Air.  You longed for air.  You just needed that small breath of that oxygen to save you from drowning; drowing in the depths of your meaningless life.

“…ayi!”

Your head rose from the water as you gasped for air.  Droplets of water slid down your imperfect skin as your eyes tried to readjust to the dim, flickering light in the bathroom.  Resting your head at the foot of the old tub in your bathroom, you just stared at the gathering black mold on your ceiling in silence.

Loud footsteps could be heard coming towards your door.  And just as you had predicted, your mother barged into the bathroom with a lit cigarette hanging from .

“I said to get your out here now.  Your stepfather is going to be here any minute now.  Did you pack your stuff?” Your mother asked you, with slight annoyance in her voice.

“I did.  I’ll be ready soon.” You replied, without even turning to look at her. 

Your mother looked at you and sighed in frustration.  “Can’t you at least try to look happy, Rayi?  We don’t have to live in this dump anymore, and you’ll finally be able to go back to school again.”

You just continued to stare blankly at your hands that were submerged in the water, not saying a single word. 

Your mother threw her hands up in defeat.  “Fine, be that way!  I can’t put up with your crap any longer.  Just be ready soon.”

The slam of the door did not even make you flinch, and the stench of your mother’s cigarette smoke lingered in the bathroom.

Stupid stepfather.  Stupid life.  Just the thought of your stepfather and going back to school made you sink your head into the water.

“Honey, you’re here,” Your mother said in delight when she opened the rickety door of your apartment.  Your stepfather, who was a tall man in his 50s, smiled at the sight of your mother and embraced her lovingly.

Your stepfather, Kwon Jungwoo, was a widowed man.  His wife died from cancer and ever since then, work was the only thing he ever focused on.  He wasn’t extremely rich, but he wasn't penniless either.  Despite his desires of being a workaholic for life, he was convinced that he and your mother were destined to meet when they bumped into each other at a random grocery store.  Now, he was a lovestruck fool who wanted to experience the warmth of having a family again.

You stood behind your mother with a stiff expression on your face as she broke from the hug. 

“Why don’t I help you ladies with your luggage?” Your stepfather offered as he took the humongous suitcase from your mother’s hands. 

Right when your stepfather walked over to you and reached for your suitcase, you took a step back.  “I’m fine.” You curtly said.

Your stepfather, a bit embarrassed, backed away with a slight smile on his face.  "Well, your mother was right about you being a strong, independant woman." He said, but then his eyes stopped at your tiny suitcase which was about the size of a gym bag.

"Is that all you're taking?  We have room for more luggage so it's fine if you want to bring more stuff." Your stepfather told you.

However, you ignored the old man and walked past him, carrying your luggage to the trunk of his BMW.  “Rayi!” You heard your mother calling out in anger and then apologizing to your stepfather for your behavior.

After putting your luggage in, you got into the back of the car and plugged your headphones into your ear.  When you saw your mother and stepfather coming towards the car, you reached into your pocket for your iPod and played your music.  You were already in a bad mood, and you didn’t want to listen to your mother scold you…  again.

Your stepfather got into the driver’s seat and buckled; your mother sat in the passenger’s seat and buckled up too.

“So you all ready and set, Rayi?” Your stepfather asked, looking at you from the rearview mirror.  You pretended as if you didn’t hear him and just looked at the window.  Your mother looked at you with exasperation as she apologized to your stepfather again.

“She’s just not feeling very well today.” Your mother lied as she turned to glare at you. 

“I see.  Well, if she ever needs to go to the hospital, let me know.” Your stepfather said to your mother.  It was obvious that your mother was head over heels as she basically had this twinkle in her eyes; something you haven't seen in a very long time.

Your stepfather turned the engine and turned to look back at you.  “Well, it’s off to your new home.” He annouced as your mother giggled in excitement.

More like off to a new hell.  You thought as you punched up the volume on your iPod.

author's note

Hi everyone!  It's yumigonecrazy here!  

I hope you're liking the story so far.  I know that it may be kind of boring in the beginning, but hey, bear with me please.  xD  Please leave comments if you can because they really give me strength and happiness.  Thanks for the support guys!  :)