Su Li-ah huddled in the corner. Shaking nonstop as the winds breeze brushed her body. She was stuck I between the suuply locker and the corner wall.

She muttered, "I'm strong...strong girls don't cry....I can do this." Over and over again like a mantra. Or as if she was trying to believe the words herself.

However she couldn't stop her eyes from watering as she desperately held back her sobs. Unrelenting quelling her temper.

"I'm strong....and strong girls....don't cry," she whimpered. Her drenched shoulders quaked and she lowered her head further in between her legs as she quietly sobbed, biting down on her lips to prevent any noise from leaking out.

The sun was slowly going down. This soft orange glow lit up the empty classroom. Most students were either at home, in afternoon classes, or in club practice. Some school bags could be seen strewn across the desks in a random pattern. Hers specifically had been missing from her chair.

The sliding door to the classroom flew open. Su Li-ah jolted to the side. She clenched her hands down on her arms as if preparing herself for danger.

"Soo Li-ah! Little gajja-ah! Oh where are you?" A impish voice cooed at her. Stiffled laughter could be faintly heard after.

"Ahh! Ga jja-ah! Oh where. Oh where," one shouted.

"Shall we play hide and seek ga jja-ah?" The impish voice raised. She could tell they were getting every closer with every word spoken. As if they were voicing their echoing steps..

She shuddered.

B A N G!

Something ricochet slamming against a desk. As if a hallow object had been whacked against the wooden table.

Su Li-ah jolted back hitting her head against the wall making a resounding thud. Then some strewn brooms and mops clattered together at the force; one clattering out in front of her and outside if her hiding spot.

Su Li-ah's whole body trembled. Her arms tensing and her legs shaking. They knew where she was now.

"Ha ha! Ha HA!" The boy jeered. His head quickly peeked around the corner of the supply closet. A full toothy grin turning his face.

"I found you! I win." He and his lackeys steppes in the spot light. The boy brandishing a long wooden stick. Thick enough to almost make a table leg.

Su Li-ah let out a short scream as the impish blonde boy grabbed a scuff of her hair and dragged her from the hiding spot.

"What shall the losers punishment be," the boy smiled and asked querrily, "Ah! Did you like my gift to sister?"

He squinted his eyes and with a rough assault brought Su Li-ah's face close to his. Their noses almost touching. Su Li-ah grasped his hand to relieve the pressure of her hair. The blonde boy then sniffed her.

"Ah jeez! You stink like shit! Do you ever bathe you rotten rat?" He scrutinized as he plugged his noise in a exaggerated manner.

The two other lackeys followed suit to plug their noses and complain.

Su Li-ah's body had not stopped shaking. But at this point she couldn't tell if it was from them or the cold. In the pit of her stomach a chilling emotion swirled. It soon melted away and became a warm fury. She clenched her teeth. She had to be brave. If she wasn't who else would.

"At least I'm not a yapping chihuahua with all Bark and no bite," she gritted. Clenching her teeth she looked him in the eyes. Her gaze full of a fierce emotion.

The boy stepped back letting her go grunting. His two lackeys chuckled softly. He glared at them immediately and then turned back to Su Li-ah.

"Guys shouldn't we help her? Since she can't seem to even clean herself. We can at least lessen that weight?" He dug into his back pocket to reveal a sparkling thin object. "Little Gajja. I hear you really like your long hair yea?"

Su Li-ah's eyes widened. They wouldn't? They couldn't get away with that? Could they? Her stomach dropped. Who was she kidding. Her arms trembled. She shifted her arm slightly. She needed to run. She couldn't let them-

The fatter lackey boy grabbed her thin arms to hold her. Su Li-ah screamed. The second lackey so[n joined in holding her down.

"Just make sure she doesn't move." He then started pulling her hair and chopping as quickly as he could. Not caring about whether it was even or getting all of the hair at once.

Su Li-ah thrashed and thrashed. It had seemed like time had suddenly began to move slowly. She could hear the chimes of bells. The soft warm air hitting her cheeks. The voice of her mother combing through her long hair. Her smile.

"Ah Leah. Mommy loves your hair. It's just like mommy's you know?"

Su Li-ah grinned and agreed with her.

"Don't ever cut it. And take good of it okay?"

Her mom. Her mom's hair. It was gone now.

The dirty mop water the splashed earlier had taken all the shine of it out. It just looked like a dead weed now. It's brilliance dried and soiled.

Su Li-ah gasped for breathe after they had let her go. Disbelief filled through her bones. They didn't really. She stilled had her. This was just a really bad dream. She would wake up and it would be all fine, right?

R i g h t?

"Hahah look at her! She's crying," one of the boys pointed.

"We were just helping you? Why are you sad," the impish blonde asked.

"OH man what do you do now? She looks even more like a drowned rat?" Another chipped in.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Their laughter rang out. And soon after that's all Su Li-ah could here. Her heart thumping rampant and their mocking laugh. She clenched her hands. How could they? How-

"Really I feel ashamed having to call you sis-"

The impish boy screamed.

Su Li-ah through her clenched hand into his right eye. She missed her point and ended up smashing his cheek instead. The impish boy fell backwards. Toppling a desk and sliding it over. The stick had been long discard to their side.

Su Li-ah couldn't think. She just kept hitting and hitting. Eventually the boy scrambled out and shouted at his lackeys. Telling them to help as he threw some hits at Su Li-ah in an attempt to get her off of him.

Su Li-ah wasn't dumb. She heard them coming. She quickly scrambled away from him in time to dodge their grabbing hands. Entangled themselves themselves each other as they had charged on either side of her.

Su Li-ah went for the stick. And once she had it started wacking the lackey. She wasn't willing to be the first to get it used on her. She wouldn't let them.

But Su Li-ah did not possess strength. Fattie ended up tripping her and thrashed at her head. It seemed like they would beat her of she stayed any longer. She did something no girl should ever do. No lady would do anyway.

Su Li-ah slammed her knee into fatties croch and before anyone had the chance to do something she scrambled up and darted for the door.

She had to run. If she was slow or slipped even a but she would get caught. Their screaming and frustration echoed down the empty hall.

She wasn't fast it was extremely possible for them to catch up to her even if she got a head start. She was loosing breathe. She ran harder. She couldn't stop.

"I can't stop. I have...to...run," again another mantra. She muttered this in her head. Unrelenting. Run. Just run. Don't look back. If you look back you're dead. Don't worry and just keep running.

It'll be okay...

She was almost at the ground floor just one more set of stairs to go. Su Li-ah reached for the handle bar. Her feet tumbled out. Gravity seemed to had made her float as everything around her dropped.

Her trumble wasn't pretty. Su Li-ah rolled thrice over the steps. Her body hurt. Her elbows, knees, head. Everything hurt. But she couldn't stop.

She got up.

She got up slowly.

Limped out the door and headed towards a large tree in a discreet spot of the school grounds. She had noticed earlier that year, before any of this happened, that no one really came to this spot.

Something about it someone disappearing? No maybe it was a curse? Or did they die? On second thought She started to doubt the latter two but couldn't definitely single which one was the truth.

Either way some type of superstition surrounded the great tree. It was early spring so the flowers had just started to blossom and overgrown bushes surrounded the trunk making it almost like a hut.

Su Li-ah crouched down and crawled through the ticket hole of twigs and branches to reach the middle. No one could see her. Even if they looked out the 2nd and 3rd floor windows. She had checked herself to make sure.

This was her most sacred spot on the school ground. Her safe place. Su Li-ah slumped against the oak and took in her condition.

Her knuckles were raw from hitting that brat. Her knees and elbows were either cracked open with blood oozing out or scrapped enough to peel the skin. Her arms had some bruises from lackey number one and two. Her face hurt and...her hair...

It was unevenly cut and she could feel that some spots were inches shorter than other lengths. While some of her hair had remained full in length. She wondered how ugly she looked now.

How could she go home like this? How could she explain? Especially if he's there... how...how would her mother react if...if she were there?

Su Li-ah wondered if what she did was right? Would she get in trouble? Did she...she probably shouldn't have hit them back. She didn't want to stop to their level...but...she had gotten so angry...it was hard to control herself...

But most of all. Su Li-ah missed her mom.

Su Li-ah wished with all her might her mom was here right now. Hugging her and telling her she was alright. Su Li-ah curled into a ball once again and cluched her head between her legs. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders. Would this be what it would feel like. Warm and secure?

Su Li-ah couldn't bite back the sob. How different would everything have been if she was here? If she was here maybe she wouldn't have to work through this. Maybe she wouldn't have to act so strong. Maybe-

Su Li-ah felt suddenly empty. Would any of it had mattered. What if nothing changed. Maybe they would've split anyways. What's the point of even wishing someone was here? When I feel like this, she wondered.

But that sliver of hopes and what it's did not dismiss the fact Su Li-ah still desperately wished her mom was there...with her.

Then a miracle happened.

The air shifted and Su Li-ah glanced up. In This hidden hut there was a boy.

That had just come out of a bright glowing circle in front of her. Almost as if something had spat him out. Grumbled and vanished within itself. The thing felt almost alive and thumping with every fluctuation until it was a most vivid dream.

Su Li-ah blinked.

The black haired boy blinked.

Su Li-ah clamped her mouth down.

The boy blinked. Eyes widening.

Su Li-ah blinked.

Then they both screamed.

The birds laying the nest above them startled and flapped their wings leaving the tree in unison. But other than that even the crickets could be heard.

This was the start of their journey and tragedy.