Chapter 2
Smoke
"What happened now?" Smoke asked.
"She blacked out for the third time. Raiden told me to tell you to watch her," Liu said.
"I have better things to do then watch a human," Smoke said.
"It is just until Sub-Zero can get here to train her," Liu said.
What?
"Fine, how long until he is here?"
"Tomorrow morning at the latest," Kang said.
"Okay."
There was the sound of a door closing and footsteps coming closer.
"I know you are awake, human," Smoke said.
"I know I am too. I just don't want the world to go spinning."
"Get up," he commanded.
"No," I said.
I heard him sigh and he said, "Do you want something to eat or not?"
I opened my eyes and found an entire table of food in the corner of the room. I sat up and scotched back at how close he was. He seemed annoyed and rolled his eyes.
"Are you going to get up and grab it yourself or do I have to do it for you?" he asked.
I stood and walked over to the table. "You know there is no reason for the attitude," I said as I put the bare minimum to get me through the day on my plate.
"You should learn not to use sarcasm," he said.
"Stating the truth is not sarcasm," I said.
"You are a weird human," he said.
"That is the nicest comment I have ever been told," I said and pretended to be super excited, "by an asshole," I added.
"The sarcasm is not needed."
"Stating the truth is not sarcasm."
I could feel him glaring at me. I smirked to myself slightly and sat down. We ate in silence and he called servants to clear the table.
"What time is it?" I asked eventually.
"Around time for you to get a watch," he said and smirked.
"Oldest joke in the book, if there was a book," I said.
"There is."
"And where might it be?"
"In my head."
"Do you know this one then? What is the hardest part to eat of a vegetable?"
He seemed to think about it. After several heart beats I finally said, "So you don't know this joke?"
"What is the answer?"
"I think I won't tell you," I said smiling.
He disappeared leaving only a few wisps of smoke. Reappearing behind me, he wrapped an arm around my neck and growled next to my ear, "What is the answer?"
I smirked and slid out of his grasp.
"Seems I have forgotten," I said which only made him madder.
"You don't think I won't kill you?" he asked.
"I think you are intimidating but no, I do not think you will kill me because you know Sub-Zero and Raiden want me alive," I said.
"They wouldn't miss you. You are only a nuisance in the back of their neck. Nothing more, nothing less. I doubt anyone would miss you if you were to blink out of existence right now," he said.
"You think I don't know this? I was told for years that I didn't matter. My mom has tried to kill me o many occasions and you think I don't know what it is like to be unwanted. Someone not wanting me around doesn't bother me for a second," I said.
"Your mother?" he asked.
"And brother. And father. And community. Why does it matter to you?" I asked.
"I thought you didn't remember anything?" he asked.
"I just had a flash back," I said.
There was silence.
I stood and opened the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked and followed me.
"To look around," I said and took a left. The ceiling reached way up, at least fifteen feet above my head and was decorated with elaborate carved designs.
"Where are you from?" he asked after a while.
"Still don't remember."
"What do you remember then?"
"I remember you and the rest of the participants in Mortal Kombat. I remember my mom about to add more scars to my already scarred wrist before having my brother beat me," I said.
"She had cut you before?" he asked.
"I had cut me before," I said and pulled my sweatshirt sleeve over my hands.
"You cut yourself?" he asked.
"It's called self-harm," I said.
"May I see?" he asked and stopped.
"No," I said.
"Why not?"
"Because you're like any other guy," I said and continued walking only to have him grab my wrist and pull my sleeve up to my elbow. I struggled against his grasp but with no prevail. He traced the bruises that I didn't know were there and found the scars, at least fifty of them ran up my wrist and I knew there was more on my other wrist, sides, legs, and ankles.
"Why would you do this to yourself?" he asked.
"Smoke!" Liu Kang yelled. Smoke dropped my wrist and I pulled my sleeve back over my hands.
"What are you doing out here with her?" Liu asked and ushered me back into the room.
"She wanted to get out of the room and look around," Smoke answered.
"She can't be out there," Liu said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"If anyone was to find out there was a girl here they would have their way with her and then sell her to the next person," Liu said.
"I can protect her," Smoke said.
"Once she was broke you would probably claim her next," Liu said.
"YOU THINK I WOULD RAPE HER?!" Smoke yelled, now mad.
"Not until after the first guy broke her will so she wouldn't care," he said.
I flinched as Smokes fist connected with the side of Liu Kang's face. Liu stumbled and caught himself. He stood and returned the punch.
"Will you stop?" I asked.
They ignored me.
"Stop!" I yelled, surprising myself.
They stopped and looked at me.
"No one is going to rape me. No one is going to touch me. Now will you both stop?" I asked.
"I doubt you are strong enough to fend off a couple or even one guy if they wanted you bad enough," Smoke said.
"Let us test that theory," I said.
I punched him. My fist connected with his jaw and made him turn his head. He spit some blood out of his mouth and looked at me. He grabbed me by my waist and threw me on the bed. I rolled before he could get on top of me and moved out of his reach. His glare found me and he stood. He grabbed my wrist, right where the bruises were. He pulled me back to the bed and pinned my arms above my head. I struggled at first then stopped, thinking through everything. I pulled my arms to my chest or my body to my arms and kicked upward, hitting his stomach. He barely moved. I straightened my knees, locking them so he was a leg length away from me.
"Stop," someone new said powerfully.