A SINGLE BLUE FLAME ;; T. DABI

the night we met (2)

"Great! This is how it'll go." She held onto my hands with a kind smile and then grabbed a plastic crown from the items she had collected from the wagon. She let go of me and placed the plastic crown on her head, a grin forming on her lips.

"I'll be the princess , and you'll be the witch."

Confusion suddenly hit me. We always played heroes together and the villains were usually the kids who volunteered to do so. I frowned slightly, biting my inner cheek. I didn't enjoy the idea of being a villain. I preferred to help people, even if it was play pretend. Being rude, even if it was a game, never sat well with me.

"Uh.. d-do I have to? W- we always play the hero role together.." I stuttered out, fidgeting with the folds of my shirt.

Hanako's expression slowly shifted, her piercing sky orbs squinting at me. She huffed and crossed her arms. "Do you always have to be the hero though? We need a witch this time. Don't be selfish (n/n)" she suddenly snapped. I was taken aback from her attitude change, stumbling backwards a few steps. I silently ended up agreeing to her terms. After I agreed , the cheerful smile was back on her lips.

"Great! Now go hide in the swings, I'll tell the others about the secret plan!" Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she spoke but for some reason an unsettling feeling inside me grew. It's Hanako. She's your bestie (y/n) and has never done anything to hurt you! Why are you acting silly now?

I did as told after convincing myself and ran towards the swings, letting the dark cape blend my figure into the falling night. I watched from the distance as Hanako muttered some orders to my other friends. She grabbed a plastic staff from my wagon and then headed to the middle of the playground. In the place she stood everyone could see and hear whatever she said. By chance there was also a plastic castle that she used to her advantage, climbing up to the top of it.

She yelled at the top of her lungs, catching the attention of everyone in the park, even the children that weren't part of our game. "Help! Help! The cursed, hideous witch of the swing swamp has put a curse on my castle with her evil powers! Someone save me please!"  She pretended to be weeping and pointed towards the swing area where I was hiding.

Even though this was play pretend I wasn't used to playing the villain so I just remained in my hiding spot. I didn't know what to do and going out and acting mean sounded like a bad idea in my head.

The "guards" began scurrying up to the swing area where I was hiding. As they approached I noticed some of them were slowing down, shaking or murmuring to each other. Their eyes glistened with fear, confusing me. They're hesitating? Do I play a good villain? I smiled to myself. Maybe I was doing a better job than I thought at this.

My thoughts were interrupted by one of them that yanked me by the arm, causing me to cry out in surprise. He held on tightly to me, shoving me down onto the damp grass. It was at a strength where I could have scraped my knees if it was cement.

"Begone filthy witch! The princess s-said so!" One of them stumbled, pointing their wooden sword at me.

"Yeah!" Another one added, pointing their sword as well. "We don't want you in our kingdom!"

I was about to speak up when I felt a sharp pain in my back, coming from a kick I received that quickly shoved me onto the ground face first. I felt dazed for a moment, bewildered by the rough hit I had just received. Soil got on my face and chest. The damp feeling made me cringe. It wasn't normal for our games to be so rough and painful.