Zang watched the nervous girl as she took her seat at the end of the bar. They had arrived in Delta a few days before. The girl's name was Sarah Jane. She was slender freshmen with dark red hair who favored the goth style bit which made her a bit of a target for the schools "upper crust". And its queen bee Tara. It was then Zang noticed the oversized sunglasses Sarah was wearing. He had seen this old tactic many times. He knew that Sarah was hiding a black eye. Sarah was taking sip of her smoothie as a girl came by and purposely bumped her and made her spill her drink on herself and the bar
"Look the freak made a mess," Tara said as she and her group of popular kids, the waitress quickly grabbed the bar rag and began helping Sarah clean herself up. As she dapped the girls arm her sleeves came up and Zang noticed the hair clip shaped burn scares on her forearm. Sarah stood up and gathered her things to leave.
" So what's got you all worried," Wukong said seeing the look of discontent on Zang's face.
"Just i sense great sadness in that girl that just left ," Zang explained still down hearted about the situation.
"Oh," Wukong said.
"Well first I think we need to focus," Sandy said in reference to the missiom.
"Yeah I think we should call Quan Ling." Pigsy said.
Within a few moments the group found themselves in the restroom. Being ever cautious and not wanting to reveal their secret identities Wukong carefully checked each stall. Upon getting the all clear from Wukong, Sandy locked the door and pulled out her phone and USB drive. Once the drive was inserted Tang pressed a series of numbers causing an image of Quan Ling from the waist up. Dressed in a white lab coat and one of her many sailor moon shirts sipping what appeared to be a frappechino of some kind.
"Wow your really into the fitting in part aren't ya" Wukong said
" Quan Ling you busy?," Zang asked
"Oh nothing just helping monitor a trillion dollar satellite for SPD. Nothing important," Quan Ling said the sarcasm heavy in her voice.
"Ok, what gives?," Sandy said. While trying not to kick a gifted horse in the mouth.
" Take it easy just give it a few days then you can go on to the next site," Quan Ling said.
"Ok a few more days then we head off," Pigsy said flatly agreeing with Quan Ling's suggestion.
" Good. Well boys I'll see you later bye," Quan Ling said ending the transmission.
"So what now?" Sandy asked pretty much knowing the answer.
"Chinese," Pigsy half asked throwing her arm around Wukong's shoulder and walked out of the restroom.
Elsewhere in a the suburbs of Delta in a quite two story three bedroom house Sarah set in her dimly lit room. The sounds of Bring me to life by Evanescence blasting throughout the room. She rolled up the sleeves of her top then took the hairclip in between the scissors in her right hand. And the lighter in her left hand. She the ignited the lighter and held it to the hairclip until it glowed bright orange. She then brought it down onto an un burnt piece of skin.
As the scolding hot metal burned her flesh and the pain tore through her body. A oddly calm look came over her as she preformed the ritual mutilation. She had been burning herself since the seventh grade after reading an article online. Something about the pain she caused herself, seemed to erase the emotional and physical pain others caused her. If only for a brief while but she knew the pain would once again come.
"It has to stop," Sarah said plainly as the hair clip cooled and the burning ended. "It all has to stop."
