Scrapped 3.0: A Child

Note: Themes of racism are present in this chapter, please read with caution.

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"..." She stared blankly at the people passing the ally. Her eyes gazed around to find all of them smiling. She turned her head in disgust, 'Why the fuck are you smiling?'

She scoffed and leaned her head back. The alleyway she was in was covered in darkness. She held a pack of cigarettes in her hand and a lighter in the other.

[Light the cigarette.]

She frowned, throwing the cigarette pack down.

"WHY!" She screamed, her voice echoing in the empty ally, "YOU MAKE ME DO THINGS I DON'T WANT TO DO!"

[OOC Penalty: You like cigarettes.

Tip: Light it.]

Suddenly, her heart began to burn and she held onto the dumpster beside her. Her eyes glared up. Her heart began to sting and pound and she bit her lips.

"I-I'm not doing it!"

[OOC Penalty: You like cigarettes.

Tip: Light it.]

She lost her breath for a second and her head began pounding. She gritted her teeth in anger. The watch around her wrist tightened as she slammed her fist against the wall.

She grabbed the pack and pulled one out, lighting it up. The smell made her face cringe in disgust.

'I fucking hate the smell of cigarettes.' She stumbled up, holding the cigarettes in between her fingers.

"Clara, you're going to stay with your aunty and uncle alright?" Her mother said as she patted her head, "Mommy and Daddy have to go to a funeral, okay?"

"Okay..." Clara mumbled, she watched as her mother drove off.

"Co'mon Clara let's go." Her sister said, pulling her towards the house.

'Why does it smell so weird?' She coughed as she neared the house, watching as her aunty sat in front of the house.

"Oh, Clara! How are you doing?" Her aunty patterned her back, a cigarette in her hand. But Clara's face cringed in disgust, her back shivered and she clicked her tongue.

'Why do I have to stay here?' She coughed again and ran into the house. The smell penetrated her nose as she looked back at her aunty, 'I don't like it here.'

"*COUGH COUGH COUGH*! Ugh..." She threw the cigarette onto the ground, stopping it down and crushing it. She sighed, moving her gaze toward the nightclub across the street.

"Well look who's here...!" A voice shouted from deep into the ally and Clara looked back. A group of three was approaching her. Their clothes were raggedy and their faces were covered in shadow.

"What do you want?" She groaned.

"Oh, it's a pretty boy." One kid laughed, "Ahah...Bro, he looks like he came right out of a 90's bullying commercial."

He pointed to her. She was wearing a leather jacket and black jeans. Underneath it all, she wore a white shirt.

Yeah, it definitely looks like that, but Clara felt offended.

"Look at him!" He pointed at Clara. She stayed silent, her eyebrows creasing.

"He looks Asian." They all laughed, except it seemed like the only one really laughing was the loud one, "Do you eat dogs? He probably eats dogs! Hey, little Asian, what do dogs taste like?"

Clara's mouth dropped.

The other two were also stunned, they looked at him and became quiet. Their eyes furrowed and they stopped following him.

'What the fuck?' Her hands crumbled into a fist, "THE FUCK YOU SAY?"

"Hey, we're just joking chill bro." The man moved closer and he pushed her chest, "Don't be mad bro."

"..." They stayed silent as they looked at the man approaching her, "Bro..."

"You seem really comfortable in your skin kid!" Her face crumbled into anger and she grabbed his shirt, lifting him up as she stared at him, "Would you like it if I assumed you're a frat boy?"

She scoffed.

"Whoah...Woah! I was just joking!"

"Joking? I'm a fucking stranger to you and you're joking with me like that?" She screamed into his face.

"Yo, Jake dude, I don't think you should have done that..." One of the other people muttered, pulling at the other kid, "I mean...Even for us, that was a bit too far."

"Aren't you guys supposed to be on my side?!" He turned his head and screamed at them, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Heh...Well, kid it looks like you're friends agree with me." Clara looked up, "unfortunately, none of you will be getting out of here alive.

"What...?"

"You heard what I said." Clara smiled, punching Jack as he screamed in terror, "You messed with the wrong person."

"JACK!" Suddenly, a shadow overcame the alleyway as they stood there. The alleyway turned into a dark night street and become quiet, "What's happening...?"

"AUgh...Please help me...!" Jack screamed as Clara gripped his neck, suffocating him. Her eyes glowed orange while she stared at the two retreating figures.

"What...!" They screamed, "Jack get away from him!"

"You're friends are pretty loyal." She watched his eyes squint in terror as he clawed at her hands, "Normally kids like you would run in terror."

"Please...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...!"

"You weren't sorry when you said that." She threw him to the wall, his back hitting the bricks and slumping down, "You won't ever be sorry unless I beat it into you."

"JACK!" The two boys rushed towards them, but before they could get to them Clara grabbed their arms and twisted them, "AUgh...!"

"Please let me go...!" One of the boys screamed, pulling back and trying to release her grip.

But she didn't listen. She pulled him up by the hair, socking him right in the nose. He flew backward, holding his nose as it bled.

"I don't get what you're not getting. You're not getting out of this ally alive." She turned to the other boy and punched him in the gut, "Hah..."

She turned towards Jack, watching him as he cowered into a corner.

"UGH...Please...I don't want to die...!"

"Let go of Jack!" They ran to punch her, but she didn't budge, no matter how hard the kid punched at her she stood there. She threw Jack to the ground and stood in front of the brave kid.

Jack watched his friends run towards him, trying to save him, and his eyes widened.

His friends defended him.

His friends didn't leave him.

"No...Guys..." He muttered.

"Should have thought about that before you picked on me." She punched him in the cheek, blood spraying across the brick wall, "You should have known how to act."

Like hell on earth, each time they got up they were beaten. Her fist punched into their faces. Once or twice she would grab them by their hair and slam their head against the brick wall. Blood sprayed everywhere as her face distorted into one of anger. The feeling she held inside burst out.

'Why do you get to joke around?'

Another fist to the jaw.

'Why do you get to have fun?'

They tried to crawl away, but she dragged them back.

'Why do you get to smile?'

She held one by their ankles and watched as they tried to move their bruised bodies. Their shaky legs moved to grab him from her.

'Why do you get to laugh?'

*CRUNCH*

Her hands tightened as the boy screamed. Tears flooded his face while his grey eyes rolled to the back of his head. Clara let go of his limp body and watched the other boys rush to protect him.

"Please...Stop!"

'Why do you get to have friends?'

She whacked Jake with her foot and grabbed the other boy, slamming him down onto the floor.

'Why do you get to have such loyal people?'

*PA*

His body slumped down. Blood poured out of his head. His blue eyes closed as his breath became light.

"Please...STOP! STOP I'M SORRY!" Jack placed himself between her and his friends, his legs trembling as his bloodied face held a sense of courage.

'Why do you get to live?'

Her first crumbled into a ball, her eyes furrowing.

'Why do you get to be a man, when I had to crawl around and be no one?'

*PA*

He was thrown between the two kids. His head banged onto the ground and his eyes shook. His eyes didn't waver though, he sat up again, pushing himself to protect his friends.

"STOP! You...You can kill me but have mercy on my friends!" He screamed.

"No." She blankly said, shoving him to the ground and stepping on his back, "You're so fucking weak I-"

"-could break all of your bones with only my feet." Her brother said as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. His foot crushed her stomach as she clawed at his leg.

"GET OFF OF ME YOU BITCH!" She screamed. Trying hard to lift herself off of the ground. She punched his face and he recoiled.

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT STARTED THIS!" He screamed, pulling her hair as she punched his face.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KEPT TOUCHING ME!"

"YOU KEPT CALLING ME A BITCH!"

"CUZ YOU STARTED CALLING ME A SLUT!"

"STOP!" The voice of her sister rang through the house.

She stopped. Her eyes gazed down at Jack's back. The white T-shirt was dusty and blooded.

"WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME!?" She screamed but got no reaction from the system, "I didn't do anything...I just wanted to see my family again...! Why..."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why do you keep hurting me...!?" Her body was covered in blood, the white shirt she wore dyed red, "I-I don't understand...Why..."

"Why..?" She stepped off of the boy and she looked at his bloodied face. Tears and blood mixed in with snot.

[Clara, are you a child? Quit crying and start fighting.]

"But...But I'm scared..." She glared into the mirror. Her hastily cut hair, shagging over her forehead, "I don't want to fight..."

[Heh...So you're a child? I thought you wanted to fight, I thought you were strong but I guess you're not.]

She stared into the mirror, her eyes holding fear and resentment.

"But...I'm...I-"

His brown eyes stared at her, his unyielding eyes bore into her soul.

"..."

"Hegh..."

"How old are you?"

"..Huh...?" He trembled and Clara bit her lip.

"How. Old. Are. You?" She asked again, kneeling down towards him.

"I-I'm 18..."

"18..." She muttered, 'The same age as my brother.'

"How old are the other ones?"

"Uhh...A-Arin is 17 and Dilen is 16..."He muttered through his bleeding lips, "Why..."

'The same age as me...' She laughed, licking her teeth as she stared at the kid. His brown eyes stared at her. Those eyes were full of terror, full of pain and helplessness, but also full of courage and bravery, 'But so different from me...'

"Go...Leave before I change my mind." She mumbled. Jack stared at her, unsure if she was really letting them go, "GO, KID!"

The sky seemed to lighten as the streets became loud again. Her glowing eyes turned brown and her looming figure became small.

He picked up Arin and Dilen with his weak hands and dragged them out of the ally. He stumbled out of the alleyway, towards the light as he glanced back at her.

"..."

"Go..."

"Ah...Thank you..." He said, his meek voice ringing in her ears. Clara only scoffed.

"Why are you saying thank you? I...I only hurt you..." She mumbled, holding her head as she sat there, "I only hurt you..."