Shadowheart

Chapter 6

After school, Dahlia went to Alex's home. Since Alex's dad wasn't there she took the chance to invite Dahlia over. Her father was very neglectful as he was always consumed by work, so Alex handles her home alone most of the time. Both of the girls were playing video games, mostly competing against each other on Street Fighter, with Dahlia as Ryu and Alex as Akuma.

-"BAM! Kicked your ass again, Dahlia!"

-"Come on! I clearly had you right there! That foot tap could have knocked you out!"

-"Well, that's what you get. I'm just a master at this game. That's why Akuma's my babe."

-"But at least I got you twice before, Alex! Hell... Maybe I'll pick someone other than Ryu"

-"And how many times have I beat you?"

As Alex squinted her eyes at Dahlia, Dahlia picked up a bowl full of popcorn and spilled it over her, leaving her screaming. Both if the girls laughed in the end.

-"You.... Oh my God... My hair is so buttery!"

-"That's what you get for gloating at me."

-"Me!? Gloating at you!? God, you really are a sore loser." Alex cleans some parts that have been buttered. -"UGH!"

-"Hey Alex, ummm... I have some news."

-"Really? What news?"

-"Ugh... It's just that... I met someone."

-"Really?" Alex looks at Dahlia. -"Met someone new at school or...?"

-"Yeah... I met a boy."

Alex gasps, and leans over to Dahlia.

-"A boy!? You mean like-"

-"Zeke grabbed my sketchbook and this "boy" just got it back for me. We just ended up talking and..."

-"Did you two kiss already?" Alex smiles teasingly.

-"What? No! I'm not that desperate, Alex. Besides, I'm not so sure if he's like into me. I mean we only just talked."

-"I doubt that. Maybe he's just trying to sweep you off your feet, away from me." Alex lays on Dahlia's lap, looking at her with sad eyes.

-"Yes... Prince charming rode in to sweep me off my feet" Dahlia said with a dramatic voice, then she switches to her normal voice. -"Of course not, you're like the sister I never had. And who knows? Maybe you'll find yourself a hot guy to be with." She smiles at her.

-"Eh, maybe." She sits up. -"So he's not an ass to you?"

-"No" Dahlia smiles. -"He actually... Looked at my sketchbook."

-"And what did he think?" Alex looks at her wide eyed with curiosity.

-"He thought they were amazing." Dahlia blushes and covers her face in embarrassment.

-"Dahlia... I hate to break it to you but... He might like you." Alex bumps into Dahlia playfully.

-"Shush! We only talked like... Twice..."

-"Come on! Just give it time." She smiles at her.

-"Well fine... Just wait 'til he gets to know me better, maybe he won't handle my weirdness."

-"I survived 9 years of your weirdness, I think he can handle you."

-"If you say so, blue-head."

-"Whatever you say, red."

The girls kept on playing a bit of video games before Dahlia got tired and left the house. Naturally giving Alex a kiss on the cheek and a hug before doing so. She was walking home with a smile on her face, thinking about Daniel... But she just shakes her head to a thought: "what if he doesn't like me at all?" But because of how he treated her, she remembered there may be a chance.

-"Hey little lady!"

Dahlia froze as she was in the streets in the middle of the night. She looked back and she sees two taller men walking towards her.

-"Is little punk girl lost out here?"

-"No... I was just on my way ho-"

-"Damn... Look at her skinny ass."

-"Yeah, she looks like a broom with that bunch a hair of hers."

-"Umm..." Dahlia walks back, intimidated by the men. Until she bumps into someone. A third man.

-"Where you going, skinny?" He shoves her into the two other men.

-"You know the drill, baby. Wallet and phone. Now."

-"Please... I just wanna get home..."

-"Oh you'll get home if you do what we say."

-"Yeah, listen to the grown ups, bitch."

-"No, I'm going-"

-"Wallet and phone now!"

The third man grabbed her from behind. Dahlia started struggling, begging for him to let her go. The two other men approached her, checking her pockets. Dahlia kicked one of them, breaking his nose.

-"Gah! Goddamn bitch!" The man pulls back, and he and his friend look back at Dahlia intimidatingly. She responds with a fearful look.

-"Oh God... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

The two men got close to her as she's still held down.

-"Please don't... Please please please..."

-"Oh you hear the bitch" He checks his nose, and has blood on his fingers... He clenches his fist. -"She's saying please!" He punches her gut.

-"Oomf!" Dahlia bends down, her legs cross after the punch.

-"She doesn't want us to hurt her, huh!?" The second man uppercuts her, hitting her jaw. Dahlia is now bleeding.

The first man grabs her hair, pulling her up to have her look at him. Dahlia is tearing up, running down her cheeks to her bruised jaw. Her lower lip is bleeding. She looks at him with begging eyes.

-"Look at this bitch, look at her. Her skinny ass can't even handle one punch!." He punches her face. Dahlia now starts crying, then spits blood to the floor. The third man drops her to the floor.

-"Let's see how much she she can handle, huh guys?"

The guys nodded, and started kicking and punching her body, laying down in the flat concrete. Bruised, broken rips, cuts as her teeth pierced through her lips whenever they kick her head. They kept on beating her until they got exhausted.

Dahlia wasn't crying or screaming anymore. She had trouble breathing, and was coughing blood down the floor.

The second man grabbed her pocket, and pulled out her wallet. They went to check on her other pocket, but Dahlia had no phone.

-"Shit, bitch got no phone, man."

-"Who cares? We got this." The third man holds up her wallet.

-"Great, let's get the hell out of here, man."

The three men look down at Dahlia. The first man spits at her shirt as he wipes the blood off his nose.

-"Punk ass bitch..."

They walk off, leaving Dahlia bleeding on the floor. She had trouble keeping up with her breath. Her sight is fading. She tries her best to keep her breath but she can't. Dahlia breathed fast, still struggling. She starts gasping as blood and tears fell on the concrete. She kept gasping, until she couldn't anymore. She just laid there... Beaten, bleeding, motionless...

Then suddenly... Something started emanating from her arms. As if it's coming out of her skin, a kind of black aura. The aura is starting to intensify, growing until it shrouded her forearms. Her fingers start to move again, closing in on her palms. Dahlia's eyes suddenly change their color, to a dark red color. Suddenly, she gasps for air.