Heart of Stone

Chapter 3: Into the Shadows

**!!Trigger Warning: Abuse, and torture!!**

Heart of Stone

Chapter 3

Into the Shadows

Ms. Ratcliff was her name. Or the rat lady is what the kids called her behind her back. Her body was stout, and she always had on some nice looking dresses. Her hair was up out of her face and away from the younger kids that liked to pull hair. Her hair was a copper color, and she had eyes to match.

The headmistress's shoes stomped down the carpeted hallways and up the stairs toward bedrooms. The kids stopped what they were doing and ran back into their rooms and jumped up onto their beds.

They had reasons to fear their headmistress.

"You are late." She of course took her up into the hallway like this to use her as an example.

"Yes ma'am." Bai He had been told about this many times, she had been hurt by her before, but it looked like the rat lady was particularly angry today.

"Then you know what's going to happen then right?" She asked. Bai He looked down at her knuckles and nodded. "First you disappear for months without a word and some police officer drops you off on our doorstep like you didn't already stay here." She pulled out her belt.

The other children began to run as the headmistress hit Bai He several times.

Some hours later Bai He still sniffled from the pain. She had felt the pain and it was a lot more then she had expected. She had grabbed her backside in an attempt to shield it but she ended up hitting her hands a few times. This woman was...Bai He growled wishing that the lady bone demon had...

No she wouldn't think that way.

The little girl slowly climbed out of bed. Walking across the floor that was lit by the bright moon light. Lightly opening the door.

Soft snores could be heard down the hallway. Softly as she could she walked down the long carpeted hallway. At least the hallway was warm. Some days she just wanted to walk into the hallway to be warmer. The whole upstairs was hot in the summer.

Softly she walked into a small crawl space and up the hold stairs. The very small area had a small seat, and a window. She could see all across the neighborhood from there. Clear toward the mountains. She sat down and hugged her legs. Her cheek resting on her knees. Her fingers were a hard purple.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she curled up on the small seat. She wasn't a big girl, she was so small most people would miss her if she didn't speak. Quiet, and often seen with cats. It was how she got into trouble that one day. Chasing down a cat...she wondered if that cat was okay.

A shadow from behind the chair began to pull away from the usual shadows. The purple eyes waved over the purpling knuckles and he could see the bruising from the child's shoulders. The snarl that came from the monkey as he picked up the young girl.

Bai He opened her eyes for a moment watching the lamp lights as they fluttered by. She could see the purple eyes of the clone taking her away from the orphanage. She could kind of see the moon light through the clone's body. A shadow...macaques shadow.

"Where...?" The clone looked down and smiled.

"He's busy...don't worry, he'll come back." The clone almost sounded cheery...way...way too cheerful. But where was he going? The city was back that way...

"Where are we going?" She asked before the clone shushed her.

"Get some sleep, orange peel. We'll be at the temple in a little bit." orange peel? Her eyes fluttered closed as he landed near the temple.

"Wukong!" Okay that wasn't Wukong...

MK looked up, running his arm over his forehead.

"Oh hey Macaque...what are you two doing here?" The shadow clone set Bai He down at MK's feet.

"He'll be back when he's finished...keep an eye on her." The clone disburse.

MK looked down at Bai He who had fallen back asleep. Wukong looked around his shoulder and down at the girl.

"What was that about?" Wukong asked. MK shook his head and shrugged.

"I guess we can ask when he comes back." MK said as he fit the staff behind his ear. "Until then...I'm going to go make her some noodles.

"Noodles huh? Pigsy teaches you?" Wukong asked to pick the girl up only to hear her cry out in pain. Wukong looked at her shivering form.

"MK..." The kid walked over and looked at the girl's fingers and the bruising along her collarbone.

"This isn't good...we need to get her inside. Being out in the cold won't do her little body any good." Wukong walked back into the temple.