For Me? | Bakugou X OC

24- Carmen

I twirl the fork on my tray in my hands. It's been at least a few hours since I first woke up. I've been trying to stay calm, as I have no idea what this woman wants with me or my friends. But my mind has been racing. Where are they now? Are they okay? What's happening to them? What's going to happen to me? There's a faint smell of broth lingering, and my stomach growls, hoping that by some accord, it's for me. The door creaks open and the girl walks in again, with one of the figures close behind. She holds another tray in her hands, and the figure unlocks the door. She walks in to my cell, reaching out to hand me the tray. I put the fork down on the other tray and take the new one. There is a bowl of noodles and a cup of water on it. "This is your lunch." She says simply, taking the other tray and leaving my cell.

"What's your name anyways?" I ask her, sidling up to the bars. The smell of the noodles waft through the room, and I turn back to look at them with hungry eyes before focusing on the girl. She looks back and frowns, giving the figure the tray to take away. "I'm Amari, but you already knew that. How old are you?" She faces away from me, plopping down into a chair. "I'm not supposed to talk to you until you can be trusted." She pouts. This girl can't be more than 9 or 10 years old. I wonder what she's doing with someone like Soul. "I'm not gonna hurt you. You're just a kid." "I'm not just a kid!" She yells. I widen my eyes, and scooch back, picking up the bowl and beginning to eat. "How did a little girl like you end up here?" I ask under my breath between bites. Her eyes narrow, and she approaches my cell, looking me in the eyes. After a while, she lets out a small sigh, and sits down on the floor across from me.

"Soul... she saved me. My parents were always high, and they needed money for their wants. The easiest way was to sell me. They weren't always terrible, they used to love me. But whatever they were on twisted them to a whole new set of people. They started fighting more, hitting me. I stopped going to school. When they sold me, a really bad guy bought me. He treated me worse than they did. Soul says my parents told this guy that I had an amazing quirk. Once he realized I was quirkless, he immediately had it out for not only my parents but me as well. He wanted to kill me. He had Soul under his control too. One day, she... well, she took our safety into her own hands. Now we're here, and I'm safe, I'm happy. I'm glad she saved me, I'm forever grateful. Soul has been more of a mom to me than my own, and I love her more than anything. And would you quit calling me a little girl? I'm 11."

Wow. I try to let what she said process in my head. Soul saved this girl? I can imagine any decent person wouldn't want to see such a young girl in that world of pain, but that begs the question: what's Soul's moral compass? "I'm Carmen, by the way." She adds quickly, and gets up to walk away. "Wait!" I yell after her. She stops and turns around, a confused expression on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I just... You must be so strong to have all that happen to you this early in life. I'm so sorry." She gives me a little smile. "Yeah, well it's not your fault, don't be sorry." She lingers hesitantly, and the air is quite still. "It's not so bad here, Amari. You just have to gain Soul's trust. I can tell you're not going to be a bad guy. I've seen a lot of bad guys, but you don't look like one of them. I'm sorry you have to be in a cell. It'll get better soon, just don't get her mad." She smiles and turns towards the door again. I wonder just how many bad people she's seen in her life. Being sold in exchange for something by your own parents? No wonder she ended up here. The doorknob jiggles, Carmen snaps her head towards the door, and it opens, with Soul entering.

"Carmen, did you clear her tray already?" Soul says. Her long hair flows freely down either side of a full black pantsuit. "Yes, Soul." "Thank you, Carmen. You can go now." She says warmly but firmly. Carmen gives me a quick smile and runs off outside the room, closing the door on her way out. Soul clears her throat, walking further into the room. "I had to go ensure your friends were being taken care of well, as they should be released soon." She reassures. "All of them?" I ask, excitedly. I can't help but hope that they'll all be okay. "All but one. Bakugou Katsuki will remain, but he'll be kept under the same conditions as you are. I made sure of that." I don't know how much I can trust her words, but like Carmen said, I don't want to make her mad. I have to go along anyways until I figure out how to get the hell out, or until someone comes to save me. I'm sure the others will as soon as they're out and safe. "Carmen didn't... bother you, did she? That girl is something else, I'll tell you." She chuckles and pulls up a chair from across the room to sit in front of me. "I'll help you." I say quickly. She smiles and stares with a furrowed brow. "I'm sorry?" I let out a small sigh before I repeat myself louder.

"I'll help you, Soul."