Sweetheart Lain
Korean
Intro
"Its the age old tale. The stork carries the small baby, and places it on the doorstep of suitable parents. This is the story they had always told me of my birth. I'm not quite sure if they never knew my birth parents, or if they just didn't want to tell me the truth. However, later in my life, I grew to suspect that the first option was true. They really had no idea where I had come from. For all they knew I could have fallen from heaven itself."On December 13th, a cold winter's night, a soft knock sounded from a sturdy door. An old woman about the age of sixty opened her door to find a baby wailing at the top of its lungs. "John! Get down here!" Various thumps sounded as the old man made his way down the long staircase. "What is it, Mary?" His eyes widened as he saw the baby bundled in her arms.
A glowing smile engulfed Mary's frail face. "Our prayers have finally been answered after forty years!" John joined his wife as they embraced their new child together. "You name her, Mary. You've always wanted a baby girl." The baby girl's eyes twinkled as Mary whispered her new name. "Rhiana."
As the old couple ascended the stairs together, they failed to notice a few important details. The first was the small note card that slipped off her blanket. It contained just four letters: "Kami." The second was the sad faces of a man and a woman who would watch as someone raised their precious child for the next eighteen years.
The time flew by in her life. The moments that Rhiana had with the old couple seemed like a blessing. It wasn't long after she reached the age of fourteen that her life began to take a sharp turn. The woman who had been her mother figure had fallen ill. A few months of a harsh sickness, and Mary passed away.
After the funeral for Mary, Rhiana took a step into her home. It was the same house she had lived in for the past fourteen years; however, the setting of the home seemed to have changed over night. Cold, desolate, empty, a living area that lacked warmth. These were the only feelings that enveloped over Rhiana as she stood in the kitchen.
It wasn't just the house that had changed. Rhiana began to change herself. She threw away all her clothes and replaced them with black clothes. She went out to the nearest piercing parlor, where she pierced her lip, her right ear cartilage three times, and placed a barbell that went straight across her ear on her left.
Not long after, she grew distant from her friends. After that, she started smoking. Just regular cigarettes until that wasn't enough for her. It wasn't long before she had done every drug known, and even experimental drugs from people's garages. Rhiana would do anything possible to distract her from the world. To fill the empty void that never seemed to close.
Two years had passed, and she had celebrated the sixteenth year of her birth. "Just another year." She whispered to the half-empty bottle in her hand. She lifted the bottle to her mouth and tilted it upwards, chugging down the rest of the liquor as it burned down her throat.
Rhiana was in a hospital that seemed to be filled with too much of the color white. She had been sitting beside the beside of John for over a day now without moving except to use the bathroom. And then it happened. The last real connection she had in this world vanished. She lifted her head off the bed to look at the heart rate monitor. The machine was giving off the eerie alert to inform that he was no longer in the world.
"Miss..." A nurse called to her as Rhiana left the hospital room. Her pace quickened as she saw the glass hospital doors before her. She forced the doors open and tore off the boots she was wearing before diving into a full blown run to her house.
It was the same feeling overwhelming her again. The house was dark, cold, and unfeeling. Her shoulders started to shake uncontrollably. The tears started streaming from her eyes. Rhiana pounded her fists against the stone, cold floor in rage.
The glass of the the pictures hanging on the wall made startling noises as it was smashed against the wall. Some were broke over her knee in frustration. Cups, plates, and bowls were not spared from the destruction. One by one everything was turned upside down. The table knocked over, the door had a hole in it, and the fire crackled with delight as it ate up the remnants of old letters.
It wasn't until she saw her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom that she had really lost it. Rhiana let out a shrill scream like she was dying. The mirror made a sickening noise as her hand connected with its surface. Again and again, over and over, until the mirror didn't look like a mirror anymore. The blood flowed down her knuckles dripping onto the floor. She looked down and the world went blank as her body met the hard floor.
It was an entire year later that she was released from the hospital. She had to complete psychiatric therapy sessions, and other evaluation tests to be discharged. It was a nice feeling to be free, but she realized she had no place to go. And that was exactly when she found herself standing in front of their graves.
"Excuse me." Rhiana turned her head to see a woman with reddish, brown hair. "I have a note for you." She handed over the note card to Rhiana who cautiously took it.
Quote:
"Who are you?" Rhiana questioned the lady who had handed her the card but was surprised to see that she was gone. With a proper goodbye to the people who had raised her from a baby, she flipped over the card. "TAXI!" The yellow car screeched to a halt as Rhiana hopped in the car. She slammed the door, and the car sped off in a new direction.Dear Rhiana,
I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm happy that you are on a better path now. Please stay with my acquaintance, Jaedon, until we are able to finally meet. The address to his home is listed on the back of this card.
With Love,
Your Mother.
1
Home was an understatement. Rhiana stared in amazement at a large, white mansion built out of what looked like marble. It could have been compared to a castle, or a greek structure for a god. Even more terrifying was the staircase that led to the entrance. One, two, three.....at least 75 stairs lay ahead of her.Her lungs were burning by the time she reached the top. She was wheezing for breath as she rested against the ledge of the staircase. She slid down the edge of the ledge until she was safely sitting against the cool pavement of the stairs. Rhiana pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her leather jacket and lit one. She tilted her head upwards, and blew out the smoke from her cigarette.
After a couple drags from her cigarette, she stood up and knocked on the large doors to the mansion. The doors opened to reveal the face of a young male who looked to be about the age of twenty or so. His hair was relatively long for a man, and his eyes were a pleasant shade of olive green. Overall, he was very striking Rhiana thought to herself.
All initial attraction that Rhiana had felt for him faded away as he snapped the cigarette out of her mouth. "What do you think you are doing?" His eyes narrowed as he harshly spoke the words to her. She stared at him dumbfounded. Rhiana was also shocked as she watched him pull the door shut on her. She quickly stuck her leg into the doorway.
"Wait!" she said breathlessly. "I'm supposed to be staying here with you!" He opened the door and stood outside in front of her. "I don't even know you. Why would you be staying here?" Her hands fumbled around her jacket until she pulled out the note she had folded and handed it to him. His eyes scanned over the note before he flipped it to the back.
Jaedon's eyes caught sight of a familiar gold emblem. "Ahh." was all he could manage to mutter. So she had invited a total stranger upon him without a notice. He opened the door to his house and let Rhiana inside. She looked all over as she took in the sight of the large foyer that was richly decorated.
When she turned her head back to Jaedon, she noticed he was still staring at her. "What is with your get up?" Rhiana came wearing her only pair of clothing left over from her life before the psychiatric ward. She had her standard designer leather jacket, chain cuffs, tube top, black, leather short-shorts, and her knee-high leather boots.
He cupped her chin in his hands and forcefully turned her head one way and then the other. "Too many piercings. Those definitely need to come out. You need new clothes, and the most important is that there will be no smoking. Period. In this house. Now, take your shoes off and I will show you to your room."
A woman with long, black hair appeared by the side of Jaedon. She had more scars than Rhiana cared to count which were very distracting. She did nothing to introduce herself or make conversation which Rhiana considered strange. "This is Calysta. Calysta, this is Rhiana." Calysta made a small head nod of recognition but continued to remain silent. "Nice to meet you too." Rhiana muttered as the three walked down the hall.
2
Jaedon sighed and opened the door to his room. His unexpected house guest was really irritating him. She seemed just like a normal teenage girl going through a punk phase; it was really exhausting him.To Jaedon's surprise, he wasn't alone. A rather petite looking blonde with curly hair was perched cross-legged on his bed looking through one of his dirty magazines. Jaedon crossed the room and snatched it out of her hands. "What do you think you're doing?" He snapped impatiently, folding his arms across his chest.
The woman blinked her large sapphire eyes at him innocently, and folded her arms across her chest defensively. "I'm sorry! I had no choice! The people we left her with were old and passed away...bless their souls. You were the only person who could take care of her given her circumstances. Plus...it's not like I'm asking you to take care of her for a century. We're only talking about two years."
"Only....two years? Are you serious? You stupid god's have no sense of time what-so-ever. Two years passes by like nothing for you. For me...two years passes by slowly. Plus, this entire ordeal is YOUR problem. Why am I being brought into this? Get her out of here. I don't think I can stand her for much longer."
"Jaedon...I know you don't understand why she came around, or perhaps you don't even understand why you exist. But Kami means alot to me, and I'm sure you can use the company. I mean, I know there is Calysta, but she's entirely different from Kami. Kami will understand your situation a lot better than Calysta, and you know there will be a day when Calysta will leave you. Also, if there is anything I can do to help you...I will try my best to repay you for this."
"You owe me, Faith." Jaedon grunted in defeat. Faith giggled. "I know." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thankyou, Jaedon." Before he could say anything in reply, she vanished in thin air.
It was at this moment that Rhiana had decided to sneak out of her bedroom for more exploration. Jaedon hadn't even shown her a fourth of his house, and she was feeling rather left out. As she walked down the endless rows of bedroom doors she heard loud noises from behind one of the doors. She crept up to it, and laid her ear flat against the wood to listen to the noise.
"Just as one goes, another one comes. I'm quite popular tonight." Jaedon muttered to the shadow looming around his bed as he laid down. "What do you want?"
When the shadowy figure took on a form, it's expression looked rather insulted. "Is that anyway to talk to your mother?" She pouted. Jaedon looked at her quizzically. "Other than giving birth to my wretched life, what else have you done that is motherly?"
"Ouch," She sniffed. "You're just as hurtful as your father was to me." He tossed her another look. "Oh, you knew who my father was before you had me?" This earned him a menacing glare. "So now you are calling your mother a whore?" He nodded his head. "Pretty much. How many other children have you had besides me? And where can I meet them?"
Sinh hissed and launched herself at her son. After she had him successfully pinned, not that he was trying to struggle, she smirked. "I'm glad your taking care of that girl, Jaedon. It's really...nice of you." Her gripped tightened around his wrists that was rather painful for Jaedon. "I want you to make her love human life. Keep her here by all means, and don't let her go. Don't let her know that she isn't really human."
"And what are your reasons for this?" He winced painfully. "Because, the punishment sentence for Faith and Steven was that their daughter was to spend her first 18 years on earth as a human. After her eighteenth birthday, she will be brought to Viridia to carry out her trial. Should she pass as a god, she will be allowed to live in Viridia. While I don't care much about her living there, I don't want Faith to have the satisfaction of her child living among her."
He finally wrenched his mother off of him. "Get out. I'm getting tired of you including me in your endless, petty scheming. I just want you to go back to Viridia and leave me alone. That is the best thing you could ever do for me as my mother."
Rhiana, hearing much of the conversation, wasn't really following. Were these people deranged? Or was she really some type of god child? The noises in the room became louder, and Rhiana decided it was best to move away from the door and go back to her room. She could always explore another night.
Sinh sighed as she left her son's room. She could never tell him how upset she was that Rhiana was allowed a chance to live among them, but her son could never join them in Viridia; and that was what Sinh wanted the most.
3
"Good morning." Jaedon greeted Rhiana as she entered the dining room area. Instead of taking her seat at the table, Rhiana walked over to where Jaedon was sitting and got in his face. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU WAKE ME UP AT SIX FUCKING THIRTY?" She screamed at him. Jaedon made no response but started to calmly fold up his newspaper, but in the process Rhiana ripped it out of his hands."I do not approve of that kind of language. I'm sure you can express your anger in a more proper way. Did I forget to mention that waking in this house is 6:30?" Jaedon said calmly sipping his tea. "I'll talk however --" Rhiana started before she was sharply interrupted. "Sit down. I have more to tell you."
Rhiana stomped over to the chair that had her name on it and sat down. She glanced over to find Calysta boring holes in her head with her eyes. Rhiana merely just glared back. She didn't particularly care how she treated Jaedon, or if Calysta cared for that matter. What was she anyways? His whore?
"I called Carlson Private Academy last night. It's a high school that I've donated to many times in the past, so I asked them to admit you. You have one hour to eat and get ready for school. Your uniform will be laying on your bed after you're done eating."
Rhiana gave me a shocked look. School? She hadn't been to school in over two years, and she didn't enjoy the idea of going back either. A sweet smile spread across her lips. "Alright."
Jaedon was a little surprised by her pleasant comment, but he thought that maybe she was going to like going back to school.
"Hello, This is Carlson Academy Mr. Blank, we were just calling to inform you that your ward, Rhiana Blank, wasn't present today at school in any of her classes. We were just concerned about her absence. Is she sick?" Jaedon clenched the phone in his hands. So she had ditched her classes entirely. He should have known better than to trust her.
"My apologies for her absence. She'll be present tomorrow. Thankyou for the concern, headmaster." He put his cellphone back in his pants pocket and grabbed his coat. There was only one place she could go.
Rhiana found herself in the graveyard. She never intended to go back to school, but she realized that she had neither money or a place to go anymore. She sat down next to the graves and closed her eyes. Why had they left her here? Why was she staying in a home with some cracked guy that talks about gods?
"Did you think I wouldn't know where you were?" Rhiana jumped at the sound of the familiar male voice. She looked up to see Jaedon towering above her. Great, he had found her with little effort and it wasn't even past noon yet.
"Why do you care so much if I go to school or not?" Rhiana huffed as she lit up another cigarette. "Because, school is important. You can't live your entire life with me, and I think it's important you start living your life. John and Mary would be more proud to see you going to school than smoking cigarettes," He grabbed the cigarette out of her hands, "and drinking alcohol. Isn't there anything you'd like to do with your life?"
She scowled at him. "I loved John and Mary. They were great people, but I've always wanted to meet my real birth parents. I don't think the old couple had any idea where I had come from, they just raised me without questions. That doesn't satisfy me I guess. Do you...ever talk to your parents?"
Jaedon was a little surprised by her question. She was usually so busy running her mouth that he didn't think she would ask about others. "I don't like discussing my family." He stated. Her lips turned to a frown. "Oh." She stated lamely. "However, if you really want to know, I don't know who my father was and I never had a desire to know. My mother on the hand is someone I wish I didn't know. I've always lived by myself and I rather enjoy it that way but I can't leave you on the streets." He offered her a hand so she could stand up.
"If you clean up your attitude and go to school; if I see you put some real effort into your life, I'll help you find your birth parents. How does that sound?" Her eyes perked up at his offer as she extended out her hand. "Deal."
4
It wasn't easy for Rhiana to control her temper, but she found that it was becoming easier as of late. She had less to stress about. While Jaedon's household was strict, it was different from any other place she had resided before. She finally felt a sense of independence and freedom that she had never tasted before.The best part of her new living arrangement? The power. It was something she had always possessed but simply never realized she had until the day she had eavesdropped on Jaedon's conversation with whoever he had been talking to.
Rhiana had started slowly to see the extent of her rather limited powers. She squinted her eyes at a door. It open slowly and closed. Ordinarily this would be a common coinsurance had she not been standing 10 feet from the door.
After she had become comfortable with small things, she branched out to a larger idea. She concentrated on a vase that was at least a yard away. It slowly wobbled as it began to pick up off the table. The vase was hovering barely off the table. Rhiana squeezed her eyes shut with every ounce of her concentration on the vase it raised slightly higher.
As she attempted to deepen her concentration, she tried to see if she could move the vase away from its originally place when suddenly the vase cracked and shattered in the air. A shard hit her and tore open her skin leaving blood trailing down her hand.
"Son of a--" Kami hissed quietly.
The door opened to reveal an alarmed Jaedon. He scrunched his face up as he examined her hand before shaking his head in disapproval.
"Definitely needs stitches," he murmured causing Rhiana to retract her hand back.
"It's fine," She grunted. "Just a tiny scratch." He scoffed at her and tried to take her hand back. "I told you I'm fine!" She yelled louder. He just grabbed her hand forcefully and put it back under his careful scruntiny.
Jaedon noticed that the large scar that had been there only moments ago had almost healed fully. The wound was closing rapidly and the blood had already stopped flowing from it. He glared at her hand.
"I guess you're right." he said quietly before leaving the room.