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[Rei]

A strained groan escaped from my lips; I could still feel the ache on the back of my head as if someone had bashed it with an aluminum bat.

I know that I’ve woken up, but with this darkness covering my sight, no doubt that the blindfold was over my eyes. The roughness of the texture against my wrists confirmed that I’m being tied down to the chair I’m seated on. For now, I could only rely on my hearing and gut instinct.

Approximately, there are about four people around me. Three men and one woman. How can I differentiate gender based on sound? Well, woman’s steps are lighter and smaller to emphasize their gracefulness whereas man’s footsteps sound heavy as they tak a larger stride, accentuating their nature of being dominant.

“Oh, poor little Rei.” A woman spoke. She sounds familiar. My head tilted from side to side, following her footsteps. “I have this ravenous urge to kill you right now! But then again, if it weren’t for him, you’d be long gone.”

Seriously! Where have I heard this voice before?

“Let me tell you how I would kill you if I get the chance.” She said. “I would play with your mind first, torture you, skin you alive, mutate some of your body parts. Oh, and the wonder of burning you alive.”

I couldn’t help but question this insane woman, “Can I ask you something?” When the said woman was quiet, I took this chance and speak my mind “You said if it weren’t for him, you would’ve killed me already. But, if it weren’t for him as well – whoever that is, you would have never met me. So, how can you despise someone you’ve never met or know about with so much hatred?”

The place was as quiet as a cold winter night. “You don’t have the answer to my question, do you?”

The woman cackled like a wicked witch. Witch! That’s it! She did say she would want to play with my mind. Hana? This is still alive? How did she get here? Oh, yeah! I remember her and how she’s a witch.

Let’s just say that, during my prolonged stay in Japan, I met a witch. A nice one. The witch helped removed any foreboding spell placed upon me, she even helped me gain all my memories back. I must say, having those memories back, it hit me in the face like a freaking truck. I cried, literally; I didn’t leave my room for a week because of it.

The nice witch also taught me a few spells on how to defend myself. I may not have a witch lineage, but I sure can learn – The lady’s words, not mine. And can I just tell you that this witch is the epitome of ‘Looks can be deceiving.’ She looks 20-ish, but she’s 150-years-old

“Don’t be a smartass with me.” She spat “I hate you just as