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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


 

3:18 a.m.

That's what time Shondra had been startled by her husband's sudden appearance as he stormed into the house. She had barely managed to put the kids to sleep in their own room before Damien came charging through. The sound of the front door ricocheting off the wall brought them all to attention.

"Gotta go...he killed him...We-we need to go." Damien rambled to himself in a daze as he moved through the house. Shondra narrowed her eyes as she listened to her husband's words.

"Who killed who, Damien? Where have you been all night?" Her questions startled him, as if he had forgotten that the family he neglected would be there. She had picked up a whimpering Kai as she passed the children's room, hoping to keep his cries from ringing out and waking Nayely as well.

"Don't ask me no dumb shit, right now Shondra." He spouted.

"What's dumb is you once again lying to your damn daughter about getting her a puppy. What's dumb is you not going to work for weeks after telling me that's all you ever do!" She yelled, unable to set aside her anger.

"What's dumb is you running the streets with OT knowing who he is and the shit he brings into your life!" With one strong swing, Damien backhanded Shondra at the mention of OT's name.

"I'm tired of you talking to me however you want. Just because I haven't beat your ass lately doesn't mean I won't do it now." Kai cried out as his head snapped backwards when his mother was knocked off balance, sending her to her knees.

"You gone hit me, Damien? You gone hit me like you're some big bad man when you're just his little bitch?" She spat out blood as her body shook with rage. Everyone knew who OT was and she had always ignored what Damien's "friendship" with him meant.

Before she knew it, a heavy boot connected with her face. Kai rolled from his mother's arms from the impact. Naylely, who crouched in secret rushed from the door of their bedroom, scooping up her brother as she watched her father drag their mother by her hair into the main bedroom, slamming it shut.

"Who did he kill, Damien? What have you done?"

"Shut up!"

Nayely cringed from the sounds of her father's fists laying into Shondra repeatedly. Only gurgled sounds of her cries could be heard on the other side of the door. Nayely held her brother closer as she remembered her mother telling her that if Kai was crying, she had to be strong and comfort him. She had to be a big girl and hold in her cries.

Nayely was too afraid in that moment to cry even if she wanted to.

She was too preoccupied with waiting for the sounds of her mother's beating to stop.

"Stop! My babies!" She heard her mother gasp as Damien took off his belt and held her off the ground by her neck.

Nayely watched Kai's face contort with fear as he cried his little heart out.

"You'll get used to it." She promised as she tried to comfort him the way she had seen her mother do before. Nayely flinched when she heard the sounds of her mother's toes scrapping against the bedroom door as she struggled.

With a loud thud, Shondra's body dropped to the ground as Damien stepped over her, exiting the room. Nayely tried to get to her feet fast enough to run, but she was caught immediately, and had Kai stripped from her arms. Jumping into the air, she pleaded with her father to give her the small boy as he dangled him by his wrist through the house. Shondra, who crawled on the floor gasping for air, opened her bloodied eyes to see why her daughter was begging so earnestly. As she saw Damien walk to the kitchen and open the knife drawer, her heart sank to the ground.

"D-Damien stop. Stop playing, Damien." She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain she felt as panic took over her.

"Daddy give him back. I'll make him be good. I promise!" Nayely clawed at his long legs as he pulled out a large butcher knife. Tossing Kai around in his hands, Damien looked to Shondra with crazed eyes as she held out her hands.

"Give me the baby, Damien. Beat me! Do what you want! But give me my baby!"

Nayely jumped high enough to hang from her father's elbow, reaching for Kai with the hopes of getting him away from the sharp knife and strange look in her father's eyes. For only one second, Nayely thought she had Kai before her father tossed her away, sending her flying into the counter behind them.

Shondra cried out at the sickening thud of Nayely's body.

Nayely was dazed as she raised her head slowly, still witnessing her mother plead with everything she had to her father to release Kai.

"I'm sick of you and these damn kids, Shondra!"

"Let me leave with them then, just don't hurt them!"

"Leave? Why would I let you leave, huh?" He screamed as his grip on the knife and baby tightened.

"You don't have to do this, Damien, this isn't you! I know it isn't!"

"What the fuck do you know about me, Shondra? You think you know something about me? About OT?"

"I-I-"

"After tonight, I can't leave behind anything that's going to get in my way." He said with seriousness.

"What happened, Damien? You know you can tell me. Let's just talk about this." Shondra thought that maybe she could take his mind off of the small child wailing in his hold.

"I can tell by the look in your eyes. OT did something, didn't he? Who did he kill, Damien? All we have to do is call the police and you can tell them everything you know! We don't have suffer behind him!"

At the mention of the police, Damien's breathing came to a halt. It felt as if all of the air in the house disappeared as Shondra watched the knife cut away at Kai's chest, drawing blood as the baby boy took in a sharp breath. When Damien tossed his motionless body into the air, Shondra opened her arms to catch her son. With absolute horror coursing through her body, Shondra could barely react to Damien turning his attention to Nayely as she held her hand against her son's chest.

"Daddy, please! Daddy!" She shrieked as his hand lifted to her throat. Nayely's large brown eyes nearly popped out of her head as urine trailed down her legs.

Nayely's eyes moved to her mother, who sat on the ground clenching Kai to her chest, silent as the blade took a deep slash across the young girl's throat. Nayely couldn't feel the pain at first, but she did feel the pain in her heart at the sight of her mother doing nothing to help her.

Why didn't she stop him?

 

It had been three days since Nayely's last conscious moment. As her eyes slowly opened, she could hear the slow beep of medical equipment surrounding her. Off to the side of the shared room, she heard the sounds of Tom and Jerry playing on the small TV. With her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, Nayely grimaced as she attempted to swallow. Her body felt heavy, almost like it wasn't her own as she tried to lift her arm.

"No sweetie, you're going to have to stay still for now." An older woman with a neatly padded afro stopped any further movements. Looking over, Nayely took in her friendly appearance as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

Who was she? And why was Nayely in the hospital where sick kids go?

Without warning, a stream of urine warmed the sheets beneath her. The older woman's nose scrunched as she realized what was going on. Standing up immediately, she placed a hand to the girl's shoulders as she began to cry.

"Nurse!" She called out. Looking down at the wet sheets, the social worker tried her best to not allow this case to affect her. After receiving background information on the young girl's situation, it was hard to not feel a tug at her heart. This was by far the worst case she ever had to deal with, and knowing that she was responsible for finding the proper care for this girl didn't make this job any easier.

The torment, rage, and loneliness Nayely would face was far too much for a 5 year old girl.

And to think she wasn't the only one in the social worker's care.  Situated by the large hospital window was another child, tragically thrown into a new life the same night as Nayely.

Min Jae Park.

When he had been brought in, he was a sight to be seen. His small body was angular as malnourishment showed. Though he had an extended belly, it was obvious it wasn't from home cooked meals. The older woman was one of few in the area who could handle these two cases. With employment low in her area, she was required to take on multiple cases all the time. Luckily for her, these two children were the only ones on her plate at the moment.

God knows she wouldn't be able to handle anymore with the work ahead.

The small boy had entered the hospital covered in blood and other body fluids after he was pried from his mother's body. He had the thousand-yard stare locked in his eyes- it was as if no one around him truly existed. With an IV hooked to his small arm, he received the nutrients needed to bring him back from his dehydrated malnourished state. The social worker wished in that moment that there was something to restore the innocence that had been ripped from him.

As the nurse moved around Nayely's body, the social worker quickly stepped over to the young boy's side. He laid on top of the covers, completely tuned out to the world surrounding him. None of it mattered to him anyways, and that was clear as day.

Luckily, both children would be released soon. As the social worker was given the official group home assignment for the kids, she felt guilty that there was little she could do to help them truly cope with the cards they were dealt. Of course, there would be the typical evaluations with every child psychologist and doctor to determine the state of their minds and bodies, but there was no specialist for their corrupted souls.

That would be the hardest wound to heal.

Doctors quickly filed into the room as they met at Nayely's bedside. The social worker watched as the attending male doctor who had seen her through the ordeal while she was unconscious, attempted to smile at the young girl as he crouched beside her.

"Hi Nayely, how are you feeling?" He asked softly.

While Nayely's eyes stared at him blankly, her hands gripped the sides of the bed. The sound of Nayely's heart racing beeped throughout the room.

"Everything is okay. I know it can be confusing to wake up here, but don't worry." He tried to offer comfort that the girl was incapable of feeling. There was evidence of strain in the young girl's face as she concentrated on making herself speak. Realizing what she was doing, the doctor nicely shushed her.

"Be careful. Your voice is a little under the weather and needs all the rest it can get. You don't have to speak for now, okay?" Nayely's eyes darted to the social worker, pleading with her.

"I know, honey. Do what the doctor says so that you can feel better as soon as possible."

Hesitantly, the social worker placed her hand on the girl's small foot that trembled like the rest of her body. Nayely continued to put up resistance, determined to say something-anything- until she gave up. Her body lost the slight curve that held her suspended just above the bed, allowing her small body to sink back into the form of her mattress.

Reaching behind him, the doctor called to the nurse who held a tray of bandages and other material. Placing on gloves, he and the nurse worked together to carefully lift the young girl's neck in order to exam her healing wound. The social worker tried to not look away as Nayely's eyes were drawn to her. With her line of work, she had seen everything possible that could be done to a child, but it never got easier to witness the remnants of the pain adults marred their small bodies with.

Swallowing deeply, the social worker gripped her hands together tightly as she watched the bloodied bandages peel away from Nayely's small, bruised neck. The doctor and nurse worked in silence as they cleaned the wound intently, touching the girl's neck as they evaluated the progress of their work. When the doctor felt Nayely flinch from his touch, he nodded to the nurse, and they quickly worked to cover her back up. The deep wound stretched across her neck from the left side down to the middle of her chest. While the emergency surgery revealed that the internal damage was easily fixable, there was nothing they could do to hide the large scar she would be left with as a reminder.

Standing from the ground, the doctor spoke quietly with the team as some members quickly jotted down information on their clipboards.

Turning to the social worker, the doctor spoke in a low voice. "The healing has improved, and we're confident that over time, she'll have her voice back fully functional." Looking back at Nayely, the doctor held an expression of assuredness. "You hear that, Nayely? Let your voice rest. That means try not to talk and eat as much ice cream as possible, okay?" He didn't expect any specific response, but he wanted to make sure that he could ease the coming days as much as possible. Nayely's head swiveled slowly to her right. The adults watched as her eyes widened as MJ stood between their beds. Shocked by his presence, the doctors and nurses looked at each other, lost for words. The boy's hand gripped the cold metal stand that held the IV bag which fed into his small arm.

MJ's light brown eyes hooked onto Nayely. With the simple mention of her name, MJ's thoughts were interrupted for the first time in days.

"Min Jae, honey, are you feeling better?" The nurse asked as she quickly moved to his side. "It's great to see you up, buddy." Her kindness went ignored as MJ and Nayely were caught up in theirsilent reunion.

The nurse attempted to guide MJ back to his bed as the adults were unsure of how to handle the silence. As soon as her hand lightly touched his shoulder, MJ jumped away from her, climbing into Nayely's bed to sit at her side. The adults became tense, afraid that the sudden action could cause an accident, and as they tried to remove MJ, Nayely held his hospital gown tightly in her fist, shaking her head.

"Do-do they know each other?" The doctor asked as he flipped through Nayely's clipboard he searched for clues. Reaching for MJ's charts, the doctor realized they had both entered on the same night.

"Not that I know of..." the social worker looked around the room noting the other children who were active with their parents and families even in their times of need. Nayely and MJ lied in their beds seemingly disconnected from the world for days, yet here they were resistant from separating the moment they laid eyes on each other.

"MJ, honey, let's move you back to your bed." The nurse moved closer, thinking that she should make another attempt. Nayely's vitals began to increase with each step, and the doctor immediately stuck out his arm to stop her. With a quick glance at each other, they agreed to leave the children alone.

"MJ, if we let you stay with Nayely, you have to promise to be gentle with her, okay?" The doctor watched as the boy shook his head slowly all while never taking his eyes off of Nayely's. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, tears formed in the corner of his hazel orbs just as large droplets slid from Nayely's. The children were silent as they sat together, pressing their foreheads against the other's and twisting their fingers together in silence. The doctors and nurses looked at each other in confusion, and the social worker carefully observed their interaction.

There had to be more to this than anyone realized.

The staff gave the social worker a brief breakdown of the next steps for the two children as they looked over their shoulders to see that they had come together in their isolation and created a world of their own. Crossing her arms over her chest, the older woman walked towards the window seat by MJ's bed once the room cleared out and pulled out a notepad. Flipping to the printed information she had for both children, she quickly documented her observations.

 

When the fifth day arrived, Nayely moved slowly to the wheel chair parked near her bed as MJ helped her down. On the back of the chair hung two small bags of items that the social worker managed to gather. Each child had arrived with virtually nothing, but she had made efforts at the local store to purchase something for the children to journey into life with.

The social worker had watched as the two children spent every moment possible together. Though, their closeness was obvious, there had not been a single word spoken between the two. All the feelings they needed to convey could be felt in the way they looked at each other, the way they held hands, and the way they only found solace sleeping with their temples touching.

MJ looked up, silently asking for permission to be in charge of pushing Nayely's chair. Stepping back, the social worker allowed him to do so. There wasn't a smile upon his face, but a look of gratitude showed towards her.

Due to their age, MJ and Nayley would be sent to a group home that housed children under the age of 10. The social worker was more than familiar with the facility, and a part of her worried whether MJ and Nayely would be lost in the sea of family-less children who lived there. As she watched MJ use all his strength to direct the chair between the lines of nurses who wiped their eyes as they watched the children depart, the social worker prayed that they could remain strong because Lord knows what would happen the moment they could no longer be together.

When the three met the van downstairs, they climbed inside and began the long drive to the group home. As the social worker drove, she occasionally glanced at her rearview mirror. MJ and Nayely gripped their hands together as they stared out the car windows and watched the world pass them by in a blur.

To them, the rush of color and objects bleeding into an indescribable image had become their new normal. The only way they were able to feel as though they were not stuck in an endless nightmare was to feel the other's presence.

The silence in the van was interrupted when the social worker cleared her throat.

"Are you guys ready to meet some new friends? There will be plenty of kids there who you'll get to know." Her words fell on deaf ears as there was no desire for new friends.

Nayely lifted her head from MJ's shoulder when he looked down at her. Holding each other's gaze, they each gave a slight nod of understanding.

All they needed was each other.

What no one else knew was that in the late hours of the night, MJ and Nayely had shared their deepest secrets that they knew would never be spoken to anyone else.

 

"I don't want to be here." MJ's voice squeaked as the soft sound of Nayely's monitor beeped in rhythm with the other children's as they laid fast asleep. Nayely shook her head up and down, mirroring his feelings.

"Is your mommy going to come and get you?" He asked with innocence dripping from his eyes. Though MJ didn't understand everything about death, he knew that it would be a very long time until he could ever be with his mother again.

Nayely's lips turned down as the bruised lower flesh began to quiver. When MJ heard the beeping of her machine become faster, he quickly hugged her, making sure not to squeeze her too tight as he soon realized that she too wouldn't be seeing her mother any time soon.

"I won't leave you, if you don't leave me. Promise?" Pulling back, MJ held out his pinky to solidify his pledge to Nayely. She was all he knew from the life before that night, and he was too afraid to discover the unknown world that lied before him alone.

As tears cascaded down Nayely's cheeks, a small smile showed her deep dimples as she raised a shaky hand to his own. Wrapping their pinkies together, MJ held his hand over Nayely's squeezing it with his to make sure the promise stuck.

"Promise." He said for the both of them. Using his sleeve to wipe away the tears at Nayely's cheeks, MJ stared into Nayely's eyes with relief until they both nodded off to sleep.

 

 












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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.