Was I sitting here for minutes? Or hours? Did anyone see me?
I don't know how long I sat there. Or how long my ears were ringing, or the null sensation of my heart beating against my chest.
Something pulled me out of it, a sharp, voice. It didn't make any sense at first.
"H-hey…! Give it back!"
It sounded hollow, like my own ears weren't even working. The weirder part was that it repeated a couple more times. Not in my head, I heard it…all around.
My eyes shot open, and it was still daylight. I moved my hand around, clenching it, flexing it. My breathing regulated.
But yet, I still couldn't move my legs. Deadlocked, still. Like I'm trapped.
My eyes scanned everything, and there, I saw it.
Three Oni running, what seemed to be a bright poncho. Laughing…but not having a joyous time. Sinister, it felt like. Mischievous? Something along the lines of it.
And who trailed after them?
Shorter horns compared to them, shorter overall as well. White hair, bright tomato skin—
That's Rei.
My eyes widened, my upper body moved, but wouldn't go anywhere without my legs. No. Not now. I'm okay. I'm fine. No reason why my legs decided to not cooperate with me anymore.
Rei ran for the burnt poncho, as if to say it belonged to her. Hand outstretched. One of the Oni evaded her, before shortly pushing her to the dirt ground.
My body twitched, itching to move.
The other three girls looked…younger. Way younger than the adults. Are these…are these children? Teenagers?
Teenagers to prey on Rei?
I sigh. What was I expecting. Exiled from your own community is just asking to get bullied, and taunted by anyone in your age group.
No wonder she never had friends.
They never saw her as one, anyways.
One girl spoke, pale pink skin. "Look at you…so clingy. So…disgusting."
"Can't even be a proper Oni…so now she's sucking up to a Ranchmaster—again!" Another one, a darker gray.
The one with the burnt poncho, held it within her arms. Eyeing the four-pointed star, the Golden Insignia. She looked down on Rei. Maybe feeling some sort of way.
"So, " she began. Her voice was a step lower than the other two's—darker, grittier, raspier. I would've probably assumed she was the oldest.
"How long until he throws you away, huh Rei?"
Rei slowly got back up, eyeing her. "H-he won't! He's different this time!"
The one with the yellow skin—older, meaner—scoffed.
"That's what you said about the last one, the other one before her, and the other guy too."
She flicked Rei right across the forehead, making her stumble back and feel for it with both of her hands.
My body twitched a second time.
I look down at my legs. Urging them to move. They don't want to.
"You run around with this, and think you can be Ranchmaster? How long until he forgets about you? You'd be lucky to even be treated the same as Tex."
The other girls laugh, and Rei feels shy. Ashamed. She naturally shrinks, holding her hands together. Dodging their eye contact.
Wait.
No.
No.
Don't tell me this is what she was paranoid of before. That's why she wanted to come inside.
About running into them.
And I left her out there.
Like blood to a shark.
My jaw tightens.
I sabotaged her.
"You know, if I were you. I would quit. Sucking up to those humans don't do you any good, you know that right?" The pink one mocks.
The yellow one nods, "We've seen it before. They treat you all like trash. You better thank Flugel nothing worse could've happened to you. Might end up like Tex."
That's the second time I've heard that name be mentioned. Don't they mean…Jex? Jex.
No, she said it too confidently. Tex is someone else. Related to Jex? Maybe.
And the way she spoke about Flugel as well…no respect. I guess over here, where no ranchmasters go, you can speak about them behind their back all that you want to.
And the weirdest part about all of this?
They've look over at my way several times.
And not once, had they seen me.
I'm under the shade of a tree. Not under a boot. All the older Oni, adults, go about their day, as if they aren't witnessing this bullying live in session. Are they all numb about it?
Or is it because Rei's the victim, they could care less?
The older one grabs Rei by the horn, bringing her closer to the poncho.
"Go on. This is what you wanted so bad, right?" She mocks. Teases. Rei's panic is not evident, but it's gradually climbing.
If I don't do something. It's going to be bad.
So my legs.
Now or never.
You have to fucking move!
I budge, twist, turn. I land on my belly, and slowly crawl my way towards them. Slowly. Painfully. My entire lower half feels like static.
She pushes Rei down, and eyes her horn. No. The one with the deep gash in it. A wicked, evil smile appears on her face.
The dots connected in my head.
Rei didn't earn that gash from playing.
Nor did she get it from any punishment.
Her own people hurt her.
I clench my jaw. Digging deeper into the barren ground. Trying to get there as fast as I can.
She drops the poncho, the dirt collects and builds up. Rei immediately tries to go for it, but is held back. Both Oni girls grab her arms. Restraining her.
The older one smiles, eyeing Rei. She's trying to move, budge, but she doesn't have the strength too.
And there, her fingers sprawl out. Clawed.
"No!" My voice comes out echoey, they don't hear me. They don't even see me. This is sick. Why are they acting like they can't hear me? Like they don't see me crawling towards them!
My body doesn't twitch. It surges.
The left leg is brought up, I can finally get on my knee. Panting. I use that same leg to stand up slowly, but the other leg isn't cooperating still.
If I have to hope there on one leg, so be it.
The older Oni girl's hand struck straight for her mouth, her tight grip making it already harder for the oppressed Rei.
"The way you follow him around like a little dog? You wag your tail when he talks too?" She begins.
"It's pathetic."
Rei's eyes widen after hearing it. I can only drag myself. I can't listen, I try to zone it out but regardless the voices are all around me.
"Do me, or well, really—anyone a favor. Go far, far away. You're not wanted here, a dirty, bright lapdog. Go on, you're going to tell me how the dirtbag let you wear his clothes for the day?"
Rei mumbled, spoke in gibberish. Wanting to say something, but can't.
The older girl scoffed.
"Serves you right. You think some flimsy coat and a new name makes you one of them?" She asked. I would've mistaken it for her being genuine, but she already knew the answer.
"You won't rise above us, Rei. You were picked up, like trash. How many more ranchmasters toss you aside before you get it? You're a stray. Not a survivor."
Rei mumbles something, but her grip on her mouth only gets tighter.
"Ah. You think if you act like a little helper, someone'll keep you around. He pities you. That's why he's nice. Not because you matter. He'll leave you too. Just like the last one. And the one before that."
"Came into this world without a mother, and you're barely surviving by the scraps. Not even that birthed you wanted you. But yet, you still keep going. Underdeveloped trash. Not to mention you're just…weirder than everyone else. Maybe that's why no one likes you."
My body continues.
"And when he uses you? When he finally realizes that you're just trash too sucking up to him? I'll be right there."
"Right there to let you know all over again that you are worthless, Rei."
No.
No she isn't.
Can't be.
I look at Rei, and the fierce, warm amber eyes of her.
They start dimming.
The way they did before—no, no, no no no.
My knee buckles before me. I collide with the ground again. Nothing. They don't see me. They don't notice me. Nothing.
"Get…up…" I muster out. Planting both of my arms into the ground. My body shaking. Hasn't feel like this since…in ages.
She throws more verbal insults, and each second I spend struggling I feel only hurts Rei more. She's probably wondering where I'm at, and why I'm not with her.
I failed her. I shouldn't have kept her outside. I shouldn't have done a lot of things.
My chest touches the ground again. Useless. I have to get up. I need to get up.
I can hear Rei sniffling now. I look up, and she's trying to hold back tears. The Oni girls holding her back laugh as the older one lessens her grip from her mouth.
Raising her arm, fist clenched.
No.
Poised to strike.
I feel it, the intense pressure. My fingers dig deeper into the earth, my fingernails embedding into it. So tight, so clenched that I think my hand might bleed.
My body slowly gets up, my legs finally cooperating. Every step's a newborn stumble. Like walking after a coma.
But I increase the speed, no time to slow down or stumble.
And before the teenage girl could do anything.
I grabbed her wrist.
And all four of them looked like they had just seen a ghost.
Shocked.
Worried.
Bewildered.