Ten Years ago

My arms wobbled as I did another cartwheel before I finally collapsed on the grassy ground, spread-eagled and panting. The afternoon sky, which would have been a lovely sight to behold if it stopped spinning, greeted me. How many cartwheels was that now? Did I reach fifty? Master said to do fifty. Well, it felt like fifty. That should count, right?

I decided a nap was an apt reward for doing what felt like fifty cartwheels. The birds chirping overhead matched with the feel of the cool wind on my face and lulled me to sleep, but Master's sharp voice jerked me awake.

"Rei! What are you doing on the ground? Have you finished your cartwheels?"

"Yes," I lied, with my eyes still closed, not budging from my rather comfortable position on the ground.

Master grunted. "Then do fifty more!"

That woke me up. My arms ached and my head was still spinning. Fifty more cartwheels were impossible to do. "But Master, why?"

"On second thought, You should do seventy more."

I groaned.

"No. Seventy-five."

I got up and kept my complaints to myself. "Yes, sir, Master Shao, sir!" I saluted Master once I was on my feet, with a matching stomping of my foot for added sarcastic emphasis. "I will definitely cartwheel myself to death, Sir. I'm on it!"

"Get going!" Master grimaced, but I could see that his lips twitched very slightly. A sign that I amused him.

I went on the far end of the open fields beside our shack which was situated near a cliff and a clear view of the sea. Maybe I could convince Master to let me do swimming laps instead. It seemed like a good day for an afternoon---

"Get on with it Rei or you're doing a hundred!" Master shouted from the inside of the shack. How he knew I was dilly-dallying was a mystery.

I sighed. Fine. Maybe if I finished early I could still go for a swim before dark.

Shaking my arms to get rid of the soreness, I readied myself for another dizzying endeavor. I had gotten to twenty successive cartwheels when I was distracted by a car pulling up in front of our house. My arms gave way, knocking my head on the ground.

"Ouch." I clutched my throbbing head. Master and Grandma came out of the house to greet the guest--a man and a woman, probably a couple. They were too far away for me to hear whatever they were saying, but I saw Grandma looked at me, then back at the guest. After several seconds, they all went inside the house.

Curiosity was eating me up. If I cartwheeled myself towards the house and eavesdropped, would Master get mad? That should still count as training, right?

I was halfway through towards our shack when Master appeared. His sudden presence caused me to lose my balance and I again knocked my head on the ground.

"Ouch," I hissed in between gritted teeth.

"Come inside, Rei."

I didn't have to be told twice. I immediately ran inside. The couple was sitting at the table with Granma Cerce. The excitement I had fizzled when I looked at her. She was crying.

What is going on?

"Sit down, Rei."

I sat down.

"Rei, this is Andy and Claudia Shen. They have something to tell you. Dr. Andy was your doctor when we took you to the hospital two years ago."

I remembered Master and Grandma telling me that when they found me, I was severely injured and had to be brought to the hospital for treatment. I did not remember it though.

The couple smiled at me. The girl took my hand. "Would you want to come live with us? We have a daughter who you can play with."

They seemed nice.

Beside me, Grandma sniffed and then coughed. She reached for a glass of water as she tried to reign in a coughing fit. Her health was deteriorating for the last two years but we did not have the money to get her the proper treatment.

"How long have you had that cough? That sounds serious," Dr. Andy said, his brows furrowed with concern. He took a card and gave it to Grandma. "You can go to my clinic for a check-up. I am a heart surgeon, but I can recommend you to other pulmonary doctors." 

Grandma took the card and nodded. "I will, doctor. Thank you," Grandma softy said. 

I knew she had no intention whatsoever to go to the doctor's clinic.

"So, Reianne, would you want to come live with us?" Claudia repeated her question. I looked at Master, whose hard eyes soften by the slightest degree, and then at Grandma, who was continuously sniffing beside me. My eyes roamed around our sorry excuse of a hut.

I didn't want to.

"Yes, I will."

But I had to.

"Onee-chan, I have to go. I need to attend an important conference. I'll meet you at the internment."

Quin pulled me in for a firm embrace, and then let go of me in an instant. She then bounded off before I was able to say another word. From the second floor, I saw her leave with Chris.

"Where is she going? And why is she with Chris?" I asked Gio.

"I don't know what happened specifically, but I think Quin has a new lab assistant now," Gio said, gesturing to where Chris had been a moment ago.

My phone rang. One look at the screen and my mood quickly went south. It was Baron calling. I put my phone on silent mode and ignored his call. I would block his number but for sure, the motherfucker would only resort to using another number to call me. This way, I would know the number was his, and I wouldn't mistakenly answer my phone just to hear his obnoxious voice on the other end.

I quickly put DeathScythe near my bed and went down to the living room where several people were congregated, with Gio in tow. Judging from the boisterous laughter that met my ears as I went down, Michael was in the house.

Two pairs of eyes landed on mine, the most notable of which was the brooding chocolate brown eyes beside Michael--Gab's. They were watching the television.

"Oh, she's awake," Michael said, patting Gab on the shoulder as he stood up. With quick strides, he came to me and pulled me in for a hug that made my injured muscles scream in protest. "Don't ever do that again."

"Ouch. Too tight. Let go," I wheezed.

"For a while, I thought you're a goner." Michael let me go.

"Pssh. I am not dying anytime soon," I stated with false confidence. Truth be told, I thought I was a goner too. Speaking of which--

"Gab...thank you. Gio told me everything," I said tentatively.

Gab huffed. "You're welcome," he replied curtly, avoiding my eyes and staring at the television very, very intently, which was showing a sneak-peak of the next My Little Pony episode. It was either he was a fan of the show or he was ignoring me. I had a feeling that it was the latter.

I sat beside him and poked his arms, "Hey."

"What?"

I wrapped my arms around him and buried my head on his shoulders "Thank you, I mean it. I owe you so much." 

Gab stiffened at first, then he gave me consoling pats on the back, the iciness of his demeanor gradually fading. "I am glad you're safe," he whispered. His arms around me tightened. "If you want to make up for it, you can always go out with me," he whispered some more.

"Geezus, Gab." I straightened up. "You're still fixated on that. What the hell, I'm a girl. "

"I'm kidding. But I might borrow your Reaper outfit every now and then."

I pushed Gab away. "Ewww. Gab! TMI dude. And I don't have a Reaper outfit. Any black jacket and pants will do."

"Tsk, that's just sad. Gio, dude, by the way, you have to adopt me now. It's not like I can return to the mob or something." Gab raised his legs and propped them up the coffee table. "I may have to hide in here for a while too. My absence would have been noted by now."

Gio nodded and fiddled with his phone. "I'll have Anton arrange an accommodation for you."

"Anton? Is that the guy with--"

"This Anton." All of us turned our attention to the newcomer by the door. With easy strides, he approached Gio, who had likewise took a seat beside me. "I've taken care of Ramirez and his family."

"Ramirez?" I asked Gio, whose face darkened slightly.

"Musa's man whom we captured," Gio answered. I waited for more explanation but apparently, that was all I was getting. I looked at Anton, who just shrugged. Gio took the remote and surf the channel, eventually settling in on the news.

"Where is Ramirez now?" I pressed Anton.

Anton hesitated and looked at Gab, silently inquiring whether he could divulge information in his presence.

"It's fine. Tell her," Gio curtly answered.

"He's in hiding. Together with his family. He gave us information about you when you got captured, and in return, we arranged a change of identity for him and his family."

"I see." I really caused an upheaval, haven't I? 

I could not help the sigh that escaped my lips. I lifted my legs so I could hug my knees while sitting on the sofa, and rested my chin on them. I was now able to contain my emotions in check, however, the trouble and deaths I caused--not just Master's but Gio's men as well--still weighed heavily on my conscience.

On Gio's gigantic television, a reporter was recalling the details of the raid that happened three days ago, adding further information as more politicians and businessmen were added to the list of people that participated in the auction. I recognized many of the names. Most of them were my victims. 

I flinched at the memory of unwelcomed hands on my body; the disgust at having a foul mouth touch my skin; the dread at being hopelessly pinned down against my will. My hands repeatedly brushed my arms absent-mindedly to calm the shivers created by the memory, the most recent addition to my nightmares.

"Hugo got all the blame for the auction, by the way. Musa was able to remove any connection between him and that auction," Michael mercifully nudged my consciousness away from my own ghosts. "Hugo is in hiding as of the moment. Fortunately, we were able to dismantle his human trafficking chain. For now."

Thank heavens for that.

"By the way, Michael, this is for you." I handed Michael a USB. "That is Hugo's entire database--his transactions, clients, deliveries, contacts, you name it. It could also have his porn stash. I haven't really checked," I said, jokingly. Maybe if I goofed around enough, I would feel like myself again.

The reporter on the television had now moved on from Hugo, and was discussing the Reaper with Inspector Eugene Hugh himself.

"Inspector, you were the one assigned to catch the Reaper, are you not?" The Reporter started with her questions.

"Yes, I am."

"Based on your investigations, Inspector, are there any leads that will hasten the apprehension of this notorious individual?"

"Our investigations on the Reaper is still ongoing," the Inspector prattled on calmly. He looked very professional and miles away from his usual brooding self. He and Master Shao were best friends. Sometimes, I wondered if they had a competition as to who can brood the best when they were together.

Well, there is no way to know that now, isn't it?

Another sigh.

"From what we gathered, however, there was no reported Reaper incident for the past year," the Inspector continued.

"What does this mean?"

"It could mean that the Reaper retired from thieving or the Reaper is dead."

Neither. Ms. Yin butted in, drawling her words unnecessarily.

Shut up, I inwardly chastised Ms. Yin.

"So, Inspector, in your professional opinion, is it true that it was the Reaper who was being auctioned off when your men conducted the raid?" the reporter asked again.

"All our official investigations, so far, points to the Reaper being a male. So, the reports stating otherwise should still be scrutinized."

"How do you think this came about?"

"There are many other factors that should be considered. It could be a cheap stunt to generate interest among those who participate in the underground markets. It is also possible that there are Reaper copy-cats," the Inspector explained without hesitation.

Michael smirked at me. "He's good, isn't he? Agent of information and misinformation. And he did it without lying."

I nodded. He is good at his job. Shrewd and good. I'm hugging him the next time we meet.

"By the way, Rei--" Michael took stacks of documents from his bag and dumped it on my lap. Those are the readings for next week. And you got barely a week to prepare for the exam."

"Huh?"

"I didn't file your Application for Indefinite Leave of Absence from the Academy."

"What?"

"Yeah, I just told them you were hospitalized. Don't worry, nothing eventful happened while you were away. Don't forget to report to the College Secretary. I am sure you won't find it hard to give a medical certificate of your supposed illness, right?" Michael said, while glancing meaningfully at Gio.

In all honesty, I did not know how to feel about this. It had only been days, but so much had happened already that I felt like my law school days were a lifetime away. Truth be told, I did not feel like I still had the mental acuity to continue. There was just so much pressing on my mind right now, I was sure I would fail my exams for the first time.

"You got this, Rei." Michael patted my shoulders.

"I don't know, Michael."

"Come on, now. Why the long face?" Gab nudged me on the other side. "I'll be your drinking buddy if you need to drown your sorrows in alcohol."

This earned Gab a glare from the husband.

"Oh, and call Marie. She thought you're confined in a hospital somewhere. I've been making excuses all week as to why we can't visit you. I have to go, I'll see you at the internment." Michael gave me another pat on the shoulders before heading off.

"Actually, wait up. We should be going as well," Gio said as he stood up, clutching my hand and urging me to move too.

We were all gathered at Master's old hut a few hours later. There was only a handful of us--me, Quin, Gio, Gab, Anton, Chris, and Michael--all gathered to pay our last respects to Master. At the back of the hut, Master built a little shrine where he kept Grandma Cerce's ashes. That was where we would put him, beside Grandma Cerce, where he belonged.

I was seated at the steps in front of our hut, leaning at a jamb that had seen better days and dreading the moment they would ask me to put his ashes in his final resting place. I poured another batch of alcogel on my palms and rubbed my hands together, and relish the cold sensation it generated on my skin. They weren't enough to stop the silent tears that continued their previously interrupted descent, however. I didn't even bother to wipe them away this time.

Our place, aside from the overgrowth of vegetation which would have been otherwise pruned to perfection under Grandma's care, remained mostly the same. The hut itself looked like a storm away from collapsing, but other than that, it was still the place that held most of my childhood memories--those I remembered anyway.

A bitter smile crept on my lips when I saw the tree where Master tied one of my legs up for hours so I can learn how to do the leg splits. A bit farther was the elevated hill where Master and I did various fighting forms every afternoon, and after the Shens took me in, every weekend.

Grandma and Master never knew how cruel the Shen were to me. I never told them. I knew I couldn't go back to burden them once more, so I remained with the Shens. Also, after I gained notoriety on the streets, I could not go back for fear that they would discover what I did.

I shut my eyes closed as I remembered Master's disappointed face when he learned I was the Reaper. The disapproval in his eyes back then was like a punch in the gut. It was like a punch in the gut now.

"Onee, it's time."

I looked up and saw Quin. Her face was also filled with tears. I stood and I hugged her to me. "I'm sorry, Quin. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault."

I let her go as I nodded. My conscience screamed the opposite, but I dare not voice it. "Let's go."

We went to the back of the hut where the rest had gathered. Some of them tried to talk to me but everything was muffled and hazy, words barely register.

Gio approached me and solemnly handed me Master's urn. I turned to face the shrine and took the tentative first steps. This was, by far, the hardest walk I had ever done, with each step weighing more heavily than the previous one.

This is so unfair.

He wasn't supposed to die like this. He was supposed to die of old age, and after we reconciled properly. After I said a proper goodbye. When he could still hear it. When he could still understand how much he meant to me.

I am so fucking sorry. God, I am.

I was crying uncontrollably when I reached the shrine and place his urn beside Grandma's. I didn't really know how much time passed as I stood there, crying my heart out. After a while, I felt a hand on my shoulder and Gio's voice floated amidst the gust of winds. "We should go, Reianne."

I quickly wiped away my tears. "Okay."

Master would be mad if I moped too long.

Crying almost the whole day exhausted the fuck out of me, and I spent the rest of the drive home in stupefied silence, with my head leaning against the glass window of Gio's Mustang, absent-mindedly watching the places blur past.

"Gio, we must make a stop at the Academy. I'd have to get something for the exams next week."

Gio nodded and headed towards my Academy. A few minutes later, I had another stack of documents with me. More readings. I had a lot to make up for a week of absence. A few classmates spotted me and took note of how exhausted and drained I look, but they just assumed it was because I was sick. 

I was on my way back to the parking lot when a hand suddenly pulled me, causing me to lose my grip on my readings. They fell and scattered on the ground with a dull thud.

"What the fuck?"

I was so not in the mood for this shit right now.

"Oh my God, Reianne, have you been crying?"

My annoyance shot up exponentially when I realized who the owner of the voice was. I knew he wouldn't settle for missed calls.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Baron?"

"Such a cold greeting, my ice queen," Baron touched my face and I promptly swatted his hand away. I knew where his hands had been. The creep.

"I have to go," I said, as I knelt to retrieve my readings.

"I saw you with Gio Lee. Is he your sugar daddy?" 

I froze. I wasn't really keeping it a secret, but such information in the hands of the wrong person can spell disaster.

"My God, Rei, he's a married man! I didn't know you had it in you to be a mistress," Baron snorted.

"Leave me alone, Baron." Having retrieved my readings, I turned away from him to leave. Baron, however, suddenly pulled me by the arm, accidentally pressing on a barely healing wound. The sudden force caused me to hiss in pain.

"Let go!" I said through gritted teeth. Baron was fixated on my shoulder. I followed his gaze to my bruised shoulder.

He smirked once again. "I didn't know you would stoop that low. The proud Reianne letting a man hit her and for what, for his money?"

I didn't like how this was going. Not at all.

"Again, what do you want Baron? Are you here just to annoy me? Because you already succeeded." I moved my arm away from his grip.

Baron sighed. "Reianne, all I want is for you to go out with me."

In your fucking dreams.

I turned to leave. Honestly, the conversation was going nowhere.

"So you'll still turn me down, huh? I guess I'll throw this mail from your Grandma Cerce then."

Wait. What?

I turned back. I couldn't help the puzzled look that was etched on my face. I thought that he was kidding, but Baron was holding a small envelope and waving it in the air.

"You are looking for this, right?" Baron said, grinning from ear to ear.

The thing with Baron was I could never tell when he was bluffing or not. There was only one way to find out if that letter was genuine.

"Give it."

"You have to promise. One date."

"Whatever. Give it."

Baron's grin widened as he handed me the envelope. "You can't go back on your word, or I am telling everyone about Gio Lee," he whispered, before walking away.

I hastily opened the letter without further acknowledging Baron's farewell. Its first few words sent me running back to Gio's car. It said:

Dear Reianne,

I don't have long to live. If you want to remember what happened when you were younger, follow these steps...

Are you ready for another ride?

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RF

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