...XIE LIQIN- 谢立琴...

There I sat, among foreigners. My very first time abroad, away from home. Away from my living nightmare. I'm finally starting a new life, in a new place, with no worries.

Although, I may have something to worry about. I don't have a house.

Lost in thoughts as I rest against my seat, the bus rocks us from side to side as we travel the roads, our brains afforded the time to daydream, rest or think. Some chatter, their voices rising and blending in the sweet ritual of friends, reminding me I don't have any friends. Some absorb themselves in music, others drift into worries that'll erase themselves on arrival when their body rejoins the world of moving and speaking to others. And so it goes on that way, all of us together and separate, feeling all the same turns and bumps.

The bus later came to a halt, informing us of our final stop. As I walked out of the bus, I was welcomed by a large crowd of people walking roughly in opposite directions, weaving a little, chatting as they go. I watch them, some heads down and lost in thoughts, and wonder what their private worlds are like - each of them viewing this same place, this same day, from a unique perspective. Some of them notice the sun, others the cloudy remains of yesterday's rainstorm.

Not to mention the unique sense of fashion every passer-by has here. The makeup, clothes, and accessories are incredibly fascinating and appealing to the eyes! Indeed Paris did earn its title as one of the cities of fashion.

I took a deep breath and drag my luggage towards the college that stood meters away to my right.

‡‡‡'Millicent School of Fashion'

I never thought that one day, I could be here. To finally learn what I've always wanted to.

Memories of days I usually hide in my wardrobe and cry kept flooding my mind as I stood in front of the college entrance and stare at the gates. I've finally gotten what I wanted after a very long time. Even though it didn't turn out how I wanted it to be.

I just hope that one day, you'll accept me for doing what I truly want and what I am.

"Excuse me young man" A woman called out to me while coming out of the school. At first, I thought it was someone else but she called out again

"you, with the black cotton car coat... and face mask"

Describing what I wore, forcing her way out of the crowd that moved into the school.

Her voice sounded polite, gentle, and had a little french accent in it.

She seemed to be a lot older than me even though I can't possibly guess her age. She had a slim body which made her look like a young lady in the red dress she wore, but you'll eventually dismiss that thought the moment you site the wrinkles on her eye lines and the strands of grey hair that appeared on her brunette hair.

"You must be Zai Linkin (tries to pronounce Xie Liqin using Chinese accent)" she asked while covering the wide gap between the two of us.

My eyes shot wide the moment she mentioned my name. I wanted to laugh but didn't. A lot of my father's Foreign friends usually find it difficult to pronounce it too but hers was way off.

"Of course. How may I help you?" I replied, trying to hold in the laughter that's forcing its way out as I gently pull down the face mask to reveal my whole face.

The English classes I never missed as well as the private lessons did pay off.

"Ahh. Forgive me. I have problems pronouncing Chinese names. Did I happen to pronounce yours wrong?" she said, fully examining my face as if she noticed I was about to laugh which is very true.

"Yup, but It's okay. Uh.. Who are you exactly?"

"My name is Jennifer Rhys. Mr. Lu Wayzu (Lu Weixou) assigned me to be your guardian" she cheerfully said, gesturing for a handshake which I gladly received.

If she doesn't stop pronouncing these names wrong, I might not be able to hold that laughter anymore.

"Oh. That's great! He told me that I'll meet you when I get here" I said, trying to stay relaxed.

"He was right about that. Now come on. Follow me, I'll give you a quick tour around the... Her eyes now shifted from my face to the luggage I held. "Don't tell me you got here right from the airport? Why didn't you take your time and unpack?"

Ahh.. did I mention I was too stubborn to allow Mr. LU Weixou to get me an apartment after helping me out this far?

".. I was.. just kinda eager to get here- I said trying to divert the topic. My hand traveled back and forth expressing how nervous I was.

"I'll do that after the tour please"

Turning around as she walked into the school, she said" *Très Bien, But you have to drop that somewhere"

What in the world is trez been?

Ah, French!

And with my little knowledge of French, "**Oui. Where can I drop it exactly?"

I was able to pretend I understood was she said and gave her that as a reply.

"come with me "

Many Many moments later... The tour was over. We exchanged contacts before we parted ways.

"I almost forgot. Don't forget, 10:00 am sharp tomorrow. Make sure you're fully prepared for this interview or you'll be sent back to China" she said, sounding very serious.

"Back to China?!!" I said, arching an eyebrow to inform her how confused I am about this. Among all places, for now, China won't be where I'll be planning on going back to.

She chuckled while patting her left hand on my shoulder "Relax. I was just messing with you. Mr. Lu told me everything"

Everything huh?

"Anyways, if you didn't pass, I'm sorry to say, you won't study here. Lastly, take care of yourself and stay away from trouble - Boo-in-k!, a strange sound came out from her phone.

"I've got to go now Linkin, I'm running late," she said while taking a look at her phone as she gently walks backward.

I'm guessing Linkin will be my new name for now.

"Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything. ***Bon au revoir Jeune!" she added.

"****au Riva...aah.."

I pray she doesn't hear that.

Dragging my luggage out of the institution, I walked down the street using the map on my phone for directions to find a restaurant and feed my hungry stomach. Fortunately, there are Chinese restaurants here in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. I ended up going to one of the cheapest Chinese restaurants Since I needed to save enough money to get an apartment. This is the very first time in my life eating at a cheap restaurant. I never imagined such a day like this would be part of my existence.

Luckily, the workers there speak English, French as well as Chinese which served as an opportunity to save me from the humiliation of not knowing how to communicate. This kind of stuff happens a lot to foreigners based on what I saw on the media.

I happened to enjoy my last meal of the day in peace and surprisingly, it wasn't bad.

I spent the rest of my time there, searching for the cheapest apartments available for me to move into. To my dismay, most were quite expensive and could only guarantee me to pay the bills for only a month.

I thought I saved much.

I mentally scold myself the moment I thought of calling Mr.Lu. No wonder he didn't bother to talk me out of this decision I've made. I wasn't ready to give up so easily so, I continued searching. Slowly, I began to drift into sleep. It started with seeing my phone double, yet blurry before completely blacking out.

"Excuse me, Sir, we're about to close for today" the waiter's voice came in. Waking up to the gentle tap he gave me on my arm, I noticed he's still wearing that smile he had on earlier.

I picked up my phone that was laying next to me on the table to check the time. I was astonished to find out that the time was 10:20 pm.

"Ah.. sorry. I must have lost track of time" I said but he only nodded.

"isn't..i..t.. it to.. to ea..arr..rly to close," I asked while yawning as I stretched only to find out that he was on his way to the kitchen. I looked around to find out that there was no single soul around. Not even the workers. The emptiness of this place reminds me of my house back in China. No siblings or friends to hang out with whenever I came back from school. It was just me and silence.

The abrupt sound of a door being closed shut I heard coming from the kitchen caused me to dismiss the thoughts I was about to get lost into.

I better leave.

I slowly rose from my seat, feeling a little dizzy and exhausted. I made sure everything I came in with was back where it was before making it towards the door.

Suddenly, a man rushed in and bumped into me, almost knocking me off balance.

"Forgive me," the man said, picking up my luggage that fell as a result of his action. " I was in a hurry"

I replied with a nod and a smile even though deep down, I felt a little bit irked about it. I put back my face mask on and collected my luggage before walking out.

"Excuse me, sir!"

Someone yelled from behind. I turned around to find out it was the same man who bumped into me earlier.

"Sorry to have bothered but, you must be new here. Do you have a place to stay ?" he asked after he was standing few meters away from me.

"Not yet. Why?" I flatly retorted.

He quickly dug into his clothing pockets and brought out his phone before handing it over to me.

"My name is Aquila Del Morte. You see, uh.. I work at Juvenile Apartments and we offer a 30% discount. That's our website. You can find all the information you need there"

He briefly explained as I browse the website.

The price was indeed suitable and hopefully, I can pay the rent for three months which will provide enough time for me to get a job. So, I decided to give it a shot.

"Let me see the apartment first" I stated before giving him back his phone.

The journey was very much silent as we walked. He told me it wasn't far away from the restaurant I ate earlier which seemed to be true based on the website he showed me. I got tired of the silence and began calling Mr. Lu to inform him about where I'll be staying but unfortunately, he didn't pick. I kept trying but no response. In the end, I was notified his phone was switched off.

"What's the matter Liqin? Got any last request you wish to tell Mr. Lu" The man said maliciously. The moment I stopped calling.

Translations

*Très bien - well,

**oui - Yes

*** Bon au revoir juene - Good bye young one.

****au ri....va...aaah ( failure attempt to pronounce au revoir) - Goodbye

...XIE LIQIN- 谢立琴...

"What's the matter Liqin? Got any last request you wish to tell Mr. Lu" The man said maliciously. The moment I stopped calling.

I froze in shock wondering how he knew who I was calling. It took me seconds to fully recognize the location we were. A dark corner with a small fluorescent bulb shining above us.

"excuse me?" I raised a question, glaring at him before I gently tucked my phone in my back pocket.

He tilted his head and smirked at me before replying

"Who are you trying to call?"

Confused right? That was how I felt. Who the hell is this guy, and how does he know Mr. Lu or me? Have we ever met before? Were the questions that kept flooding my mind at that moment. Provoked by the fact that he was messing with me after knowing that I heard him clearly, I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

"I am not Dumb. What did you just say?!" I plainly stated but he began to laugh like a psycho which seriously terrified me. Slowly, I released his collar from my grip and moved backward, scrutinizing the whole area to find a way to escape. From the looks of it. Things weren't going to end well.

"Poor liqin. As unsophisticated as ever. You imagined everyone around you mean no harm " He said dusting his tuxedo as he walked towards me.

"Who are you and what the **** do you want from - I stopped talking when my back bumped into something behind me which I assumed to be a wall but it turns out to be a huge thug standing behind me. He was about 6 feet tall and dark in complexion. As he walked out of the dark, the light revealed his well-defined thick muscles begging to be revealed under the black short-sleeved shirt he wore.

I was more aghast as three more came out of the darkness and stood under the bulb putting me in the middle. Hopefully, they weren't as scary as the first one. At this point, the tension rising here was killing me.

Facing Aquila, I yelled, "What do you mother fuckers want from me?!"

Confused, infuriated, and unable to understand why this was happening to me.

I didn't get an immediate reply but a burst of hysterical laughter that sent shivers down my spine. If only I knew how to defend myself, I wouldn't have been terrified.

" You heard the boy? He wants to know what we want from him" he teased in between his laughter.

"You still don't have a clue liqin. Well, let me tell you what we want - I gave him a harsh punch on his stomach preventing him from completing his sentence. I was very Mad at myself for getting into this situation. For letting Aquila deceive me. And falling into a trap which I had no idea why a trap would be set for me.

I thought causing a commotion could help me out by punching him but only landed me in another difficult situation. Before attempting to crawl in-between the parted legs of the tall goon that stood to my left, I watched in slow motion how he pulled me up by the collar and covered my nose with a white hankie. It all happened so fast.

As Aquila let out a loud groan while uttering profanity in Chinese, I was busy struggling for my freedom. I fought to breathe at the same time I fought to be free from his grip. I couldn't tell what pain hurt more. The pain of my clothes' collar pressing hard against my neck or the struggle to breathe oxygen.

Fortunately, I was granted that after kicking the thug's boy real hard which caused him to forcefully let me go. I made use of that chance to run out of the corner the moment my feet made contact with the floor. As I ran, I heard him wailed in pain as Aquila yelled at them to run after me.

Being chased by thugs wasn't exactly how I pictured my first day in Paris would be. I ran as fast as I could wondering where I could run to. In this need to flee, my head and my heart go to the place that is crushed and without light or match to bring a confronting spark. I felt the screaming of my lungs and the will of my muscles go far beyond what exercise could ever demand. It reminds me of my high school days when bullies constantly chased after me. I luckily escaped every time. But in this case, there was no luck. The bodyguard that always protects me from those bullies is no longer with me.

I ran hoping to find a Savior but no one was on the streets except for me and the thugs that chased after me. As if this was all planned. The street was quiet and the lights were dim or was it me? The amount of energy I used to flee which I expected not to fade away till I find a place to hide began lessening the moment my vision became blurry. I felt as if the whole world is spinning. Slowly, I fell to the cold ground. The last thing I sighed as I slowly fell was Aquila smirking as he waved at me through a car window.

How did he get there? What's happening to me? - were the last thoughts I had before blacking out on the streets.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

I've seen darkness before, the kind that makes our street like an old-fashioned photograph, everything a shade of grey. This isn't like that. This is the darkness that robs you of your best sense and replaces it with a paralyzing fear. Just like my wardrobe whenever I hid inside. In this darkness I sit, muscles cramped and unable to move. I only know my eyes are still there because I can feel myself blink, still instinctively moisturizing the organs I have no current use for. My head ached so bad that I felt as if something heavy was placed on it. I couldn't hear anything either.

I tried to steady myself trying to comprehend what was going on around me and where I was. Sadly, I couldn't. I couldn't even differentiate between my eyes being open or closed. With the little strength I had, I tried to move but my body was restricted. They all remain stiff as if I had no control over it. I struggled harder but it didn't work only to find out that I was tied up to a chair. So, I gave up. There was no point in struggling. Even if I did, I might end up in an uncomfortable position.

And suddenly... Someone loud whispered in this darkness.

"Do you think he's awake?"

Who could it be?

"Is someone there?" I asked to confirm if I wasn't hallucinating what I just heard. I needed to know where I was and who brought me here to know how to escape.

"You've gotten your answer" another voice spoke. This one didn't sound like a whisper.

" I'll be on the couch. Good luck with whatever you're doing"

The voice sounded low and husky. I heard Light footsteps before the lights were turned on. Seconds ago, I wished for the aid of the light in knowing where I was but I regretted the moment it was granted. The bright light caused a sharp pain the moment its rays kissed my eyeballs, adding to the agonizing headache that's killing me. My sudden reaction to it was a loud hiss like that of a snake.

Gradually, the pain fades away as my vision became clearer enough to notice the young lady sitting few meters away from me. She was dressed in an oversized Pink hoodie and had thick circular lenses on. Her blue eyes which flicker under the light that shone above us focused on me.

"You kidnapped me?" We're the words that left my mouth. Again, confused, infuriated, and unable to comprehend why this is happening.

"No, we're helping each other out" she happily said following it with a smile.

"By tying me to a chair?" I retorted, arching an eyebrow.

She adjusted her seat and fold her arms before replying,

"Yes. To prevent you from punching me when you wake up from your unconscious state"

"And how's that helping me?" I snapped.

Is this a joke?

She let out a sigh almost sounding like a groan before answering back.

"To prevent you from getting confused as well as hold you still as we clear up the misunderstandings."

Each answer she gave was just irking me more. It had no elements of what I expected to hear and makes no sense to me at all.

I have an interview tomorrow, I don't have a place to stay for the night, passed out in the middle of the streets, got kidnapped, exhausted, and woke up, just to have a conversation with a lady who's trying to convince me to think that she helped me.

Ha! Perhaps I'm just hallucinating stuff today.

"Please tell me this is all unreal," I said while closing my eyes. I don't how it'll help me but I just hoped once I opened it, things will be back to the peaceful evening I had earlier right before I met Aquila.

"This is just entertaining " the low husky voice came in again causing me to open my eyes. The lady still stood there and surprisingly, when I looked to my right, a man was seated on the couch staring at me with a smile in his PJ. I stare at him for a while before looking back at the lady sitting right in front of me. I let out a sigh, realizing that she was right about me getting confused.

Of course, I was very much confused.

"So? Will you let me go once we clear up the misunderstandings ?" I asked, wanting this so-called form of helping me by being tied to a chair was true.

"No" she simply stated not showing any emotion on her face.

The word hit me like a thousand birds falling from a polluted sky. My heartbeats' speed suddenly increases due to the fear I felt instantly at the thought of her being my kidnapper.

Was this the reason why my Father had to keep me at home at most times? Was it the reason why I had a bodyguard with me throughout my entire life of schooling? Was I meant to be under protection all the time to succeed in doing what I want?

"No?" I asked again, confirming if what I heard was not true.

"No" she confirmed.

...XIE LIQIN- 谢立琴...

"No" she confirmed.

Was it too much to ask for my freedom in this freaking universe? - I thought.

"Don't tell me you're terrified?" she asked after which a faint smiled appeared on her lips. Her beautiful blue eyes focused on me. Her whole face expressing how she's interested in what I'm about to give her as an answer.

If I said 'No' it'll be a lie and if I said yes, it'll make me look *as timid as a rat. So, I kept quiet and stare at her as I felt the cool breeze brushing against my skin. It's not that I couldn't lie about it. I felt drained. My mouth felt dry and not to mention the painful headache.

"News flash, **Q-tip," she said, adding emphasis on the word- 'Q-tip'. "I. HATE. SILENCE." she then paused and adjusted her glasses by pushing it closer to her face using her index finger. "Answering my question prevents that" she had that British accent each time she spoke which made me assume she's British.

Earlier, I was terrified but for some reason, I don't feel that way anymore. It's not like I've been kidnapped before but I don't think kidnappers keep their hostages in a comfortable environment. Although I'm being tied to a chair, sitting in a well-ventilated living room with two individuals dressed in their PJ's is not what I would say is kidnapping. Looks more like a prank to me but then, who are these people?

I let out a sigh, look at the strange plant that stood beside her before averting my gaze back to her, and hopelessly questioned "What do you want from me?" then paused to gather enough energy to blurt out my feelings. I blew off the strands of hair covering my right eye and began.

" Tell me. I'm new here. Don't have a place to stay. Have an interview tomorrow at MSF (Millicent School Of Fashion)... "

"MSF?" she interrupted with a question, widening her eyes. Her eyebrows, almost disappearing under her bangs.

"Yes MSF" I quickly responded and proceeded as I don't like being interrupted while speaking " and... " I then paused when I realized that she was surprised when I mentioned MSF. "You know MSF?" I asked.

"Yes, I live here. Everyone living here would know about it. Plus, I school there"

Suddenly, the man sitting on the couch burst out laughing. His small oval eyes closed shot as he laughed.

What's funny? - I thought

"Quit laughing Bullet" she muttered, frowning at him.

Bullet? His name is Bullet? - I thought

He continued laughing till he was satisfied before he stood up and walks over to her, clapping.

"Congratulations, Hostage taker," he said, cupping her cheeks.

"You just gave the victim information about you instead of getting information from him"

The girl's eyes shot wide the moment he said that. She reacted by pushing him away from where he stood as she exclaimed "No way!"

"Yes way" he chuckled, staggering as if he was drunk.

"Now, let me kindly untie this gentleman and explain what's going on here"

After hearing that, I wondered if I should be jubilant or disturbed about it. Of course, I'm getting the freedom I've yearned for but where on earth would I go to? Secondly, I needed answers to a lot of questions churning and burning inside me.

I watched as he makes it towards me, unfortunately, In a matter of seconds, two hands were wrapped around his waist, forcefully dragging him backward.

"Wait! Give me five more minutes" she whined, groaning as she tried to pull him. Sadly, Bullet stood still, smiling as if nothing was happening.

I just sat there and watch both of them and wondered if I was dreaming. Who knows, perhaps I'm still sleeping at the restaurant and dreaming about all of this.

" You know what?" she said, breathing heavily at the same time struggling to drag Bullet away from me. She later let him go.

"Have it your way. I'm going to bed" walking towards the stairs.

Bullet simply smiled at her and said

"Good night Hostage taker!"

"Shut up!" she barked, hastily climbing the stairs.

"Well somebody's in a bad mood today" he muttered as he slowly squats down and began untying the ropes around my legs.

"Sorry about that. She's been throwing a tantrum ever since I got here." He explained. "For some reason, I'll rather not say, I had to let her do this to you. I'm Bullet and that angry bird who just left is Iris. She owns this house, I'm just the bodyguard."

Tossing away the ropes to one side, he knelt and started losing the ropes around my body. From the warm tones of his cologne to those of his voice, and the messy shaggy bangs hairstyle - he was so easy to fall in love with.

" I found you unconscious on the streets. Some thugs were about to abduct you so I played the role of a cop to scare them away." our eyes met but I quickly looked away. I usually felt uncomfortable making eye contact with people when this close. Most times, I find myself staring at other places.

"What's your side of the story? Who are you and why were they trying to abduct you?" His voice sounded stern and concerned.

I hesitated before finally narrating my side of the story. By the time I finished narrating, he had already finish losing the ropes and guided me to the kitchen.

" So, you're saying you met some random guy who told you he works at an apartment when you desperately needed one," he said, handing me a bottle of water. "Have this, you must be thirsty"

I collected it and swallowed greedily all the liquid in the container. I was indeed very thirsty.

"Yes, I did" I breathe out. " Now that I know I'm safe, I believe that shouldn't bother me anymore" I tossed the bottle into the waste bin. "What says the time by the way?"

" It's 1:45 am. You were unconscious for like two hours, thirty minutes " he replied, taking a look at his phone. It reminds me of having one too and also luggage.

I quickly dug into my pocket, knowing that it was the last place I kept it. To my dismay, it wasn't there.

"I'm guessing that you're looking for Your phone and side bag," he asked. I looked up at him and nodded. "it's in the leaving room let me get them for you"

I followed him, feeling relieved that I still had everything I owned but panicked when I recalled that I left my luggage where I got ambushed.

"Is everything alright?" Bullet asked after I've collected my belongings from him.

Frowning, as I sat on the couch, I muttered

"I wish"

He sat beside me and patted me on the shoulder "Hey, don't stress yourself about this. You can just lay a complaint at the police station later today"

"I'm more worried about my luggage I left somewhere on the streets. Besides, I'm planning on doing that " I sighed.

"thank you for the help. Bullet? Right?"

"Yes, and you're welcome. You know, there's a possibility that what happened to you was all planned" I look at him, arching an eyebrow.

" Yeah, you need to take this seriously." he stood up. "Anyway, for now, since I'm on patrol, you can spend the night in my room"

My eyes shot wide. I needed a place, but I didn't want to

"Oh no. You help me out this much already. I think they're plenty of apartments I could use for the night "

He tilted his head to the side, giving me a confused look. "By this time of the day?"

"They offer 24 hours of service here, right" I hopefully asked, forcing a smile.

He shrugged. "Okay, I won't force you to stay but whenever you decide, " he pointed at a door, right across the room. From where I sat, you could sight the elegant dining table standing few meters away from the door. "That's my room. See you in the morning"

I watched as he walks over to the door, picked up a coat from a wooden sturdy coat rack, and closed the door behind him as he exited.

I hope I'm not going to regret this.

The best thing about yesterday's journey was that luck was on my side. I would have been somewhere else by now, maybe dead but thankfully, I'm still alive and staying at a stranger's house. Yes, you read that part right. I agreed to stay. Who wouldn't? I wasn't ready to meet my ancestors anytime soon and I'm very certain that'll be where those thugs would take me to. If not, what could they have wanted from a foreigner? Money?

The shower water, hot and ample, awakening my skin in all the right ways. I wish I could stay there all day in its cocoon, but the day awaits.

The fact that Aquila knows Mr. Lu as well as, he's Chinese raised a lot of questions in my mind. I got lost in thoughts as I showered. It was very nice of Bullet to let me stay in his room for the night. Even though I still had unanswered questions, I concluded to get some sleep before thinking about anything else.

When I came out of the bathroom, I found a pair of cloth set on the bed and a small note on top stating;

' I don't know if these would do, but use this for the night'

I smiled and gently slipped into the sweats pants and shirt. It didn't fit perfectly. Oversized for my slim body, but I could still manage it.

I let out a sigh of relief as my body collided against the soft mattress and pillow. My head upon the pillow spoke to my soul of sanctuary and rest as my eyes closed. I'd always have a little sparkle of joy before falling asleep. I was that way from childhood. The bed was my sweet thing and it made me as happy as any other treat. I'd fall asleep in good time, either slowly or fast, either way, I enjoyed that feeling of relaxing.

There in the cozy blankets, snug and safe, letting the world of dreams come to me in its dancing way. Gradually, I began to drift apart from the conscious world.

Out of the blue, a voice came in, Calling my name. I didn't respond to the call as I was willingly ready to drift into sleep. I remain still, my eyes closed but yet again, my name was called. This time around, I felt a gentle tap on my lap after I heard the call.

I was sleepy but managed to lazily open my eyes to see Mr. Lu in front of a car seat, tapping my lap continuously.

"Wake up Sleep Head" he sang, in Chinese.

★★★

\*胆小如鼠 (as timid as a rat)

The idiom 'As timid as a rat' used by liqin in this chapter is often used by Chinese to express contempt for cowards. He was simply referring to himself being a coward if he told the girl he was terrified.

\*\*Q-tip: A nickname she allocated to Liqin.