CHAPTER 24: Training with the Demons.

"If I can see pain in your eyes, then share with me your tears. If I can see joy in

your eyes, then share with me your smile."

– Santosh Kalwar

When the night came, I feel so hungry, for I was forbidden to eat and drink for two weeks. After the long training, all I did is to go out of the camp and sit on the edge of a fine lake.

I put my hands on the water and start drinking, using my hands. I was in the middle of drinking the water of the lake when I heard a rustle on the bash and a hiss from a snake. My reflex didn't fail me as I felt the snake getting near my place, and about to bite my flesh.

I immediately grabbed the snakehead, as it coils my arm with its body. I look into the snake closer by the use of the moonlight and saw that it's a cobra.

So I took my dagger, as I put its head on a huge stone beside the lake, and start cutting its head off. The blood of the snake splash on my face, as I start skinning it, taking off the hard part of its skin.

I think this snake would serve as my dinner for today.

I start cleaning the snake, taking off its venom, through the lake's water.

I gulp as I realized, this would be my first time eating a snake. Gosh.

I start looking for a stone, and a plank of dry wood to serve as my bonfire so I could cook this pitiful snake, but then I realized I don't know how to make fire out of stones and woods. I took another gulp, feeling all the hesitance to eat the snake flesh. But I'm starving. And if I don't eat this snake, I would die from starvation.

So even though I'm still doubting myself if I just made my way, to cleaning the snake properly, I decided to just put the flesh on my mouth, biting a piece of its meat.

I start tasting the first bite, and it made me feel like I'm tasting heaven. The snake flesh is the most delicious meat I ever tasted my entire life.

I wonder if it's because I am so hungry, that it made me feel like as if I am tasting heaven through its flesh.

So I took another bite, and another until I was able to consume the whole snake.

I feel full and satisfied while eating the pitiful snake, who was supposed to be my predator inside this dark woods.

I again, drink water from the lake and look at my reflection.

I am now different.

So different that I can no longer recognize myself from being the sweet Ayesha to this deadly and the well-known beheader Rinleigh.

I scribbled my reflection through the water and look at my dirty hands.

I look again at my reflection and saw how dirty I am now. So I decided to remove my clothes and start walking through the lake. Soaking my body to the cold water.

I closed my eyes and breathe deeply. I smiled bitterly remembering my old days, while I am still an ordinary student. An ordinary student who has dreamed to be a doctor.

A simple student who dreams just like those ordinary people, to be successful in my field. Now I can no longer consider myself normal.

I'm in the middle of my bath, when suddenly a flash of the guy awhile ago, came flashing back inside my head. And how I kill him. I suddenly found the arguments to throw up, but then I manage to stop myself from doing so.

Because one, I am in the middle of my bath, and two if I throw up, I will be throwing all the food I have consumed for this day, and that includes the heavenly flesh of the snake I have just eaten awhile ago.

I start soaking my whole face underwater while closing my eyes as hard as I can.

I want to get out of here.

I want to be out of this hell as much as I can.

I want to escape my demons.

I want to just die, so I wouldn't need to spend my days with these monsters.

So I wouldn't need to force myself on playing dumb, whenever I see people getting killed, for entertainment.

So I wouldn't need to take all the shits they are doing for their self-satisfaction.

I badly want to escape.

I badly want to just let go of everything I am fighting for.

But whenever I was about to do so, I always remember my three angels, who are still fighting.

Who still seeks freedom, not just for themselves, but also for the others who are like me.

Like me who just wanted to give up.

Like me who are losing light.

Like me who are selfish enough to let go.

Like me, who is filled with darkness, but they manage to put the candle in my every way.

Like me who broke my wings...

But still, they kept on trying...

Trying to fix those wings so I won't lose hope...

Trying to fix my wings, even if it causes them to break their own, and put all their feathers to my broken wings.

So even though I badly want to escape, I never have the face to do so.

I don't have the face to let go.

Because I don't have the right.

Because I owe them my life.

Because they made me want to live, even though I already throw that away...

Because they made me realize, that they were my moon, while I see myself as a cloud.

My moon, who keeps lighting my night.

That even though I am filled with darkness. Even when I am surrounded by dark emotions. They are still kind enough to share their light.

They were my moon.

My moon, whom even though, they are not with me now...

That even though they were out of my reach...

They are still my moon...

My moon, whom even though not with me right now...

I still know they're there.

They will always be there...

Fighting battles too...

Fighting with me...

Still standing on what they believe is right...

Standing and still fighting, even though hope seems to run away from their grasp...

Still fighting, still believing, standing no matter how many times life begun to became cruel, to leave them and push them off the ground...

So who am I to let go?

Who am I to just choose to escape?

Who am I to leave them be?

I look at the bright moon above me, while still being underwater, when a strong hand, start to pull me up of the water...

I gasp for air as soon as I felt that I am no longer under the water, and saw an orange head.

The guy slammed me on his chest as he looks at me with so much worry...

"Are you ok? Are you hurt? Do you still know me?" The guy holding me, asked.

The word terrified and worry is written all over his face as if he saw me dead underwater. I remember the guy from the last time who tries to befriend me, together with his twin brother.

The guy's name is Max. The snob one.

That's the only time when I realized I am fully naked, and the guy is touching my bare skin.

I immediately slap him in the face, as I start turning my back. The hell with the guy!

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" I asked him angrily while hugging myself.

I know I am still a kid and he could see nothing from me, because well yeah, I still don't have boobs. And I am flat as a chopping board. But heck! I still don't want anyone to see me fully naked.

"O-oh! M-me and my twin is l-looking for y-you. B-because we heard that you got the punishment of heaving nothing to eat for two weeks as a punishment from a while ago. W-we brought you f-food. And w-while looking f-for y-you, we saw y-you under w-water. So we thought you got y-yourself d-drowned" he answered stuttering.

I sighed in annoyance, taking a deep breath while calming myself.

"Now that you know I am fine, why don't you just go and leave the food beside my clothes and leave me alone." I simply said, while closing my eyes and still hugging myself.

" O-okay." I heard Max say before I heard him get out of the lake.

"Let's go Min!"

"Huh? Aren't we going to talk to her first? Is she fine?" His twin brother asks in confusion.

"She is fine, I assure you. Now let's go!" Max ended.

"B-but.."

" Let's go." He said as I heard them walk away from where I am.

When I already assured myself that no one is here, except me, I took a deep breath, before exhaling comfortably.

That's the only time I got myself to breathe properly. I decided to get out of the lake and go to where I left my clothes and saw a piece of bread on top of it.

I put on my clothes and decided to eat the bread they left for my dinner. I smiled at the thought that I still have something to eat except with the snake.

But I again put a bitter look on my face, as I remember that the bread is from those of a demon trying to befriend me. TSS.

They will never get the chance to extract information from me...

TSS...