Applause rang out as the last note of the piano faded. Eighteen-year-old Jinny Lu Harris stood from the bench, crossing one ankle over the other as she curtsied to the audience. Head held high, she walked off the stage, the faces of those around her hiding faint yearning under the hostility. As a musical prodigy, Jinny was used to being ostracized and envied by her peers.
Taking a seat in the shadows, Jinny let out a breath, shaking the adrenaline from her hands. The nerves never showed during her performances, it was only after that her body started shaking, and her face would flush with excited fear. While she got herself under control, her phone rang.
"Jinny Harris?" The voice held authority and impatience. Jinny sat up straight, dread slithering down her spine.
"Yes?"
"I am officer West. I am sorry to inform you, but your father was in a car accident. He is at Pine Rest Medical Center in critical condition. You need to come as soon as possible." The officer's voice faded in and out, Jinny's head feeling like it was full of cotton. She stood, then sat down; standing again when he had finished his sentence.
"Miss Harris?"
"Yes! Yes, I'll… I'll be right there." Jinny hung up, her feet moving before she could think things through. Not that she was in any condition to think. The only family she had, the only person to care for her, was badly hurt… and she wasn't there.
Running through the lobby, Jinny didn't hear the fans calling her name or see the looks of smug satisfaction from her classmates, all she saw was the yellow line of taxis waiting outside. Jinny grunted in pain when she ran into the push-bar of the glass door, the jarring sound of the metal snapping her out of her daze enough for her to take a calming breath.
She pushed the bar, running towards the first available taxi. Giving the driver the name of the hospital, Jinny started meditating, using the breathing techniques she had learned during her first week of school. The taxi driver had taken one look at her pale face and dilated eyes before taking off as though he was in the middle of a car chase.
Arriving at the emergency entrance of the hospital, Jinny's mind was calm and collected. As long as her father was alive, there was hope. She spoke to the nurses at the front desk in a clear, controlled voice, her mind blank. One of the nurses called another, this one leading Jinny to a separate waiting room where a man in a police uniform stood. He held a disposable cup in his dark hand, his chocolate brown eyes expressionless as they looked Jinny over.
"Miss Harris?" He held out his hand, "I am officer Eddison West, we spoke on the phone." Jinny looked at him silently, her eyes betraying her numbness as she waited for officer West to continue speaking. The door marked 'ICU' opened and a man in a white doctor's smock entered, looking up from the clipboard in his hands.
"Jinny Harris?" The doctor waited for her affirmation, "Your father is stable, for now. We have him in an induced coma until the swelling in his brain goes down. He also suffered severe damage to his lumbar region, we won't know how severe until he wakes up. Would you like to see him?" The doctor finally looked up from his clipboard, giving Jinny an impatient look.
"Yes, please," Jinny said, sweeping past the officer who looked like he still wanted to speak to her. The nurse who had escorted her led Jinny to a room with a single bed, machines beeping and humming around the man laying under the thin sheet. Jinny took the chair sitting on the other side of the bed, looking at her father blankly.
Jim Harris had been handsome in his youth, black wavy hair and strong cheekbones giving him a powerful, almost arrogant aura. Now at forty-five, and hooked up to multiple tubes and machines, he looked like a shadow of himself. A white strip was wrapped around his head, hiding his gray striped hair, and his face showed deep wrinkles even as it was relaxed in sleep.
"Is there anyone you would like to call?" The nurse asked gently. Jinny shook her head, the only family she acknowledged in front of her. Her mother had given Jinny to her father after Jinny was born, refusing any contact, and Jim's parents died when Jinny had been in elementary school. There was only the two of them.
A tear slid down Jinny's cheek, and she swept it away angrily. Now was not the time for tears. Her father had cut his schooling short and brought Jinny to America to raise her as a single father, there was no way he would abandon her. Jinny took her father's thin hand in hers, willing him to wake up.
——————
Jin Lu blinked her eyes, confused, her hand held firmly in Long Yin's strong fingers. She shook her hand free, the force she had been using to hold Long Yin's hand having strained her fingers.
"Good morning." Long Yin's cheeky smile reached his eyes, making them warm as honey. Jin Lu scooted back to sit up. Long Yin slid his arm around Jin Lu's waist, using little effort to help her. Honey and violet eyes stared into each other as neither spoke, Jin Lu still somewhat trapped in her dream, while Long Yin was happy to stare at Jin Lu. It wasn't until Liu Jing walked into the dorm that they separated, both turning to see what he wanted.
Bai Feng and Ren Hong entered behind Liu Jing, Ren Hong shoving her way between Long Yin and Jin Lu to grab Jin Lu's wrist. A sigh of relief came from Ren Hong's lips, the corner of her mouth rising before falling quickly into a deep frown.
"You're stable. No damage to the veins or meridians. It seems that whatever was blocking you has been fixed." Ren Hong let go of Jin Lu's wrist, standing up to leave as quickly as she had entered. Jin Lu looked from the door to Master Bai, her mind still too muddled to fully process what was going on.
"I must first apologize, I did not think Jin Lu would advance so swiftly or with such force." Master Bai fisted his hands, his head bowed low between them. Long Yin nodded, waving his hand for Master Bai to rise.
"It was a shock to everyone. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured and Jin Lu was able to advance to high Silver, high Mortal stage." Long Yin's smile widened, his eyes flashing with approval. Master Bai's jaw slackened, and he rushed over, grabbing Jin Lu's wrist with trembling fingers.
"How? To jump two levels in both cultivation styles… remarkable." Long Yin removed Bai Feng's slack fingers from Jin Lu, signaling Liu Jing to escort Master Bai from the dorm. Liu Jing nodded, gently taking Master Bai's elbow and turning him towards the door. Stopping in the doorway, Master Bai turned back.
"Rest for a few days. No cultivating until I say so." Master Bai seemed to get command of himself and turned away with Liu Jing, leaving Long Yin and Jin Lu alone.
"Hungry?" Long Yin asked, revealing two steaming meat buns as if by magic from his sleeve. Jin Lu reached out to take one, the mouthwatering smell making her stomach growl. Long Yin watched Jin Lu quietly, lost in thought. Finishing the last bite, Jin Lu felt better than she had, ready to relax.
"Since you don't have to do anything tomorrow, we will go on a trip," Long Yin said, his eyes no longer looking into the distance. Jin Lu saw the mischief lurking in Long Yin's gaze and frowned, remembering a saying that her father used to say,
"Idle hands are the devil's tools."