FrAcTuReD (Part One) (Completed continued in Part Two)

Chapter 21 (Edit/Revised)

The home phone rang then causing Isaac to look at the caller ID, he was slightly surprised at who it was before he answered. "Yes? Uh-huh, yes she's here." he held out the phone to Charla. "It's for you."

Charla looked up with a slight frown, the towel now resting along her shoulders before she took the phone. "Yes?"

"Hello Charla," her father said only the other line, causing Charla to go still. "You've gone through one hell of an ordeal, as I've been told."

"Dad?" she said in almost a whisper, her voice almost trembling as her shoulders began to shake as if fighting off tears.

"It's okay Charla," her father said softly in his soothing voice. "I heard what happened from the Student Councillor..."

"I'm sorry!" she said interrupting her father. "I'm sorry Dad."

"Sorry for what Charla?" he asked sounding rather confused. "What happened at school wasn't your fault, if anything you should be proud that you helped that student."

"I know but..." tears began to fall as Charla grit her teeth. "It happened again and I just... I just... I'm sorry Dad."

"I know sweetie, but you're alright. You can let it out, you know you're allowed to cry, you don't have to keep it all inside anymore."

Hearing those words Charla broke down and sobbed, the frustration and anger slowly made its way out of her body as she hung her head low, her father still speaking to her softly in his soothing voice as her uncle came over and had merely silently embraced her as she continued to cry.

"It's all right Charla," her father said. "I'm here with you, and you know I always will."

It was late in the afternoon when Nina had returned home, though during the entire day at school she couldn't help but feel worried over what had happened yesterday and the way Charla had bust out in such a fearful state. Nina had never seen Charla like that before, but then again she had always noticed Charla seemed to keep herself closed off from everyone. As if she was afraid of being hurt, or even hurting others.

The rain had continued to fall, drenching the ground and those who were unfortunate to not have an umbrella with them.

Hurrying home through the streets Nina quickly walked to her house before stopping and looking back, strange, she felt like someone was watching. But with the rain she couldn't see that far as to who it might have been.

Nina frowned and merely watched, her hands clutching tightly on the umbrella's handle.

"Nina?" hearing her father's voice startled her, causing Nina to jump and look to her father who looked at her with an expression of concern. "What are you doing standing out in the rain like that?"

"Oh um..." she looked back in the direction of where she felt someone watching, that feeling was no longer there but still. Her father was a police officer, he needed to know. "I thought I saw someone watching the house." She said. "But with all the rain I couldn't tell."

The look on her father's face turned into a frown as he too looked out to the streets. He then had his daughter move into the house. "Nina stay inside, okay?" he then grabbed a coat and umbrella. "I'm going to look around, lock the house and don't answer the door until I get back okay sweetie?"

"Okay," she said. "Be careful Dad."

He kissed the top of her head before heading out of the house, when he had Nina quickly locked the door and peaked out the nearby window to see him heading out in the direction that she had looked in. It wasn't the first time her father would do this if Nina ever told him that she felt like someone was out there, she knew it was partly his detective instinct but also his parental protective nature.

When she could no longer see her father Nina hung up her coat and umbrella by the drying rack and went upstairs to her room only to pause to look at the door to Charla's room, was she still sleeping? She extended her hand to the door only to draw it back, now probably be the best time to check, her Dad might get angry if she bothered Charla.

With a sigh Nina went to her room and placed her backpack near her desk only to stop short when she saw two folded cranes, one big red one and a very tiny pink one next to the larger red one. Instantly Nina recognized the red crane and knew where it had come from.

Right then Nina dropped her bag and ran to Charla's room and quickly opened the door, she saw Charla lounging on the couch, with her headphones on while looking over work for school, but stopped when she saw Nina looking at her. Without a word Charla put her headphones on her shoulders and made her way to the little girl, and crouching down to her level.

And with a smile Charla simply said. "Welcome home, Nina."

The little girl's breath caught short before her shoulders began to shake, she then launched herself at Charla, wrapping her arms around Charla's neck and giving her a tight hug that seemed to never end. "You're back."

Charla merely hugged her back and smiled. "Yeah..." she said. "I'm back."

It was late in the evening, the rain never letting up, showing no signs of stopping, the sound of the heavy rainfall echoing off the walls of a cave where a person wearing a black hoodie stood holding an old and rusted metal pipe, caked in blood.

At the person's feet were the many broken bodies of those in an illegal fight club, many had escaped through the caves, running as if their lives depended on it. But many who didn't, those who chose to stay and fight, thinking arrogantly that some skinny kid couldn't beat them, soon changed when the first man fell to the ground.

One however, was still alive, just clinging to life as the person holding the bloody pipe began to slowly walk over to the only survivor, dragging the pipe across the dirt covered ground.

The man looked up, as the hooded individual stood over them, face hidden in the darkness, as the man grit his teeth. "You... you're the one... from the city..."

A smile came as the pipe was lifted into the air.

"You bastard...!" the man seethed before the pipe was brought down, the sound of contact echoing through the caves in the mountain.