What is going on?...

What is this? What is that “thing”?

Who? Me?? I-

What is wrong with him? He seems weird…

Weird? How am I-

He is weird….He is not even human…

That may be true but…

He’s a puppet… useless puppet…

Stop it…You don’t know anything.

Not even his “mother” wanted him… Because he was weak...

Shut up shut up SHUT UP!!!

Scaramouche’s eyes shot open and his body jolted as he sat up quickly letting out a gasp of air. He was shaken up and puzzled on so many things. Like how he was still alive and what that nightmare was about. He was so busy wrapping things around in his head that he was almost didn’t notice he was now in a house or the presence right next to him until he looked over to his right and saw her sitting next to him with a surprised look on her face.

“Who are you? Where….am I?” Scaramouche questions her. A wave of pain hits him and he winced. The woman scooted closer and raised her hands to show she isn’t a threat to him.

“Shh, it’s okay. Please don’t move so much because you’re still hurt. Oh! My name is Hanae and this is my home.” Hanae said in a soft voice.

Scaramouche was quiet for a momenttaking in and processing his situation in his head. He lets out a sigh after piecing together that his attempt had fail.

“You shouldn’t have bothered saving me.”

“Huh? Why?? What do you mean?” Hanae was confused what Scaramouche meant by that.

“I couldn’t just leave you there.” 

“You humans are all the same.You befriend me, but you end up leaving at the end….They called me a monster….I don’t matter to anyone. I’m better off gone from the world.” Scaramouche lowers his head with a hint of sadness to his expression. Hanae could see what this boy meant by now and wanted him to not feel that way . Even though they just met, Hanae didn’t like to see Scaramouche so sad.

“Well...I don’t think so” She started lightly. “Not all humans are the same. Plus I don 't think you’re a monster. Don’t say such a thing! There’s so much more this world can offer.”

“What if I told you that I tried to bring harm to the world not that long ago? I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to kick me out, now that you know what I did.”

Scaramouche's response made Hanae grow silent. Scaramouche would expect Hanae to yell at him, calling him a monster or anything ill about him, and force him to leave her house. But…She didn’t.

“Hmm...What was your reason?” Hanae asked, more curious than anything.

“Revenge. Especially taking revenge on my ’mother’.”

“Your mom? What did she do?”

“She threw me away because I wasn't strong enough..”

This caught Hanae off guard.

‘What? Thrown away? By his mother? What the???’

“What??? What kind of mother does that??!” Hanae yelled because just the thought of a parent throwing away their child like trash made her blood boil.

“Yeah…I tried to prove her wrong but I failed. I guess I am destined to be alone and unwanted forever.”

“ Hey, don’t say such a thing. You don’t have to be alone. I am right here too!” 

Hanae may not fully understand Scaramouche’s past or what he has done. But what she did know is that Scaramouche had been through a lot and felt unwanted. Which, to her, hits closer to home than Scaramouche could know. If he needed to be wanted by someone, then Hanae would be that ‘someone’. This surprised Scaramouche and it showed.

“Really..? You don’t mind having a person like me around?”

“I don’t mind at all. I wanna be here for you.” Hanae gave him a smile that could light up a room,. causing Scaramouche to become slightly flustered.

“A-Alright. I suppose I don’t mind letting you stick around with me.”

Scaramouche looked away, trying not to let Hanae see his face turning red and so flustered. It was embarrassing to him.

‘This Hanae girl is a strange one ….Yet why do I act this way when she smiles at me?’ he thought. ‘And I feel so warm. Should I trust her words? Will she keep that as a promise or will she betray me like the others...’