The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. The children eagerly poured out of the school, chatting excitedly, their faces glowing in the fading evening light. Xin Yi's friends were no different. Mei, ever cheerful, waved goodbye, calling out, "Don't forget! Ask your mom about the trip. We need to hand in the list tomorrow!"
Xin Yi nodded but felt a knot tighten in her stomach. She already knew how the conversation with her mother would go. The familiar sense of dread settled in as she walked home, her steps slower than usual.
When she reached home, as was her routine, Xin Yi went straight to her room, dropping her school bag with a sigh. She stared out of the window for a moment, watching the quiet town bathed in the soft evening glow. It felt suffocating. ...
***
"Xin Yi, dinner's ready!" Hua Li's voice echoed from the kitchen, breaking her thoughts.
She walked to the dining room, where her mother had already set the table. Hua Li sat, waiting for her, a small smile on her face. "Hurry up, the food will get cold," she said warmly.
They ate in silence for a while, exchanging pleasantries about their day, but Xin Yi's mind was elsewhere. She was building up the courage to ask about the trip. Her heart pounded in her chest, her palms clammy as she grasped her chopsticks. Every bite felt heavier, like her throat was closing in.
"Mom, I told you about the school trip, right?" Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, testing the waters to see how her mother would react.
Hua Li's hand paused mid-air, chopsticks hovering above her plate. Her fingers trembled ever so slightly as she set them down carefully, but her expression stiffened. The warmth in her eyes dimmed, and the room seemed to grow colder.
She put her chopsticks down slowly, and looked at Xin Yi, her voice no longer carrying the same softness. "We've already talked about that."
Xin Yi felt her heart drop. That tone—the one that always shut her out—cut deeper than the words themselves. She swallowed hard, feeling a tightness in her throat. But this time, she wasn't going to back down.
"But why?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. Her eyes searched her mother's face, hoping for any flicker of understanding. "Everyone is going, so why can't I?"
Hua Li stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. Her hands trembled as she picked up the empty dishes, gripping them so tightly her knuckles whitened. "Don't argue with me, Xin Yi. I've made my decision," she said, turning sharply and heading to the kitchen, her movements stiff and controlled, as if keeping herself from snapping completely.
Xin Yi's chest tightened, anger and hurt bubbling inside her. She pushed back her chair with more force than intended, the sound cutting through the heavy air. "But why?" she repeated, her voice rising as frustration broke through. "There's no reason for you to say no! You always have some excuse, but you never tell me why!"
Hua Li whirled around, her eyes blazing with frustration, though a hint of something more—fear—flickered beneath the surface. "That's enough!!!!"...
she snapped, her voice shaking slightly.
Xin Yi's hands balled into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. She could feel her pulse racing, anger mixing with the sting of unshed tears. Her voice cracked as she spoke, the hurt bubbling to the surface. "I'm not a child anymore, Mom. You're hiding something from me, aren't you? Or are you just afraid I'll find out what it is?"
Hua Li's face softened for a fleeting moment, the mask of control slipping. But just as quickly, it returned, her expression hardening again. "There's nothing you need to know, Xin Yi. You're just… You're too young to understand."
The words stung, sharper than any blow. Xin Yi's tears finally spilled over, her vision blurring as she wiped them away with the back of her hand, anger mixing with the deep ache of disappointment. "I'm not too young," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm 18, Mom. You don't even trust me enough to tell me the truth."
She took a shaky breath, her chest tight, hands trembling. "w...wh..Why.. do we move every few years? Why do we live in this small town and not in the city like normal people? And why—why don't you ever let me have a phone? It's like you're trying to keep me locked away from the world!"
Hua Li's gaze faltered. For a moment, her eyes softened with guilt, the weight of the secrets she carried pressing down on her. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. The silence between them stretched, heavy with all the things left unsaid.
Seeing her mother's silence only fueled Xin Yi's frustration. "Just because I don't ask doesn't mean I don't notice, Mom. I deserve answers!" Her voice cracked, a sob escaping her throat.
Without waiting for a response, Xin Yi turned and stormed out of the room, her feet pounding against the floor as she ran to her room. The door slammed shut behind her, the sound reverberating through the quiet house.
She collapsed onto her bed, sobbing into her pillow, her whole body shaking with the force of her emotions. The words she had spoken echoed in her mind, but they brought no comfort, only more questions and pain.
Hua Li stood frozen by the table, her hand clutching the edge of the chair. Her own tears brimmed in her eyes, but she forced them back, watching her daughter disappear down the hallway. The truth sat heavy on her chest, suffocating her, but she couldn't speak it. Not yet. The danger was too real, and she had promised herself she would protect Xin Yi at any cost...
****
Hours had passed since the argument, but Hua Li's heart still felt heavy. She sat at the edge of her bed, staring at the shadows dancing across the walls. The house was silent now, but her thoughts were anything but. Every few moments, she would glance at the clock on her nightstand—2:20 AM, then 2:25, then 2:30.
Just as her eyelids began to droop, a shrill ringing pierced the stillness of the night. The phone, sitting on the table near the kitchen, rang loudly, cutting through the silence. Her heart jolted in her chest.
Who could possibly be calling at this hour?
Her stomach churned as she scrambled out of bed and hurried to the phone, her bare feet cold against the wooden floor. Each ring seemed louder, more urgent, as she approached.
She snatched up the phone, her hand trembling. "Hello? Hello?" Her voice was shaky, fear crawling up her spine.
There was a long pause on the other end, a static-filled silence that made her heart race even faster.
"Hello?" she repeated, her voice more urgent this time, her breath catching in her throat.
And then, a voice she hadn't heard in nearly two decades broke the silence. Cold. Familiar. "It's been a long time, Nurse Huan Yong."
Hua Li's blood turned to ice. Her hand shook so violently that she almost dropped the phone. "W-who is this?" she stammered, her throat tightening with fear, her legs threatening to give out beneath her.
The voice chuckled, low and sinister, a sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "You don't remember me? I remember you. And the girl you've been hiding."
Hua Li's breath hitched. No one should know that name—not anymore. She had buried it, along with her old life, 18 years ago. Her pulse roared in her ears. "What do you want?" she whispered, barely able to speak.
A brief pause. The voice's tone turned darker, more menacing. "You can't hide forever."
Her heart pounded in her chest, panic surging through her veins like wildfire. "No," she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's impossible."
"It's very possible," the voice continued, calm and almost mocking. "They've found you. And they're coming for the girl."
Hua Li's grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles white. "Why are you telling me this?" Her voice trembled, desperation creeping into her words. "Who are you?"
Another low, unsettling chuckle. "You'll find out soon enough. But for now, I'd focus on keeping her safe if I were you. Time's running out."
The line went dead.....
Hua Li stood there, frozen, the dial tone buzzing in her ear, her mind spinning. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she dropped the phone back onto the table, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she fought to steady her breath.
The world seemed to tilt around her. They've found us. They're coming for Xin Yi. The words echoed in her mind, over and over, until she felt like she was drowning in fear.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart. In the suffocating silence of the house, Hua Li's thoughts raced. The school trip—the perfect opportunity to get Xin Yi out of town, at least for a little while. Maybe it would buy them enough time to figure out their next move.
But time was running out, and Hua Li knew they couldn't keep running forever.