Dare you to move

There was only one group of people left. They sat at the far corner, finishing their dinner. It wouldn’t be more than 15 minutes until they were done, so she stepped outside the restaurant and she closed the front door, before coming back to start cleaning around.

She was humming absently, picking up some dishes when she heard the bell ringing, letting her know that someone had entered the restaurant, despite the “closed” sign hanging by the door knob. She finished folding the napkins in the counter, when she saw him walk past her. He was wearing an oversized hoodie and had a baseball cap on. His hands were firmly inside his jeans’ pockets. She sighed, knowing the costumer would probably get a little angry if she kicked him out.

“Sir, we’re kind of done for the day. I’m sorry…you could always come back tomorrow…maybe, if you’d want.” She tried, smiling politely, even if the man hadn’t turned around just yet. “Sir?” she frowned, slightly uneasy. Had he not heard her?

She gasped when the man turned around, his eyes dark and dangerous. “I’m gonna need you to hand me the money, darling” he commanded with a heavy accent, pulling a gun out of his hoodie and smirking at the girl. He tilted his head, watching Iris curiously. The girl stumbled backwards, opening her mouth a few times before stammering out “We don’t have the money in here, I-I swear” she shook her head, telling the truth. The man glanced at her expressionless, not putting his gun down. The look on his face made Iris’ pulse quicken. “I don’t think that’s gonna work out for you then…” he muttered, his finger gracing the gun’s trigger.

“W-wait” she pleaded, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She looked past the man’s shoulder, and her eyes locked with the group of men eating in the corner. One of them gave her a warning look, before standing up quietly and approaching from behind the robber’s back. “I swear, there’s no money here…my—my dad keeps…he took it when he left, I—I… please put that gun down.” She whispered, trying to keep the man focused on her while the costumer sneaked behind them. She could feel herself shaking when the man opened his mouth again. “Sorry sweetheart, no can do…” he said simply with a shrug, narrowing his eyes before pulling the trigger.

She shrieked at the sound and out of instinct, she lifted her arms, placing her palms in front of her to protect herself, as if it was possible for her hands to take the bullet and not hit her; A bullet that would most likely find its way through her skull. She shut her eyes close and she inhaled sharply, waiting. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, the blood rushing through her veins. But then nothing happened. She wasn’t sure how long it was, but when her eyes fluttered open, the man in front of her was looking at her with wide, terrified eyes. The bullet was hanging between them, unmoving.  

One of the men sitting on the corner finally made it to her, rushing quickly to help when he heard the gunshot. He disarmed the robber, pushing him to the ground with one swift, professional move. “Holy…shit” Iris jumped at the action, still completely shocked about stopping the bullet. She had really thought for a second that she was going to die. She didn’t have time to process whatever happened that she stopped it, or if the other guys had seen her do something because she noticed the men sitting at the table were now standing up and coming to help their friend. The bullet fell on the floor when Iris lost concentration. The three men together grabbed the robber, shoving him out of the restaurant, while they yelled threats. She saw the guy through the windows, running frightened in the opposite direction, and disappearing after turning around the corner.

She was trying to calm her breath when the group of men approached her again. She jolted in surprised when one of them decided to speak.  

“You okay? You seem a little pale, maybe you should…sit.” The guy who had come saved her in the first place offered, eyeing her with a worried look. He couldn’t be more than 30, Iris noticed. She found an immense amount of gratitude in her heart for that man. “You should close this immediately, just to be safe. Here,” the man shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out his wallet and placing money over the counter “keep the change. We saw everything we needed to see for now. We’ll contact you soon, Miss Seung. Have a good night.” He gave her a curt nod, signaling his friends to exit the restaurant.

Iris was still shaking when the door closed. She looked down at her palms, trying to figure out how on earth she had been capable of stopping a bullet. She swallowed, when sudden realization hit her. She had done that before, a couple of times. Stopping things from moving, just like that. The man’s words played a few more times in her mind. We’ll contact you soon. She couldn’t dwell on what exactly it meant now, because she had the urge to go home as fast as she could and just… forget about everything. She looked down at the floor tiles, spotting the tiny bullet. She grabbed it, shoving it inside her jacket’s pocket. It was the only proof that whatever had happened today was real, and she had survived it.

When she managed to collect herself, she made sure to put the extra locks on the front door after she was closing the restaurant. She placed the last dirty dishes on the kitchen counter, promising to wake up early in the morning to come down and put them on the dish washer. She grabbed the keys hanging behind the kitchen door and she closed it quickly, making it through the passage that connected both the restaurant and her house. It was over, she was alright.

Probably the latest family photo they took together. It was for her brother James' wedding. Everyone was there including her baby cousins, nieces and nephews. It's was a great day.

12. Does your character keep any pets?

Her family used to have an old dog when she was a toddler, and then there was the time she was obsessed with turtles and bunnies. But she doesn’t have any pets right now.

13. A very large centipede runs across your character’s leg. What do they do?

She'd probably react so fast and swat it away that she wouldn't have much time to react at all.

14. What does your character eat for breakfast?

Most of the time it's hard for her to wake up on time so she just grabs a fruit and eats it on the way to school. But when she wakes up early she loves to have cereal.

15. What is your character’s least favourite weather?

She doesn't like extreme weather at all. Cold or Hot. She doesn't have much problem handling something in between.

16. What is your character’s fondest childhood memory?

• If your character were in the habit of keeping a journal, what good memories could they go back and re-visit through that journal? Would they do so often?

It's weird having a nephew just two years younger, but growing up she was a lot closer to him than she was to her siblings, given the age difference. Some of her fondest memories are with him, one in particular from when they almost set her grandma's kitchen on fire trying to bake cookies when they were 7 and 5.

17. What is your character’s favourite piece of artwork?

• Describe any pieces of artwork found in your character’s home.

Her family loves paintings and sculpture. There's a big tiger in her father's studio, and when she was younger she used to sneak into the room just to pretend the tiger was a horse. The only "art" she has in her room is a lava lamp.

18. What is your character’s least favourite season?

She's not very fond of summer but her least favorite is probably spring, and it has all to do with the crazy allergies she gets.

19. Someone asks your character to describe their family. How do they answer?

Crazy big. It gets really crowded for holidays, and most of the time the have to eat outside the house. Not only her father's side of the family is big, but she also has 5 adult siblings, 3 of them married and with kids. She loves it, though. Even if things can get exhausting at times.

20. Is your character a morning person, a night owl, or something else entirely?

Iris loves her name. She thinks it’s unique and delicate, it fits her perfectly. Her siblings all have generic names like David or Katherine, so she’s always loved that her parents decided to get creative with her. Plus, when she introduces herself she can always comment about having a song dedicated to her.

2. It’s January second. Where is your character today and what are they doing?

With her family, probably. Enjoying a lazy day after the celebrations. Being Korean American has always been perfect when it comes to sharing time with her relatives. They get celebrate New Year on January 1st with her mother’s family. And then Seol-nal (Korean New Year) with her father’s relatives living in america.

3. If your character could change one physical detail about themselves, what would it be?

Iris likes the way she looks. She’s not super confident or anything, but she knows she’s a pretty girl. She’s been told so since growing up. She struggled when she was younger realizing she didn’t look like most people around Lima, and she used to wish for a more conventional look.

4. Describe your character’s hairstyle in detail. Why did they choose it? How much do they care about it?

Iris wears her hair down most of the time. But she loves to take care of it or try different hairdos, she’s lucky that she has perfect straight hair to pull new hairstyles. She’s completely against cutting her hair short though, so she just trims it every once in a while.

5. What is your character’s favourite physical activity?

Walking. She’s lucky to live relatively close to the school, so every day she walks there and goes back home without needing to take the bus or driving. It keeps her in good shape and it’s a good moment to enjoy a little time for herself.

6. When was the last time your character climbed a tree? Why and under what circumstances? If they have never climbed one, why not?

When she was 12 years old. She wasn’t a very good climber, so she tried to avoid it, but her old neighbors used to keep their Rottweiler dog without a leash, and one day after school she came home to see the dog next to her door. She ran scared when she heard him bark and without realizing how, she made it at the top of the tree. She stayed there for a few minutes until her dad came to see what all the noise was about.

7. Your character comes face-to-face with their worst enemy. What is their first reaction?

She’d probably be scared, but she’ll be very cautious. She’s a fairly analytical person, so she’d never act before thinking things through. She’d figure out how to proceed, twist things so she has the upper hand in their encounter.

 8. What is your character’s least favourite physical activity?

 Probably running, or playing sports. She likes them well enough when she’s not being forced to do it, but when she’s going to be graded for it, it’s kind of the worst thing.

9. What is your character’s favourite weather?

Her favorite weather is probably when it’s chilly outside but there’s still sun, so she can still be warm but also wear sweaters and jackets.

10. What is your character’s favourite season?