Part 1: The Incident
Mira(16 years old)
I have a good family who takes care of me and brings out a good side of me. I’ve always been a good girl who follows their rules.
Most of all, I love spending time with my best friend Elena. We clicked instantly, so I never bothered asking about her background. She did tell me that she belongs to a powerful family, but I don’t care. I never cared about that aspect when making friends. It’s who they are as a person that draws me in.
The same goes for dating.
Even though I am a teenager, I don’t feel attracted to anyone. Elena suggested maybe I’ll learn more about it in the future.
But there’s a group of boys who bully Elena because of her family. Maybe they’re rivals or something.
Like shit, what are they? Kids?
I asked Elena if I should report them to the principal, but she said,
“It’s harmless, Mira. Let’s leave it. They’re just immature.”
I don’t agree with her view. I know she doesn’t want to be the center of attention, but these things blow up in ways we don’t expect.
And ladies and gentlemen...
It happened.
The three boys had cornered Elena.
One shoved her to the ground while another cut pieces of her hair and uniform. When they brought a knife to her neck, she was crying while holding her phone.
I rushed toward them.
I don’t know what happened.
Everything went black.
Elena was shouting things I couldn’t understand. I only heard my name.
“Mira...”
Then, when I opened my eyes, I was in Elena’s arms.
A body was lying near us.
More importantly, I was bruised along my sides, and the body on the ground looked much worse. There were cuts on his hands and ears. It looked like he had been beaten and tortured by a group of people.
I looked at Elena.
She was shaking from fear.
Why fear?
“Elena...?” I called.
No response.
When I shook her, she came out of her trance and looked into my eyes.
“You beat those guys... and this guy...”
She pointed at the boy on the ground, who was making weak sounds like a wounded animal.
“...you beat and tortured him, Mira.”
I was shocked.
When I heard those words, I looked into Elena’s eyes, expecting a joke or prank.
Nothing.
Just pure honesty.
“What are you saying, Elena? I didn’t do it. I lost consciousness right before I reached them, right? I know I’ve taken self-defense classes, but I don’t have the strength to take on three guys our age.”
Elena shook her head.
“No, Mira. You did it. I was recording when those guys surrounded me. The whole thing was recorded... including the way you beat them and tortured this guy.”
I was lost in my thoughts as I watched the footage.
I didn’t know what I was feeling.
Horror?
Awe?
Satisfaction?
I should have been scared because I was causing harm in my unconscious state.
The worst part wasn’t what I was doing.
It was how calm I looked while doing it.
I was torturing that boy with the same knife he had used on Elena.
For the first time in my life, I felt afraid of myself.
