reaching for air
The Nature of WaterVivi
Listen to INFINITE's Shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD_cWEIy4Gg
The girl lay sprawled out on the floor, her face ghostly pale. What just happened? Two men dressed all in black run into the alleyway we’re in. One kneels down next to the girl, and the other stops next to me.
“Do you need help?”
His question shakes me out of my stupor, and my thoughts spiral deep inside my memories.
“Umma? What happened? Is the tree okay? There aren’t anymore leaves, umma!”
“Vivi, the tree is fine, okay? Listen to me. You cannot ever let anyone else know that you can make the tree’s leaves disappear. Let’s keep it a secret between us, okay?”
“Alright, umma! It’s a secret…”
“Umma! Are you there?”
“Vivi! You have to leave right now. Please, just take this and run.”
“But umma, why? What about you? Aren’t you coming too?”
“Vivi, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t come with you. Please, Vivi, leave me behind…”
“Look who’s here.”
“Please, don’t hurt me.”
“Oh no, we would never hurt a little girl like you. We only want to have some fun, right?”
“No, stop. No you can’t. Go away. Please go away. NO!”
“I heard she killed someone. Isn’t that just messed up?”
“She doesn’t belong here.”
“She’s a freak. She doesn’t belong anywhere.”
“I thought I liked you. I thought you were normal, but I was wrong.”
“Wait, I’m sorry. It was an accident…”
“Get away from me, you monster!”
“Even if I did. You wouldn’t be able to give it. No one can help me.” Tears involuntarily began to sting my eyes.
“But we can help you, if you just come with us…”
“Shut up! I’m a monster. No one can help a monster. I’ve killed people before. There’s nothing left of me, and I don’t want to live anymore. I don’t want your help, just leave me alone!”
As the words left my mouth, the emotions I had kept bottled up inside of me exploded. Tears streamed down my face and stung my cheeks; the pain of guilt, loneliness, overwhelmed everything.
“But…”
“Woohyun, shut up. You just made her cry, you idiot.”
Between my sobs, somehow, two arms had wrapped themselves around me, and I found myself crying into his chest. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Not anymore. I don’t want to hurt any more people.”
“Stop blaming yourself, Vivi. It’s not your fault. It’s okay. You’re good.”
“You mean more to me than anything else in this world, Vivi. You are meant to be something special.”
“Umma, what do you mean?”
“Someday, Vivi, you’ll understand. Remember that and never lose hope, promise?”
I leaned against his chest, her voice ringing in my ears. Am I really worth it? I looked toward the girl. The other guy had lifted her up, and he walked slowly out of the alleyway.
“So are you okay now?”
I swipe my hand across my eyes, rubbing the last of the tears away. “Yeah. Sorry for getting your shirt wet.”
He smiles. “It’s fine. My little sister cries on my shoulder all the time. Now I’m used to it. But we should probably go before these guys wake up.”
“Go where?”
“Someplace safe. It’s kind of hard to explain right now, but I promise this will help make your life make so much more sense. Are you coming?”
Safety. That was something I hadn’t had in a long time. And truthfully, it was the one thing that I craved. But maybe it was something more than that that led me to join this odd little group. Somehow, I felt a strange bond to the girl. A familial bond reminiscent of the way th wind cradles the waves of a river.
Her hand smashed my cheek, and the force of the blow threw me backwards onto the ground.
“Where is the girl?”
I kept my mouth shut, and waited for the next blow.
“You let her get away, didn’t you? What, after all I did for you, after I rescued you from those trashy Guardians, you can’t even bring back an Element?”
I felt my face redden. “They have one already. We were compromised by her too. It came as a surprise.”
She walks over to me, her spiky stiletto heels clacking on the ground. She kneels down in front of me, her beautiful face pulled into a vicious growl. “Poor unfortunate little boy. Letting something slip so easily between your fingers, it almost makes me think you let her go on purpose for your Guardian friends.”
“When I pledged my to join you, I meant it and I won’t ever go back. I’m not as weak as you think I am. I swear that the Elements will be in your hands soon.”
How could she belittle me like that? I was no more that ignorant little boy from before, I was strong. I storm out of the room, my steps echoing on the concrete floor.
The Elements will be ours. The Guardians gone, and the people I hated the most, would never haunt me again.
A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys! I was super busy this week, and I couldn't post this till now. I promise I'll make up for it with a double update! Tomorrow, maybe? ^^ And if you're wondering, the point of view for the last part will be revealed in the next chappie....
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