Hurt People, Hurt People

Chapter 22- You Don't Know Me

Ari came back to the house, closed the door silently, and tiptoed to the living room. Jaeon was still knocked out; she checked his pulse to make sure he was ok, but his snoring gave a clear indication. She dragged herself upstairs into the bathroom, got naked, and stood in front of the mirror looking at the reflection of her bruises. A cut to the left side of her head, fingerprints on her right arm, and a dark purple mark from under her arm to her hip, maybe a broken rib or torn muscle. She staples the opening on her head while filling the bathtub with cold water. She then climbs into the tub and submerges her entire body in the water after taking a deep breath. The water that was once clear changed into a solar eclipse of blood. She closed her eyes, her heart rate decreasing as she slowly drifted into her safe space. A space of truth and who she really was. A space near a place close to death.

__________16 Years Earlier________

"Sweetheart, look at me, look at daddy, I need you to go into the safe room, hide behind the glass and flick the switch on ok. Don't come out until the police officers get here" the man instructed. With tears in her eyes, the little girl nodded and hugged her father, her mother stood at the door with tears flowing from her face. She slowly approached the little girl and gets on a bending knee, "My little star fire, you know mommy and daddy love you so much. I want you to know that we are always with you" she stated as she held her daughter for what would be the last time. She then placed a necklace around her neck and a family photo. "Remember what your father told you, safe room, glass, switch, ok?" her mother questioned with a crack in her voice, and the little girl nodded in fear. Shortly after, gunshots were ringing on the other side of the door and that's when her mother pushed her to the safe room. The little girl did what she was asked, safe room, glass, and switch just like daddy told her. Even though she felt safe she couldn't shake the feeling of knowing what would happen to her parents. It was a one-way mirror, so she saw everything, it all played in slow motion for her, her parents stood at the door, looking at each other while crying, kissed each other, and held hands. For what it was worth the place grew quiet just for a second and the sunlight from the window blessed them with its presence. Then boom, her somewhat normal life changed forever, the shell of the bullets eating their flesh and tearing their skulls played over and over in the little girl's head. She watched as her parents' bodies fell to the floor, still holding each other's hands. Her father slowly turned his head to the mirror while coughing up blood, he smiled and whispered, "We love you Min-Jun" the killers saw his movement and fired rounds at his head. "Boss it is done... but as for the little girl she is on the run. Yes, sir I am sure of it" the killer responded. They began to search the house but fled the scene when they heard the sirens approaching the house. Min-Jun made her way out of the safe room and stood over her parents. Her father was unrecognizable in the face, "APPA! EOMMA!" she screamed repeatedly, trying to wake them from the hold of death. The police arrived and it was a scene from a horror movie, with blood everywhere. The officer saw the little girl crying over the dead body and tried to remove her. But she put up one hell of a fight.

Back at the station, they tried to question her, but she wasn't talking. For hours they tried but she was a blank wall, with no emotions. Days, weeks, and months passed, and Min-Jun was now in the foster care program. In the two homes she was placed in she ran away. It was hard for them to control her, shit she couldn't even control herself, until fall, Mr. Lowes adopted two boys and two girls, and she was among them. He was loved by all but feared by many, but somehow great with kids. He raised them, provided for them, and put them in the finest educational institutions all over the globe. But behind all that good samaritan shit he was the devil himself. He trained those kids, turned them into killing machines and they served his organization by oath and by blood. Min-Jun took a while to fit in with the others, but Mr. Lowes saw the potential in her, the killer instinct and cold-heartedness that his other students lacked. He watched her train and fight, but something was still holding her back, until one day she lost it. Brent a senior in her class found her file and thought it would be funny to joke about her parents' death in front of everyone. The next morning, he was found dead with his face beaten to no recognition, hanging from the ceiling fan with his tongue cut out in his dorm. They found her sitting on his bed dipped in his blood and his tongue in her hand.

Years went by and she became stronger, fearless, and more dangerous. No one stood a chance against Min-Jun and Lowes loved that, she was his best student, the best monster he had created.

Man 1: "Listen, she can't know about this, it could get ugly"
Man 2: "Relax I have her under control"
Man 1: "You call this control? She's a fucking killing machine at the age of 14, that's all she knows KILLING that's her first language and if she gets ahold of this information, we'll be her next target until she finds him"
Man 2: "Hmmm, you're right... And the only person who can give her such information would be you"

*Gunshot*

She heard everything and left that night with no goodbyes or a trace to find her, she just disappeared with the wind.

Arithen breaks the surface of the water and comes up for air, she wraps her armsaround her legs and plants her face in her lap as she cries silently. The tearsof pain and anger filled the tub little by little until it overflowed withmisery. After spending hours in the bathroom, she finally comes out and goesback into the living where she cuddled up with Jaeon. By the sound of it, hissnoring got worse and caused him to choke. He woke up coughing, but Ari quicklyclosed her eyes acting as if she was sleeping all along. He pulled her closerin his arms, placed a kiss on her forehead, and went back to sleep. It is truewhat they say, you never truly know the person you're sleeping next to