Chapter 1

Raised, excited voices rose from the back of the grey school building as the senior boys all gathered in a circle around someone who seemed to be curled up on the floor. The boys laughed together, most of them in plain shirts and shorts, they stood chanting and cheering one of the boys. He had short and glossy dark hair and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself as he swung his right leg continuously slamming into the stomach of the girl on the floor. He seemed around eighteen years old, he had a sadistic smile on his face as he watched the girl in front of him squirm in pain and scream.

Her voice was hoarse and labored, her dark brown curly hair mixed with the murky mud on the floor. She winced as a foot accidentally landed on a few strands of hair and dragged it with his feet till they were being draw from the roots.Her lips were blood stained chapped and unsightly; she didn't even bother to mover her arms that seemed to be randomly sprawled on the floor with one in an awkward position. Her knees were scrapped with her wounds covered in dirt, her eyes enforcing a control on the number of teardrops that fell from them, she forced herself to control her breathing and cough up the pool of blood lodged in her esophagus - bad blood.The boy watched her sorry state and the edges of lips curled up to show a cruel smile. "It seems like she's having trouble breathing, let's see if she'll breathe better under water!" His ideas were immediately supported by loud cheers by the group of seniors surrounding them, she coughed violently as one of the boys seemed to have found a bucket full of stagnant rain water that had been collected over the night.Her eyes enlarged in terror as she tried to push herself up hoping to crawl away with little success. She screamed once again as his slightly larger hands grabbed a hand full of her thick brown curly hair and tugging it viciously without an ounce of mercy. She wailed, kicking her legs ignoring the stinging sensation that came from her wounds and she wiggled about trying to free herself from his grip but to no avail."Let me go!" She screamed as his smile increased and he increased the amount of strength he used forcing her body to jerk violently towards him. The hailing voices quickly drowned her small pitiful pleas as he immediately brought her head up to the bucket and dunked it.A few floors above a girl watched with evident curiosity at the senior boys playing around, she had pretty clear light brown eyes with a full head of short black hair cut to just above her shoulders. Next to her stood a girl a little bit taller with dark grey eyes and light long brown hair, she looked at her friend a little confused as she was so interested in the senior boys today."Chiyo are you planning to interfere again?" She asked her friend who looked at her with a denying smile; she turned away from the scene below her ready to reply to her friend."You know me better than that Ichiko, I'm not stupid enough to associate myself with that girl" she replied gracefully arranging the few stray strands hair behind her ear with a bright smile as he took her friends' hand. "Besides, it's too much effort to help such a person, to be bullied like that..." Her mind wondered to the pitiful girl and she scorned, "She probably did something to deserve it, do you think it is karma?"Karma?"I guess you're right" Ichiko concluded sighing in relief, she immediately put the girl at the back of her mind at she carried on talking with her best friend, the famous princess of the graduating class. "I heard your parents got you a new car for your birthday!" she said a little too loudly causing some of the other girls to overhear and come rushing towards the two to talk about the new car."Wow you're so lucky! My parents would never do that for me!" one said with a dash of envy as she glared at the pampered young girl."Your parents are so nice!" another said completely taken by the idea of having such amazing people in her life, Chiyo smiled nervously as she entertained the girls around her.Amaya closed her eyes as her head was forced under water, her cry produced air bubbles that floated up in the frenzied waters that shook and splashed as her hands swung around trying to force her head up.Riku didn't bat an eye as he dragged her head up once more, her breathing was unstable as her hands seems to futilely grab his hands, she forced as much oxygen as she coughed up excess water she had swallowed and quivered due to the intense burning sensation she could feel in her lungs, "One more!" Riku shouted before dunking her head in the bucket one more time without warning.The teens once again cheered as she was tortured once more without a sense of culpability, Riku laughed and carried this on for the next few minutes before leaving her collapsed on the floor as the sun begun to retreat.·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙The night had just begun, and a couple laughed and chatted to each other on round dining table that was fitted with an elegant white lace cloth. On the table were various sweet and savory cuisines, all various appetizing colors and sizes, as the couples entertained themselves a young boy sat with them, his head low and humble along with his curled bangs covered his eyes making it hard to see the various emotions the swirled around in them.His fork had been sliding around his plate ignoring the delicious food on them, his parents hadn't noticed or cared about his loss of appetite, they were rather more interested in bringing him into their conversation.His mother turned toward him with a sly smile, "Arthur dear, have you heard that your brother recently got an award in his university?" her voice was ornamented with pride and her eyes filled with complete happiness and bliss, her first son had actually managed to get a scholarship to study in such a famous university and had even won an award just after a couple of years.Why shouldn't be proud?Arthur smiled wearily as he watched his mother's happiness, his voice much gentler compared to when he was in school. "That's amazing," he said with a sense of forced happiness, his father hadn't noticed anything strange and had instead fixed his rectangular glasses and put his hand over his wife's shoulders."Naturally, your brother would be amazing, now you'll have to work extra hard to be like him." His mother chuckled as settled into her husband's warm embrace."I can't wait for the day you graduate as a professor of sciences, likewise your brother as a professor of the arts." Her eerie voice displayed her day dreaming state as she squealed slightly in excitement. His father once again smiled to him,"That day comes sooner than you think, you'd better start preparing!" He said laughing heartily completely ignoring his son's expression that became more and more unsightly as they carried don talking. Arthur's fist was clenched under the table as he tried to stop himself from gritting his teeth.What professor of sciences?He had never really liked science in school; he couldn't see himself specializing in such a subject, surely, he would regret it for the rest of his life. He stood up pushing his chair backwards, "please excuse me", he muttered before leaving the couple still drunk with the mere thought of their son's success.He rushed across the hallway up the stairs to his large bedroom that seemed to be covered in dark blue and grey colours. He closed the door behind him facing the books, the reading desk and the multiple post it notes all over his walls. What a miserable life.Fuck it all, the expectations were so stifling, it would be better if he just slept and never woke up.·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙Chiyo sat silently in her bedroom in front of a mirror that had been attached to a desk on the other side of her room. An elderly woman stood behind her in a black and white maids dress brushing the young girl's hair monotonously as the mistress of the house watched from the doorway, Sarina couldn't help but bite her lip and inhale to calm her nervousness. "You wanted to talk to me Chiyo?" her mother - Mrs. Suzuki - asked her little girl as she walked into the room. She had just returned from a business trip to find out that her only child had wanted to speak to her; at first, she had wanted to postpone the meeting until her husband returned from his trip as that way he could attend to her, however she had been reminded it had recently been her daughter's birthday.Dropping off her suitcase she had come to the west wing to meet her little girl who was being prepared for bed. Mrs Nakamura's long blonde hair was tied up in a neat bun and she had folded her hands against her black plain suit."Mother, I would like to ask a favour" Chiyo began, her voice shaking slightly along with her hands that had been hidden under her long silk sleeves.Her mother was a cold woman who was often preoccupied with work, Chiyo didn't have many opportunities to speak to her and her texts often went unanswered."Can I have a birthday party?" It was a simple ask, and yet the girl was so nervous her body trembled under her mother's gaze."Is that all? You shouldn't have disturbed me for something so insignificant."·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙Amaya dragged her body as she arrived at the door to her house; it was a small terraced house in quite an impoverished area that was notorious for the crime rate. She pushed the door open, and before she could even elevate her foot to step inside a large hand appeared form the darkness slapping her.She staggered back, her hair covering the amount of hatred that formed in her eyes the instant she saw the tall figure in front of her, a beautiful woman with long dark brown hair tied back. Her normal neutral expression had been replaced with a nasty scowl; her face was adorned with light make up enhancing her beauty making an already beautiful woman a goddess in her daughter's eyes. "Why are you so late!?" even her voice was beautiful, like the sounds of church bells.With the bruises on the young girl's body along with her malnourished figure and mud that had covered her clothes, you honestly wouldn't be able to tell they were related. She bit her tongue holding back the words that were about to spill from her mouth as the woman grabbed her shoulder pulling her into the little house before harshly slamming the door behind her."Mum... please I'm sorry!" her voice was quiet but high, tears quickly rushed to her eye as her heart beat accelerated, she couldn't help to feel her mother's malevolent aura suffocating her. Her mother wasn't paying attention to her at all; instead she reached out for the long cain that was mounted on top of the doorway to her room."How many times have I told you not to be late!? What were you doing!?" she raised her hand to whip her daughter who attempted to shake herself free as tears ran freely down her face."I wasn't doing anything! I came from school!" She desperately tried to explain.Her mother didn't want to hear it, coming back from school takes around thirty minutes, how was she three hours late? Her own daughter she had raised dared to lie to her!?"I'm sorry!"If a child's screams could save them, there would be no sad children.