A month had passed since the time her grandmother passed away. Qian Lan was able to convince her mother to let her work at the local grocery store down the block with Ah-Mi. Even though she only made nine dollar an hour, it was still something to call her own. This way Qian Lan was able to buy herself whatever she wanted too.
After a long eight-hour shift, Qian Lan was ready to head home. To her surprise she had twenty miss calls from her mother.
"Qian Lan, what's wrong?"
"That's weird…...my mother rarely ever contacts me but I missed twenty of her calls just now."
"That is odd. Did you want me to take you home?"
"It's alright, I have my bike today. See you tomorrow Ah-Mi."
"Okay, let me know when you get home then."
"I will, goodnight!"
Ah-Mi leaves with Lei Yi who came to pick her up. Meanwhile, Qian Lan unlocks her bike and heads home. After ten minutes she arrives home to find numerous cars and relatives outside her parents' home.
"What's going on?"
Qian Lan locks her bike to a nearby tree and walks to the main entrance. As she walks in, she realizes everyone was sitting in the dining room and living room with worried looks on their faces. Unsure to what was going on, Qian Lan makes her way up the stairs and peaks into her sisters' room. There she finds her mother and father with worried looks on their faces as a priest was chanting sutras at her unconscious sister.
"What's going on?"
"Qian Lan? Why didn't you answer your phone!"
"I was working, we can't even touch our phone until we go on break! What's wrong with big sister?"
"We don't know…. she won't wake up!"
As much as she disliked her sister, wishing for her death was something Qian Lan would never want. Quickly dropping her things in her room, she runs back to sit at her sister's bed side. Once the priest was finished chanting, Qian Lan's parents quickly asked him what was going on.
"What's wrong with our daughter priest?"
"There is nothing wrong with her physically, but it seems to me this is the work of a curse. Am I correct?
"What…. what do you mean?"
"You can't hide this from someone who's seen and knows too much. Why don't you send your relatives home and fill me in on your family history."
For the first time in her life, this was the first time Qian Lan had heard of anything so ridiculous. Baffled and confused she watched as her parents agree.
"What? You guys seriously believe him?"
"Be quiet Qian Lan. You need to listen to this story too."
Once everyone was gone, leaving only Qian Lan, her parents and the old priest. Qian Lan listened as her mother spoke of a story of why the Yang family are curse to have twins.
"This started about five hundred years ago. One of our ancestors gave birth to a pair of beautiful twin girls. They were both healthy and identical. One was named Mei and the other one was named Pei. The sisters got along well until a drought happened. The high shaman who worked for the king determined that one of the sisters was destined to be offered to the water god."
Qian Lan listened closely even when she didn't believe in such things.
"The parents couldn't afford to sacrifice their daughters and so they left the decision up to the sisters to decide. Unlike Mei, Pei was a coward and didn't want to die. On the morning of the ritual, Pei drugged Mei and dressed her up in the sacrificial bridal clothing. Mei died angry and her anger became a curse to the Yang family. The oldest one will always be born weak and die by the time they turn twenty."
Qian Lan thought to herself that their birthday was only a week away now. She couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason for her sister getting weaker and weaker.
"What does that have to do with me? Is that why you two thought it was okay to treat me like dirt? Like I wasn't your child?"
"Qian Lan you probably hate your dad and I for never loving you, but unlike your sister you are healthy and most likely going to live much longer than your sister. Your sister is destined to die, just like my older sister."
"Well, did your parents treat you the way you treat me?! No, granny and grandpa treated and loved you and aunt the same even before she passed!"
"Qian Lan keep your voice down!"
"Why should I father?! I've let my voice go silent for too many years now!"
"Slap!"
Qian Lan's father slaps her across the face to silence her. With tears still streaming down her shocked face, Qian Lan quickly dashes out of the living room and runs outside in the rain. Ignoring everyone who called after her. Qian Lan ran and ran in the rain, like her life depended on it.
Soon, she realized she was standing in front of New York's time square. Qian Lan watched as everyone looked at her like a crazy woman with no umbrella in this heavy rain. After calming down, Qian Lan drags her heavy feet home.
Quickly unlocking the front door, Qian Lan runs up the stairs while drenched and packs herself a bag of clothes, her piggy bank and some snacks she had stashed away. As she was about to head out, Xia Lan could hear her sister calling for her.
"Ring Ring."
For once in her life, Qian Lan ignored it. As she stepped outside, she realizes her parents had just returned home from trying to find her. To hide from them she quickly runs and hides inside the temple. Once Qian Lan could no longer hear her parent's footsteps; she reaches for the door only to find it stuck.
"Sigh! Really?! Just my luck!"
Taking out her phone, Qian Lan text messages Ah-Mi to notify her that she was locked inside the temple. As she waited for Ah-Mi to arrive, Qian Lan moves away from the door and places her bag on the floor. Slowly removing her wet clothes, Qian Lan changed into her thick nightgown. An hour passes and Ah-Mi finally replies and tells Qian Lan she was on her way. Feeling tired and restless, Qian Lan decided she was going to take a nap as she waited.
"Sigh…...granny why didn't you take me with you?"
Qian Lan stares at the bracelet she got from her grandmother. Like her grandmother mentioned, for some reason the bracelet had shrunk to the point where Qian Lan couldn't take it off without breaking it. Lightly kissing the jade bracelet, Qian Lan wished her grandmother a good night and closes her eyes.
Rather than staying asleep, Qian Li wakes up to a water puddle; where her hand was resting.
"What the heck? Is there a leak?"
Qian Lan sits up and moves away from the large puddle. Unsure how it got there she lightly touches the puddle and in that split second, Qian Lan felt a strong force pull her through the puddle.
Ah-Mi finally arrives with her brother and glances inside the temple cracks for Qian Lan. With no signs of Qian Lan, Ah-Mi quickly runs to the front door of Qian Lan's home only to find her mother answering the door.
"Ah….is Qian Lan not home?"
"Who knows where that rebellious girl is."
"She messaged me earlier saying she was stuck inside the temple. I looked and only saw her things."
"What?"
Qian Lan's mother quickly runs to grab her husband as they both quickly run to check inside the temple. Nothing but Qian Lan's thing's could be found. Her snacks, clothing, money and phone were all inside the temple.
"Oh no…..no no no…..this can't be."
Qian Lan's mother motions for Ah-Mi and Lei Yi to rest inside as they try to figure out where Qian Lan went. As the pair of siblings sat silently in the living room, Qian Lan's mother returns after she had just finished calling the same priest to come back. After waiting in silence for twenty minutes, the old priest was back.
"What's with the sudden call? I was just about to have dinner."
"My daughter, the tall one you met today has gone missing!"
"Why not call the police?"
"I don't think this is something the police can help with. Please follow me to the temple."
Qian Lan's mother brings the old man to the temple. Before even walking inside the temple, everyone watched as the old man begin to shake uncontrollably. Qian Lan's mother who was standing in front of him quickly realizes from the old man's reaction that this was indeed the work of something much stronger and inhuman.
"Looks like your hunch was right. This is beyond me."
"What? No! You have to help me get my daughter back!"
"Look, lady I can't deal with gods and curses okay? These things are beyond me. Whatever happens is up to her."
The old man quickly runs out of the temple grounds and heads back in his car. With no one to turn to Qian Lan's mother calls up her brother and aunt. She informs them of what's happened and for them to check on the bracelet in their storage room. The aunt goes on to inform Qian Lan's mother that her bracelet was now missing. Unsure of what to do Qian Lan's mother falls to the ground and cries.