The Lessons || 00

'Should I ask?' Riku's eyes watched behind the frames of his glasses, while a guy sat beside him. His hair, was a royal mess. His bag was on his lap as he had his head upon it, face first.

His posture was almost as if he was surrendering to an unknown attacker. But his appearance and presentation, weren't the topic Riku was mainly edging to ask upon.

His eyes darted down-

'Scars' quite deep ones were present on the guy's arms. 'Horizontal position, done with a blunt blade by the looks of jagered pieces of healing skin.'

This kid had a story. Granted everyone on this train did, he just happened to be the closest. 'Should I tap him on the shoulder and say 'hey you ok?' Would that even help any?'

Sighing Riku looked down at his feet, plain fifteen dollar shoes from a local store and petrol station. He couldn't afford the luxuries of this high end of society.

Being home schooled by his mother because she didn't have the money nor means to secure Riku's future. 'However she was smart, a cunning individual who taught me from books, to computer hacking, then real body surgery.' Riku sat back on his seat.

He remembered vividly of those living rats she bought home one day.

"Riku, I'm home" that silk yet stern voice was that of angels at war. She hung her shabby light blue cardigan up and disgarded her shoes near the inside of the door. Before coming into the make shift kitchen and placing a box, on a small folding table we called 'the bench'.

Then on a mission she walked away, reaching into multiple cabinets that looked to be falling off with their rusted screws. A pair of rubber gloves, a needle, some fishing string, alcohol and a mask. Keeping a small multi tool knife on hand for herself. With that slight sway but strong footing walk, she return to the box.

Riku simply watched in silence, his book about 'human anatomy' fully open and forgotten on pages 183 - 184.

Having the items spread nicely next to the box she opened it. A scuffle of struggle inside peeked interest from Riku before a rat, the size of a small bag of chips was shown.

He went to say something but her words cut him off dead at his throat.

"You read everything on animal anatomy last month and have studied it for over 3 months. I've taught you the basics of all creatures while providing these books for you to study with" yes, normally, a parent wouldn't teach a barely thirteen year old to do this. But his mother believed in learning things to the fullest when young.

'She had a weird concept of expectations, something I could never fully understand.'

Before he could even blink the multi tool knife slid across the rat, just deep enough on it's stomach to show a bit of it's insides.

"Stitch him up" She said, this continued on happening until one of the rats actually lived.

By the time one did make it Riku's fingers no longer fumbled. His once shaking hand and needle in cold sweat, didn't faze him. But instead glided perfectly in rows of tightly knitted stitches. Granted she didn't say anything; 'I knew she was satisfied with my progress though.'

After that she made him apply dressings and other vital life hacks. The rat didn't live long but for Riku to pass, it only had to be alive for five days.

'Now that I think about it, that would have been trauma inducing to any kid. I just had a stronger stomach and mind, I had seen death far too many times.

Death was a natural course of life, everything that breathed would surely perish one day.' Riku's thoughts were interrupted by the train coming to a halt, the guy next to him finally stood up.

Riku's eyes looked at his scars one last time before looking up at him. Yet the guy was looking straight at him, he wasn't surprised or anything when he glared at him in a tone that spoke 'what do you know?'. 'As if I was going to accuse him of anything.' Riku thought almost sarcastically.

Pulling the black hoodie sleeve down over his arm. He slung his backpack over to his right shoulder and walked out.

'It would be better if we don't meet again' He thought, as his fingers pulled at the slight pieces of cotton string poking out of his jeans. 'The stitching was coming undone, these jeans won't last much longer.' He huffed in irritation as he knew another dumpster drive was needed to find a new pair.

'I wonder what She is doing', the 'she' he referred to, was his Mother. She had gone somewhere earlier and told Riku to stay around district 8. 'She's been doing that a lot recently, going out, not coming home till late.'

"Did you hear!?" Gasped a young teenager a bit across from him.

"Hear what?" Her friend replied. 'Probably gossip'

"Another body was found in district 5, they said the victims heart was ripped out like the previous ones happening all over"

Riku's mind for whatever reason slipped back to when his Mother's hand slit the rats stomach as the young teenagers words went quiet as if under water.

The rats dead eyes seemed to stare at Riku in the last form of fear it felt. Black, small, souless.

"- Do you really think it's a cult?" Gripping his shoulders with his hands, Riku desperately tried to breathe.

"If it is a cult why are the police treating it as suspicious murder?" Her friend enquired.

Riku finally able to breathe again shook his head at his immature response to death. To him death came to everyone eventually and being scared of it was simply a cowards viewpoint of life. 'This is why sacrifice as a word exists.' He reassured himself as he folded his arms calmly.

"Because they are dumb." She deadpanned as her friend elbowed her side. "Ow, ok, ok, I'm sorry. You didn't need to elbow me that hard." She whined rubbing her side a bit.

''Murder', it happened more frequently then people cared to realise. Everyone is just to wrapped up in their own lives to notice a heartless corpse.' Riku found it funny that a dead body was more loved and spoken about than when that body still had a soul.

"Do you think they are in this district too?" 'A dumb question.' Riku thought.

'Of course they are. They are all around us, the worst enemy to a human is another human. Because in reality, humans are more monsters hiding under so called 'human flesh.' Merely wearing a mask, a mask that one day that will crumble.' Riku watched the city fly by as the two girls finally hopped off at their stop.

His dark green eyes filtered with the colours that reflected off of them as the train once again started to depart to his district of poverty.