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The first words I can ever remember saying were these: "I am going to eat you."The next thing I know is that my face hurts because someone hit me upside it. A couple people started screaming at him, but he ignored them. He just kept talking with his friend. That's when I realized what happened."What the fuck do you mean by 'eat me'? What are you even doing here?"I yelled in anger, my face still burning. The boy didn't seem affected though, he just shrugged. Then he walked closer to me with a smile on his lips, like he enjoyed watching people panicking. His eyes narrowed, as if he saw something disgusting. When he reached me I could see that his eyes were a bright blue and had some kind of red color mixed in. It looked like blood. But he said nothing.He put his hand gently inside my jacket, making sure to keep his other arm straight and ready for another hit. He grabbed my collar with the same arm. "Hey, hey! Let go!"My mother grabbed my wrist to pull us apart. But she couldn't reach me. She got stuck in her seat when a bus full of students bumped into us. She screamed and cursed loudly."Oops," I said and made a small grin on my face.The boy stared at me blankly until a car crashed into ours, breaking my smile off.We both got off the ground slowly and looked at the bus that had just smashed into ours. Then our gaze fell back on each other when we heard more screams coming from the bus that caused our collision. We looked up at each other again and he let go of my shirt. I coughed, trying to get rid of the dust in my mouth and nose."Are you alright?" He asked me.I turned towards my mother who looked at us with worried eyes, shaking her head and pointing at herself."Me... Me?" I whispered. He nodded."You're hurt too, aren't you?" He added with an amused tone."Yes, yes I am," I said, pointing down at my face."Then come over here so I can heal you," he replied, holding out his hand."But there's no need, I'm fine," I insisted, turning away and trying to walk towards my mother. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay.""Please, let me help you..."he pleaded and grabbed onto my arm. My breath caught inside my throat. I felt his touch through my clothes. His voice became lower as his grip tightened around my arm."Just let me help you, please," he repeated softly and started rubbing circles with his thumb over my sleeve.My skin tingled under his touch. I wanted to look back at him but I didn't want to embarrass myself again. Instead, I looked down. I don't think I've ever been in this position before. A guy holding my arm and treating me like some little girl. Even I hate that word. He didn't ask any questions after that but I was still embarrassed about my situation. So I did the most logical thing to make myself feel better--I ignored the fact that I felt hot. I kept staring down at the asphalt in front of me until I managed to stop sweating. I finally looked up at him, but his expression didn't change one bit. His cheeks seemed darker today.Maybe it was the sun reflecting off them. His hair covered part of his forehead, and I knew I should stop staring at him since I'd probably be getting wrinkles soon. I cleared my throat, feeling the heat spreading across my cheeks."Thank you. And sorry, it must have been scary seeing your car crash. Especially the way you crashed and everything," I apologized.His smile faded as I talked and he scratched the back of his neck with one of his hands while looking at the ground. I wondered if his smile came from embarrassment. Or maybe...was it pity?I sighed inwardly. I didn't like thinking this way. Why was I thinking that way anyway? We didn't even have anything to talk about. I'm probably making things worse.I turned to my mom. "Mom..."I called.She glanced at me. "Yes, sweetheart?""Could we go now?"I pointed at my watch. Her frown increased after taking notice of it. "Oh right, time flies quickly, doesn't it? We're already ten minutes late," she muttered, glancing at her phone."Yes... Yes, let's go now. Can't you hear the bells ringing?" I said with frustration. She chuckled nervously as we left the school together."It's only seven o'clock, honey. Don't be dramatic..."she tried to comfort me, but I cut her off immediately. "No Mom. You weren't here during lunch yesterday. You never listen to what I say. If you really cared about me then you'd care. But I guess you don't care. You only care about yourself. I thought we were gonna spend the rest of the day together, but instead I woke up alone. In a house where nobody cares, that's how long we've been living in this stupid house now. Do you know how many times I have gone running outside because my lungs hurt? Do you know that every morning I go wake up alone, without anybody caring that I'm alive anymore. Well, they did for a while. But eventually, they stopped." I paused and looked at her. She was frozen with tears forming in her eyes. "Now I'm the only kid left that knows how to read. The last person that bothered to talk to me is your boyfriend and he doesn't even care."By this point, my face was already soaked with tears and my vision had become blurry."And I don't want to end up like them. Just leave me alone, mom!"I yelled angrily before walking away, heading home. She followed me silently all the way.***When I entered the mansion, I went directly to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of water before sitting on a stool. I took a deep sigh, feeling defeated. I was exhausted. All of these memories were flooding my mind like a stormy wave washing away all the happiness and hope in me.I felt numb. I was tired and hungry. My stomach growled in hunger, reminding me of how I haven't eaten breakfast yet. I decided to skip dinner, I wasn't hungry anyways. I took out my notebook and started writing a list of things I needed to buy before tomorrow. I needed to find new clothes so that I can go shopping and take some new books to read.I sighed. I was going to need to buy some things for the apartment as well, especially food. I needed to make rent this month and pay for groceries, but I couldn't bring myself to actually try and do it. I didn't have any money. There was no reason to move to a city when everyone in this area lived in small towns. And besides, I had enough money for food.I took a sip from my water. My mind wandered to the stranger, who was probably my brother. I sighed. He would be eighteen in a few months and he always had this weird taste for alcohol. Maybe that's why we were so poor, we wouldn't have enough money to drink if we moved to a bigger town.Or maybe we will, I thought to myself with a bitter laugh.I didn't believe this. No matter how much I hated being in this godforsaken place, I had to stay. I owed it to my parents. They raised me. After spending five years living in this tiny apartment and eating ramen almost everyday, I had nowhere else to go, even if it's only temporary. They were my only family and I would miss them dearly when I leave this hell hole, which I won't. I had friends. Some of those people were nice, and a lot of them loved reading. It was good to meet some people outside of this family and live in a big city. This place made me sad. And although the whole experience reminded me of my past life as a human, it also reminded me of how happy it used to be.I smiled slightly at the thought and looked up when someone walked in behind me.I closed my notebook and stood up to greet them. It's not like I could read anyway."Hi, Mrs.Taehyung, Mr.Taehyung. I'm glad you're back!"I exclaimed happily once I recognized who walked into the kitchen. "Hi, dear, thank you so much," my father said and walked to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of water from the jug.I looked at Mrs.Taehyung, who smiled at me brightly."Did I miss anything?"I asked excited.Mrs.Taehyung shook her head, smiling."I just arrived back today," she stated, walking to the fridge.I turned towards my father. His dark eyes widened when he looked at me and then he chuckled softly. He grabbed a bottle of beer and took a big gulp.My heart beat fast.What the fuck? "Did you find my mother okay? Did she cry or scream when you brought her home?" I questioned anxiously. He placed the bottle down on the island and gave me a nod. "We found her. But don't worry, she's safe now. Your mother is a strong woman. She's alright, love, you don't have to worry," he assured me with a gentle smile before he continued to look at me."Thanks for coming back. It means alot," I mumbled, my cheeks burning from shame."Hey, don't worry about that, dear. We missed you a lot. So many people have been searching for you," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

***

I was laying in bed. The lights were off, my window was open to let in some fresh air. It was late afternoon.The sky was dark blue and dotted with white clouds. It was so peaceful. The moon reflected on the lake, giving light to the surrounding land, the forest, the trees, the road and the houses below it. It was quiet here. Nothing made any noise. Except for the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Everything was calm and peaceful. That's what it usually was. Then something happened. Someone knocked at our door, loud knocks echoing through the hallway. We both sat straight up from where we lay curled up beside each other. My mom ran to answer the door and peeked through the peephole. I stood up and went to stand beside her as she opened the door, revealing two men standing there. They both wore suits but one was wearing sunglasses. "Hello," my mom greeted."Is Ms. Taehyung still awake?" A male voice asked from behind her."I...I'm afraid so. May we come in for a moment?"The man behind my mom shifted. She stared at him for another second before nodding, stepping aside to let him inside.He entered the house first and followed by the other guy.He scanned the room, noticing everything. Like me.The silence hung heavy in the air between them.I stepped forward and offered my hand to shake."Kim Jungho," I introduced myself."Hoseok."Jungho answered with a slight bow.Hoseok bowed as well, then looked at my mother and I."Would you mind waiting out here for a moment? I'll be back soon."Jungho told us and Hoseok nodded before following after him."Is something wrong? What are you guys doing here?" My mom asked as she watched Jungho close the front door behind them."Well, we need Ms.Taehyung to come with us. I'm sure you understand why we want her along.We need to speak with her," he explained in an unemotional tone."Okay. Yeah, sure," my mom answered."You kids should probably get changed. Your clothes should fit Ms. Taehyung better than mine," Jungho instructed, gesturing to our tattered clothes."Oh yeah, right. Sorry," mom apologized."No problem, ma'am. Please excuse us for a moment," Jungho replied and headed upstairs.My mom turned to me. I gave her a reassuring smile and waved goodbye before following after him.Upstairs, Mom's bedroom was neat and tidy. Her closet was filled to the brim with clothing, shoes, dresses and skirts. I knew mom mustn't wear these clothes when she gets ready to go out, so her closet was filled with stuff like that and I never really paid much attention to them.I walked into mom's bathroom, taking a quick shower and putting on some clean clothes. Once I was done, I dried my hair before putting it up into a messy ponytail. When I exited the bathroom, I noticed the light was on downstairs. It must be Jungho. I hurried down the stairs, trying to avoid the mess that was the floor. I heard voices coming from the living room. "I don't think this is a good idea! I mean, you barely got over what happened with the accident! How are we supposed to tell her?!" My mom cried in panic.I froze.It sounded serious. "She'll understand. Let's just wait until tonight. Until she's sober. We can talk more then.""Are you crazy?! She doesn't know anything about the accident! What if she hates us again? It happened so long ago. Just give her time. Please, I'm begging you.""No. I'm getting rid of those damn pills before she finds out," my mom snapped at her husband.I gasped loudly, causing them to turn their heads toward me."Don't say that to me, Kim Y/N! You can't treat me like your fucking child anymore. I can't keep doing this, it's getting too risky. I need to stop this medication, but you can't tell her, okay? I'm begging you to do this."I didn't say anything. I just walked out of the living room, tears falling from my face. I headed into my bedroom, slamming the door shut.I collapsed onto my bed and cried into my hands. I couldn't understand why they were treating me like shit. Why they kept telling me I wasn't my daughter? Why couldn't they see me for who I am?!I wanted my real family back! I just wanted them to accept me and call me their daughter instead of my birth name. I wish I could remember something about my family. I wished I could remember my father's name. Why can't I remember anything?I sat up. I couldn't sit here all day thinking about that.