A small girl with hair pinned up was playing by herself in the garden. She had big eyes that gave a lost look. The girl watched a butterfly fly land on the flower in front of her. She watched carefully as the butterfly fluttered its wings. She was so focused that she didn’t hear the caretaker call her name. 

“Tien!” the caretaker yelled out. The butterfly flew away at the noise and the girl turned to look at the caretaker. The caretaker ushered Tien to go to her. Tien watched the butterfly fly away one last time before rushing to the caretaker. Tien reached out her hand and held the caretaker's fingers before being led away by her. 

The caretaker scolded her lightly and told her off for getting distracted. The girl blinked as she listened to the caretaker, not saying anything. The caretaker took her inside the building that looked like a church and made her sit on the brown bench outside the room. 

Tien waited patiently. She looked around, before shifting her focus to her legs that dangled above the bench. After some time, the caretaker once again called her and took her inside the room. Inside, there was a middle-aged couple and a little boy that looked a few years older than her. The middle-aged couple smiled upon seeing her. 

Tien blinked slowly. The caretaker then handed a yellow file to the middle-aged couple before she shook their hands. Tien was then led outside by the caretaker to the parking lot. A shiny dark blue car was parked. The caretaker gave her a big hug and told her to take care, she then gave Tien’s hand to the lady. The lady gently took her hand and led her to the car. Tien didn’t fight or protest. She went along with the lady, while looking at the caretaker the whole time. The caretaker smiled and waved goodbye. 

Tien watched from the car window the scenery outside. She didn’t know where she was going but she liked watching the scenery change. She didn’t realise the boy who was sitting next to her was glaring at her. She wasn’t worried about where they were taking her, she trusted them, afterall, this wasn’t the first time they met. 

After 40 minutes, they reached a big house with a big lawn. Tien was lifted out of the car seat. The lady smiled as she welcomed Tien to her new home. This was where she would live from now on. At least that was what the lady told her. 

Tien’s days consisted of her waking up in her new pink room and watching the middle-aged couple get along with their day. Their only son, (the little boy glaring at her) was Jimmy. He was often busy with school and soccer practice. Tien followed the lady everywhere. She was tutored by the lady as well. The lady discovered that while Tien didn’t say a single word, her writing ability and comprehensive ability was alike to that of her peers. 

The lady would praise Tien everytime she got a question correct, be it in Math or English. Tien smiled everytime the lady smiled. Her smile won over the hearts of the middle-aged couple. Jimmy on the other hand, could not be fooled. He didn’t like Tien one bit. He hated how his parents would give their full attention to her. 

Jimmy had a plan. After his soccer tournament, Jimmy forced Tien to steal a ten dollar note from a lady’s purse. If she didn’t, he and his friends would bully her. Fearing punishment, Tien reluctantly stole the note from a lady’s purse. Jimmy wanted Tien to get caught, but surprisingly she went unnoticed. 

Jimmy was upset that his plan failed, but it gave him another idea. He would use Tien to steal whatever he wanted. Initially, it started off as money, but afterwards, it turned into bigger things like toys. Tien would go unsuspected because she was small, quick on her feet and innocent looking. The fact that everyone knew she couldn’t say a word made her seem like an angel. 

Until one day, she got caught. The middle-aged couple knew Jimmy was behind it (as parents do). They punished him and grounded him for making Tien do such a horrible task. Tien stopped stealing for a while. 

As Tien grew up, she noticed the middle-aged couple becoming increasingly annoyed with her. To be fair, it was because she didn’t say a word, even at seven years old. Countless trips to the doctor gave unsatisfying results. No one could figure out why she didn’t say anything. 

The last straw came when they were walking back home from school one day. Jimmy was on his bike, trying some tricks. He didn’t notice the vehicle approaching. Tien tried to warn him by waving her hands in the air, but he didn’t see her. The driver of the vehicle was also distracted from using his phone, and didn’t see Jimmy either. Jimmy was hit in no time. The driver called the ambulance, while Tien stood and watched. 

Later that day, Tien was yelled at by the lady. She yelled at Tien for not warning Jimmy and for not saying a word. She cried and threw a fit and had to be restrained by the already distraught looking husband. Tien stared at Jimmy, his body didn’t move a muscle and he was strapped to so many machines. 

Upon being yelled at, Tien fled, and nobody stopped her. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry. She ran away from their neighbourhood and no one noticed her disappear in the woods. After some running, she emerged out of the woods and realised she was somewhere unfamiliar. There were more cars and a couple of kids. 

The kids tried to take a ten dollar note from an unsuspecting man’s wallet but failed. Tien saw this. She walked up to them, her hands behind her back. One of the kids threatened her

“What do you want pipsqueak?” one of them bellowed. Tien threw the wallet on the floor. They all stared at her. They opened it and realised it was the exact one they were trying to steal. 

Tien was given the name ‘Ghost’ when she turned ten years old, and that 's how it all began.