The Dead Don't Cry (Skeith & Kinky-Sub)

Crime was not an alien phenomenon in this city, violent crime especially. Gang wars, corrupt and abusive cops, rape, break-ins, etc. Though in recent weeks there had been a rise in particularly violent murders. While many of who died were criminals, this individual was far from a vigilante. These were violent crimes of passion. Tracking this killer had proven so difficult, that law enforcement had to be called in from other parts of the country to help locate them. So far, there had been no luck. The crimes continued, seemingly escalating with the additional pressure being applied by law enforcement.

Despite how dangerous the city could be at night, it functioned fairly normally during the day. The city's youth attended school, spent time with friends, dated, and led mostly carefree lives. Well, most of them anyway. Reina was a young woman who had lived most of her life in foster care. After a break-in gone wrong, she had watched her parents die when she was a child. While outwardly she seemed fairly normal, aside from some anti-social behavior, the event had broken her. Every morning was the same, she took a cold shower, dressed for class, and headed to school. She always sat alone, towards the back of the class. She liked corners, she could see where everyone was, and no one could sneak up behind her. She led a lonely existence, without friends, lovers, or even close family. But she liked it that way.

This particular morning, she laid her head on her folded arms, once again, disinterested in participating in class. She was always tired, and seemingly always vacant. For many, including the teachers and councilors, she was considered a lost cause. She looked up from her desk when she heard the teacher's voice. "Your attention for a moment, if you will. Today a new student will be attending our school. Do introduce yourself, deary." The teacher said quietly. "You may sit where you please, any vacant desks are available." Reina's eyes shifted to the vacant desk beside her and cringed lightly. Muttering a quiet prayer beneath her breath that the student wouldn't choose to sit there, her hand clutching tightly to something inside of her bag.

The week had been a long process, packing up everything into boxes and loading them into a small rented truck followed by a long drive to a new city. This was Chloe's life since her father broke the news to her that they would have to be moving into the city from their small quiet town. It was work related her father was a cop and he was the best one she had ever met. he never went into details on why he was being transferred but she just went with it after all she had no other choice but live with him as he was the only family she had left in the world. The second part of her week she spent locked up in her room unpacking her life and trying to fit it into the small apartment building the local police had helped her father get so he could move out sooner rather then later. She already missed the quiet town and having a lawn and trees to read under but most of all she missed her friends that she had. They still talked but not being able to drive was starting to put a damper on their relationship and she could feel them growing apart.

As Chloe began working on the smaller boxes she fell to her knees as she found the framed picture of Chloe and her mother taken the Halloween before she was killed. It had been almost a year since she was killed when a drunk driver crashed into her car heading home from work at the hospital. Her parents were in the middle of a divorce when it happened, her father wasn't a bad guy he was just too wrapped up in making the town better spending late nights working on cases that his home life slipped to nothing and her mom moved out taking Chloe with her so he could focus on what he seemed to truly love. She wished she was alive because she would never have let her move this far away knowing that Chloe would have troubles making friends given her special condition. Chloe was special in that she had the reproductive parts of both a male and female though once she started to mature more she began to look more feminine and changed her identity from Cole to Chloe. For this she has always felt like she never belonged around her classmates and even the few friends she had didn't know until they knew her for years. But her mother always understood her and supported her while her father was away and struggled to relate to their child.

As the alarm rang stirring Chloe from her sleep she rolled over turning it off rubbing her eyes as she sat on the edge of the bed. She had been dreading this day since she knew she was moving. She never wanted to be the new kid especially joining late in the year she would be behind on school work and socially. She wanted to finish up the year at her old school but it was hours away and unrealistic for her to do so. Running through the shower quickly cleaning herself up before getting dressed for the day. "Dad I'm leaving for school." Chloe shouted not sure if he was even home or if he went in early like he normally did. Sling her backpack over her shoulder she rushed down stairs catching the bus to school. It was already awkward as she got on finding a seat near the front and just checked her phone shooting her dad a quick text. She remained quiet the whole ride not talking to anyone and just stared out the window.

Chloe stood by the teacher's desk looking around the room trying to hold back from shaking out of being so nervous wishing the teacher hadn't focused all eyes on her as she was introduced. "Hi everyone I'm Chloe, I just moved here with my dad who got a job offer with the city police." Chloe said her words rushed and a slight blush on her cheeks. She glanced around the room looking for an empty desk, there were two close up front but the teens around them seemed to talking and she didn't want to interrupt them. then she spotted the desk in the back row and made her way towards it hoping the girl next to it was friendly and at least in the back row she could blend into the background if needed. "Do you mind if I sit here?"Chloe asked setting her bag down and taking the seat before she could answer. She sat there awkwardly unpacking her note book and setting it up for notes for the day." I'm Chloe, what's your name?"she asked breaking the silence and shifting in her seat to look at her she was always bad with getting things started but she figured it never hurt to try and she might as well know her neighbor's name. "Any tips on how to survive this place?" She added slightly smiling at her and glancing down noticing she was reaching for something in her bag. she was curious but didn't want to push her luck with the girl.

Chloe's introduction raised an instant red flag for Reina. Her father worked for the police? That made her dangerous. Reina watched the other girl approach her desk, her eyes narrowing slightly as she did so. She was coming to sit by her. Why was she choosing to sit by her? Nobody did that. Besides, there were a few empty seats that were a shorter distance away. Her eyes shifted away as she sat down beside her. Feeling her eyes on her, her hand released whatever it was holding in her bag and she brought herself to rest her head on her folded arms again. When Chloe spoke to her, she didn't register that she was talking to her right away. No one tried to talk to her, everyone kept their distance. This was strange, and it made her nervous. She glanced at the girl before tiredly looking forward again. "Reina." She said in a quiet voice. She didn't know how to talk to others very well, in fact being spoken to in the first place was irritating.

Her following question was bizarre. Tips to survive? Reina was an odd choice for that question. She had no friends, but she didn't really have any bullies either, at least not anymore. She gave off a vibe that suggested that messing with her was a bad idea. "I don't know..." She said after a long moment of silent thought. "Make some friends... I guess..." She sighed silently into her folded arms as she stared absently at the front of the class before looking back to her new neighbor.

" That's a cool name kind of wish my parents were more original." Chloe said smiling back at the girl happy that she didn't just dismiss her instantly and was taking some time answer her question. Chloe was worried she was bothering her neighbor as she sighed and took her time answering the question. Though it wasn't exactly an insightful answer but it did make sense as going through the rest of her high school career alone wouldn't be fun and she wanted at least one friend. Even if they never hung out outside of the classroom it would give her something to look forward to. She had hoped to get a little bit of an insider view on the kids at the school but then again looking at the person she asked it didn't seem like she had much interaction with the other students. As she stared at her again she couldn't help but feel like she was making some sort of progress with the girl and she looked like she needed a friend just as bad as Chloe did.

"So what do you do for fun? kind of a book nerd myself, so if you ever need help in English I could probably help you." Chloe said picking up her pencil and playing with it between her fingers, as a nervous twitch. Even though the girl was talking to her she did feel a slight pressure brought on by her own standards to try and start the day off right. as the teacher began writing down some questions Chloe copied them down leaving plenty of space for the notes on each one. She was defiantly a nerd and even in her old school she was always in the top of her grade despite having a friend to distract her in each class. She had focused on her studies as she wasn't too socially active and her mother loved seeing her high grades re ensuring that she would do good in life if she kept it up. Now that she was gone she did her best to keep that spirit alive as her father wouldn't exactly be pushing her like her mother had or even take some form of interest.

The faintest blush appeared on Reina's cheeks when Chloe complimented her name. She couldn't remember the last time someone had anything nice to say about her. Even if it was only her name. "For fun? I don't really do anything. I draw, and I go out for walks a lot at night." She lowered her head into her arms again, exhaling heavily. "I don't go out a lot. I don't really have friends." She said honestly. She didn't know what it was about Chloe that made her want to interact. Maybe it was just that she was treating her like a human being and not like an empty desk. Still, she was wary of the new student, fearing her connection to the police. Being her friend could be dangerous.

It was probably pretty clear, just looking at Reina, that she didn't care much about school. She had nothing out on her desk, and was content to spend the morning ignoring the teacher droning on and on. If she had her choice she wouldn't have gotten out of bed in the morning, but he more suspicious she behaved, the more danger she was in. With no family to motivate her, or friends to encourage her, she had no drive to participate. It was just a way to spend her daylight hours until she could return to her solitude.

The blush on Reina's cheeks didn't go unnoticed by Chloe and she couldn't help but smile a little more as it showed the girl was starting to warm up to her. She had set low exceptions for herself not wanting to get her hopes up first off in the morning but even something this small made her day and she wasn't just focusing on stumbling through the day. Hearing her mention she didn't have any friend's of her own made her a little sad as even though she did't feel like she ever fit in she was never completely ignored by her peers and had at least one person to talk to. It seemed as Reina needed a friend just as bad as Chloe did making her want to keep pushing to befriend her even more. Even as she was focused on her neighbor Chloe still managed to get some notes down occasionally glancing over the board before turning her head back. She kind of wished Reina was a better student so she could copy her notes but she would have to find someone else or ask the teacher for a quick refresher.

"That's cool love going for walks, do you go around the city or are there some parks nearby? Haven't gotten a chance to explore the city much, I'm actually surprised I didn't get lost coming here today." Chloe said poking fun at herself as she was defiantly more suited for the small towns over the big city. She had own fully explored her own apartment as unpacking and getting things in order to transfer consumed most of her time. She also never wanted to explore on her own fearing the spike of crime city life was used to but her dad like always was never present so she barely stepped outside her own complex in the first week of being her. " If you ever want a walking buddy I'm pretty much free whenever been meaning to try and get a feel for the city and having a local tour guide might help it." Chloe added awkwardly a slight tint forming on her own cheeks as she was never this forward and usually waited for an invite instead of trying to force one.

Reina breathed out a quiet sigh as she sat up, leaning back in her seat. How did normal people do this? Interacting was so taxing. She ran a hand through her untamed pale hair before glancing back to her new... Friend? That word felt weird. She wasn't terribly certain if she was comfortable using it yet. "Yeah. I can help you find your way around." Why did she agree? Anyone else and she'd have just ignored them. She placed her hands in her lap, as she looked down at her desk. Talking with Chloe was making her incredibly uncomfortable, but for whatever reason she couldn't just ignore her, no matter how much she wanted to.

As the class came to a close with the ringing of the bell, Reina was slow to get out of her seat. She never liked trying to beat the rush for the door. Crowds made her anxious. She casually stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "So, do you know what your schedule looks like? I can help you find your next class." She paused as she felt eyes on her. Her gaze shifted to see a couple of students whispering and watching. Reina was aware that she was alienated and estranged, but did that make her talking to someone noteworthy? She shook it off before turning to face Chloe again, waiting silently for her to finish packing.

Chloe's eyes widened at her offering to show her around the city, she had been so nervous that she would say start ignoring her as it was the most she had pushed her luck with the girl."Thanks that would be super helpful." Chloe said with a smile stretching from ear to ear. The rest of the class she had stopped talking to her as she began to advert all of her attention to the board and was scribbling down her notes trying to make up for the lost time she used chatting with Reina . Though it was all worth it in her mind as she felt like had a new friend in the school and was in a cloud nine state.

Chloe was slow packing up as she glanced over at the door watching her classmates get up in a hurry and rush off to the next class, she had always been the same way and preferred to be the last to leave as it gave a minute longer to finish off her notes. "oh yeah it's somewhere in this thing." Chloe said smiling as she handed the sheet of paper to her friend. While Reina looked it over she finished putting her things away and got up placing her backpack on her back. she noticed the looks from the other kids and hush tones that she couldn't make out. she wondered if any of them even tried befriend Reina or if they just wrote her off as a loner on the first day. She wished she knew what they were saying out of curiosity, maybe they had tried and there was a good reason Reina was alone. she pushed the thought aside not wanting to question her new friend and second.

Chloe took her schedule back from her friend folding it up into a small square and placed it in her pocket. " So do we have any more classes together?" She asked smiling as she trailed behind the girl her eyes wondering and taking a mental note as they passed through the halls. She wished Reina was in all her classes as it would make the day and year so much better but she knew it was probably not likely that they would. but she would be fine with the one and it would be a great way to start off everyday knowing someone she could talk to. As they reached the door stood just shy of the frame so others could get in still. "Thank you Reina for helping me today, I guess i'll see you at lunch time." Chloe said smiling and giving her a quick neutral hug before she turned around and went into the classroom. She didn't have much luck in her next class which was okay she had already met her goal for the day and couldn't wait for lunch time when she could see her new friend again.

As Lunch time rolled around Chloe had gotten there first and grabbed a small table in the corner of the lunch room away from all the noise and other tables. She preferred the quiet setting and guessed her friend would find it suitable as well. She had packed her own lunch nothing fancy just a PB&J sandwich with a bag of pretzels and a water to wash it down. She slowly ate her lunch sitting so she faced the entrance her yes darting around to try and find her friend. She got a little worried as a few minutes rolled past and she was still sitting there alone.

Reina looked down at the schedule she was handed, eyeing it briefly. It didn't look like they shared any other classes, which Reina was honestly a little relieved by, interacting with people was exhausting for her. She returned the schedule with a small shake of her head. "It doesn't look like it." She replied stoically. She wrapped her hands around her bag strap as she led Chloe through the halls to where her next class was located. Though the hug that came next had her completely disarmed. Her entire body seized up at the contact, her eyes widening momentarily in concern, before she was quickly released. She gave a silent nod when she mentioned lunch, and headed to her next class.

While her initial intent was to sleep through the entire period, Reina found herself dwelling on the new student. She was certain that interacting with her was dangerous, far too much so, but she didn't treat Reina like she was invisible. Being ignored was something Reina thought she appreciated until someone actually acknowledged her. She bounced back and forth between view points, at one point even considering fleeing campus and heading home to avoid further encounters. Despite all consideration, when lunch rolled around she found herself in the cafeteria, clutching tightly to a bagged lunch and looking around the large, noisy room for Chloe. "What am I doing? This is stupid..." She muttered under her breath.

When her eyes finally found her, she let out a shallow sigh before she walked over slowly. Setting her bag down on the table, she took a seat across from her. "Sorry I'm a little late. I had to go to my locker." She said quietly. Why was she apologizing? Why did she care? She shook her head momentarily before opening her bag, and pulling out a sandwich and small bottle of water. She nibbled at the sandwich quietly, unsure of how to carry herself in a social environment.

"No worries Reina, just happy that you managed to find me." Chloe said smiling as her new friend joined her at the table. She shifted herself around so she was facing the girl and continued to eat her lunch. She didn't know much about the girl but seeing her again brightened up her day as she was worried that she might bail on her. After half way through her sandwich she set it down and took a big sip of water and a few pretzels out of her bag, she nudged the rest of then towards Reina offering her to take a few if she wanted. "So have you always lived in the city Reina?" Chloe asked breaking the silence between the two of them, she held back on asking twenty questions at once noticing the beginning of their friend was just as awkward for her. "First city I've ever lived in more used to the suburbs or a small town. really hoping the city lights don't block the stars too much."

She packed the rest of her lunch away only leaving the water out and fully placing the bag of pretzels over by Reina. She never ate much and was planning of saving the last half for the bus ride home. She just sat the with her hands folded together on the table. She didn't care if her new friend wasn't much of a talker yet she could talk enough for both of them. She was just happy to have someone to share her time with and she hoped that maybe Reina would brake out of her shell soon enough once she got to know her better. "do you take the bus here or walk? Only took the bus because my dad told me too but it seems like a reasonable walk so might try that getting home today. Though might be to lazy to after school." Chloe asked still smiling at the girl. She was glad that here they could chat more freely as there was nothing else to focus on except for each other.

Reina could only nod when asked about her living in the city. She didn't want to delve to far into her life outside of school, especially not her life at home. She looked up when she offered the pretzels to her, taking some with a nearly silent word of thanks. She continued to eat slowly and quietly until she was asked another question. "I um... I walk to school." She chewed her bottom lip for a moment, not wanting to admit her absentee foster parents didn't involve themselves in her life enough to get her to and from school. "I don't really like people, so I avoid the bus when I can." She said honestly.

Reina continued eating quietly for a few more minutes before leaning back in her seat. "What part of the city did you move in to?" She asked quietly. She hoped it wasn't too close to where she was living, living that close to a police officer would prove extremely dangerous for her.

"West side I think the place we're living at is Magnolia Estates. It's off West drive , i think the elementary school is a few blocks up from it. Where do you live? If were close enough we could always walk together." Chloe said smiling ignoring her comment for the time being. She was no stranger to tragedy and her own home life was no less then idealistic, but some how she managed to try and see the good in the world. Despite what happened to Chloe and the fact that her father was risking his life everyday. She wondered what had happened to Reina for her to say that, she assumed bullying as she was a loner and the whispers from the other kids.

"yeah the bus was pretty crowded this morning. Not much a people person either, but you have to have someone in your life to cheer up." Chloe said nudging her lightly with her foot trying to cheer her up a little. Chloe had never been a loner she always had one or two friends in her life and that was fine with her. She would rather have two close friends then play the social games on being in a crowd and it was just easier to only socialize with those few people. " You cheered me up this morning so I have you and if you ever need something let me know."

Damn, that was very close to her home. She'd have to be doubly careful from now on. "I live only a couple blocks away from Magnolia Estates." She was hesitant to admit which complex her foster parents lived in, considering it was extremely run down. Especially as it meant the possibility of Chloe wanting to visit and meeting her foster parents, which would mean talking about her birth parents. She curled her hands into loose fists in her lap at the comment about needing someone to cheer her up. She never felt like she needed that. But, it wasn't something she could dispute. She couldn't consciously remember when she was really happy. Perhaps a few dwindling memories with her parents. "Th-thank you." She said quietly, her eyes falling to her lap.

Chloe was already thinking of her as one of her friends, wasn't she? Her words reflected as much. Learning to return that sentiment would be difficult, especially when Reina wasn't even sure she wanted to. There were so many conflicting thoughts that she was having an extremely difficult time making sense of it. She looked up from her lap after a few moments of thought. "I... Um... I don't feel so good. I think I'm gonna head home..." She collected her bag from the seat, before looking back at Chloe. "I... Uh... Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned and walked from the cafeteria quickly, feeling a potential panic attack coming on.

"Okay Reina, hope you feel better. Do you want to walk to school tomorrow? I'll wait outside my complex and wait for you." Chloe said watching her friend leave not sure if she heard her over the noise of the cafeteria. With Reina gone school pulled out her note book and began copying notes down that she took from her first class. She planned on giving them to Reina even if she didn't seem interested she wanted to help her new friend out. Plus it helped her remember the notes better now that she was writing them again and was a trick her mother had taught her to do when something seemed hard. The bell soon rang and Chloe gathered up her bag and packed everything up leaving the cafeteria while the others crowded around her.

The rest of the day was pretty dull and just a repeat of her second class and was unable to make any new friends and got a few strange looks as she took her seat up near the front. She found it harder to focus on the notes as her mind was buzzing thinking over her new friend. She liked being with her even if she was quiet but couldn't help but feel that Reina didn't think of her as the same way. But she seemed like the first one to actually talk to the girl so maybe she was just so unused to interaction and hoped she would warm up soon to Chloe. She tried to think on the bright side but her abrupt exit made Chloe feel that she didn't want her as a friend and was just couldn't say it to Chloe's face.

With the final bell ringing Chloe rushed to the bus stop waiting with the other students before climbing on board and taking the front seat. She watched the streets roll by making sure to memorize the route so she could walk tomorrow and could make it if Reina didn't show up. Once home she gathered the mail checking for any letters from old friends but was nothing except junk mail for her dad. Slipping in to her apartment she found a note taped to her door. "taking a quick nap before night shift, There's a sub in the fridge for you." After crumpling up the note she laid down on her bed and started her homework. Once that was done she grabbed her dinner and ate it on the couch watching the news . She really only had it on for some soft background noise but focused when she heard the top story on the serial killer. She was in a mix state of fear and anger looking over at her dad's door wondering how he could not mention this big of a threat in the city. She wanted to ask him but decided against it as he would give his normal rant and just dodge the questions. letting out a soft yawn she changed out of her clothes and went to bed before her dad got up to leave.

Once the morning came and her alarm went off Chloe went through her normal routine of showering and getting dressed before she headed out for school. She left earlier and sat on the bench outside nibbling on a piece of toast as her eyes looked up and down the street. She kept checking her phone every so often so she could leave with enough time to walk to school. She really wanted Reina to show up as some proof that she liked being around Chloe even a little bit.

Reina dreaded returning to her home, but she couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Hopefully her foster parents wouldn't realize that she was even home. She wasn't worried about her foster mother, more content to sink into the couch with a beer than acknowledge her, it was her foster father who worried her. He was large, angry, and occasionally violent. She entered the apartment, walking back towards her room, only to pause at the sound of her foster mother's voice. "Reina?"

Reina cursed under her breath at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, Mary it's me. I didn't feel good, so I came home." Though when she heard her mother sigh and what sounded like 'whatever', she slipped back to her room and closed the door behind her. She occupied herself with her sketch book for several hours until she heard the front door open and slam. "Great..." She mumbled under her breath. She closed the sketch book and closed her eyes. She could hear the muffled sounds of her fosters arguing, followed by the predictable heavy foot falls of her foster father storming back to her room and throwing open the door. She looked up at him with her usual vacant expressions. "What do you want, Ted?" Without words his heavy hand came down across her face with enough force to knock her out of her chair. She moved to scramble to her feet, but was lifted to her feet by his hand taking a hold of her hair. It was around that point that her memory cut short.

When the morning came her body ached. She paused by the mirror examining the damage done. These evenings weren't uncommon. Reina's unwillingness to participate in school or take her fosters seriously had only been met with aggression. She shuffled to the bathroom and stripped bare, examining the damage caused by her foster father. She applied a few bandages where the skin had been broken, including above her eyebrow. Her eye was blackened and her hand was swollen but it wasn't the worse she had seen. She wrapped a bandage around her forearm and hand before dressing and departing for school. On the way, she looked up to see what looked like Chloe sitting on a bench. She had mentioned something about meeting up that morning didn't she? Reina approached quietly. "Good morning..." She said quietly. "Sorry if I'm a little late." She said, tightening her grip in her bag strap.

Chloe was just about ready to give up on Reina when sh saw her walking towards her happy that she showed or this was at least her normal route. She got up and ran over fling her bag over her back to greet her friend. "It's okay Reina." Chloe said smiling as she got closer to her. Her happiness died and she gasped loudly at the sight of her friends condition. "What.... what happened!?" Chloe asked hugging her friend gently not wanting to hurt her more. "Where you mugged on your way home? Or did your parents do this you? I think have some make up in my room if you want me to try and hide it." Chloe asked not giving her much time to answer as she rapid fired the question at her friend. She wanted to rag her inside and get her dad but he wasn't home yet and the two of them couldn't wait until he did.

"Does it still hurt? If it was your parents please let, it's not cool for this to happen to you." Chloe added releasing her friend still concerned over her appearance. She didn't press anymore questions giving Reina a chance to answer if she wanted to tell her what happened to her after they last saw each other. She really hoped this was a random mugging and not an issue at home, it pained her to see her friend hurt and couldn't bare to see her like this more then once. "Oh I copied my notes for you from our first class, I mean if you want them and i can keep doing it everyday. My mom taught me it as a trick to remember things better."Chloe said changing the subject a little trying to cheer her up she fumbled through her bag and pulled out the papers handing them to her. She even wrote her name on it and a smiley face.

She let Reina lead the way as she followed closely behind her friend keeping quiet as they walked keeping pace with her. As she walked her hand brushed up against her unwrapped one and she held onto it lightly so she could break away if she so desired. She wished she knew how to help her and not just ask a barrage of questions that would more likely annoy her instead of helping. "Thanks walking with me Reina I tried memorizing the route yesterday but still don't have it fully down yet." Chloe said as they approached the school. She never went to her locker as she didn't have that many books and could manage them and instead just kept following Reina.

Reina was reluctant to answer any questions regarding the bruises or cuts. The hug that she was greeted with caused her to flinch from surprise. She stared wide eyed for several seconds, trying to keep up with all of Chloe's questions. More astonishing was the fact that it seemed to be genuine concern that Chloe was showing her. Reina had no idea how to take or respond to such treatment and simply stared in silence for several moments. "I... I'm alright now." She replied quietly when Chloe slowed down a little. "It hurts a little still, but I've had worse." She shook her head quietly. "Don't worry, this happens all the time." She looked down at the papers that she was offered for a long moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to accept them, it was such a strange gesture that she didn't know what to do. Though when she looked back up at Chloe, she found herself genuinely concerned that if she refused she would hurt her feelings. "Thanks. I appreciate it." She said after a long silence. She breathed out a quiet sigh as she tucked the papers into her bag.

She tightened her grip on her bag as they continued walking towards school, though when their hands met she felt a heat rising in her cheeks as what was certainly a blush must have begun to form. She didn't retract her hand, instead allowing Chloe to hold it as they drew closer. "I don't mind." She replied when thanked for walking with Chloe. Once in the school, she lead the way to their homeroom, keeping her eyes downcast as they approached. When she took her seat, finally allowing her hand to slip from Chloe's, she immediately reached for her sketchbook and pencil.

Hearing Reina's words did little to put Chloe's concerns to rest and only fueled them further, she had never been hit in her life but her parents had always taught her not to hit others and always tell her father if she saw her friends being hurt. Now hearing that it was an ongoing event in her life left her with two options of who did this to her her friend . It was either her parents or some one in her home as she didn't know if she had any siblings or was an only child, or she had a bully outside of school who was picking on her. Her words of it happening all the time rang in her head and she was tempted to just go to her father with this, but as much as she hated seeing her friend beat up she didn't want to force that on her. She would have to try and coax her into it or give up her one was hitting her. Chloe smiled as they continued to walk to school feeling a little better now that Reina hadn't pulled her hand away instantly.

Chloe took her seat next to Reina and unpacked her bag setting up like she had yesterday before she turned to back to her friend. She smiled seeing her taking out a sketch book and pencil. She wanted to press the history of her bruises further but her wasn't the time and was curious if their teacher would say anything or if Chloe truly was the only one that cared about her. "Can I see some of your drawings? Not the best much self but love looking at other people's sketches." Chloe asked turning back to her own note book and quickly drew a cartoon dog, that was lope sided and disproportionate. "This is the best i can do unless i spend the whole day going super slow." Chloe added holding the page up to show here.

When asked about her sketchbook, Reina tensed a little. She never thought she would ever be asked to share what she had created. It was just a more constructive outlet for her aggressive cycle. A way to pour out a days events without drawing attention. "I don't know if you really want to..." Though, when Chloe produced the dog and showed her, she offered an extremely faint smile before holding out the sketchbook. Her art was extremely grotesque and abstract depictions of people, perhaps the way she actually saw them. some of the 'characters' were recurring images. A drunken woman, a large angry man, a small girl, frequently holding some manner of knife. Though the most recent image, still incomplete after her foster father's interruption the night before, was of a normal looking girl, starting to resemble Chloe.

She looked down at her lap while the other girl had her sketchbook, a little uncomfortable about the idea, almost like her opinion mattered to her. "I'm not very good or anything... It's just a way to get it all out... I guess..." She spoke quietly after a brief silence, tripping over her words a little trying to figure out how to say it.

Chloe smiled as she looked down at the cover of the sketch book for a moment before she opened the cover. As she flipped through the pages she hid her shocked expression as most of her drawings were dark and none of them looked normal or happy. After she had flipped through it quickly she went back through it studying the pictures more carefully.Reina was a talented drawer and her statement bit her a little as this was a brief overview of her life." You're a thousands times better then I could ever be. And you have your own cool style." Chloe said smiling as she looked over the pictures of an angry man and then quickly looked at her bruises. " Is he from a movie or book?" Chloe asked slowly piecing together the puzzle,and trying to ask as indirectly as she could.

She flipped to her last incomplete drawing and was happy that this one bad a more normal tone to it and was different from the others. " when you finish your last one can I see it?" Chloe asked ripping her own doodle out and tucked it in as a bookmark. She then handed the sketch book back to her friend. " You're really talented Reina,do you want to be an artist?" Chloe asked smiling at her friend. She was glad that the Reina had allowed her that quick peek into her life and it helped answer some questions.

Chloe's questions were puzzling for Reina. She wasn't sure how to answer a couple of them. When she was asked about the man in the images she bit her lip lightly. "The man?" She paused for a moment, not sure if she wanted to go that far into detail. "That's Ted." She answered quietly. "My uh... My foster father..." When she paused on the last image, Reina felt a blush rise on her cheeks again. "Th-that one? Yeah, I guess I could show you when it's finished." Her last questions caused her eyes to widen slightly with surprise. "I-I am?" She lowered her eyes. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about what I want to do. It's never been important."

That smile on Chloe's face was equal parts comforting and unnerving. She wasn't comfortable with the attention or affection she was receiving. It was something she needed, possibly even wanted, but it was alien to her. She shook her head after accepting the sketchbook from her. "What about you?" She asked after a moment, desperate to change the subject. "Do you know what you want to do?" She asked, looking back up at Chloe.

"It's always important to think ahead even if it's just a little bit, gives you something to hope and wait for."Chloe said smiling to her as she began the outline for today's notes on a new piece of paper now that she torn the other one out. She was happy that Reina opened up a little to her , and she now had a name of who she suspected to be her abuser. The more she learned about Reina the sadder she felt for her, now knowing her parents were out of the picture but didn't know what happened. That was something she wouldn't push as she knew what it was like and only lose one was hard enough never mind losing both of them.

"I've always wanted help people out and though not like how my dad does, I don't think I could be always risking my life. No I want to be a nurse or a doctor like my mom before she died." Chloe said her smile softening towards the end. She didn't like bringing up her mother too much as she still missed her and her father hadn't be much help with the grieving process. "I think you sound look into it, or with your own style you could animate and draw cartoons."Chloe said rubbing her eyes and wiping away a tear that was forming."Plus you wouldn't have to be in school for ten more years like I'm probably going to be." Chloe joked not looking forward to all the schooling but in the end it would be worth it.

Reina felt a sadness inside of her when Chloe mentioned having lost her mother. She never normally cared about other people, but this was another point of similarity between them. Both of them were alone and both of them were grieving. She wanted to be a doctor. Of course she did, she had already been working so hard to mend Reina. She felt her heart sink as she watched her wipe a tear away, though she decided against asking about her mother. "Maybe I will, I don't know." She never imagined herself becoming anything particularly successful. In fact, she had no idea what she would have imagined for her future, surviving day to day had been her only concern for so long.

She turned her attention back to her sketchbook, turning to the unfinished picture of the girl. She brought her pencil to the page, beginning to work more on the image. Occasionally glancing towards Chloe, worried and slightly embarrassed that she might be watching her. Not that she understood why Chloe's approval mattered all of a sudden. Perhaps somewhere she was worried that the positive attention would shift to negative. She continued to work on the sketch throughout the remainder of the class.

Chloe had been mostly focusing on her notes during class as she was now taking them for both of them and hadn't been paying much attention to her. She did try and sneak a few peaks at her drawing while the teacher cleared some of the notes off the board, though she couldn't really see much of what she was adding to her work. She did catch her glaces at her and meet them with a quick glance back followed by a smile. She was feeling better as she half watched her work cheering her up from the small moment of sadness she brought upon herself. The rest of the class she focused harder as the teacher put a homework assignment up on the board. She would of course copy that one down for her friend to if she felt lie having something to turn in tomorrow .

As the bell rang Chloe followed her normal routine of packing up her notebook and watching the other teens scurry out of the door and into the hall. She waited for Reina to pack up and followed her out of the classroom. "Same table at lunch okay?" Chloe asked once they were nearing her second classroom and she lingered for a moment waiting to get her answer before she went inside. She had given up on making friends in her other classes, most of the teens were already split into groups and she couldn't really get to know them well. She did chat with a few of them but it was only school related. In an odd sense she was happy that Reina was her only friend and Chloe feared making more friends would push her away from Chloe.

Once lunch rolled around she took her seat at the corner table , even rushing a little as she saw someone eyeing the table. Once it was hers again she pulled out her lunch. It was much smaller then last time as her dad hadn't gone shopping yet so she only had an apple, a water she refilled and a few pretzels. She didn't watch the doors closely this time trusting her friend to show up like she always did now.

Reina gave a small nod in response to Chloe's question at the end of the period. Admittedly, she didn't feel the urge to flee this time, and would force herself to remain at school even if her attentions grew overwhelming, if for no other reason than to avoid another punishment for leaving school early. She paused on her way to the cafeteria to get a bag of ice for her eye, which was beginning to throb again. She would need a hot soak to get all of the soreness out, that much was becoming clear.

She walked into the cafeteria a little late again, coming to sit across from Chloe. "H-here, I brought you something." She said quietly, producing a second sandwich from her bag. "For the pretzels yesterday." She said, sliding it across the table to her. She set emptied the contents of her own bag one at a time in front of herself. Seemingly identical to the day before. She sat quietly, nibbling slowly at her sandwich. Her free hand held the bag of ice against her face as she ate.