My right cheek still burnt from the slap, my mind numb with pain and hatred. Why did she have to do this to me? Why? Why? Why???

The rain had stopped long ago, but droplets of water still dripped off the leaves over my head. Lumps of smoky cloud leaned too close to the ground. A strange musty smell rose from the rain-soaked soil below my feet.

Only my eyes were dry. Dry as dead bones. Burning with hot anger.

It was the last class from today's schedule; the art class. We had been busy completing our projects for the coming art contest.

Lina had been busy with her water colour painting spread over a small table. I was going to clean my bowl of water in the sink and to fetch some new water. As I went past her, carrying my bowl of dirty water, she swiftly pushed me.

The sudden push threw me off balance and I stumbled. Dark water splashed from my bowl on to her painting. As I tried to recover my balance and stop myself from crashing into another one's canvas, she came down on me, howling.

"Why did you spill water on my work? See, it's ruined! Ruined!!!"

I struggled to free myself from her clutch. "You pushed me there. Not me!" I shouted back.

The commotion was enough to bring our teacher over from the other end of the classroom. By this time Lina had released me and was crying her heart out, clutching the ruined painting to her chest.

"What's happened?" The teacher asked.

Still sobbing, Lina said, "She ruined my painting!"

I tried to defend myself, but before I could finish, a fierce slap had landed on my right cheek and turned my vision into a dark wall splattered with yellow stars!

My head reeled from the impact. Vaguely, I heard her saying something like "Bring your parents tomorrow. I need to talk to them."

What the fuck! In her rage she had forgotten that I didn't have a parent alive anymore!

I was sent outside the class. I had to kneel down by the side of the classroom door till the class ended. This was my punishment for something which I hadn't done at all!

And now I stood on the road alone.

The school had been over. Students were rushing out of the school building, talking, laughing.

As always, I walked alone on the wet pavement, my mind still too dazed to think anything.

Someone came hurrying from behind me. It was Ruy. I could tell from the sound of his footsteps. I could tell from the sickly sweet smell that came from him; the smell of his blood.

Involuntarily, I turned to face him. He had come running and now he stood in front of me, slightly panting.

I stared at his flushed cheeks; at the pores of his ivory skin radiating heat; at his heart thumping inside his chest, pumping red hot blood...

My mind jerked into consciousness. I saw that my fingers were trembling; itching to run through his smooth skin and to dabble into the sweet smelling blood running beneath it.

I curled my fingers into fists and asked hoarsely, "What is it?"

Ruy blushed deeper, making me cringe more. "Mimo, I need to tell you something..." he seemed to fumble with his words."Look! I'm sorry there! It was because of me that-that bitch there insulted you today..." His voice trailed off.

I looked into his eyes. They had always looked to me like two light blue glass marbles- cold, static.

But they were alive today. Holding my gaze, they burned with passion.

I looked down. "Why are you telling me this?" I said.

Ruy hesitated for a moment. Then he drew near me and pressed himself against my body. "Yesterday I told her not to call me at odd hours. Not to keep pestering me always. She was mad at me. Started to abuse me. Said that I was running after you!"

He stopped and moved a few feet away from me. There he stood, facing me. "Lina hates you, Mimo...'cause I love you!"

"Don't give me your damn bullshit!" I snarled at him. I could see that for a second he cringed from my words. Then he was his unyielding cold self again.

"We'll see to it, Mimo! We'll see!"

He turned and strode towards the school building with a deliberate step. "Fool!" I shrugged in my mind.       

 But my cheek still hurt. What Ruy said only added to my hatred and anger. Why should my old friend start to hate me on account of this asshole of a flirt? I felt my head would explode there, splattering my brain on to the pavement. I started to walk uncertainly.

On my way home stood the dark mango grove. As I was about to enter it, I saw Lina. She was coming from the direction of the school building. Obviously, she was going to take the shortcut route home through this grove.

Without noticing me she entered the grove. I stood there behind a large tree for some more time.

What should I do? What??

A dark void was churning within my heart. Hatred spread through my veins like boiling blood and rushed to my head, making me feel dizzy.

I hurried my steps and caught up with her. As I drew near her, I called her name.

She stopped there in the middle of the darkening grove, her figure blurred in the smoky shadow of hastening twilight.

I stood there looking at her. She seemed like dazed, captivated.

A strange whistling sound came from somewhere nearby. A faint smell floated in the stale evening air; the smell of flesh of a dead man, burning on the pyre.

A huge viper had crawled out from a nearby bush. Now it swayed in the middle of the two of us, facing Lina, its raised hood spread out like a huge lotus leaf.

One moment of silence and doom. Then it struck Lina, sending her tumbling backward with a faint cry.

The silent killer lowered its hood and crawled into fallen leaves and twigs.

I walked up to Lina who lay writhing on the wet mossy ground. Her eyes widened with fear; her lips frothing and quivering. For a second I stared at her, writhing and clawing at the ground below her; dying and fading in the deepening dusk.

Then I turned away and started to run.

I was never here in this world.