The next day, after school got out, a lawyer came to Rei's home. She was going to be representing her in court. She had come with a camera to take pictures of her injuries. The woman took pictures of the dark bruises on Rei's arms, legs and stomach.
"This should not be a difficult case. Your father was intoxicated when he was arrested. These bruises are severe, your wrist is fractured. Hopefully your father can get the help he needs now…" The woman gave her a soft smile. She stood a few inches taller than Rei and had long brown hair pulled back neatly into a pony tail. Her name was Hana Myuza.
Rei didn't know how she should feel. She was glad that she would no longer be hurt by her father, yet somehow missed him. He was the only parent she had left. She had an uncle and that was all that was left of her family. Her uncle and his wife were coming over today to stay with her for a while until things calmed down. Her uncle was her mother's brother and they had always been close until her mother died and her father forbade him from visiting.
The lawyer was at her house for three hours before finally leaving for the day. The case was a week away so they did not have much time to plan. Rei said goodbye to the lawyer as the woman left. Rei looked out the window and saw a black car pulling up the driveway and parked. She looked over as her housekeeper Ami walked over and opened the door.
"Uncle Hiro" Rei smiled already knowing who the visitor was.
"Rei…" He stepped in. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie and white dress shirt under it. He was fairly tall standing at 6 foot even. He had dark blue eyes similar to Rei's mother and a pale complexion. His short black hair was combed neatly into place. His petite wife walked in behind him. She stood 5'3" and had shoulder length brown hair and pale skin. She had deep brown eyes. She was wearing a long black skirt and a pink button up blouse.
Rei was wearing a purple kimono that had short sleeves and stopped just below her knee. She wore this so that the lawyer could take the pictures of the bruises.
Hiro walked over and hugged Rei gently. He was obviously shocked to see how badly she was bruised. He knew that her father had hurt her but never knew the extent of her injuries until now.
"I can't believe he did this to you…" Hiro looked at Rei's arms. "Your mother tried so hard to keep you from this…She refused to leave…"
"She couldn't…" Rei whispered. She remembered a night when her mother packed their bags and tried to leave. Her father got so angry that he beat her till she lost consciousness and threatened to kill Rei. After that night her mother never tried to leave again.
"Hello aunt Ai." Rei smiled at her aunt.
"Hello Rei, go rest a bit. You look so tired." Ai smiled. She had been really close to Rei since she married Rei's uncle. They had spent days playing together with her mother when she was fairly young. She remembered running around in the back yard while her mother and aunt watched.
"Thank you" Rei bowed and walked upstairs. She walked down the hall and into her bedroom. It was fairly large and had pure white walls that contrasted against he hardwood floors. He bed was situated against the back wall. It was a queen sized bed with a purple bed spread with black accents. Her white pillows were carefully placed to make the bed look well maintained. To her left was a large window with an easel beside it. Leaning up against the wall were several blank canvases. Rei spent most of her time painting when she was not studying.
Rei walked over to her easel and put a fresh canvas. She was grateful that it was her left wrist that was fractured so she could still paint since she was right handed. She opened her paint set and walked into her bathroom filling up a glass with some water so she could wash the brush. She placed the paint and water on a small table that stood beside the easel. She looked out the window and saw the rose garden. She slowly began to paint.
She could paint this way for hours without even noticing. She kept painting for hours until she realized how late it was. It was 11:00pm and she had finished painting the intricate background of the music room. She had hoped to finish the painting by Friday so she could unveil it to the club. She washed off the paint brushes and packed everything away. She slowly changed into a purple night gown and crawled into her bed. The house was silent since her aunt and uncle had already retired to the guest room to sleep for the night.
Rei laid in bed thinking about how nice it felt to feel safe in her own home for the first time is a very long time. She slowly closed her eyes as sleep overcame her.