Shattered Note

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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- Chapter 0 Introductions -

♣♣

So. I'm Ichirou Carson, age 20.

I'm 5 feet 10 inches tall, with light skin, straight black hair that I wear in medium-length bangs, blue-gray eyes with slim glasses, and a medium-light build. I go to the University of Washington, where I study computer science and programming.

My dad is German-American, and my mom is Japanese, and that's where I got my name. I speak both Japanese and German fluently, in addition to English of course. I love cantaloupe, watermelon, and every other sort of melon, as well as good, unsweetened green tea.

I love gaming and technology, as you can tell from what I study. I'm also quite a fan of Death Note, and am vehemently anti-Kira.

My favorite character is Soichiro Yagami. I was immediately attached to him when I first saw him in the anime, and I almost shed tears for him when he died believing Light wasn't Kira.

♣♣

Hello there, my name is Hans Carson. I'm 49 years old. I'm a medic at Tokyo General Hospital, and Ichirou's father. My great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1880s, and I was born in Sacramento, California, where I lived and went to college. That's where I met the love of my life: Satsuki Hikaru, an exchange student from Japan. We got married after graduation, and soon started a family. I was about 29 when Ichirou was born, and Satsuke was 25. He was the light of our lives. Soon afterwards, we moved to Tokyo, where I took a job as an EMT. I've since risen to the status of the best medic in Kanto. When Ichirou was 18, he decided to travel to Seattle, Washington to pursue his dream of becoming a programmer. He enrolled in University of Washington, and was a grade-A student.

He's currently in his second year of university. I'm very proud of him.

Now, about myself. I might seem lighthearted and fun-loving; however, I am very serious when it is needed. I love traditional Japanese culture, wearing kimono at every opportunity. Our house doesn't have chairs; instead, we sit on tatami mats.

Another quirk of mine is my penchant for wearing bright flower-patterned shirts. I am about six feet four, with a moderately heavy, slightly muscled build. I have wavy blonde hair, which reaches down my neck. My eyes are bright blue. I occasionally let a bit of stubble grow out, at least until Satsuki or Ichirou say that I look dirty.

I am also a CQC expert, CQC being a form of hand-to-hand combat that is based on disarming the enemy at high speed, and rendering them unable to fight.

♣♣♣

Hi. My name's Satsuki Hikaru-Carson. I'm 45 years old, five feet three. I have straight black hair, which I tie back into a ponytail, dark brown eyes, and I wear slim glasses, which I push up on the ridge of my nose when I'm annoyed. I have something of a short temper, although Hans' mellow nature takes the edge off of it. I love reading and writing, so I work as a librarian.

It's quite nice being surrounded by knowledge and stories, having the ability to just pick up any book off the shelf and start reading. I was born in Japan, and immigrated to the United States in a foriegn exchange student program. That's where I met Hans. He was a clumsy, jolly guy, and I fell in love with him, even though he seemed like an idiot. I later realized how much of a treasure he was. He may look stupid and irreverent, but he has a heart of gold.

After we graduated, we eventually decided to get married. Shortly afterwards, I had my first son. We named him Ichirou. When he was about seven, we moved back to Tokyo, and Hans found himself a job as a medic. We've lived there ever since. Once Ichirou started going to college, I took a job in the library to help pay for his courses. It was a good job, and I loved being in that environment. So that's where we are now. Ichirou's decided to come over here for the summer, as he's about to finish his second year of college. He's a great student; quite intelligent. However, the problem with that is he gets bored easily.

♣♣♣

I'm Soichiro Yagami, pleased to meet you. I'm the Chief of Police of Tokyo, as well as leader of the Kira Investigation. I'm six feet two, 250 pounds, smooth brown hair, brown eyes. I typically slick back my hair, and have a well-trimmed mustache. I always wear glasses, can't see very well without them.

The numerous scars on my body are from my early years in the police force... the one on my right arm was a knife wound... there're some gunshot wounds on my legs... and vertically along my chest and torso, I have a katana slash. I still wonder sometimes how I lived through all that. Moving on.

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