V.3 Our War

V⃞   e⃞   n⃞   u⃞   s⃞

She radiated confidence with her walk, lips curled in a devious smile, sunhat slightly tilted, and green-hazel eyes looking forward. Until the sharp clicking noise of her heels dimmed as she stopped in front of a mirror.

Its decorative frame shimmered in the sun as it laid behind the storefront window.

A sharp contrast to the sudden blank look on her face as her eyes examined herself with such scrutiny. From the eccentric fashion of her clothing down to the red lipstick on her lips. Her mind became foggy as her eyelids dared to close; drowsiness wrapped itself around her.

"Calm down, will you. I understand you want to come back. Slow down."

The voice that whispered was calm, with prim and proper lady-like etiquette. She leaned on the window for support as the world began to blur into a mesh of colors. The veil of fog disappeared once she closed her eyes and slowly opened them.

Frantically they searched the area around her until the mirror caught her attention.

'Am I switching already....?'

Her hands were shaky as she removed the sun hat. She noted that the sky was no longer that of the night but now of morning. She didn't spare another glance at the mirror, knowing well what happened. But what stayed unknown was the timeline.

"Come on, think Venus, think. So, we boarded the plane at 11 PM, okay, I remember that. It took another two hours to arrive at the new house. Then...what happened after that?"

No matter how much she racked her brain, the missing blanks remained. Her hands, in panic, looked for her phone but as always it wasn't on her. With gritted teeth, she ripped the gloves from her hands, tossing them in the trash since her dress had no pockets.

'Gloves are so inefficient! How the hell does she even stand them.'

Her fury brief as she finally noticed the eyes crawling down her skin. They were a mix of attraction and repulsion by the clothing that dressed the enigma she seemed to be. To her, it was more than that. It was a series of taunts that deteriorated her and filled her with self-conscious thoughts.

'It's these damn clothes! I have to go back to normal now.'

Rushing into the nearest boutique, she quickly grabbed an outfit off the shelves and ushered into a changing room. After ten tiring minutes of struggles and sore arms, she came out clothed in a casual tee and mom jeans. She wiped the lipstick off with the cravat of the dress before leaving it all behind but her heels.

'Hmph, payback for making me wear something so ugly!'

She wandered around, not sure of her direction. She knew she had to do something before she switched.

It was the vibrant red of a double-breasted blazer that allured her to the shop. It kept calling to her memories until she finally remembered.

"Okay, so we settled in by 15 PM. Mom stayed home, Dad already started working, and I...well I was going to pick up a uniform."

Even when assessing all the information and context clues, she was still unsure. Her own thoughts could be deceiving at times.

Shaking the confusion out of her head, she walked in. The boutique was small yet, large enough to display the expensive uniforms.

"Hi dear, what are you looking for?"

The lady narrowed her eyes at her, judgment in every glance. Venus knew the type of stare she was receiving. It was because of the curly coils of her hair, her skin, and her appearance that lacked the flaunting of wealth.

"Miss-"

"Umm, Ah, I'm here to pick up a uniform under the name Habin."

The lady blinked, fact-checking her to the information she knew that surrounded the infamous "Habin" surname. It's infamous was attached to Venus since birth.

Their staring contest minded the noisy chatter from the group of friends that walked in.

"ID. May I see some ID just to make sure."

"I'm sorry but, I don't have it on me. Please, can I just have the uniform? It's paid for already and-"

Due to nervousness, her speech slurred until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah, Noona! Don't be so harsh, just give the poor girl the uniform."

Those simple lines turned the lady's stern expressions into flushed smiles. The lady finally went to pick up her uniform. Venus couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Thank god." She muttered with her hand on her chest, totally forgetting about the boy that spoke up for her until his light chuckle made her jump.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I haven't even said thank you. Ah- well thank you for that."

"Don't even worry about it! Soo are you new to the area? I've never seen you before at the academy or anywhere around here."

She nodded, her nerves soothing a bit as the conversation started. "I'm new to the country. I just arrived here not too long ago." She felt herself getting a bit tipsy from all the attention he gave her. In general, she was shy, but more so around boys. She always wondered why.

"Oh my god, how about you join us! We can show you around. We were just about to head up to a karaoke place right after picking up our uniforms!"

A cheery female voice interrupted as she stood by the boy. Slowly Venus came to notice the girl's designer handbag down to her lavish manicure, her show of wealth flashy. The boy's wealth was expressed more subtlety with the Rolex watch hugging his wrist and the countless rings on his fingers. Venus felt those pinpricks of stares crawling down her skin and, her hands become shaky.

'Oh, come on!! Stop being a nervous wreck for once. Sunev, you revengeful bitch, always sucking up every ounce of confidence we share.'

"Ah, It was nice meeting you!"

She squeaked out, giving a quick bow before her heels rushed her to the door but a grip on her wrist pulled her back. The goosebumps on her arms from the touch caused her to yelp. She spun too fast to face the perpetrator that she ended up losing her balance, her thin heels being the cause of her downfall. Instead of eating the floor, she landed on something sturdy and broad.

'Wait, is this a chest?' This time it was another boy that spoke to her.

"Are you okay? Your uniform. You were about to leave it."

For a while, they just stared into each other's eyes. His impassive expression turned into a cheeky smile that made her jumpier than his silver cross earrings. Unlike his friends, his wear was simple. Yet his face said otherwise with his subdued handsomeness.

"Are you okay? Your uniform. You were about to leave it."

Quickly she backed up, more mindful of her steps than the evident blush that crept onto her cheeks. The embarrassment and shock made the other two behind them laugh. The girl ran up to her and linked her arms with Venus.

"Girl, please, you wouldn't even last a second in Myeongdong Street by being such a klutz. Join us!"

Too nice, to decline she found herself walking with them to a karaoke bar.

'I should have just stayed home and had someone pick up this stupid uniform for me.'

At first, the large group of people they found themselves sharing the room with put Venus on edge. The relaxing ambiance of the karaoke bar with its soft lights and music came to soothe her worries.

She even found herself mixing in pretty well with the girls, though hiding behind her sixth shot glass, she chimed in here and there. She even found the courage to duet a song.

The soju made her more giggly but, it couldn't compare to the way her heart fluttered whenever she talked to the boy with the cross earrings. He was quiet but still attracted eyes to him whenever he felt like being charismatic.

The signals they passed to each other were low-key yet passionate with romantic intentions. So she thought.

She only ever saw romance, agape, and never the sexual aspects, eros. She mistook his lingering gaze on her figure for attraction towards the charms of her personality.

Habitually her naivety confused sexual urges with pure felt romance.

"Hey, Venus! Come get ice with me, the beers and soju are getting kinda warm."

With excitement at already making a close friend, she nodded and left with the girl she met back at the shop. With a girlish giggle, she knocked hips with Venus, who almost lost her footing. They both went into a small fit of laughter. It was as if they were friends from way back.

"Sooooo! I see you guys are already hitting it off well. You find him hot, don't you?"

Venus' cheeks heated as she twirled a coil of hair around her slim fingers.

"W-well, I would say he's cute. That's all, he probably doesn't even think much of it."

"Liar! You guys have been staring at each other since we walked in!"

They squealed in a frenzy of joy. The girl pointed out every moment between Venus and the boy. What Venus didn't know was that they had already passed the ice machine and, the turn they made took them further into the back of the karaoke bar.

"Oh, where's the ice machine...? Did we pass it?"

She looked around, not noticing how they stopped in front of a room. The lights above them flickered just as a pair of manicured hands placed themselves on her mouth. With surprising strength, Venus was tossed into the room. Her heels didn't help as she crashed onto the floor with a loud thud.

"I-I'm so sorry. I really am...I tried to stop him but..."

"Wait! What's going on!"

The girl let her sentence hang as she began to shake, her head downcast from being too ashamed to look at Venus. Before she could even get up, the girl locked the door from the outside and ran away. Her echoing footsteps mocked Venus, who kept banging on the door and pulling the doorknob.

"What the hell did I get myself into?"

She muttered, walking back and forth, her kicks to the door useless and, her screams became fretful mutters. She was wondering what was going on while at the same time trying to think of a plan.

'What did she mean him..? Who's him damnit!'

The fear was taking a toll on her and, it felt like she could just drop to the floor and cry at any moment. Until finally, the door opened and revealed the guy that mesmerized her foolish heart in a matter of hours.

"Oh, thank god you're here!"

With apparent relief on her face, she ran into his arms, hugging him tightly as his arms wrapped her in a secured embrace. That was until he spoke, his tone so cold that it made her look up to him with wide eyes.

"Just stay quiet would you."

"Huh..?"

She was so taken aback by his change of character that she stayed still as he crashed his lips into hers. The sudden act mixed with his aggressive touches that spared no inch of her body any delicacy snapped her back into reality. She pushed him off, taking steps back as she wiped the saliva off her mouth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

Though her tone was threatening, it was obvious that she was frightened. Every step she took back he took another one forward. His eyes were dark and hungry. They weren't the eyes of the man she thought she fell for, the eyes that made her squeal like a little girl and her heart flutter.

The terror on her face heightened as she felt her back touch the wall. His hand outstretched to cup her cheek, crashing their lips back together. The kiss was heated yet, one-sided. His rough touches turned into him tugging on her clothes.

His hand slid under her shirt, yanking the bra down. A gasp escaped their kiss as she repeatedly hit his chest and, to some avail, he backed up.

"Getaway! Please, stop it!"

She covered up her chest quickly, the tee-shirt no longer feeling like it covered her up enough. She trembled, the tears betraying her as they ran down her cheek.

'Maybe...maybe if I'm fast enough I can escape. The door should be opened since he came in and forgot to lock it.'

The hope that blossomed within was fragile yet there. With some strengthen resolved, she ran, pushing him to the side with all the strength she could muster. Her hands were only an inch away from the doorknob. She felt the adrenaline kick in as she already started planning her escape.

But It all disappeared when she was yanked back, with a force strong enough to dislocate her arm.

"Where do you think you're going? You were sending me signals and now you just don't want me? Stop the bullshit."

Brought back to his chest by his tight grip and entrapped in his embrace, she was back to square one. His tongue ran over her earlobe as he nibbled on it. An accidental moan came from her as he exploited her sensitive spot. One hand trailed to between her thighs, pushing them apart as she tried to keep them shut. The moans she tried to hold back by biting on her lip echoed. Her back arched as he rubbed his hard-on against her ass.

It was a mix of shame and embarrassment as her body responded differently than her heart did.

"You see. You even want it, look. You're even wearing lace for me, how cute."

Her eyes, blurry from the tears, glanced down to the exposed breast he squeezed. Her nipples became erect with each touch. The lace of her red bra ripped and that of her panties exposed as he unbuttoned her jeans.

Red.

Lace.

She hated the color and the material. Sunev loved both of them. To her, it made her feel sluttish, to Sunev, it made her feel beautiful.

Their minds were always against each other, though in the same body, and their feelings were at the ends of a spectrum. Yet, they needed each other. They were each other's, guardian angel and devil.

She felt her hope dwindled as her body reacted shamelessly. It crushed her hopes to bits. The door seemed so far away and, help seemed non-existent. It was going to happen all over again.

No.

I won't let it.

The voice that spoke out to her refueled her hope and gave her strength. Hitting the guy in the shin, making sure to dig her heels into it, he fell in pain, his cursing incoherent as he hissed in anguish. The edge of the golden butterfly that was attached to her heel broke off and was left astray.

Since when was happiness ever a choice?

The door she ran to opened up to reveal both the girl and the other boy who wore a Rolex.

"Help me!"

Venus screamed over his cursing, particularly begging the girl who eyed her disheveled look with widened eyes. She slowly came to notice that she too reflected, the same messiness as well. Hickeys were all over her neck, her shirt ruffled, and her skirt caught on her thighs. The terror that screamed within them was the same.

"Go back to the group."

The boy by her spoke as she took off his Rolex. The scent of cigarettes was heavy on his clothes and the stench of liquor on his breath. His eyes seemed to darken as well as he walked closer to Venus with the same hungry look.

The girl stayed rooted in her spot, obviously conflicted as she debated to walk away like she always did or help.

"Didn't you hear what I fucking said? Leave already, I'm done with you."

That fragment of hope Venus held shattered as the girl flinched in fright. She meekly nodded and walked away. The door was once again shut and locked by her.

'No, please I beg of you come back. We can run away together, please.'

Her thoughts jumbled as she was thrown onto the cushioned booth seats. The guy didn't even give her a second to yell as he stuffed the tie of his uniform into her mouth. The guy she kicked on the shin got up, he was furious.

"You really let this chick catch you off guard? Jeez, your pathetic bro!"

"Shutup. I'll take her first, hold her down."

Now she was sure that no help was coming. She didn't even resist anymore, knowing it was futile.

Her legs were spread apart, her pants tugged down, and she stayed still like a doll. She just had to take it. Again.

'Fuck no, not on my watch.'

Gently her head was turned to eye the clock. The hands were gentle and soft yet, not there. She knew the person she imagined was none other than Sunev. The whispy image caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears.

'Our vagina will not be shamed by some worthless cunts ever again.'

The hands of the clock seemed to slow down. The numbers became blurry until black painted her eyes.The boys quickly noticed how she suddenly became limp. Worry broke through their lustful expressions.

"Fuck wait- did you drug her??"

"What- no!"

They began to shout in panic as dread crept onto their shoulders. In a rush, they got off her, trying to pick up their mess before leaving. Too busy to notice that she had awakened and sat up.

But if only escape was that easy.