Episode 1

...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

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