From the moment she’d refused Zhou’s demand, she’d taken her fate into her own hands. With a deep breath, Mei Lin faced the woods. His hand slipped from hers and he turned around, running as he always did.
“We’ll see each other again someday,” she said gently. He stared wide-eyed into the trees beyond and then looked up at her, blinking furiously. By the last row of buildings, he grew stiff and his small legs locked in place, refusing to go farther. With each step, his feet dragged more and more. He shook his head and wiped his sleeve over his nose.
Like her, Little Cho only became more stubborn when someone told him no. She could have shaken free and sent him back, but instead she straightened. “But then who will take care of your mother and father?” “I’m going to learn how to fight with swords,” the boy insisted. What was she going to do? She pushed the thought away. “What are you going to do out in the wide world out there?” “Mei Lin, Mei Lin!” Little Cho grabbed onto her hand. The familiar stride brought tears to her eyes. She was halfway down the lane when the patter of footsteps sounded behind her. She was nothing but a burden to her aunt and uncle. No matter what happened that day, she couldn’t come back. Her fate was decided in so many little movements. Auntie hurried over and tried to press several coins into her hand, but she wouldn’t take them. Uncle snorted and turned his back on her as she started down the road. “Thank you for your generosity all these years.” There was more than honor and the need to set things right. She had nestled against him, afraid to ask what would happen next. His lips had brushed against her hair after they made love. She thought of Shen Leung as she lifted them. The butterfly swords were there beneath it, her only possessions. She went to the mat in the corner of the front room. They lived not twenty paces from the noodle shop, in a two room hovel that was cramped even before she had arrived. Wang nodded solemnly and, just like that, their old grudge swept away on the breeze. She had assumed Wang had sent Shen Leung to her rescue. “It would have been worse if you hadn’t found Shen Leung.”
“I should have never left you alone, Mei Lin.” Wang lowered his voice, sounding genuinely anguished. For once, she felt an itch of pride in their dogged obedience. His cronies circled the avenue restlessly, prowling for a fight. “I wasn’t here to stop them, but next time…” His left arm hung in a sling and he winced when he saw the bruise on her cheek. “Worthless.” Uncle left her to grumble at Auntie Yin. But why had he left so quickly after the things he’d said to her? After the things they’d done? The only time the world made sense was when they were together. She was more an outsider than even Shen Leung. She had brought this turmoil upon their peaceful town. The broken benches reminded her more than ever that she had never belonged. “What are we going to do now?” he ranted.
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