"God damn it," she muttered under her breath as she slammed the door behind her. After walking a few blocks, she leaned against a nearby tree and let out a shuddering breath.

Her family situation had never been very good, with a drunkard as a father, a constantly yelling yet good-for-nothing mother, and two younger siblings she was responsible for. But that morning was especially harsh; her father hadn't even bothered to come home the night before, and her mother had poured her anger on the children instead. Nara could never bear hearing her insane mother lashing out at the twins, Yoojin and Yuri, and so had screamed right back in her face while preparing their lunches. The result was a screaming match that lasted for an hour, a sore throat, and an exhaustion that words could not even begin to describe. At least she'd managed to distract their mother long enough for Yoojin and Yuri to leave and get to school on time.

Nara checked her watch and cursed again. She had fifteen minutes to run the half-mile to school and get to class on time. Glad she never had to use her locker, Nara took a deep breath and ran.

♦♦♦

Truth be told, Sehun could not quite tell what was going through the girl's mind as she ran. She seemed to be having a bad day, but he could tell it was more than just that. The way her shoulders were slightly hunched, the cold default expression on her face, and the faded but still visible bruises on her arm told him that this problem had been ongoing for a while. It made him wonder what kind of life this girl had been raised in.

Sehun followed, unseen, as Jang Nara burst through the school doors, and rushed into her class, sliding into her seat just as the bell rang. He observed the teacher giving her a cold look, but it was obvious this was something that happened often. He leaned against the blackboard and watched as her gaze went to the window, her notebook untouched. Sehun trailed her throughout the school day, noting how she sat alone during lunch, how none of her classmates talked to her. And, when the bell finally rang, marking the end of the school day, Sehun saw how she walked, alone, to the school yard full of trees, and cried.

♦♦♦

Nara headed for the trees, eyes tearing up. She couldn't cry at home, where the twins were bound to see her, and her mother would just yell more. So she cried at school, when no one was looking, because if she didn't cry at all, she would burst and maybe develop habits like lashing out at others. It wasn't as though people would think of her any differently; at school, she was already the girl with the constant bruises, who always showed up late to class and seemed like she would fail if she slept through one more lecture. It was a miracle that she had not taken last place in her class, though she was close: second to last.

Having to balance school and two part-time jobs, as well as be a second mother to her sisters, played a major part in that. It was impossible to study for anything while working until midnight, and by the time she finished eating dinner and cleaning up, she was too tired to do anything productive. Everyone, Nara included, knew that she probably would flunk high school, but as long as she could make sure that her sisters did not follow the same fate as she, Nara was happy. Whatever it took, Nara would make sure that Yoojin and Yuri always had enough money to have essential school supplies and books to finish a respectable level of education and do something productive with their lives.

Once the tears stopped flowing, Nara wiped her eyes and checked her watch--the twins would be out in ten minutes. She began walking towards the middle school, trying to paste a smile on her face and hoping that her eyes were no longer red and puffy.

♦♦♦

The more Sehun observed the girl, the more he found that he understood nothing. Part of him wished that he could somehow ease the pain that she was so obviously going through. He couldn't understand why he felt so strongly about this girl. Maybe it was because she reminded him of the life he could have had, if he hadn't died a decade ago. Jang Nara was seventeen years old; he was only a few years older than she.

Maybe that was why he was determined to let her make the best of her remaining days.

Oh Sehun walked away from Jang Nara with a plan. One that involved meeting her that night.