"You really don't have to do this. It's nothing..." The boy insisted.
Pema proceeded into an alley way. "Those kids... They pick on you often, don't they? There's always that tiny bit of hope that they'll stop, and maybe they'll see you for who you really are... But there's also the scary part of yourself that thinks it's your fault."
"Yeah, it happens a lot. But, how would you know the feeling? I mean, y-you're... like, really pretty and everything, so..." He scratched his head, "Forget it, I didn't mean to, um..."
Pema giggled and folded her hands behind her back. She was about to speak when a couple of kids who were up to no good, started making trouble in... the alley way.
The two kids knocked over a trash can as Pema and the boy arrived by their hangout; an act of provocation to intimidate them from going further.
"Kliem, Kliem, Kliem. Didn't we already kick your ass?" A huge 14-year-old boy got up from the steps, and his friend approached them.
"Haha, what's this all about? You brought your girlfriend to protect you? You shouldn't have come back here, loser." He smirked and cracked his knuckles.
Pema stepped in front of Kliem. "Please, I want you to leave him alone. You don't want to continue this any further. You're better than that."
The large kid chuckled. "Awww, that is just precious, the nerd got himself a groupie. You know, you should've brought this chick over here a long time ago, Kliem. She's got more balls than you!"
"This was a bad idea... I think we should leave now..." Kliem whispered to Pema.
Pema steeled her gaze forward. "So, that's it? You're just going to give up? If everything else fails, you need to fight back."
He stared at her, his hands trembling.
"Yo, what're you two talking about over there? I don't like people who ignore me. Because when you ignore me..." The teenager picked up his baseball bat and stormed towards them. "I tend to take out my frustration on their face!"
Kliem backed away. "We need to leave NOW!"
"You don't want to do that." Pema exclaimed suddenly to the bully, a smile on her face.
"Heh, oh yeah? Why not?"
"Because there's something you two don't know about Kliem. He has a special gift. And through all the pain you've caused him, he has no choice but to use it." She explained.
"Oh, he's special, alright. Let's see his little gift save him now." He reared back his arm for a swing.
Pema turned to Kliem and smiled reassuringly. "Give me your hand." She whispered softly.
He reached out his arm and she grabbed it. Pema moved his hand towards the baseball bat, and she lifted her finger. A fireball materialized and launched forward, knocking the bat out of his hand.
"Wh-what the hell?! The nerd can use magic!" He stumbled backwards and fell on his back.
His friend ran towards Kliem. "You're freakin' dead!"
She whispered to him again. "Extend out your hands."
He did as he was told, and Pema quickly slipped behind his back, extending her arms forward underneath his. She resonated with Salem to amplify her mana and raised her index fingers. "Pew~ Pew~"
She unleashed two Ice Blasts at the bully's feet, which appeared as if it was coming from Kliem. He was immediately frozen in place. "[parasitic bomb]! Dude, we gotta get out of here!"
Pema walked forward, then stomped her foot down. "And don't ever think about bothering him again!" She yelled.
"Y-Yeah, yeah, no problem! You got it!" The teen slammed his baseball bat on the ice, freeing his friend. The two bullies dashed through the alley, tripping a few times on the way.
Kliem gazed at Pema, his eyes wide open. "Th-that was... That was amazing! I don't know what to say... I... Thank you."
Pema giggled and pulled out Salem from her sleeve. "Don't mention it! The more delicious food I eat, the stronger I become!"
Salem chuckled. "That totally isn't an excuse for you to pig out whenever you want, or anything."
"Whoa, did that staff just talk?" Kliem looked closer.
"Oh yeah, I didn't introduce you to him. This is my trusty staff, Salem; he's my best friend in the whoooole world!" She cheered happily, moving her arms in a circular motion as she proclaimed this. "And my name is Pema!"
He rubbed his neck. "Pema... I see. Thanks again." He thought for a moment, then looked at her again. "Hey, uh, if you don't mind me asking... did you ever have anyone that... hurt you? I mean, before when you were talking about people picking on others, when you just want them to like you. You know the feeling?"
Pema stared at the ground, then her eyes shifted to Salem. She slowly walked to a flight of stairs and sat on the steps. Kliem sat next to her.
She sighed, then began. "Yeah, it happened to me, too. Actually, it happened all the time."
"There were people that hit you?"
She shook her head. "Well, no, they didn't hit me. It was more like what they said to me."
"So, it was verbal abuse..."
Pema dipped her head down, softly tugging on her hat's ear flaps and quietly gazed at her lap. "I didn't have any friends growing up. Everyone... everyone hated me. Even some of the adults threw things at me, so mommy always had to walk with me when we headed outside... I remember her face whenever that happened. She would quietly bend down, kiss me on the forehead and softly squeeze my hand. She didn't speak or call out to me. But I could see all of what she wanted to say in her eyes and her smile... "It's time to go outside, Pema. Things will get better, I know they will." Daddy tried his best to stop them, but according to him, "People are stubborn and refuse to listen to reason," He said. I wondered if that was true..."
Pema dug around inside her pocket for two of her peaches. She handed one to Kliem and took a bite of the other.
Kliem nodded. "Why did they act that way towards you?"
Her chewing slowed down and her eyes fell silent on her hands. Her voice was very quiet and quivered slightly. "I... I was born with a defect. My parents called it a 'special ability', though. I have the potential to absorb mana, and store it as my own." Her eyes steadily began to tear up. "There was a tragedy... that I caused. Something that I can never take back, and many have suffered because of it..."
Pema wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm really sorry, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet..."
"Ah, n-no, I'm sorry for bringing it up."
She stared at the sky, sniffling softly as the breeze combed through her hair. "You know, words can cut deeper than any blade or bruise. That feeling... Being unwanted. Unloved. I wouldn't dream it on anyone, no matter how bad they may be. It's the worst feeling in the world. I think everyone deserves to be loved. And the worse part about the whole thing is that... I didn't love myself. I saw how everyone looked at me, the things they said to me... Even with how much my parents said they loved me... A small side of myself felt like maybe they... regretted having me..."
"Stop right now. You know that's not true, Pema. They cared more than you could ever know." Salem exclaimed.
"I-I know..." She wrapped her arms around her legs and shut her eyes briefly. She then looked at Salem. "But now, I know what I have to do. There's people that care about me, and I care about them."
The sun began to set and Pema leapt from the stairs. She turned her head to Kliem and grinned. "Always remember to defend yourself to your very best, okay? From fists and from word of mouth."
Kliem smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I will! Thanks for everything."
She waved bye to him and made her way back. "Oh right, I need to buy Ms. Aya some get-well-soon pastries! Umm, where was it again?"
"Heh, you forgot already?" Salem remarked.
"I made the mistake of trying to remember with my head, when I should've went with my gut feeling. Tummy, don't fail me now! Take me to: THE BAKERY!!" Pema pointed ahead and ran into the light.