'My heart?' I thought to myself as all eyes turned to me waiting on my response.
"Can you remember Madison?" Sylvie asked pulling her legs up into the chair and resting her head on them.
I tried to think, but Mizuki's eyes caught me off guard. 'Did they change colors? It's crimson red now.' "Uh, um-" I stammered and in response Mizuki answered for me putting on his sunglasses, "I think it would be best to just find out for ourselves, don't ya think?"
Mizuki rose from his chair and made his way towards me. What he was planning to do was beyond me, because I was still focusing on figuring out when I had heard my heart beat last. 'A day ago? Maybe a week?' My forehead began to crease together as I pondered on this matter.
When I returned my focus back to reality Mizuki was an inch away from my face. Startled, I held my breath, and I leaned back further into the couch. It didn't stop him from leaning in closer though. When I couldn't lean back any farther, Mizuki raised his hand and cupped my chin lifting my head softly.
'Where was this gentleness coming from? It's creepy. Is he smiling?! Or is it a smirk? No, it's definitely a smile. I should try to get aw--'
That's when it happened. Mizuki sunglasses slid forward to the tip of his nose revealing his eyes, and I became entranced instantly. All the while he was closing the distance between us. I was aware of this, and the closer he got the wider my eyes became. It was as if his eyes immobilized me leaving all my senses heightened. Slowly, almost teasingly, his soft lips came into contact with mines.
Finally, my strength returned to me, and I pushed Mizuki away.
"Back off you old geezer!" I yelled in disgust as I wiped my lips with the back of my hand.
"Hah, to call a 23 year old man an old geezer is heart shattering Madison," Mizuki stated mocking my previous insult, "Plus, most women think this old geezer is quite charming."
He smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit, and stood against the wall opposite from where I was.
Instantly I froze, and it occurred to me that this idiot stole my first kiss! Anger rose inside of me, no, it was pure hate. I stood up slowly weighing my options: I can simply walk up to him and slap him, or Be rude and rash and punch the mess out of him. I chose the latter, and I clenched my fists allowing my anger to rule over me.
I screamed, "You...BASTARD!" and I ran towards him, my fist pulled back ready to punch him square in the eye.
I don't remember much of what happened, but I'll tell you what I do remember. I remembered that stupid smirk forming on Mizuki's lips; those same lips that disgraced my own. I remembered my fist missing his equally proportioned face by half a millimeter. I remembered his annoying chuckle as he calmly, but swiftly, walked right past me. I remembered my fist connecting with the white wallpapered wall instead. I remembered the loud, cracking sound followed by a momentous explosion from the wall in front of me. I remembered being blown back into Mizuki from the blast.
Now I sat against the legs of Mizuki, dazed, scared, and utterly confused. My breathing was rapid, and I stared fixedly at the giant hole in the wall leading into the other room.
"Feel your heartbeat now?" A calm, bored voice asked.
It was true. My heart wasn't beating. Carefully, I began to stand up using Mizuki's legs as support. Leaning against him was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had no choice since I was shaken up badly. As a result, Mizuki placed an unwelcoming arm around my waist to "support" me.
"You know, you've just witnessed your second specialty," he stated huskily into my ear, "the ability of supernatural strength."
Again, I pushed Mizuki away, but carefully as to not hurt him. I was afraid of myself now. I don't know what other "specialties" I had up my sleeves, and I definitely didn't want to hurt anyone...yet. Turning around slowly, and looking past Mizuki, I saw Sylvie. Sylvie was frozen halfway out of her chair as if to run, and with the look of complete fear on her face. Whereas, Rei was still sitting on the couch with his head laid back and his eyes closed.
'Guess I'm not the only one with a headache.' I thought bitterly.
"You are truly heartless Madison, literally." Mizuki chuckled, returning to sit once again behind his desk.
"Who's heartless Mizuki-chan?"
I was too tired to meet anyone else new, and at any minute I felt that I would pass out. Being lazy, I simply turned my head to get a side view of the girl. Instead of coming through the door, the oddly tall Asian girl was standing in the just recently blown out wall. She wore her long shoulder blade length hair straight and with a bang. However, there was something weird about her. She was wearing a black mini skirt, baby blue shirt, and black knee length combat boots. Not to mention that she has a purple monkey backpack.
"Ah, if it isn't Min-Ji always arriving at the last minute." Rei scoffed looking at her.
"Don't be so mean Rei-chan~" Min-Ji replied with a sad face, "I thought you would've missed me of all people."
I couldn't help it, nor could I hold it back any longer. I broke off into a violent coughing fit. It felt like a raging fire was coming from my throat, but when I finally looked into my splayed fingers that had covered my mouth it was instead blood. Rei was quickly at my side holding me up, and softly patting my back. I stood up when my coughing subsided, and I softly thanked Rei.
'How can I be dead when I still have these human bodily functions?' I asked myself as I unwillingly stared at my blood covered hand.
"Ohh~, so this is Madison," Min-Ji cooed in admiration as she bounded over the rubble of wall plaster and made her way towards me.
Rei instinctively tensed up, and Min-Ji sensed it immediately for she stopped a few feet away. They stared at each other for about 2 minutes straight, neither one of them moving a muscle.
"Aw c'mon Rei-chan~, it's not like I'll hurt her...that badly." she whined as she walked the last few feet to stand directly in front of me.
"Oh, we forgot to tell you our abilities," Mizuki stated, "Sylvie here is our brainiac with extreme manipulative powers, Rei, my nephew and main driver, has mind reading skills, supernatural speed, and a secret ability. That's why we have you Madison. Oh, I'm sure Min-Ji can introduce herself."
No wonder they remind me of each other. That smirk I so despise on Mizuki's lips, I find so charming on Rei's. Their eyes are alike too, except that Rei doesn't have that dark, burnt, crimson red color. A slightly agitated cough brought me back to reality.
"I'm Rayne Min-Ji Lee. 17 years of age, and with two first names. Although, I'm not sure why. I prefer Min-Ji, but Rayne will work too. Oh, I'm half American and Korean. My abilities are mind reading and mind control. I'm also the medical doctor of this team," she stated with a sincere smile, "And you must be the dead girl walking?"
"...Um, that's me," I said faking a laugh, "I don't even know what I am any more."
Min-Ji turned towards Mizuki and asked, "Can I? Please~ she's already dead anyways----Yay~"
I shot a confused look at Mizuki, however he simply laughed. I guess she used her mind reading powers to get her answer.
"Oh, I know what you are Madison." Min-Ji stated as a matter of fact as she reached into her unzipped purple monkey bag.
Flick! She pulled out a pocket knife and slung open the blade like an expert. She returned her gaze back to me, and her eyes were a dark almond brown color. Rei, again, tensed up tightening his hold around my waist. She took another step closer and we were nose to nose. Her soft breathing audible against my rapid one.
In a quick movement Min-Ji brought the knife down and sunk it into my abdomen. Shock took over me as she withdrew the bloodied knife and stabbed me again further up on my body. Rei just stood there supporting me. Maybe he knew as well what she was planning to do, because Sylvie was the only one to react. She screamed and Mizuki held out his hand to motion for her not to move. Again she withdrew the knife and aimed higher. Blood was now pooling onto the carpet in a dark red circle around my feet. Finally, she struck gold. On her third attempt she stabbed my heart, and I felt it being sliced apart by the razor sharp blade. I heard Sylvie shriek as blood spurted from my mouth.
'Will she ever stop! It's bad enough I'm going to die from stab wounds, but choking on blood too!?' I thought as I began to weaken.
She didn't stop there though, and soon a maniacal laugh bubbled from her throat. While stabbing my left and right sides of my torso she had broken out into a evil repetitive one word song: 'JabJabJabJab!'
That's when Rei couldn't take it anymore and he yelled for her to stop. As he released me he grabbed Min-Ji, and disarmed her of the knife. I slumped to the blood soaked carpet wondering how much blood could possibly be in the human body.
"Yeah, I was getting bored by the fifth 'Jab'," Mizuki yawned standing and stretching, "I'll call my crew to come clean this up."
Before Mizuki went out the door he turned and said to Min-Ji, "Oh, you were suppose to tell her what she is Min-Min." And with that last sentence he left.
Rei released her when she had finally calmed down. When she saw me she knelt beside my cut and bleeding body with an expression of absolute hate.
"You're basically... a living..., breathing, walking... corpse."
"Min-Ji!" Sylvie exclaimed as she ran to my side, her shoes squishing on the soaked carpet. Rei sighed heavily and placed a blood covered hand on his forehead.
Min-Ji stood up and her whole persona seemed to have changed. It was as if she was a whole different person. Her facial features was no more that look of an innocent, ignorant 17 year old, but that of a woman that have seen and experience all that the world threw at her.
Walking back to the hole in the wall she turned and stated firmly, "My name is Rayne, not Min-Ji."