LET THE WORLD BURN FOR YOU

Unknown Point of View

"Bluey, Bluey, look, you are hurt."

I listened to the annoying young girl's voice as she obnoxiously chewed on a chocolate bar, calling me a ridiculous name. What the hell is a Bluey?

"It's okay, you can cry..."

"Cry?" I repeated after her, the word feeling foreign in my mouth.

"Yes, Bluey. Whenever I'm in pain, I always cry. It's okay to cry." For 15 years of my life, pain and crying were two things I was never familiar with. I didn't want to accept it, but the bruises and cuts on my body now told a different story. Any idiot could tell I was in pain.

The thought of it really amazed me-or should I say it drove me crazy? Instead of cowering in pain, I ended up laughing until tears dropped out of the corners of my eyes.

"Bluey, why are you laughing? What's so funny? Are you trying to laugh your pain away? No, no, Bluey, it doesn't work like that. Just try to forget about it, okay?"

I looked at her, scanning her face-a small chubby head, black hair in a ponytail, and two huge incisors. A mere child cared about me and my health. My own family never even gave a damn about me since the day I was born.

The only thing they were happy about was that they finally had a baby boy to sculpt into being the next big heir of our clan. I mean, I wasn't even yet an adult, and my life was messed up as hell.

"Young girl, you shouldn't be talking to a person like me. I can hurt you," I said, trying to dismiss her or get her to get away from me.

She shook her head, assessing me. "Why, Bluey? You are a very friendly person. I know you wouldn't hurt me, right?"

Hurt her? I was going to definitely do so if she continued to bug me. It was in my DNA, after all. To steal, kill, and destroy. And the crown that tops it all-money and power. All these sins were done for the love of money, that was my family's top priority. If my own family could do so, why shouldn't I?

"I'm a very, very bad guy, okay? So do yourself a favor and leave me alone," I growled, hoping she would get the message that I needed to be left alone or at least frighten her so she would run off and go play with Barbie dolls.

But each time I yelled at her, I found myself wincing in pain, fighting hard to breathe. Gosh, I felt like one of my ribs was broken.

Even breathing was slowly turning into havoc. I felt pain all over, from the cuts that split my lip to the bruise on my knees. I was in a fight-it was deadly yet so satisfying.

I was slowly turning into the very thing I feared to become. No! I didn't want anything to do with them. If I had a choice, I would have never dared or wished to be born in such a messed-up family.

"Never let bygones be bygones. It's a tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye. A man for a man," my father would say. "Fight, kill, and protect." That was our family motto.

Yes, I was trying to run away from my own heritage. But I couldn't understand why I almost single-handedly almost, almost killed my classmates.

I needed to erase the nightmare from my mind. All I wanted was just to be alone. I freaking wanted to be alone, to drown in my own misery. I didn't need some little girl to console or tell me what to do.

Despite all my efforts to shove back the memories, they still played in my mind. Though I didn't expect it to be easy because it happened just hours prior.

The son of a criminal against six soldiers' sons. The sinful versus the righteous.

I had used my fists to disfigure their faces and mess them up. Outnumbered, they held me back and restrained me, beating the hell out of me until what remained was a bloody pulp.

"Look at him, how pathetic... What are you gonna do about it, huh?" I watched them taunt me. "The thug's son thinks everything is about him. You think you can hurt me? My old man's in the Army. He's not going to let a thug like you roam around freely. Your family is only full of messed-up people, and you will all rot in hell."

I had heard enough. I sprang into action and beat the living daylights out of those fools. Yeah, six against one. But this one wasn't just any one, and he was definitely not a loser.

That one made all six of their asses unconscious. Lord, what did I become? A monster. Just like my family.

"Only you can control your destiny, only you can control your destiny," I chanted repeatedly, trying to convince myself I was different.

I flinched suddenly when I felt tiny sticky fingers tracing my hair, slowly patting my head like I needed it.

I looked up and met a pair of pale gray eyes. Holy shit, are you kidding me? She still didn't leave. And her next words almost made me tear up.

"Bluey, will you be okay? Does it hurt a lot? Tell me, don't just look at me."

Everything hurt-my lips, my blue swollen eyes, the awful pain in my chest. But who was she to care? What a stupid kid. What did she even know about pain? From the look of her purple sparkly glittery dress, she looked like she was from a normal family.

But I felt so calm with the insistent threading of her fingers through my hair. I felt warmth, like I wanted her to caress my hair for real, with the love and care that I never really received.

"Bluey, please cheer up, don't be sad," she said, crouching down to sit right in front of me. What a weird kid.

And then she looked up at me with a beaming smile on her face. "Ah... I know exactly what to do. Bluey, please wait here. Hold my chocolate. I'll be right back."

She shoved the half bar of chocolate into my palms and raced across the field.

She disappeared into one of the nearby houses. I closed my eyes, laughing at the situation. I was now glad she was gone, but the happiness instantly faded. I looked at the chocolate in my hands; I felt like throwing it away.

I wanted her to leave, and she did. She wasn't going to come back though she said she would. Stupidly enough, I still held onto it like it was important, like it was my lifeline or something.

I gazed up into the sky, feeling the heat on my face. The mid-afternoon sun really was soothing. Such warmth. Such freedom. When would I feel this free again?

I really wanted to head back home, though. And then tell my family what? That I was in a freaking fight, trying to defend what I never wanted to become, only for my mother to taunt me again and again.

"A fruit never falls far from its tree. You have no choice but to accept your fate."

A strong coffee scent woke me from those hurtful memories. I raised my head and saw the little girl was back. And she was holding a foamy drink in her hand.

"What is this?" I asked, looking at the cup thrust in my face.

"It's coffee, just for you, my Bluey," she beamed.

"No, I don't want it." I shifted my gaze to the sky.

Not a second later, the cup was in my face again. "If you burn my face, I will... I will-" I didn't even know what to say. "I don't want it, okay? I don't drink coffee."

"But I made it for you." Her little voice sounded slightly hurt. Gosh, I think I hurt her feelings. And something within me died a little.

"Look, little girl, I don't drink coffee. Okay? I don't like coffee."

"How do you know if you've never tried it?" she asked.

Because my whole freaking family drank coffee like it was water. And clearly, she was starting to irritate me.

"Listen up, purple dress. I just don't like it, all right? Now please leave me alone."

"Can't you just try it? It'll make you happy. Try it. You'll love it. It's my mom's special recipe and my mom has a cafe. I make all the coffee I want in this world. She tells me I make good coffee, and when I grow up, she bets I'll own a restaurant just like her. So you can be the judge. I'm a hundred percent sure you'll love it. I put all my love in this cup. I want to see a smile on your face, Bluey. Smile for me?"

She wanted to see me smile. For what?

"Go on. Drink it. I didn't put any poison in it. Once you taste it, you'll become addicted to it like weed. That's what my dad always tells me. But I don't know what weed is. I think she should compare it to chocolate. Do you like chocolate, Bluey? I love chocolate. Taste it and see if my coffee tastes like chocolate."

She held that black cup of coffee in her small fingers, not pushing me to accept it, but in turn making me feel guilty if I didn't. I felt miserable, a thousand times worse than when I got into that fight.

"I can't force you to like it, but you can choose to taste it, just for today. For me?" Her voice sounded so innocent.

Looking at her teary eyes, I sighed and finally took the cup from her. And she burst into giggles.

I took a sip, then another one. Gosh, it was really good. I felt the warmth right down to my bones.

"Bluey, how is it? Do you like it?" she asked, batting her eyelids.

Yes, I did, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. "So, Bluey, did you like it?" she asked me again.

"You never told me your name," I said, ignoring her question. She smiled at me brightly, extending her small hands towards me.

"My name is...Call me Lenny. And what is your name, Bluey?"

Bluey? Why should I tell her my name? I remained silent, and she didn't push me to speak. She finally let go of my hand, not angry at me. "It's okay. I'll call you Bluey, then. Don't worry, I will be here for you when you need me."

I watched her disappear into the sunset. The name was ridiculous, but strangely enough, I liked it. So Bluey it is.

I sipped the last cup of coffee and looked at the empty cup in my hand. Lenny. The girl with the purple dress.

For some reason, I wanted to remember her for the rest of my life.

I stayed at the field for almost an hour, hoping she would come back. But she never did. And I was fine with that. I was glad I had someone who could care for me, at least for a moment.

I gathered myself and trudged back home, ready to face my family. I knew I would get scolded, but at least I had a new friend.

I smiled to myself, wondering when I would meet Lenny again.