One man, in particular, raises a brow and smirks. "Who's gonna treat ya?" he says with a chuckle.
"Excuse me?" she says defensively, not knowing how to react.
"We ain't gonna treat you any different than anyone else, ya hear?"
"I don't think you should talk to my guest like that." Mr. Du says.
The man scoffs and snorts in return. "Your guest? Who the hell do you think we are?"
"This girl's my wife, all right? So leave her the fuck alone, or I will make you."
The man lets out a laugh and throws back his head, seemingly enjoying making fun of her.
"Where did ya pick up this one?" the man asks.
A woman giggles. "From a whorehouse, duh." She leans closer toward Harriet with a smirk, winking at her seductively.
Harriet shudders. What the heck is she talking about?
"Settle down, everyone." Du Zuolin says. His face doesn't look angry. It seems neutral, except now he's staring directly at the man. "Now that we are all together let's discuss something important."
"Yeah, let's listen." the man grins and takes a seat.
Everyone around Harriet remains silent as if they're waiting for something.
Du Zuolin clears his throat. "For some time now, we have received intelligence reports showing that the Han Family will soon expand their territory in China," he begins. "And we must prepare accordingly."
"Is that so?" the man next to Harriet speaks up. "And just whose idea was it to send a bunch of weaklings to fight against their clan?"
Mr. Du doesn't respond.
The man continues, his tone becoming more aggressive by the minute. "You know what, I bet you're just trying to hide behind that stupid old man of yours-"
"Enough!" Du Zuolin interrupts, standing up. "Do you really want to start a war between our clans?"
"Of course not!" the man replies. "It's because of you that it's happening! If we had kept fighting this war, none of this would've happened! That's why I'm saying that we send some strong ones to the front lines to fight the Han Clan. Not just any fighters, either. Those who have a talent or strength."
"There is no point in fighting if we don't stand a chance." A man at the far left says.
"And that's why I called for a meeting. This needs to be discussed." Du Zuolin says calmly. "You all have questions, I assume?"
The whole table nods.
"Okay then." He turns to look at Harriet again. "Miss Duncan, do you mind answering a question for us?"
She nods hesitantly.
"How many of your talents do you think are hidden inside of you?" Du Zuolin asks.
"Um.." She furrows her brows. "Well, I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You spent too much power to pick up a log!" the man says. "Don't even try to deny it!"
"Hush." Du Zuolin commands, and the man lowers his head.
"Well," Harriet says. "I haven't done anything special yet, but-"
"Just like that?" the man laughs, mocking.
"Yes, just like that! I don't know if you can tell, but-"
"Shut it." The man cuts her off.
"Why are you guys acting like such jerks?" she exclaims, starting to get mad.
The man smirks. "You don't even know what's going on, and you speak."
Harriet stays quiet. She doesn't know what to say.
"I guess it's true what they say: women are easy prey," he says.
"Listen here, you-"
"Hey! Hey, shut it!" Du Zuolin yells angrily. "This is my house, so you have no right to say those things to my guests!"
"This meeting is useless." The man stands up and disappears.
The others seated at the table look to Du Zuolin for guidance.
"It appears this meeting is over." Du Zuolin announces, getting up from the chair and walking away.
The rest of the people slowly follow suit. The few who stayed behind stayed quiet, giving Harriet sympathetic looks.
She stares straight ahead. Her mind is completely blank. She sits still, staring at the table and her hands.
******
Harriet is in her room, reviewing her language studies until late at night.
'This is fine; it's like moving to France... Yes, I'm just learning French, ' she thought, smiling at the idea.
She closes her books and sighs.
She goes over to the window and opens it.
The cool evening breeze hits her skin as she stares out the window. She leans against the windowsill, closing her eyes.
'This place is amazing...'
She sighs.
She opens her eyes and looks around her room. She blinks a couple of times, thinking she might have imagined it. The same thing happens every day.
Now, she's probably crazy. But she can't help it. Something about the air here feels very similar to home.
Harriet's eyes narrow.
'Maybe that's why Mr. Du asked me to study abroad... I feel like I'm being followed….'
*****
In her room, Harriet keeps reading and rereading the same paragraph over and over again.
But she couldn't concentrate. She knew what she had read, but her mind wouldn't stop running wild. Every part of her body ached with a strange tension; the air was too thin. There was only so much she could take.
She gets off her bed and walks toward her desk.
'Damn, I hate this feeling.'
She picks up a brush and starts brushing her hair.
'Why am I so afraid? It's just words. There's nothing to worry about…' she tells herself repeatedly.
She continues brushing her hair until her hair falls flat.
'Still too long…' she thinks.
A knock is heard on the door.
'Looks like it's my captor.'
She walks over and opens the door.
Du Zuolin enters the room and closes the door behind him.
"Have you finished already?"
"Yup," she replies, putting her hairbrush back on her desk.
He walks over to her bed and plops down on it. He rests an elbow atop the mattress, staring at her.
"Have you ever noticed how everyone acts around you like they're waiting for something?" he asks.
She shakes her head.
"They're probably curious to see where your abilities come from, so they're watching you. It's been a while since you've been given a lesson, and apparently, they're curious about what you can do."
Harriet bites her lip and glances away. 'Can't I just be myself?' She wonders to herself.
"You've kidnapped and taken me away from home; I start talking differently and am forced to fit in. I don't know what to do," she replies, keeping her gaze averted from his. "Can't I be normal? Or at least act like a normal kid?"
Du Zuolin chuckles lightly.
"I can't tell you why, but I'll be here," he says. "I won't let them hurt you."
She sighs. "I wish someone else was doing this, though."
He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair off of her forehead. "We'll go back when you've learned what's expected of you," he says.
Harriet senses that this man is threatening, and her will to preserve her life is starting to crumble. She swallows hard and shifts uncomfortably. She hates acting like a scared child; she wants to keep pretending that she isn't enslaved and that everything is okay.
But she's beginning to wonder if she's just a pet being kept by this man.