ALMIGHTY

Chapter 36: Bad People

"Come on! Let's go, Ghaza-chan!"

A little brown-haired girl with pigtails waved at another little girl from a few feet away.

The girl that was being waved at was named Ghaza, a Moroccan girl that was originally meant to stay in Japan for a couple of weeks.

Her father was an international businessman that had a soaring business, however, he suffered a major loss. As a result, Ghaza's family had to live in Japan as they hadn't the funds to get back to Morocco.

Ghaza held her hands clasped at the height of her collar. She was worried that she was going to trip.

Currently, the girls were playing in the forest outside of their town.

Yara was a Japanese girl at the age of 6 who loved playing outside, breaking rules, and overall being adventurous.

Ghaza was new in town, yet she and Yara clicked immediately.

"Yara, please, wait for—! Ouwh!"

The 8-year-old Ghaza did exactly what she avoided. The road they were using in the forest was rough.

Yara told Ghaza there was a spot that she'd always go to if she were bored. She called it her 'Play Tree'.

After a while of Ghaza following Yara into the unknown, they found themselves in a desolate area with no trees.

In the center of the area stood a treehouse whereas the entrance was a wooden hatch that stood at least five feet tall.

If they were to fall, they would definitely gain injuries.

"Here it is, Ghaza-chan! I know that you're new here... Sadly, you can't get home. But fear not! I am here!"

Yara said as she puffed out her chest and created bubbles with her cheeks. Somehow, Ghaza had a feeling that Yara used a reference to boost her spirit.

Ghaza was a very shy girl, mainly due to her migration into a country she'd never even heard of.

Her parents had her do two years of grade school over for her to at least learn Japanese well enough to have conversations with other kids.

Despite that, she smiled in response, transforming slowly into a giggle. The two kids played in the treehouse for hours.

As time passed, the girls spent more time together than they could've realized.

One day, Ghaza's parents found out about her breaking two of the rules that she was bound to...

"I told you, Ghaza Abdul, that you can't go into the forest! Not only have you broken that rule, but you're also 40 minutes past curfew! And who is this?!"

Ghaza had just returned from playing in the treehouse with Yara. This time, the two played for half an hour longer than Ghaza's curfew allowed her to, so Yara walked her home all dirty because of the rain mending with the forest's rough soil.

If it weren't for the sudden change in weather, Ghaza would've probably stayed out longer. Her mother stormed out the front door and grabbed Ghaza by her wrist.

"That's my friend, Yara, mommy. We were only playing in—!"

Whack!

Yara peered at Ghaza getting a fierce lick from her mother. The former's eyes widened as she watched the spectacle in front of her take place.

Yara came from a well-off family where she was loved by everyone. This made for the first time that Yara was witness to such a situation.

"Don't you dare talk back to me! Get inside, this instant!"