6: 2057


Annie and Jing lay on the green side of the glen where seventeen months ago, the carnival had come and gone. They held ice cream sodas in their hands, bought from 'McHill's Ice Cream Shoppe,' their favorite place to buy treats.

"I don't think they look like anything today." Annie said, referring to the clouds.

"You're right." Agreed Jing, sitting up. "It's too windy, and they're not the right type of clouds anyway." Annie still lay down, the picnic blanket separating her from the itchy grass.

A man and his little boy were down in the valley, not far from where they lay, playing with kites. The wind whipped suddenly, yanking the spool out of the child's hand.

As the father tried to console the upset child, Jing said suddenly, "That's what's wrong with people today."

Annie blinked. "What?"

"They just go bobbing along, like kites without strings. No sense of purpose." He stood. Annie sat up. "It's a little chilly today. Do you want my coat?" Before she could answer, Jing wrapped it around her shoulders. "We better get going."


Mao was seated in his living room. Two teenage boys sat across from them, bruised and battered. One looked bored, the other sullen and glaring.

The electronic doors slid open. Jing took his coat off Annie's shoulders and hung it on the tree. "Father?"

"Come in. I want you to meet some new comrades."

Jing smiled his odd-half smile. "Well hello. Who do we have here?"

Mao shrugged. "Don't know. Won't give their names. They were by the St. Jerome Emiliani Home, trying to buy marijuana from Chan and some of the others."

Annie noticed the bruising on their faces. "Mao, what have you done to them?" She gently brushed back the hair of the bored one. "Poor thing." She glared. "Did you have to beat them up? They're only children!"

Mao looked taken aback. "Me? It was this one here who started it!" He said, motioning to the angry one. "He didn't like the price."

Annie was in the kitchen, running a washcloth under some cold water. She came back and rubbed the dirt off the bored one's face.

He winced. "Ow! Not so hard, Lady!"

"Anyway, Chan brought them back. Said they were tough little fighters. That they'd make a good addition to our 'family.'"

Annie tried washing the face of the angry one, but he pushed her hand away. "Knock it off! We're not babies!"

"Can you tell me your names?" Asked Annie.

The bored one smirked. "Sorry. I'm not supposed to give that info to strangers."

"Well," Jing sat on the arm of Mao's chair. "I guess we'll have to give them names then. Hmmm," He looked over the first. "Your hair's kind of fluffy." He snapped his fingers. "We'll call you 'Fuzz.'"

"'Fuzz?'" Objected Mao. "That's no name for a boy! Besides, I'd say his hair is more…spiky."

"It's fluffy." Muttered Annie.

"How about Spike? Spike Spiegel!"

Jing nodded. "That's a cool name."

The kid shrugged. "Whatever. Suits me."

Mao had turned his attention to the other. "And as for you…"

He glowered. "My name is Vicious." Annie shuddered inwardly at his icy tone. He was so pale, he could be mistaken for an albino.

"I've never seen a kid with white hair." She said to him.

He glared. "I'm not a kid. I'm thirteen."

Mao stood. "Your training as Red Dragon members begins tomorrow."

Vicious snorted. "I don't like dragons. I like snakes."

"Annie," Annie sat up straight. "You have an extra bedroom. You'll take Spike in."

"Me?" Said Annie.

"With her?" Spike pointed. "She's a girl!"

Annie frowned. "What's wrong with girls?"

"Nothing," He shrugged and crossed his arms. "So long as they don't have attitude."

Mao put his hands behind his back and stared out the window. "Vicious, you'll stay with Jing and I." He smiled. "Our 'family' is growing."


Annie unlocked the door to her apartment and let Spike in. He looked around in scorn. "You've got a lot of pink and purple."

"So?" He sat on the sofa and put his boots on the coffee table. "Don't do that!" Annie cried. Spike put his feet down.

"Yeah, this is nice and all, but you have any food? I'm starved."

"I'll fix something." Annie went into the small kitchen and searched through her cabinets.

"Why do you have pillows on your couch? Do you sleep here?"

"They're throw-pillows. They add Je ne ce quoi."

"What?"

"It means 'What do you call it?'" Annie found some instant soup and a can opener. "Jing taught it to me."

Spike narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Oh, he did huh? Is Jing your boyfriend?" He teased.

Annie tossed an oven mitt at Spike, hitting him on his fuzzy head. "No!" She snapped. "And it's none of your business anyway!"

"Struck a nerve." Spike sniffed the scented candle on the coffee table. It was Citrus-Banana. "I bet you like him though!"

Annie dropped the can opener with a clang. Spike watched her pick it up. "I'm right, huh?"

"I just lost my grip!" Annie snapped. She pointed it at him. "And if you don't quit being a pest, I'll make you sleep in the damn bathtub, Mao or no Mao!"

"Touchy!" Spike kicked off his boots and lay down on the sofa.

Annie sighed and dumped the soup in a pot. As she tossed the can, she stared at the picture taped to her cabinet. It was Jing, teaching her to drive. In it, she gripped the wheel with a terrified grimace, but Jing was smiling and waving at the camera. She was a terrible driver, but Jing never lost his temper or gave up. Annie hated to drive, but it was Mao's idea that she learn. And she didn't want to let him down.

Music blasted from the TV. "Howdy Amigos! It's now time for 'Big Shot for the Bounty Hunters'. Our first bounty today may look kinda scrawny. But don't be fooled, Muchachos! He likes it when things go boom…"

Annie frowned at the television. "Bounty hunters! Don't get mixed up with that stuff!"

"Gee, thanks, Mom. Want me to wash behind my ears too?" He flipped the channel. "All right!" He cheered as he sat back up. "'Game of Death!'"

Annie took the soup off the stove and poured it into two coffee cups. She handed a steaming mug to Spike, who was absorbed in the film. He absently took a sip, then looked down in surprise.

"What is this?" He poked it with his finger. "It's thick and gooey and it's got chewy bits…"

"Clam Chowder." Annie sat down next to him. She watched the two men on TV, locked in mortal combat. "Why are they fighting?"

"Bruce Lee wants to get to the top of the tower, but he's got to defeat the bad guy on every level before he can move on." Spike fished a piece of potato out of the soup. He examined it, then shrugged and put it in his mouth. "Basically, the movie was made to show how inflexible other martial arts styles are compared to Jeet Kun Do."

Annie sipped her chowder. "So what's at the top of the tower?"

Spike shrugged. "Don't know. Bruce Lee died, and the movie was never completed."

"What?" Said Annie. "These two guys are beating the snot of each other and we never find out what for?"

"Hey, it's not Bruce Lee's fault he died!" Spike stood up. "He's so awesome though! I wanna be just like him!" He let his right leg fly out, kicking the candle off the table and splashing chowder on the carpet. "Oops."

Annie stood. "You pain in the ass!" She cried. "Now the rug's going to smell like fish!" She ran to get a towel.

When she returned, Spike was curled into a ball on the couch, snoring. She hated to admit it, but the kid was kind of cute when he was sleeping.

Annie dropped the towel on the spill and pulled a blanket over Spike. "Pain in the ass." She muttered with a wry smile.