Trigger warning: violence, injury and racism

As I sit on the bench, a floral scent is carried on the wind from several bushes further into the park. I clasp my hands in my lap, feeling a lump in my pocket. Oh right, the candy.

I retrieve the lollipop from my pocket, twirling it between my fingers. 

“Life’s too short not to enjoy some candy once in a while.”

I unwrap the light orange candy and as I bring it toward my mouth, I smell citrus. When was the last time I had candy?

As I wait for Kiara to return, I eat it, throwing the wrapper and leftover stick in the garbage can next to the bench. I glance over to the building she had gone into. Should she be taking this long? I wait for a bit more, debating whether I should check on her. But as the seconds tick by, I find myself imagining all the things that could happen to her, my stomach churning.

I leap to my feet. What if they found me? What if they took her? Next thing I know I am dashing toward the building. I stop before the door with the women’s symbol on it.

“Is anyone here?” I utter out. There is no reply.

“I said leave her alone!” I hear Kiara’s voice from behind the building. 

I sprint around back, finding her on the ground with three men and a woman standing intimidatingly around her. They all look a bit older than me, some with tattoos and piercings. They look like trouble. When I get a closer look at Kiara, who is curled up in a ball, I notice a fresh cut on her arm. My fists clench and heat radiates into my face. 

The punks turn to see me, and I am met with varying surprised looks.

“Who hurt her?” I demand.

“You new around here, chink?” the guy with a ring in his lip says. “Let me tell ya, we own this place.”

“I do not care about your territory,” I snap and repeat, “Who hurt her?”

The one with green hair laughs. “What? It was her own fault for stepping in on our fun.”

I glance down at Kiara. She has turned her head to peek up at me, tears in her eyes. Then her gaze shifts to the guy with a cross tattoo on his neck. I turn my attention to him.

“You,” I state, stepping forward.

He nonchalantly turns to me. “You talking to me, punk? I’ll kick your—”

Before he can finish, I send my palm up into his jaw. He hits the ground, spitting out blood.

“You’re dead!” I hear behind me.

The two other guys rush me, both swinging. I duck, letting them hit each other. Then I throw my fists into their guts. They both fall back, wheezing. The one with the piercing then throws at me again. I dodge and counter, manipulating his weight to send him to the ground. The other one then comes at me, swinging left and right. I either dodge or block his attacks. Then he lands one on my cheek.

The sunglasses fly off my face and I stumble back, tasting blood. If it weren’t for my injuries, that would have never happened. 

My shock left me vulnerable for a split second, and suddenly, I feel a sharp pain on the side of my head, the ground getting closer until I am staring at Kiara face-to-face.

“Shyba! Are you okay?” she asks, eyes wide. Her voice trembles. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.”

Slowly, I get up, reaching up to touch the throbbing spot on my head. Blood coats my fingers. The girl had managed to swipe me with a pipe, which now has a spot of blood on it. She grins, staring me down. I find myself suddenly losing breath, her coy smile making me feel a burning pain in my chest.

“The fuck is up with your eyes, ya jank?” she jibes, laughing. Next thing I know they are all laughing and making remarks.

I advance toward her and with each step she eases back a bit. “You wouldn’t hit a girl now, would you?” she says mockingly, making my stomach churn.

Suddenly, I have her by the throat. Her eyes widen and she gasps for breath. The shape of this girl’s face... The cold gleam in her eyes… It reminds me of Master... and it gives rise to a strange but satiating feeling in my gut. A chill runs down my spine. 

“Shyba, stop!” Kiara’s voice is drowned out, like she is screaming from the other end of a long tunnel. My focus is set on this girl, and making her suffer in my grip.

I hear the faint click of a knife being unlocked and feel a presence fast approaching. I drop the girl--she crumples to the ground, coughing and wheezing--as the tattooed guy attempts to stab me. I grab his arm, pulling him forward and throwing him onto his stomach. He starts coughing, gasping for breath.

The next guy swings at me and I send him to the ground with a punch to the ribs. Then I kneel on top of the one with the knife, holding his arm up and twist, causing him to yelp. I continue wrenching his arm until he is crying out.

“Let go!” he shouts.

“Release the knife,” I demand. “I will not ask again.”

“Go to hell!” he yells.

I warned him. I turn his arm once more, a sickening crack echoing in the alley. He screams, dropping the knife and yelling profanities at me. I quickly retrieve the knife and stand between them and Kiara.

“You monster!” I hear the woman screaming at me, still gasping for breath. There are tears in her eyes as she stands between me and the guy who is still screaming.

“I gave him a choice.”

I hear two footsteps in quick succession and determine the next assault will be on my left. Without even thinking, I flip the knife into an icepick hold and thrust it towards my assailant. The guy with the lip piercing stops in his tracks, the tip of the blade barely hovering over his neck. Everything is silent for a moment before they ease off. Two of them hoist the guy with the broken arm up and the other watches me carefully. Once they are sure I am not going to move, they make a break for it.

I pocket the knife once they are clear and turn to Kiara. She is still curled up on the ground and I can hear her sobbing. 

“Are you okay?” I ask her. She doesn’t even acknowledge me. “Did they hurt you--” I reach out my hand to help her off the ground, but I feel her body stiffen under my touch. Did I frighten her? How do I explain myself? 

Then, I hear a faint mewing sound. After Kiara takes a moment to collect herself, she sits up and reveals a bundle of gray fur underneath her. The cat remains curled in a ball, shaking. I notice its tail is crooked. She holds it close to her chest. Before I can even try to explain myself, I notice Reba running towards us. She appears very alarmed.

“What in the world happened? Someone told me they saw Kiara being attacked here,” Then she looks at me. “Oh, Shyba! You’re bleeding!” She reaches for my head, and I stiffen as she evaluates the wound.

“It’s not bad, thank goodness. You won’t need stitches, I’ll bet you’re glad to hear,” she says, releasing me. “What exactly happened?”

Kiara keeps her gaze on the cat, softly stroking it. “It was Dustin’s gang. I saw them torturing the poor thing and I just... I had to help her,” she says and sniffles. “Then one of them cut me and knocked me down. Then Shyba came… a-and they fought, but then they left before you showed up.” She averts her gaze from me. 

Reba wraps Kiara in her arms as I go to pick up my sunglasses. 

We return to the car, and Reba opens the hatchback. the two of us sit next to each other on the bumper. As Kiara consoles the cat, Reba takes out a red bag from behind me, smaller than her usual one, and slaps on a new pair of medical gloves. After making sure Kiara’s wound is not serious, she turns her attention to me.

“What exactly happened to your head, Shyba?” she asks, examining it more.

“I was struck with a pipe,” I explain.

“Did you black out at all?”

“No.”

“Any dizziness? Do you feel sleepy?”

“No.” 

“Open your mouth. Looks like you might have a split lip,” she says. Hesitantly, I do as she says. She shines a small light into my mouth and pulls my lower lip out a bit.

“It’s not bad,” she tells me, turning the light off. I was not really concerned about it anyway. “I’m going to disinfect this wound on your head so hold your breath, okay?”

She quickly gets her supplies and once she is ready, I breathe in deeply, holding it. As she cleans the wound, I can feel slight stinging pain, but it quickly subsides. She works quickly, wrapping a bandage around my head and throwing all the used supplies in a bag before tying it off. She fans at the air around us before telling me I can breathe. Then she runs off to grab us some ice. 

I glance over to Kiara. She still does not look at me. I suppose she must have never seen a fight up close before. Should I say something? My eyes land on the cat in her arms. It is still slightly shivering. However, it seems comfortable in her arms. Another rescue. 

“It is a big cat,” I mutter, noticing its rather large belly.

She places her hand against the cat’s stomach. “She’s having kittens,” she says quietly.

“Oh.”

She takes my hand, causing my heart to leap into my throat. Then she places it on the cat’s belly. I am stunned, and afraid to disturb the cat, I remain motionless. Then I can feel slight movements and for a moment I am completely enamored. She really is having babies.

“I don’t think she has a home. There’s no collar on her neck,” Kiara says.

I slowly take my hand away. “Will you keep her?”

She smiles. “Of course.”

There’s a deafening silence between us as I try to read Kiara’s expression and at the same time formulate the right words to say. “Did I… scare you?” I mutter, the words leaving my mouth before I realize.

She keeps her gaze to the ground. “Yeah. I know you were trying to protect me, but… You didn’t have to break his arm. A-and you were choking her…”

Her words strike me in the gut. What else could I have done? He would not release the knife and I gave him a warning. Had I not, they would have kept attacking. But when it came to the girl, I’m not sure what came over me. I could not control myself.

“Will you promise not to do something like that again?” Her blue eyes plead with me.  

In another life, her request would not have made sense. Fighting was a part of me, it was the only thing that made me feel secure. Without being able to fight, I was nothing. 

But she has lived a quiet life. And my fighting disrupted that. They have already given me so much, the least I can do is honor her request. In her presence, at least. But if something were to happen to her again, I cannot guarantee that I could hold myself back. I never want to see her so defenseless again. 

Before I can say anything though, Reba returns, giving us each a bag of ice to put on our wounds. Then we settle back into the car and leave town, all the while Kiara’s words ring in my ear.