She and John both cleaned up and went downstairs to see what they had to eat. John took his sack of flour and poured it into a pan to begin making them some bread. The girls watched him bake and they looked scared to death of him as if at any second, he was going to turn into their worst nightmare.

"Come up here, huh?" John said to the girls. No one made a single movement.

"Long time not make bread," George said to him.

"Long time not make bread? No bread? Not tonight. Tonight we're having bread."

He put the bread into the oven and it began baking. Mona had to admit that it did smell pretty good not to mention she was starving.

There was banging on the cellar where the women had decided to take refuge, so John knelt down, removed the piece of the floor that covered up the entrance, and allowed them to come up. They all started cheering when they saw John's face. Mona was sure that wasn't going to be good for his already massive ego.

The women were all dressed in just lingerie and acted like little girls around John as he helped each one of them out from the floor. A lot of them were smoking and it ruined the smell of the nice bread. Mona waved her hand in front of her face and coughed a little as the smoke drifted around the room.

Finally, the last woman, whom Mona assumed was their leader, came up and everyone quieted, awaiting her interaction with John. She held her hand out without a word, and John helped her up. Once she was out of the floor, he gently kissed her hand, and all the women started cheering again.

John noticed the woman holding a bowl of wine. "George, you little twit," he said with a smile as he looked at her. "You said there was no wine here. Excuse me."

John went below and came up with several bottles of wine. Perfect, now he was going to get drunk even more.

George and the women started saying things in Chinese.

"What are they saying?" John asked him.

"They said they're orphans!" George shouted angrily.

"Orphans? Well, I'd like to adopt all of you, right now."

Just when Mona thought he couldn't get any stupider.

"Adopt all of us?" the leader said coyly. "You would not be able to cope."

John went over to her. "You speak English?"

The woman took a sip from her bowl and then handed it to John. He turned it so that he drank from the place where her lipstick remained.

All of the women started exclaiming things in Chinese, but they all spoke much too fast for Mona. John lit a cigarette for the woman and Mona just wanted to scream. Why did everyone here like smoking so much?

The woman took one puff then put the cigarette in John's mouth.

"My name's John. And you are?"

"Yu Mo."

"Yu Mo. I like that. So what do you and your companions do?"

"We are kindergarten teachers," Mo answered with a smile.

"Really? Kindergarten teachers?"

"And you? What do you do?"

"I'm also a kindergarten teacher," John joked. "So as, teacher to teacher, you wanna…get together and have a cup of joe, or…"

The women began conversing in Chinese once more and Yu Mo must've said something offensive because one of the women didn't look too happy.

Mona sighed and decided that she had had enough of all this. "Alright, that's enough," she said. "Girls, why don't we all go and try to get some sleep?"

Mona led the schoolgirls away from the kitchen area and to the room where they slept. Those women were all a terrible influence on these innocent children.

"Mona?" one of the girls said to her once they walked into the room.

"Yes?"

"Why is he flirting with those women?"

"Because he is a male. A very lonely male. And though he is an adult, he is very immature and still has some growing up to do." No one said anything in response. Whether it was because they were scared, or because they had no idea what she just said, she didn't know. She looked around at all the young girls. "Listen, you all have had a very long day and you look exhausted. Try to get some sleep, okay? It will do you good."

The girls crawled into separate beds and Mona returned to her room. When she walked in, she gave John a hard glare and then refused to look at him. There was a knock on the door, and when John opened it, Yu Mo walked in.

"There's no coffee," he told her. "Let's get liquored up."

Mona could not believe this. He was seriously going to do this in her room? He poured her a glass and they each drank from their own glasses.

"The kindergarten fee is enough?" John said pointing to some cash on the table. He went over to Mona's bed and she wanted to throw up. The thought of the two of them in her bed sickened her. "You coming?"

"I want you to take us out of Nanking," Mo said simply.

"Huh?" John laughed. "Yeah. Right. We do this first?"

"I'm serious. Why else you think we were flirting with you?"

Mona smiled a little bit at that blow. She just earned a little bit of respect for this woman. John deserved that one.

"Out of Nanking. How?"

"I don't know how, but I know your face is the way out of here. The Japanese won't touch Westerners."

"Did you see it out there? That's not happening. No. Cash enough?"

"I'm getting out of here," Mona said. She bolted out of the room, her teeth gritting together in anger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the girls watching her.

"Hey," she said softly. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

The girl came out of her hiding spot and approached Mona. "I couldn't sleep."

"I understand. Come on." She gently took the girl's hand and sat with her on one of the pews. "What's your name?"

"Shu."

"You seem to lead these girls. Do they follow you?"

"Most of them. We were supposed to leave Nanking, but my father never showed up to take us. I told him I would not leave without the others."

"I'm so sorry. If I could, I would get all of you out right now. You are all…so innocent. So young. It's hard to remember what it's like at that age."

"You are American?"

"Yeah."

"What you doing here in Nanking?"

"It's a long story."

"Do you wish you had not come?"

"Yes. And no. Right now, I wish I was home more than anything. But there are other things that have happened while I was here that I wouldn't give up for the world."

"Like what?"

Mona smiled sadly. "That's a story for another time."

"We are going to hold a candlelight circle. Would you like to join us?"

"I would love to."

Shu led her to a small room where all the girls had gathered together into a circle. A very small lone candle sat in the middle. Mona sat down next to the girls. They all began singing beautifully as they clasped their hands together. It was mesmerizing to watch them. Some of them started crying with fear, but they all continued to sing. Mona completely lost track of how long they sat in that circle singing together.

She eventually looked up and saw a soldier standing at the door. He wiped off a shoe and gently placed it down on the ground. She heard Shu gasp a little next to her, but the soldier quickly put his finger to his lips, not wanting her to cause panic amongst the others. Then he walked away, leaving the little shoe there for its owner to find.

Mona lightly touched Shu and gave her a small nod. Then she got up and went to the door and followed the soldier. When she got downstairs, she saw him talking with Mo.

Suddenly, a bottle smashed onto the ground. The soldier aimed his gun up, and John fell to the ground in an obvious drunken state. He had changed and was dressed in a priest's uniform. "Don't point a gun at a man of the cloth," he slurred. "Mo. Like me as a priest? Do you? I dressed up for you. I got a chance now?" Mo must've denied him what he wanted back in the room. Mona was relieved at that because that was the bed she was supposed to sleep in and she didn't want them in it.

John put another cigarette into his mouth much to Mona's dismay and started singing very poorly. The soldier and Mo began talking again in Chinese.

"What, the bank's closed for me, but he gets a special soldier discount or something?"

John started coming down the steps, still drunkenly singing, as the soldier turned to Mo and said something that sounded pretty serious. When John made it to the soldier, he tapped him a little and then went up to Mo.

"What's wrong with you?" Mo asked him shortly.

"I want to help you. I've joined the priesthood."

Mona was pretty sure he was going to collapse in a few seconds because he was so drunk. No one would catch him.

"Stop it," Mo said. "It's not the right time."

"You don't want cash. You want me to save you. I'm gonna save your soul." He put his hand to her face. "I'll absolve you of your sins tonight. Blessed are thee among women. Blessed are thy lips, blessed are thy eyes, blessed are thy hips."

Mo slapped his hand away. "Don't."

"And thy gams, and thy chest."

He slowly grabbed onto her and held her firmly.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

Mona and the soldier ran up to them and flung John off her. He landed onto the ground and looked at the soldier. "This is a house of love, not war. You get out of here."

"You've got real nerve to say that, seeing as you're as drunk as can be," Mona mumbled.

Mo and the soldier conversed some more and then the soldier finally left to fulfill his duties.

As he passed John on the ground, John let out a drunken moan that made Mona embarrassed for him. Mo walked over to him. "See, I'm the only man for you," he said to her.

Mo started speaking to him in Chinese and lightly hit his face.

"I like it when you're angry. Harder. Harder." She got up to leave, but John tried to hold her back. She slapped him again and he moaned, "Oh! I love that! I love seeing you walk away! Mo!"

Mona left him lying on the ground and ran after Mo. "I am so sorry about that," Mona apologized. "Trust me, we aren't all that stupid."

"I know. I would like to apologize for coming into your room without your permission."

"Oh. Don't worry about that. It wasn't all your fault. John's just…well, a stupid man who needs to get his life together."

"I can tell you haven't slept much. Go up to your room and rest in your bed. I promise it's still unused."

"Thank you."

Perhaps these women weren't as bad as she initially thought.