A New Start

Chapter 1:The Transfer

Hello. I'm Kara Johnson. 17 years old, and I am currently stuck in school. Yeah, school is like a prison, school is like a dungeon, everyone says. But to me, it's so much more.

Cold water hit my head. I struggled and kicked as the group of hands holding me down refused to release me. Getting pulled up out of the water, I gasped in a breath of welcoming air. The boys surrounding me smirked and pushed me away. Laying on my side, my vision blurred. This had been happening for weeks. It had to stop. I couldn't, and at this rate wouldn't, survive for another week. 

Teachers passed, but no one dared to help me, either because they too hated me or were too afraid to be the next victim. It's funny how, in class, the teachers are always lecturing us about bullying, but when it comes to real life, they do the opposite. "Oh, I'll help." They would say, or "You can tell me everything, because I'll help protect you" but when you actually get bullied, they pretend not to see.

My attackers roll me over and start kicking at my stomach. They seemed to have no humane thoughts, other than to hurt me as badly as possible. Was that even humane? I wondered as they continued with what they were doing. Being me, I was used to this by now, so I lay still and let them kick me.

Out of the corner if my eye, I noticed a small figure running towards me. It hid behind a wall, until after the boys left. Then, it came out and assumed the form of my best, and only friend, Katie Anderson. I gave a weak smile before wincing and coughing up water. She hurried to my side, and brought out a roll of bandages. 

"Hey, stop getting beaten up. We're going to run out of bandages! Jeez..." Katie murmured, clearly worried. She had been with me for a long time, and I had sworn to protect her no matter what. I lived with Katie and her mother, who had agreed to adopt me after my parents had died in an accident. 

Putting my arm around Katie's shoulders, I slowly stood up. I always felt bad doing this, because Katie was small for our age. She looked like she almost belonged in elementary school, and here she was, supporting some bruised teenager. Slowly wobbling home, we finally made it to the front steps of our apartment. Katie's mom wasn't home yet, so I went up to the bathroom and started washing off, while Katie quickly got us some food.

The water washed away the blood and filth from earlier, and I winced as it hit my bruises. Changing into different clothes, I hoped out of the shower and went downstairs to start my homework. Math was always easy, so I spent a couple minutes checking and double-checking my answers. 

The doorbell soon rang, signaling the return of Mrs. Anderson. She ran into the room, swept Katie and me up in a giant hug before setting all of her stuff down on a nearby table. "Guess who got a new job!" Mrs. Anderson sang. I looked up at her, surprised. "I got a new job! Although we will have to move, it's going to be great!" 

Now, Katie looked up too. "Where are we moving to?" I asked. Mrs. Anderson paused and looked at me, then Katie, and then back to me. "Seoul." She whispered. "Seoul, as in Seoul, South Korea?" Katie whispered back, questioningly. Mrs. Anderson nodded. "When?" She swept her arms across the room. "Tonight!" She said happily. 

It had always been our dream to go to South Korea. Sure, it was far away and they spoke a different language, but it would be away from the people who bullied me here. Anyway, we were fluent in Korean, because we all loved to watch Korean dramas late at night and have studied the language for years. Katie was the best at it, but Mrs. Anderson and I were pretty good at it too.

We packed up all our belongings, for we didn't have very much. Three suitcases, and both Katie and I stuffed our backpacks. Laying down on empty mattresses, I thought about all the good things that would happen tomorrow. I would get away from my torturers and could start over. I fell asleep, and for the first time in many months, I had a giant smile on my face.