Heina: The Red Demon Dragon

HEINA

Water pumped into every part of me, making me feel like I was going to combust. The taste of chlorine sat on my tongue like a deathly warning, and I flailed my arms desperately.

Laughter poured over me from above the water, sounding too distant to my ears that still rang with the fear of death.

I finally raised my head above the water, coughing painfully to dislodge the water I had involuntarily consumed. My glasses were so layered with water droplets that my vision was blurry.

"Aww... what piggy? Don't know how to swim?" Jocelyn taunted.

I could make out the faint outline of people as they started to record the incident with their phones.

Swimming away as fast as I could given the fact that I was in a floor-length dress that became heavier the more I stayed in the water, I tried to climb out of the water.

"Where do you think you're going, chubs? Come on, the fun was just getting started." She turned around and opened her arms wide. "Wasn't it, guys?"

A round of agreement followed. Jocelyn faced me again. "You heard them. We're just getting started."

With one hard shove, my head is pushed back underneath the water. I struggled against the hold she had on my hair, gulping down water as it invaded my nose and mouth. She didn't let go.

The laughter increased, the cheers too. I struggled to get free, feeling the life as it started to slip out of me. God, no.

I didn't know where my tears ended and the water began. My limbs were starting to get weak.

Suddenly, the laughter ebbed and silence descended over the crowd. Jocelyn immediately let go of my head, and I rushed to the surface, sputtering and coughing out water.

My eyes burned, and so did my lungs. I couldn't even look at them. All I wanted to do was get out of this water I was trapped in.

The dress had gotten so much heavier, and my limbs were now too jelly-like for me to be able to accomplish my task easily.

"Hi, handsome," I heard Jocelyn say.

My head perked upward, and sure enough, the twins from the other day were here in my house. Girls from school flocked around them, some touching in flirtatious invitation, others trying to get their attention with words. Some even took photos.

I didn't even understand why I was staring at them still, or more importantly, why they were staring at me like I was the piece to a very important puzzle.

Their unusual eyes studied me with an intensity that made my insides heat up. Jocelyn's eyes turned in my direction as she was once again ignored by them, and I swear I saw fire pour out from their depths.

The warning she gave me in the bathroom the other day made itself present in my mind, and I forced my eyes down. I concentrated hard on getting myself out of the water.

By the time I was on land, they had their backs to me; heading into the dining area of our house where Dad received them, and they got right down to a conversation.

I wrung water out of my dress as much as I could and decided to go over there to find out what it was they were talking about.

How did Dad know them?

Before anyone could stop me a second time, I hurried in the direction of the dining room. Through the glass door, I could see their lips moving, but it wasn't until I got to the door that I could finally hear what they were saying.

"Bold of you to assume any of this is for the issue of peace. You lost that right a long time ago." One of the twins spat out in a firm voice.

"You left our mother, your wife!, to die. What kind of monster does that to a woman they claim to love?" The second twin spoke up in an equally irritated voice.

The words rang in my head like a war song, and I gasped. To say that I was confused was putting it too mildly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, my voice shaking.

All three men turned to face me, surprised that I had overheard them, while Mom just stared at them like they had sprouted a new head.

No one spoke for a very long time. We all just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

"Dad. What are they talking about?" I asked again, unable to bear the silence any longer.

"Heina, this..." Dad started but then cut himself off with a shake of his head. "This isn't the time. Can we talk about this later?"

"No. This is... wait. They said you left their mother, who was your wife alone, to die. What does that mean? Were you cheating on Mom?"

Both boys didn't utter a single word, they just crossed their arms across their chest, staring at Dad expectantly.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, sweetie. But..." he exhaled a rough breath. "They are mine."

Tears started to walk down my face for the third time today. "What does that even mean?"

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled another heavy sigh. "I'm not your biological father, Heina. But these are my sons."

My ears rang with disbelief, and I staggered backward, pain sticking through my chest quickly.

"What? Hold on... what?" My voice caught on a sob this time.

Dad took a single step forward, and I backed up. His face fell. "I didn't want you to find out like this, Heina. It doesn't matter if I am your biological father or not, you'd always be my little girl."

I couldn't believe my life was falling apart in this way. And on my birthday too. Nothing good ever came out of it.

Before I could think of something to say, the twins spoke up in unison, their harsh words slicing through the air.

"Get lost. Now!"