A World of our Own | K.TH *COMPLETED*

Tzuyu

"You first." Tae stresses, and I can't help but give into his demands this time. There's only so many instances where I can resist his voice when he says something like that.

"Okay—" I close my eyes as I take his hands for comfort. It was time to reveal everything, and leave nothing behind.

V's POV

Words flow from her lips, each syllable forming something different in my mind. The world changes from a warm sunrise to a darker dusk, and then complete, silent darkness.

Then the sound of clear laughter breaks the thick silence, and I watch as a young girl skips to her mother. The instant I catch the large, familiar doe eyes, I realize who the young girl is—

It's Tzuyu, and she throws herself into her mother's embrace. This woman is completely unlike the haggard woman that visited Tzuyu— beautiful, young, and full of love and compassion.

She reminds me of my own mother.

By instinct, my lips curl into a faint smile as her mother softly taps Tzuyu's nose. "Time for bed, little one. It's past your bedtime, isn't it?"

Then the scene changes, masses of colors shifting and twisting around me as I'm placed in another time period of Tzuyu's life.

In this time, Tzuyu is older— I'd guess about fifteen or sixteen, and still beautiful as ever. For some reason, she is hiding in the shadows of the canopy as her mother bids her farewell.

"Tzuyu— where are you?" She sings, but Tzuyu stays hidden and out of sight. "Give your mother a hug before she leaves— and she might get you some of those cakes you like so much."

At that, Tzuyu lets out a small giggle, making my heart warm. Then she runs out of her hiding place and shoots straight into her mother's welcoming arms. "Goodbye, mom. Be safe."

She rolls her eyes and holds her daughter tighter. "Your father can sometimes be so pushy. What could go wrong if I didn't attend one meeting?"

"Stay, mom. You can stay here and play with me." Tzuyu asks, her doe eyes rounded even further into those of a puppy. "And we can try baking those cakes together— I'm sure it'll be so fun!"

Her mother laughs lightly and caresses her daughter's hair. "I wish I could— but your father would probably kick me out of the house anyways. I'll see you soon, sweetie, don't worry."

Then the scene changes once more. The bright hues shift into darker ones, and all the love has now completely disappeared in the air. Worry slowly crawls up my spine as I watch my surroundings unfold into reality.

"Who's this?"

Tzuyu's voice is shocked and frozen with panic, her eyes wide with even more surprise. "Father, you married another woman?"

My heart seizes violently inside of my chest as my fingernails dig into the palms of my hands.

"But it's only been a day since Mom's funeral! How could you—"

Then a loud, explosive sound splits the air, and my lips go dry at the suggestive noise. I know exactly what just happened, and I know exactly how it feels as well.

"Go to your room, you useless girl. Your mother left you, do you understand? She would never want some kind of beast like you— look at your eyes! Nobody would ever love you for those disgusting tears—"

My mind goes blank as Tzuyu rushes upstairs, her feet pounding against the wooden stairways. Without much thinking, I follow her to her room.

I barely slip in as she slams the door shut with all the power her slender arms contain. When I peer over her shoulder, I see signs of red, flickering in her multicolored eyes.

Please, Tzuyu.

Don't cry.

But she does, anyway. She curls up on her bed, blood spilling from her eyes the moment she touches its soft surface. Muffled sobs echo from her lips, buried against the bloodstained blankets.

I can't watch this.

Thankfully, the scene changes.

But then all signs of gratefulness leaves my body as I hear Tzuyu's pained screams echo against the walls of her confined room. Hatred makes even my fingertips tremble in rage as I see the sixteen year old attempting to defend her ribs as her mother slams the wooden end of the broomstick down on her back.

Blood hangs over the air like a thick cloud as I struggle not to turn my face away. I can feel the voices starting back up again, my nerves racing with adrenaline to rush to the older woman and make screams burst from her throat like lyrics in a song.

I resist the anger brewing in the depths of my soul, my pleasure increasing with every passing second with the thought of that disgusting old woman's blood painting the world around me. Then I will squeeze her throat— until I can't, not anymore—

Calm down, I tell myself, pinching my palm so tightly the area turns bright red. You'll only make things worse if you get angry.

The world shifts and tilts, revealing another side of Tzuyu's past. I can only pray that it will be pleasurable, but of course not. Her parents wouldn't let her. They would never let her, to this day.

Tzuyu shivers against the walls of an attic, rubbing at the black brace that she'd given to me. Now it's strapped around her wrist, and her stunning features are twisted with pain.

Her face is ashen, like she hasn't eaten or drunk anything for months. Every movement she makes seems weak and exhausted— and I have to dig my nails into my palm again to keep my rage down.

Then I hear her parents whispering to each other outside, and Tzuyu hears it as well. With tired, dim eyes, she moves closer to the door— her ears perked up to listen.

"Send her away."

She doesn't show much reaction to those cruel words, and my hardened heart nearly shatters. I can't imagine how many times she already had to hear that to get used to it.

But she seems completely unprepared for the next sentence her father utters.

"I have an apartment ready for her."