Five years earlier, Susie had travelled to a Sydney to study medicine. Her father had done everything he could to make her a success. He'd put her through a good school, hired tutors and then sent her over to Australia.
Then, he lost his job when he lost his hand. His ongoing depression had changed a once visionary surgeon into a desperate, drunken mess. Her mother became bitter. But Susie refused to leave her father uncared for. Even as her parents solved their problems through her marriage she was determined to give them the honour due.
"I hope they'll be alright." She meant her parents. She didn't have any siblings.
Even though Susie had no idea what was going on she was pretty hopeful that it was going back in time for ten years. She loved wuxia and so transmigration was a possibility. It might be some kind of reincarnation.
"Perhaps I've been abducted by aliens." She would have said this out loud but at this point she was just a soul, or that was her guess.
"Jemman. Jemman!"
Susie opened her eyes. The world looked dark.
Pain burst from her chest.
Crack.
She vomited out bloody water.
"You stupid girl. How many times have I told you not to swim in this river?"
When Susie looked over she saw a powerful looking man with sharp canines and a pair of wolf ears sticking out.
"No way! Transmigration it is."
Of course she said this to herself. Out loud she said,"Where am I? Who are you?"
"Damn! I was hoping I'd get someone else's memory."
"You stupid girl, I'm sick of your games. Just tell me what you're doing in the river?"
"Sir, I really don't know who you are. In fact, I don't know who I am."
While this was happening Susie decided that she was going to think of herself as Jemman. She had her memories but had lost her family but now she would become who she would become. I said I'd do anything but to be honest I'm not quite ready for this.
"Jemman is who you are and I'm the one whose going to have to beat you, again. Though, to be honest, it breaks my heart. You'll never be a Kenstar if you let a little thing like drowning stop you."
"Why beat me? What's a Kenstar? Who am I? Where am I?"
She didn't really think she'd get many answers but decided that she should make her amnesia clear. After all, she'd just drowned.
The man's gruff voice turned soft. "You're not joking?"
Immediately his eyes hardened. "Too many times. You've cried "Jarsh" too many times for me to fall for that . Now get up."
"Jarsh? What's a jarsh?"
"I'll feed to you to a jarsh if you don't stop stuffing around."
Jemman struggled to get up. She over-balanced, but just before face-planting a strong furry arm reached under her.
"Please Sir. I'm guessing you don't believe me but I promise you that I do not remember anything."
At once the wolfish man stopped and stared at her.
"Jemman, you are a joker but I've never heard you break your word. Come on and I'll get you you a drink of water."
The words were kind but Jemman's heart started to race. "They really are big teeth."
As she got up and tried to take a step, a confusing perspective had her face-planting again. This time the man/wolf was too slow.
She took a moment and looked down at herself. Olive-skinned, skinny arms were the first thing she saw. Her arms and legs belonged to a little kid. Her voice was childish, but then she'd always had a cutesy voice.
"I'm a little girl!"
For once her inner dialogue was forced out.
"No, yesterday you were a little girl, today you're training to be a Kenstar."
"Sir, please tell me who you are. Or at least what to call you. I don't know what a Kenstar is? I don't remember anything."
Jemman burst into tears. It was one of the many skills she'd gained having a doting father.
The big wolf-man sat down. Actually, the huge wolf-man sat down.
"I'm Jardin your trainer. A Kenstar is a warrior-mage who fights using qi. You have the smallest amount of qi of any Kenstar I've ever met and if you ever try to get your way by crying again I'll beat you silly."
"You brat." Jemman heard him say it under his breath.
He still gave her a drink of water as he looked down at her.
"Do you know what qi is?"
"Sure, it's energy I cultivate with to make my soul strong. Then I use it like magic to move fast and beat people up." Jemman answered quickly.
She figured she'd use being a little girl for as long as she could. It's pretty much what she thought anyway. "Mmm, I'm pretty sure I circulate it through my meridians and store it in my dantian."
He smirked and said, "Who taught you? Your nanny? Still, it's your first day of training and I've heard worse. Way worse actually. Though you haven't opened any meridians and you couldn't absorb enough qi to warm a sore finger."
"Enough, today we train. It doesn't matter if you've forgotten everything and everyone. I was going to make you wish you'd never been born so let's treat you like you never were. You won't see you're family for six months anyway."
Jardin's comment didn't make much sense but it was enough to work with.
She discovered over the rest of the day that a lot of what he said didn't make sense. But, he kept his promise. She really did wish she never got born.