1 Chapter 1

I'll never forget that night they lugged her heavy battered body off of me. I'll never forget the blurry flashing police lights as I struggle to breathe. I'll never forget the distant voices of people through the chaos. I remember everything and all the questions that followed. The voices of people assuring me that I'm safe now. The sounds of sirens ringing in my ear as they hoist her onto a stretcher to take her away. I didn't have the nerve nor the strength to ask about where she was being taken to. I was too hurt to move, so they placed me onto a stretcher and slid me into the ambulance.

On the way to the hospital, my consciousness would constantly fade in and out. Until I finally woke up in a white room that I had never seen before In fact I had never seen anything that clean other than that room. The annoying beeping sound caused me to look around. I was alone but all the machines surrounding me kept me company. My arms were wrapped in bandages and my left leg was in a cast. My eye which wasn't swollen glanced at the door as it creaked open. A woman with a long dark braid wearing a white lab coat crept in. "Oh, you're awake."

The woman smiled as she walked up to my bed my eyes never left her. Her smile was warm and genuine. She pulled a chair up next to the bed before slightly leaning forward. She clamped her hands together taking a deep breath before speaking. "Um... Arbus. How are you feeling?" she asked even at that age I was aware she was trying her best not to look at my swollen eye. "W-where is she," I say my voice sounding scratchy. The woman's nervous smile dropped immediately. "I'm so sorry. Your mother is no longer...here." I knew what that meant. "Is she going to burn in hell?" I ask curiously. "What? No, why would you say that?" she exclaimed. "He always said that she'll burn in hell." The woman frowned shaking her head. "That's not true. Your mother is gone now but not to hell," she assured

I could feel my sides growing achier by the minute. I winch as I take my next breath. "Hm... Are you feeling any pain? The medicine must be wearing off. I'll be back." she said before getting up and leaving.

When she came back I was given more medicine to take the pain away. Later some lady in a blazer and suit pants came with a folder full of papers. When she came she sat down. She spoke to me and tried her best to get me to talk about my mother and how her death affected me. We spoke about how everything was before the police came. When I asked what happened to him she would respond by saying that he'll never hurt me again and that I'm safe now. She would visit me once to thrice a week as my injuries healed. Eventually, she began talking about joining a new family. How they would get me a family that would care for me like their own. It didn't sound too bad but it also didn't sound believable. But later I did eventually find a family but even the love that they would give me would never erase my past experiences. And unfortunately, I didn't always repay them for their servitude. I didn't always act like the good child they had hoped for.

"...Happy birthday to you." Said Arbus's foster mother.

"Now blow out the candle." His foster father said smiling at the small boy who was standing on a chair now blowing out the candles that were on the cake.

As Arbus finished unwrapping his Birthday Presents Arbus said "Dad I want a pet." His Dad looked at Arbus then at his mother who nodded her head in approval.

"Ok, then let us  go tomorrow when it isn't so dark out." He said leavening the boy full of happiness.

The family went into a pet shop.

Arbus begged to get a puppy only to get 3 fish. The boy was furious.

The family rode home with the fish. Once night came the boy walked to his desk. On his desk was the fish tank with 3 fish inside. Arbus took the tank off his desk and sat it on the floor at the foot of his bed. Arbus looks at the fish before sitting on the floor. He dipped his hand into the tank and snatched the fish out of the water "Your not a puppy!" Arbus said while squeezing the fish in his fist. The eyes of the fish were left protruding out of the fish's corpse. He left the fish outside his parent's room before going to sleep feeling a little bit better.

"Ah!!!" Arbus was woken by his mother's screaming. Arbus crawled out of bed and walked to his parent's room to see a dead fish on the floor. His mother's foot was covered in blood and the eyes of the fish were missing. His father was calming his mother down. The parents noticed how calm Arbus was looking at the fish and the bloody mess on the floor. "Did... you do this?" His father said fearfully as he watched a smile creep onto his son's face.

"That wasn't a puppy... maybe next time." He said before turning around and heading back to his room.

He left his parents in disbelief.

And by the end of the week, there were 3 graves set for the fish.

7 Years Later

Arbus walks into school, feeling anxious. Anxious was an understatement. He felt imbalanced like something was missing

He'd always felt that way when he's not near his best friend.

Arbus walked into Kaito's class to see him talking with some girl and playing on his phone.

"Hey, Arbus." Kaito said looking up from his phone as Arbus passed his desk. Arbus stared at the girl who was trying to talk to Kaito. He continued to stare at her before shifting his eyes back to him. "Hey," He said back to Kaito before sitting in front of him. Arbus usually visits him before class, to chat a little. He had quickly gone back to his classroom before the bell rang and sat through hours of class till lunchtime. He walked back to Kaito's class and sat behind him.

He glances over his shoulder before standing up ready to leave. "I thought you were going to have lunch with me?" Kaito says turning around at his desk. "Gotta pee, just wait for me," Arbus says before walking off.

Once it's lunchtime Arbus stands up to leave after excusing himself to Kaito he left. He walked down the halls till he finally found what he was looking for. She was by the stairs the girl that was trying to talk to Kaito earlier before class. She was same girl known for spreading harmful rumors to humiliate people who got to close to the people she was interested in. Arbus looked around checking the area to see if there were other students in the hallway. The hallway was clear. The girl started walking downstairs completely oblivious as Arbus crept behind her. It took one swift movement and he pushed her with all his might causing the girl to fall face-first down the stairs. After she fell to the first landing Arbus walked down to her unconscious body and pushed her down the next flight of stairs then pushed her again after feeling satisfied looking at the battered body he walked back upstairs. Kaito was sitting waiting in the classroom "That was a long bathroom break." He said laughing.

'It was worth it' he thought to himself. Got to take out the trash and de-clutter the hallways.

"Yeah, I had to take a shit," Arbus replied with a chuckle. Kaito laughs and pulls his lunch out onto the desk. Arbus pulls a chair to the side of the desk sitting down facing Kaito's side. Kaito begins to eat and Arbus just watches him intently.

"Are we hanging out after school tomorrow?" Kaito asks with his mouth half full.

"You know Fridays, my dad makes us do drills," Arbus says with a sad smile. Kaito shakes his head in confusion. "Drills? for what again?"

Arbus chuckles, "He says You never know when the world will end so always be prepared." Kaito freezes for a moment trying to process what Arbus had said but gives up mid-way. "Yeah...good luck with that. I'll see you Saturday then." Kaito says fist-bumping him before getting up to dump his trash.