Tainted

Chapter 1.

Recommended song: Maroon 5 and Megan Thee Stallion-Beautiful mistakes (Slowed & Reverb)

*Please let me know if there are any errors.* ♥

Fog gushed down onto the small village shrouded in the shadows of surrounding mountains. It was dull, dingy, and damp. Thick mud, slippery from the rain oozed into a particularly dilapidated home.

The chopping of slimy vegetables timed precisely to the endlessly ticking of the nearby clock, a clock on which cold eyes were trained.

-

Miles away, the streets of Pyeongyang blurred past the back-seat window of a hefty, green car. Dazed eyes glazed over the dazzling skyscrapers as they reflected the warm rising sun.

Nari squinted, everything was overwhelmingly bright and warm so she moved her palm ever so often to a new cold patch on the leather of the back seat, tucking her thumb under her palm, hiding her violated nail bed.

"Are you nervous?" Uncle Hyun questioned from the front seat, his thumb bouncing rhythmically on the steering wheel. The question came just as Nari's thoughts were becoming too much, stopping her before she fell into the spiraling pit of nerve-wracking overthinking. Nari swallowed, trying to push down her breakfast that was slowly slivering its way up her throat.

She missed her mother, she needed her mother, her mother would know what to do to calm her down.

Nari hummed, "No." The answer was monotonous and a complete lie, causing Uncle Hyun to chuckle at her straightforward response.

The car slowed slightly and Nari turned to look at the marvelous statues of the late leaders. "Impressive as always." Her Uncle commented, looking at the gleaming bodies with glee.

Nari simply nodded as she stared at the monstrous models. She thanked them no matter how frivolous it seemed; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Going to an elite school was the highest prestige, which would surely get her into an elite university, her career following soon after, then she would be able to go back for her parents, bring them to Pyeongyang and finally live happily ever after. That was her plan, her path, her future, simple. Neatly thought out and finally set in motion.

It took months for Uncle Hyun to convince her mother, but it was the right choice to let Nari go, it was the best for their future and that's all Nari's mother wanted.

-

"Study hard and make some friends!" Uncle Hyun cheered as he watched Nari walk away from the car. Nari stopped, turned, and gave him a deep bow to see him off. She watched him spin away and she felt like the broad and dull building behind her began to creep up to her, engulfing her in its smothering expectations.

The young girl took a moment to herself, taking a deep breath to try and pull herself together, a final desperate act to stop her hands from shaking. Her frail hands gripped the hem of her skirt as she tilted her head back, the rays from the sun reflecting tiny diamonds into her innocent eyes. A scattering breeze tickled up the side of her neck, prompting Nari to close her eyes, listening to the shivering leaves and flapping flags.

One step closer to the perfect life she thought, finally opening her eyes, and dropping her head, a gloomy shadow drowning her eyes, any signs of life scampering to their hiding place.

"Baek Nari?" A neat woman nasally chirped. "Yes ma'am." Nari bowed deeply. "You can follow me." The woman walked slowly through the white hallways, shuffling through a batch of papers before turning and handing Nari a few pages. "Your schedule." Nari awkwardly bowed and reached out, a particularly violent shake causing her to miss the papers, causing them to flutter to the floor.