_JACKIE_

The bright sunlight coming from the open window woke me up from my deep slumber. I have always been a late riser so my friends' beds being empty around me was not a surprise. We had our individual tents but we slept in a communal cabin, separate for males and females. We had our designated beds in there.

I jumped down from my bunker bed and went to the bathroom attached to the cabin. It was nothing fancy. It contained a shower, a vanity sink and a toilet. Thanks to Daniel, we didn't get to live a normal life in a normal house with a normal bathroom. Instead, we had tents made of cotton and plastic and bathroom walls made of bamboo.

I freshened myself up and ran out of the cabin. It was a bright sunny day, well, noon. I was a bit taken aback to not see my friends in their usual gathering location. But I knew where else they could be. So I started walking towards the canteen. It was my birthday and they were planning to surprise me with the same old trick they use every year! How old they think I am?

I was about to enter the canteen when somebody grabbed me from behind. The person wrapped his arms around my neck. It was unusual but I didn't freak out. I was trained for such situations.

I elbowed the person hard in the stomach. As soon as I felt his grip loosen a bit, I pulled his hands away from my shoulder and moved my head backwards forcefully to hit his nose with the intention of breaking his bones.

"Aaghh!!" that scream, that voice shook me to the core and I immediately turned around.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry Taehyung. I didn't mean to hurt you" I apologized with guilt and embarrassment. I just hit the guy I had been trying to impress for months and almost broke his perfect nose!

"But why did you grab me from behind like that?" I was confused so I asked.

"I was hugging you idiot" Taehyung scoffed at me.

"Oh" my lips formed an 'O' shape as realisation hit me.

"It's your birthday and we were trying to surprise you" Lisa exclaimed as all of them came out of the canteen.

"Yeah I know. Using the same trick every year kind of takes out the surprise element" I shrugged while scratching my nape.

"I told ya" Jungkook started laughing at our interactions.

Soon a sweet smell of chocolate filled the surrounding air. I saw my mom walking out of the kitchen with a cake in her hands which had 18 lit candles on it. I ran to her and hugged her, almost knocking off the cake. She hugged me back and soon six other people joined the embrace.

Six? But I only had five friends!

"Happy birthday" everyone cheered in unison but there was a deep voice in the chorus that was familiar yet unexpected.

"Chief?"

"Happy birthday Jacklyn" the chief wished me with a smiling face.

"Thank you chief" I returned the smile.

"Just call me uncle Jacklyn. You are 18 now. You know what it means right? You are now strong enough to avenge your father's death"

"Yes uncle. I waited for this my entire life. I'll take Daniel down and re-establish happy life for all of us. I'll make him pay the price of every tears my mother had shed these nineteen years" I looked up to the chief with eyes filled with hope and confidence.

"Good. Now give me some cake. I am starving" replied the chief. We all were a bit surprised by his change of attitude.

I went to the cake and blew out the candles and made my wish, the same wish I've been making for the past eighteen years.

' I want to kill Daniel with my own hands and bring peace to the world. '