CHAPTER 1
( A young woman leans out her door and calls to a five-year-old.) "Aranel! Come in for dinner. Your father and brother are home!"
The next scene shows a tree with two small feet almost completely concealed in its branches. The two feet swing back and forth for a second; then a small figure jumps out of the tree and lands lightly on the ground. She is holding what looks to be a school book. She smiles and runs towards the house, while smoothing out her clothes. She laughs and calls out,
"Father! Brother! Your finally home!" The five-year-old launches herself at her father and hugs him, almost knocking him over
She laughs and goes to her brother, calmer this time. "Hello, brother." The child is remembering about how the last time she had seen her brother, they had argued. A nine-year-old Wufei studies his sister intently for a minute, then says, "let's go outside". The two go out on the porch and sit down on the swings. They sit there in silence; each happy to be reunited after six months.
"So, how has my little sister been? You took good care of mother like I told you to, right?" Wufei questioned sharply with a barely perceivable smile on his face.
"Yes, brother, I have."
She sat there observing her brother as he gazed out, down toward the river, where the sun lit it aflame. 'He looks different. So tired, like he has grown up in the past six months. He seems so sad, yet so strong. Oh, no. He must have something to tell me.' The little girl noted these things just from watching him, their bond being so strong. The last thought filled her with dread.
"Brother, what is it that you and father have been doing? You look tired. You are gonna stay for a while at least and rest. Right?" She asks quietly.
"For a time," he replies, after a short silence. "What is it that you have to tell me? Brother?" She feels that it can't be good and doesn't want to delay the process. "Well, sister, it starts like this... Father and I met a man who had a strange proposition for me...
END