Chapter 2

~*~

Lee woke up that morning to a bone rattling crash, which caused him to jump a good four inches into the air, cruelly yanking him out of a dream he was having. He raised his face, which had been smothered by his warm pillow, looking groggily around. It seemed to have come from the living room.

“Be careful!” he heard his mother shriek in Chinese, and Lee scrunched up his face, deciding it was much too early for any type of ruckus.

“I apologize, ma’am.” A man’s voice replied, sounding sincerely regretful.

Lee was lying on his stomach, and his arms were nestled tightly under his pillow. Deciding that the situation was much more interesting than his warm bed, he rolled out of it, a moan working its way up his throat as his feet hit the floor.

He gripped the edges of his night shirt, pulling it down to his waist, because it had ridden up his stomach during the night.

Opening the door, he sauntered out of his room, slowly making his way towards the living room, and not particularly in a straight line.

He peaked around the door frame of the living room, finding his mother looking very upset, her soft cheeks having turned a rosy red. There was a man to the side of her, waving his hands about and talking in Chinese. Two other men stood off to the side, looking very frightened. They did not meet his mother’s eyes.

As the man continued to apologize to his mother, Lee’s eyes float toward the object in which Lee suspected had created the loud noise. It was an ancient looking chest. It was made out of walnut wood, and bore beautiful carvings on the sides. Lee recognized it as Aunt Yuri’s, having seen it about a million times when he’d spend the night there. He remembered his aunt telling him she’d bought it when she visited America, years ago.

“Do you realize how old this is?” his mother continued angrily, becoming flustered. Her voice had risen about five octaves.

Lee waddled across the living room, stopping at his mother’s side. He reached up with tiny fingers, curling them around his mother’s hand, standing there silently as the thick atmosphere continued to boil. At her son’s touch, his mother immediately began to calm down, breathing in deeply through her nose.

“Please just set it over there up against the wall.” Her voice was lower now, and she pushed the anger back down. The man blinked at her and her sudden change of mood, then turned to the chest, barking at one of his men to help him lift it. Lee clung to his mother calmly as the men carried the chest to the location his mother had directed, setting it down carefully.

“For our carelessness, we will not charge you for the delivery service.” The man said, bowing formally in a ninety degree angle to his mother.  “And we are willing to pay for any damages.”

His mother huffed at the man, clearly still upset. Lee squeezed her hand.

“Thank you.” Was all she managed to say, and she reached up with her other hand to sweep back a lock of dark hair, tucking it behind her ear.

The man waved his hands at the other men, who latched onto his heels like puppies, following the man out of their home.

After the door was shut behind them, Lee looked up at his mother, his eyes still filled with sleep. His mother looked down at him, and a small smile tugged at her lips. She sank down to the floor, crossing her legs into a pretzel, now looking up at Lee. “The entire moving fee should be free,” she muttered, only traces of annoyance now lingered. Lee decided to distract his mother from the careless delivery men.

“Why do we have that?” his head swiveled on his shoulders as he looked in the direction to where the chest was now nestled.

“Aunt Yuri gave it to us.” His mother’s voice had changed now, melting into a different tone, a tone that made Lee very uneasy.

“But why?”

Lee knew Aunt Yuri loved this chest, having said it was the only one of its kind that she could find while in the states. She treasured it. Lee couldn’t understand why she would give away something so precious, even if it was to her sister.

His mother hesitated, as if the answer to this simple question was much more complicated. “Because she wanted us to have it.”

Something didn’t feel right, and a heavy feeling bloomed inside of his stomach, but Lee didn’t press, because his mother clearly wasn’t having the best of mornings.

“Let’s go unpack your things.” His mother rose from the floor, returning to her normal height. She lead him over to a side of the room, where boxes were heaped one on top of the other, not very neatly, and Lee could only figure it was due to the delivery men.

Lee and his mother had burrowed themselves into his room, popping open the boxes, and heaving out various items.

His mother had assigned Lee to the lighter cargo, and he sat on the floor, pulling out his toys from a large box set in front of him.

It wasn’t long before Lee’s tummy began to rumble, and then he and his mother deserted their task, scurrying off to the kitchen.

Afterwards, Lee was washing the dishes while his mother rummaged around the kitchen, making a list of things she needed to get in the market. Lee wasn’t tall enough to reach the sink yet, so he had perched himself on a stool he found buried within the broom closet. He let the warm water run over his hands as he scrubbed at a plate. He was being messy about it, and his arms were now soaked to the elbow. He caught himself giggling as the soap suds splashed onto the front of his shirt, soaking the material. He enjoyed washing dishes a little more than a little boy should.

“Do you want to go to the market with me this afternoon?” his mother had migrated to the counter, writing down the last of the things she needed.

Lee whipped around, peering over his shoulder, his eyes wide and mouth tight with excitement.

“Yes!” he thought maybe he’d said it a little too loudly, and perhaps he was much too excited for a trip to the market, but Lee didn’t care. The thought of exploring even a small corner of Shanghai excited Lee, having seemed to have forgotten how crowded it was yesterday. Lee would teach himself to not be scared of crowds.

~*~

Lee had been sent to his room to get dressed, his mother retreating to her own bedroom to get ready. He pulled his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, poking his head through the neckline. His hair was now sticking up in all directions due to the static, so he reached up smother the unruly fringe.

He left his room, finding his mother already in the kitchen. She had pulled back her long hair into a pony tail, revealing her beautiful features. She’d draped a large cloth grocery bag over her shoulder. She looked up at Lee as he waddled into the kitchen.

“Ready?”

Nodding profusely, his tummy filled with excitement, his mother floated over to his side, pressing her hand into his back, leading him out of the door.

~*~

Lee had immediately decided that the market was his favorite place in China. There was a crowd, but they emitted a much friendlier atmosphere, peering down at Lee, cooing at him and smiling kindly at him. Lee’s senses were overwhelmed with wonderful smells as he and his mother weaved their way through the stands. He clung to her hand, but not as tightly as the other day. Lee wasn’t scared anymore. He was curious. He let the smells of the marked fill him up, all the way from hot and spicy, to sweet and tangy. His eyes widened with curiosity as they made their way deeper within the market. His wandering eye landed on a hawker’s stall settled right in the middle of the market. From it, steam emitted up from a pan, making Lee’s mouth water.

“Lee!”

Lee whipped around at the sound of his name, his eyes landing on Han in the distance, who was running towards him, that wide smile ripped across his face.

Lee didn’t know what came over him, but he felt his own lips tug into a smile.

Han reached him, his eyes wide, filled with sparkles.

“Hi, Han.” He said calmly, letting Han catch his breath.

“Well, who’s this?” Lee’s mother’s voice floated into his ear, bright and happy now, and he realized she had crouched down on her haunches, peering brightly at Han over Lee’s shoulder.

“This is Han.” Lee replied, gesturing to the boy. Lee could tell by the look on his mother’s face that Han was just about the most adorable thing she’d ever seen, besides himself of course. She was using the voice she only used for the most beautiful of children. Han did seem to have that effect. Even though he’d annoyed him greatly yesterday, there was something about him that kept Lee from blowing up, which he would’ve done to anyone else. Something about Han made Lee want to hold back his anger towards him. When he had told Han that he had to go, the look on his face nearly broke his heart.

Han’s fingers were sticky and he was licking his lips, as if he’d eaten something very sweet and delicious. They shined in the sunlight, and his pink tongue lapped out again to lick them.

Lee’s mother straightened back up, looking down at the boys. Han had begun to bounce on the soles of his feet, peering up at Lee’s mother, rubbing his sticky fingers together. A beautiful laugh emitted from her throat, clearly receiving Han’s subliminal message.

“Go ahead, you two.” She chuckled, her tone light. One of the many laughs Lee had missed so dearly. “Go play.”

She smiled down at Lee, and he couldn’t protest, not when his mother was wearing that smile. She seemed to be very pleased that Lee had someone to play with. Lee had to say that he was too, even if Han was two years younger than him. Han was just so much younger than him, and clearly not mature. Lee was mature, his mother had said so.

Han came across very annoying, a boy who asked too many questions, and who was without a doubt, too happy. Nonetheless, Lee found himself curious about this boy named Han.

~*~

Han and Lee buried themselves amongst the crowd, eyes wide with curiosity as they weaved throughout the bustling bodies, scoping out all of the food booths. Everything looked delicious, but unfortunately, Lee had not asked his mother for money.

Han had waddled up to a food stall, disappearing behind the back of it. Lee followed him to find the man who owned it greeting Han with bright eyes. The man hunched over a bit, and the top of his head was very shiny from the absence of hair. What hair he did have was riddled with a dark grey, with speckles of white. There was an aura about him that made Lee feel very bubbly, and when the man smiled, little creases formed at the corners of his eyes, which sparkled when he laughed. The man had a booming laugh which could’ve rattled the nation, making Lee feel a little happier than he already was.

“Han!” the man exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you in weeks!” the man was clearly enthusiastic over Han’s sudden appearance.

“It’s only been about a week, Uncle Hiro.” Han retorted with a smile, giggling at the man’s exasperated hand gestures.

“Has it really? Well maybe I’m just losing track of time.” The man puffed, still grinning very widely. He looked to Lee, who’d floated up next to Han.

“Is this a friend of yours?”

“Yes, this is Lee.”

The man cocked his head at the name, and Lee hoped that he wouldn’t ask his real name.

“Well you two look like you get into a load of trouble.”

“Not yet, sir.” Han grinned, causing the man’s chest to rumble with a deep chuckle.

The man’s eyes sparkled, and he winked at Han, who continued to giggle.

“Well, you can’t go off on a grand adventure without something to eat!” Uncle Hiro proclaimed, turning back to the hawker’s stall, and reaching for two large pieces of chocolate.

~*~

Munching happily on the sweet food, the boys wandered deeper into the market, cheeks swelled twice their size. Lee’s eyes scraped up and down the street, scoping out the noisy area. He stuffed the rest of the chocolate into his mouth, clamping his mouth shut as he sunk his teeth into it. His hand swung loosely at his side, the other raised to his lips, sucking on his fingers. Lee took his lip between his teeth, sucking the sweetness free of it.

Han waddled along by his side, polishing off his own piece chocolate. Lee’s eyes landed on a piece of paper nailed to a wooden post. He peered closer, a picture of a boy coming into focus. He looked to be about twelve. He had dark hair, which brushed his forehead, scraping the tip of his ears. He was plopped down on the ground, his arms wrapped around a dog, a huge smile plastered across his face.

It was a missing poster.

Lee peered closer, the name of the child in large print beneath the picture, a phone number tacked to the bottom of it.

Lee didn’t have much time to register this, because Han was tugging on his sleeve. When Lee turned to him, Han was now running off, coaxing Lee to do the same.

Han ran ahead of him, and Lee had to speed up to catch up with him. Han looked over his shoulder at Lee, giggling as picked up speed, and Lee broke into a run, and the two of them ran side by side off to who knows where. The buzz of people’s voice echoed throughout Lee’s mind as his smile grew twice in size, his cheeks becoming hot. The sun was beating down on them, the street beneath his feet moving quickly as they picked up speed.

Suddenly, Han turned sharply around a corner, disappearing behind a brick wall. A bright laugh worked its way across Lee’s chest as he scrambled around the corner, reaching out his fingers to plant them into the wall to help him turn sharply.

“You’re too slow!” Han tantalized, having to raise his voice because he was nearly half a block ahead of Lee. The competition gene inside Lee broke through, and he sped up even faster, determined to catch up with the little twerp.

Han had disappeared around another corner, but Lee was catching up to him quickly. He ripped around the corner, but was halted to a stop, because Han had reached out, grabbing his arm firmly, pulling him back. Han was surprisingly strong, dragging Lee to duck behind a stack of wooden crates. As Han pulled Lee down to a crouch, Lee furrowed his brow, looking at Han, whose eyes were wide with fear.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, getting the feeling that he shouldn’t talk very loud, by the look on Han’s face.

Han raised his index finger to his lips, motioning Lee to be silent. He pressed his back up against the stone wall, tugging on Lee’s sleeve to do the same. Although Lee didn’t know what they were hiding from, they burrowed themselves behind the crates. Lee pulled his knees tightly into his chest, interlocking his fingers as he continued to watch Han, whose eyes were still wide with fear. He followed his gaze, which was fixed on the distance, where a group of men stood. They were dressed in clothing that was very worn, speaking lowly among themselves. Some of them paced back and forth, while others were huddled under a canopy, left behind by a market worker. Their faces were etched with a malevolency that made Lee cower behind the shadows. Something about these people scared Lee very much. The market and the protection of the crowd was now far off in the distance.

Lee and Han were alone.

Lee didn’t know who these people were, but he wanted to leave now, but something told him that if they saw Han and Lee, things might not go so well. Lee’s eyes fixed on something leaning up against the stone wall, right next to a sitting man, who had his fingers clasped together, his chin resting on top. Lee’s eyes widened as he realized what the object was.

It was a gun.

Lee’s fingers reached out, tugging intently on the boy’s sleeve. He wanted to leave. Suddenly, Lee felt like the younger of the two.

Lee’s eyes widened with fear as they clicked onto one of the men huddled in the shadows. At his feet, lying on the ground barely conscious, was a young man. From the looks of it, he looked to be about fifteen years old. He was breathing very lightly. Blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth. He was lying on his side, his black hair having fallen into his dulling eyes. Lee’s jaw fell slack at the sight of this boy, lying helpless on the ground, at the mercy of these people.

Lee reached out to grab Han’s arm, and the boy’s leaned forward as they watched in awe.

“Han.” Lee’s voice was very small. His eyes were nailed to the boy lying on the floor. “We have to do something.”

Suddenly, the sound of thundering footsteps fill the air, and policeman broke around the corner of the street, closing in on the rebels. The rebels began to scramble about, attempting to get away, but it was no use, because the policeman had pulled out their weapons, aiming them right at the rebels. One of the policeman pushed through the rebels, kneeling to where the boy was lying.

Han and Lee watched as the policeman laced his arms under the boy’s body, lifting him into the air, retreating back to the band of policeman. They took each of the rebels, binding their hands behind their backs with handcuffs, shoving them down the street, taking them away.

Han’s fingers closed around Lee’s wrist as they scrambled to their feet, whipping around the corner and breaking into a run, back to the market.

The sound of people filled Lee’s ears again as they ripped around another corner, landing in the center of the market.

Once the boys caught their breath, Lee looked down at Han.

“Who were those people?”

Han looked up at him, fear still lingering within his eyes. “They’re the Rebels.”

 “Who are the Rebels?”

“I don’t know. Uncle Hiro won’t ever tell me. He says I wouldn’t understand. He believes it has something to do with the government. He says that some people think it’s corrupt, so there are some trying to rise up against it.”

Lee didn’t’ know much about protesters, but he was pretty sure they didn’t normally carry weapons. “But why did that man have a gun?”

Han’s normally bubbly attitude was replaced with a seriousness that frightened Lee. Han looked ten times his age.

“Because Uncle Hiro says they’re not afraid to hurt anyone who gets in their way.” His voice was low, the high pitched, perky voice no longer there.

“He says that these rebels are dangerous. They’re known for taking people and holding them hostage. Especially children.”

“Children?”

The word felt wrong in his mouth, and Lee wanted to spit it out. Why would anyone want to take children just for the benefit of a protest?

“Yeah, that’s why there has been so many missing children lately. It’s because of the kidnappings.”

Lee felt his heart drop into his stomach, suddenly feeling the desire to find his mother. He had no idea that there had been kidnappings here in Shanghai. He curled his fingers around Han’s wrist, dragging him off into the crowd of people.

Han could see that Lee was very upset, and he tried his best to calm him. “But it normally happens at night. And the police are catching the bad guys. You saw it. They arrested those men.”

Lee wasn’t listening. His breath had hastened, and he whipped around, longing for his mother’s warm side.

He heaved a sigh of relief as his eyes ticked onto his mother, who was buying a bag of apples from a man. Releasing his hold on Han’s wrist, he flew up to her side, reaching up to grab a fistful of her shirt. She looked down at Lee with alarm, her brow furrowing.

“Lee, what’s wrong?” clearly Lee still looked frightened by the look his mother was giving him, and she reached down to pluck his fingers from her shirt, curling her fingers around his hand. Lee didn’t say a word, because he was unsure of what to say. He just wanted to go home now.

Han had fluttered to his side, and he was looking up at Lee’s mother. The expression on his face looked normal now, not wanting to frighten Lee’s mother.

“I wanna go home.” Lee mumbled, his chest feeling very thick.

The crease in his mother’s brow deepened. Lee had the desire to tell his mother about the rebels, about the kidnappings, the mature side of Lee. But the other side, the adventurous side, wanted to hold it in, because he knew that his mother would never let him out of the apartment again, and Han and Lee wouldn’t be able to play anymore. He tried his best to brush away the feared look on his face, and just told his mother that he was tired.

 “Alright.” She replied softly, not liking it when her son was upset like this.

His voice still shaking slightly, he said his goodbyes to Han, who quietly promised them that he would immediately go to where his Uncle was.

~*~

Finally back in the safety of their home, Lee immediately felt much better. His mood had softened, and his mother seemed to calm down as well, finding her son reduced to nothing but a tired boy.

“You’re probably starving.” She said softly, and Lee found himself nodding profusely, because his stomach was growling terribly.

His mother had retreated to the kitchen, pulling out her newly purchased groceries, and started making Lee a sandwich.

Her back was turned away from Lee, and he walked up to the counter, leaping up on top of it, perched quietly as he watched his mother.

“Mama?”

Lee listened to the chop chop chop of the knife as she sliced an onion.

“Yes, baby?”

Lee’s voice was quiet as a question teetered on the tip of his tongue, drying it.

“What’s wrong with Aunt Yuri?”

Suddenly, the sound of chop chop chop disintegrated into the air. His mother had frozen, the knife hovering over the onion. A wisp of dark hair had fall into her eyes, and she didn’t even bother tucking it away. A sudden, thick atmosphere fell over the room. Lee suddenly regretted even asking this question.

“Aunt Yuri is very sick.” Her voice sounded like shattering glass, very fragile and breaking, and it trembled within her chest, falling to pieces as they fell past her lips. It made Lee’s heart rattle within his chest.

Lee knew this. Aunt Yuri had been sick for a long time, but Lee was slowly learning that something more serious was going on. He wanted to press on, but he was clearly upsetting his mother, and he didn’t want to do that, so he fell silent, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Hopping off of the counter, he floated up behind his mother. Reaching out, he curled his arms around his mother’s thin waist, pressing his cheek against her back as he squeezed. He heard a shaky breath of air fall from her lips, and he could tell she was trying very hard not to cry. He squeezed harder, willing his mother not to cry, begging her not to. He didn’t want to see that side of her again. He didn’t mean to hurt her. He closed his eyes, listening to his mother’s trembling breath, the sobs trying to break through. He held his breath, waiting for his mother’s own to steady. After a few seconds, she began breathing normally again, and Lee let go of his held breath, puffing it out through parted lips.

“I’m sorry, mommy.”

His mother shifted, and he realized she was turning around to face him, so he loosened his grip, backing up to look up at her. She sank down on her haunches, reaching up to place her hands on Lee’s sides, steadying him.

“Chin-ho, listen to me.” Her eyes were serious, clouded with the threat of tears. “What your aunt has, it’s hard to explain. But it’s something that’s hard to fight.” Lee didn’t like seeing his mother so upset, and he wanted to do everything he could to make her feel better. Lee felt so weak. So helpless.

“Is she going to get better?” his voice was small, just like him.

His mother pursed her lips, fighting back the tears that threatened to break through. “She’s certainly trying her very hardest.”

Lee felt so small. He found himself wishing he was older, stronger. So he could be able to make his aunt get better. It wasn’t fair.

His mother rose, turning back to the chopping board, but Lee wasn’t hungry anymore. He turned on his heel, running from the kitchen, and into his room. After shutting the door, he collapsed onto his bed, burying himself under the covers, squeezing his eyes closed really tight, because maybe if he tried hard enough, everything bad would go away.

~*~