaching

In the noises, the boy whose head was hit sneers," We'll see how long he can maintain his attitude. I heard that the boss of the M base has come today. If we finally become members of the base, a man, after being trained for a while in the base, will be able to kill him!"

Zoning them out _M base? Casey thinks

When she was working for the bandits, she heard them talking about a base, which is said to be the largest military talent training base and a deep connection to the country police. It is very powerful and mysterious and a lot of bandits were very afraid of it.

"Is the base she heard about the same as the M base? Is M base where she heard from the instructors where some of the boys will be taken to ?"

However, it has nothing to do with her.

Standing up to get back to his room, the boys scurried away fearfully, thinking he was coming for them again.

" Shit, Casey has only been in the orphanage for just a few months; he has never been close to anyone. This is the first time they saw him fight despite his cold temper. No one expected him to be so strong.

°~°~°~°~°~°~°

At night,

This was one of the largest orphanages in Los Angeles, with a large number of orphans. The people from the base arrived at the orphanage in the afternoon, but due to the huge amount of orphans on the list, they had to stay there for the night and continue the screening tomorrow.

Casey retired to her room, seeking refuge in sleep. After all, she had nothing else to do than sleep, eat, and stroll around, but due to movements around the orphanage, she couldn't go to sleep peacefully.

She opened her eyes, sat up on her bed, looking out her window, thinking maybe she should just go for a dip at the natural hot spring she found a few weeks ago at the back of the orphanage playground while taking a stroll; then she got up and went out.

As she walked towards the forest behind the orphanage, the shadows cast by the faint moonlight were her only guide. She caught sight of boys who fought with her day and heard them cursing her from a distance vehemently.

" Where did that bastard come from? How dare he hit me so hard. I pray he gets killed soon." Hearing his words, Casey walks towards them, saying coldly, "Whether I get killed or not is a matter of the future, but if you dared curse me more I won't mind and hesitate to kill you now."

Hearing his voice, the boys were frightened, they all turned pale.

"You... When did you get here?"

Casey didn't answer. She keeps on walking towards the forest.

" Ptuu.. What's the point of your fighting skills when you're doomed to rot away here? We've warned you that you will rot away in this place after we are selected by M base. The boys mock Casey.

However, as if not hearing them, Casey just glanced around causally and ignored them. The boy whose forehead was injured in the afternoon flew into a rage. "Damn it! How dare you ignore us! I don't think he dares touch us since there are M base people around. Let's throw him in the pool in the forest. Let's teach him a lesson today. This is not a place he can boss around!"

There were twice as many people gathered tonight than in the afternoon in the cafeteria. The group thought that they would be able to subdue Casey.

Casey stopped her movement and turned to look at them casually, waiting for their moves.

But seeing Casey still looking carefree as if all of them put together wouldn't cause any trouble, the other boys who had already witnessed her martial skills dared not come forward and hesitantly drew back.

Seeing them hesitating," If you are not blind, you should know I have a bad temper. Don't mess with me. Otherwise, I don't mind disabling you all here tonight," Casey said coldly.

With that, she continued to walk towards the hot spring in the forest as if nothing had happened, ignoring the boys who froze and putting her attention on the men hidden in the shadows. The reason why she keeps on ignoring the boy's provocation is due to her sensing some glares in the shadows.

After Casey left, in one of the guest rooms not far away, some members of the M base discussed among themselves, " This boy is not bad. He is way better than the kids we checked today.

Another member glanced at the boy going towards the forest and said meaningfully, "An assassin broke in, probably to kill the boss. This boy was able to notice our men in the shadows, hence his vigilant behavior, but the path he is going towards is the same as the boss has taken, which I am sure the assassin has also taken, but trusting the boss to avoid implicating others, especially a kid like this. Don't worry. Let's just wait and see."

Hearing his words, the others watched as the boy hurried into the forest, wondering why the boy was going there.

Their Boss likes having a hot bath at night, Although the orphanage doesn't have one except a natural hot spring behind the orphanage, which he decided to use like that; now he is having a bath there.

They couldn't imagine what would happen there

~~~~~~~~~~~

As Casey moved closer to the spring, she noticed someone moving sneakily. She stopped and watched, wondering why the person was sneaking around except if someone was in the spring, so she followed him silently down to the spring.

Uhh_ Why did that guy suddenly disappear?

She had followed him down here,

Now she can see the spring through a glimpse of the trees. She would have seen the guy if he had jumped into the spring, but he just suddenly disappeared.

Splash!!, Hearing that she immediately climbed the nearest tree to the spring.

Only for her to spot the guy dead beside the spring. She became alert immediately. Rushing down to check the cause of his death, she misplaced her feet.

Before she could grab hold of herself, she was already sliding into the spring. With a splash, she falls into the hot spring. She immediately rises from the water, wiping her face off the water. Turning around to step out, only to find a pair of cold, black eyes in the mist looking at her....