People like you are always seen as the weak link. Quiet. Unnoticed. Timid. You thought hell would end once you finished school — but who knew that in college nothing would change at all.

“Where did you even get that shirt? It’s as ugly as you are.”

“She definitely didn’t buy it. Probably dug it out of a dumpster.”

“Well, that explains why it smells like that.”

“Ewww.”

Again. Again those cruel words, that disgusting laughter, the humiliation. You want to cover your ears, just to stop hearing what those vicious girls are saying in the middle of the hallway, entertaining everyone who walks by.

The laughter suddenly dies when someone steps in front of you. Protection. A living wall. But you don’t even have time to feel relieved when you hear the voice and realize who it is.

“Why are you bullying her? Don’t you have anything better to do?” Ryujin frowns, though it doesn’t take away the usual softness of her face. “Why be so cruel?”

You don’t hear what she says next. Your thoughts shut down, and you feel like you’re sinking to the very bottom. You don’t even want to think. And you don’t have the strength to resist when you feel Ryujin take you by the elbow and lead you away from the hostile crowd.

But it doesn’t bring relief.

Ryujin is an angel. Kind, popular among the other students, always fair. Why would she even protect someone like you? Many don’t understand it. They think she’s just too kind.

“Get in here. Now.”

Ryujin pushes you through the half-open door of a storage room where old desks and cleaning supplies are kept. It smells like chlorine and aged wood.

And suffering.

“Gooosh, those bitches really think I’d let someone else enjoy a trembling little whiner like you.” After closing the door, Ryujin moves, her heels clicking as she circles behind you. She tilts her head slightly, looking at your lowered eyes with greedy curiosity. “Why did you just stand there and listen to what they said? You like it, hah? You like how others humiliate you, little attention-seeking slut?”

One sharp movement — and Ryujin’s fingers grip your chin, forcing you to look up. Her skin is hot, always hot. Like fire in Hell.

“You can only enjoy how I humiliate you. You know that, don’t you?” Despite the strength of her hold, her voice sounds like a gentle angelic song, and her eyes seem so pure, sparkling like gemstones. But only until the moment when her gaze slowly drops to your shirt. “This shirt really so ugly.”

In moments like this, she shows her true self. Her voice turns hoarse, hungry.

“Take it off.”