Hi there! It's finally the middle of January 2015. I hope that everyone is doing well.
The third airplane tragedy that happened recently made me realise that life is uncertain. Let's live our live to the fullest and spend more time with our loved ones.
Our prayers to the victims and their families and loved ones...
This story has turned out differently from how I planned it initially but I love how it turned out. It's written more with feelings. Hope you'll like the chapter all the same.
Karaoke sessions with my friend, Xav have given me some inspirations to write this chapter out. Special thanks to her and thanks to everyone who reads and reviews this story.
Chapter 2 - Neon
It was a night that I would never forget.
I wouldn't forget how bored to hell I was!
"Can't we do something else? This is boring!"
"You said I'm free to choose. This is what I want to do."
That winged man didn't even look at me. He continued slashing those black balls that were floating in the cloudy air with his large sword. I didn't know what those orbs are. They didn't even have eyes. What a stupid mini-game for a perverted world.
I threw my useless stick onto the snowy ground and huddled under my cloak. There I was shivering like a drenched rat but that heartless freak was fighting on like I didn't exist!
I glared up at him and he'd already started to get blood and bruises on his face. I didn't even bother to heal him. Why should I? In the first place, I didn't sign up for this. I wasn't given a choice to choose my role. Just because he was my customer and he got to select my job for me?
Who the hell he thinks he is?
I stood up and stamped against the soft snow.
I inhaled deeply.
I couldn't stand it anymore.
This place is chilling me to the bones!
"How long are you going to do this?" I bit my nether lip.
"How long are you going to complain? Yargh!" He sent a spongy ball flying into the dark sky, "Please feel free to leave if you aren't happy!"
"You think I don't want to leave? If it wasn't for the fact that that old pervert paid me, I wouldn't be here! I'm not even paid to do this!"
Whatever he was doing, he stopped. He looked down at me with a cold aquamarine eye. I couldn't see the other eye that was hidden by his long bang of silver hair.
"My father paid you for pleasure. Are you going to give me the same kind of pleasure?"
His question made me look away. I felt guilty. Disgusted. I was making myself look cheap.
But I decided to put up a brave front. I had a purpose for doing this.
I couldn't give up now.
"If that's what you want me to do, can I say no?" I stared back at him, hard, "You're paying and I need the money."
"Money? Is money all that you need?" His piercing eye never wavered.
He spoke like it was easy. I snorted and brushed the snow off my hair and face. No matter how low and dirty I could be, I'd always wanted to lookgood.
Being an uneducated and penniless woman, youth was my only saving grace.
"I'm not called 'Miss Money' for nothing. If I have tons of money, I don't need anything else."
"Worthless girl."
I stared hard at him, nonplussed. Did he just sneer at me?
"W-What? I didn't hear you!" My body felt raging hot inside all of a sudden, "Speak louder!"
He brushed the dust off his shoulder and said nonchalantly. Like I never mattered.
"Don't waste my breath by repeating the same words. I shall make my move now."
I could see his bloody eyes rolling at me and scoffing at me with that stupid ugly face of his. I snatched my cheap staff from the frozen ground and charged at him with all the brute strength I had.
"You come back here! Don't run, you asshole!"
As I was going to pummel him on his head, that man turned around and grabbed me by the neck. I gagged, gasping for air.
"Insolent girl."
His icy blue eye was full of disdain that I found very hard to describe, "Who do you think you are to touch me? You're just a slut!"
He pushed me away and logged out.
He was already gone and I was all on my own. Sprawling on the cold ground.
Slut.
He called me a 'slut'. He's wrong. I'm not a slut.
Am I a slut?
I laughed with that sense of irony and those warm tears filling up my eyes.
I covered my face with my trembling hands.
I shouldn't cry. I must be strong. How can I be this weak?
My tears were already falling like the lonely snow.
Please forgive me, God.
O O O
Days went on like usual but I had not seen my 'pimp' friend around. It never bothered me at all because she had this circle of friends that were all fun and outgoing. She could hang out with them for days and none of them came from problematic families like mine.
At least I wouldn't bug her with my silly issues.
"Can I have a word with you, Xing Xing?"
Gong Zhu's father, who rarely left his cozy air-conditioned room, came to see me.
At the mere sight of his pointy moustache, I swore I had the shock of my lifetime.
"I've been working very hard, Boss!" I stood up immediately, "I'm always punctual and I don't take too many toilet breaks! Give me another chance! Please, Boss!"
My eyes were tired and sleepy due to my sleepless nights. I felt bad for making constant trips to the ladies to wash my face but I couldn't help it. At times, I felt that my brain was going to crack and explode.
Oh my God, some of my best clients act just like crazy wild animals!
"I wasn't going to talk about you, girl. It's my daughter!"
Boss's wrinkled face was red and frustrated. Someone was going to be in trouble.
"Gong Zhu?" I grew concerned.
"You know how stubborn my girl is! She has never listened to me but she always listens to you! Can I count on you with some stuff?"
O O O
I asked my best friend out for a meal at her favourite café. It was going to be our final dinner together. I did not want to do this but it had to be done.
I wanted the best for her.
I wanted her to have a bright future that I would never have.
A future that is brighter than the sun.
"Jing zi li de wo hen bu xiang wo~ Zi cong ni li kai le wo bian de hen ruan ruo~"
("My reflection on the mirror isn't me~ Ever since you left me, I've become weak~")
A young lady on the stage singing that sad love song. I wanted her to stop singing.
Her voice was pulling me down.
Apart.
"Hey babe!"
My cheerful friend looked normal. She slammed her big butt against the cushioned chair and placed her arm on my shoulders. Her smile was beautiful and contagious.
But I knew that she was faking it.
"Awww!" She pulled me closer towards her, "Why so quiet? Chill! Chill! My brother's not coming tonight."
"Why'd you refuse to study abroad? Is it because of me?"
Gong Zhu's smile froze.
Turning into a complete stranger, she started to let go of my shoulders. Her bright brown eyes betrayed her as they turned dull and shifted away.
Her eyes were no longer looking at me.
"Did my old man tell you?" She cursed, "Shit! I already told him not to tell you."
She's just the same like her brother. Keeping dirty little secrets behind my back.
"That's not the main issue now," I held in a deep breath.
"Wo xiang wo ke yi xi guan yi ge ren sheng huo~ Wo xiang wo ke yi jia zhuang bu ceng ai guo~"
("I think I can get used to living alone~ I think I can pretend that I have never loved before~")
I held her hands, tight and steady.
"Gong Zhu, listen to me. No matter where we are, we'll always be best friends, okay? We'll stay in touch and I'm definitely going to call you if my lousy phone doesn't run out of battery, haha…"
I knew it. My laughter sounded unnatural. Gong Zhu sensed it too.
"I don't want to leave you behind," Her shoulders started to shake.
I felt terrible for seeing her like that. Her tears were flowing out freely but she tried to rub them away.
"We've always been together, Xing Xing. What's going to happen to you when I'm gone? You're going to be all alone…"
"I'm not alone, Gong Zhu! I'm never alone at all! God's up there watching over me! In fact, He's watching over us!" I declared with as much confidence I could muster.
"We don't even know whether God's real!"
"God's real. He's real. I just know it, Gong Zhu."
To be really honest, I wasn't sure about the existence of God myself. If God was real, why'd I put up with this mess?
My life was nothing but a mess. I never wanted to drag my best friend down into hell with me.
We got to learn to let go of each other.
For now.
"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself," I pumped my fist up and broadened my smile, "I'm a superwoman!"
She hugged me. I was caught surprised. Hugging was something she had never done to me before.
"Xing Xing, my amigo! Please stay safe and eat well! Let's be great friends till our next generation! Can you promise me this? Can you?"
She cried harder and harder. I became wordless. Our next generation?
I couldn't even imagine a future where I was married and I had children.
My future was so bleak. So uncertain.
But it wouldn't hurt to dream.
Our kids being closest pals would be a lovely idea.
"I promise you, my friend."
"Wo xiang wo ke yi xi guan yi ge ren sheng huo~ Zai ji yi li mian cha qu ni de cheng nuo~ Ai qing shi ge meng er wo shui guo tou~"
("I believe I can get used to living alone~ I will erase your promises from my memories~ Love is a dream but I've overslept~")
That song left us all depressed and lonely. It made dislike the singer no matter how beautiful how her voice was.
"What a lovely song from Neon! Let's give her a round of applause!"
Neon? What kind of fancy name was that?
I narrowed my eyes at the singer. My jaw dropped open.
Oh my goodness gracious! He's a boy? He sang like a girl!
"Why'd you look so surprised, Barbie?" Gong Zhu asked as if everything was normal.
"Is that really a guy?" I pointed at him accusingly, "His voice sounds so funny!"
"Isn't it already obvious? He's a singing android."
"Singing android?" I'd never heard about it before.
It was a teenage boy with a mop of untidy green hair. He was unfazed by the energetic clapping crowd. His face was void of emotions. He simply looked plain bored.
"Haven't you heard? A singing robot's a robot who looks like a human and sings like us!"
My friend seemed to have forgotten she was crying her heart out a moment ago, "He can sing both voices, man and woman! Pretty cool, huh?"
"So is he a man?"
Gong Zhu winked at me slyly, "If you want to know, there's a way to find out…"
"Pervert."
"Haha, you know me so well!"
She laughed and I was so glad she did. The atmosphere was brightened up somehow. By her enthusiasm towards the singing tinman and the quirkiness of the whole situation.
"Do you hear me~ I'm talking to you~ Across the water, across the deep blue ocean~ Under the open sky~"
The more I listened to his male voice, the more restless I felt. I could be out of touch from the modern advancement of technology. I could call myself a cavewoman.
But I couldn't accept the normality of this. It wasn't even normal.
He easily switched his male voice back to a female's. Of course. He was a machine after all.
"Boy, I hear you in my dreams~ I feel you whisper across the sea~ Keep you with me in my heart~ You make it easier when life gets hard~"
"This is just so weird," I blurted out to myself.
Gong Zhu became angry for no reason. She was having an empty bottle of wine in her hand.
Oh dearie no.
"Huh? Who are you calling weird? I'm not weird!" She was clearly drunk.
"Not you," I pointed at him again, "That guy! He's singing a duet but you need two people to sing a duet. He's just a person."
"You're talking about people but hello, he's an android! Android!"
"Okay, you win! You win!" I already got my butt up, "Let's go home now-"
"Nooooooooo!" My friend suddenly made a fuss, "I want to listen to his song!"
"Okay, okay," I had decided to be patient since it was our last reunion meal, "We'll listen. We'll listen till this song ends."
"They don't know how long it takes~ Waiting for a love like this~ Every time we say goodbye~ I wish we had one more kiss~"
I shook my head helplessly and turned to stare at something else. I wouldn't want to talk to my friend whenever she was all drunk and bossy.
Arguing with her would mean the end of our relationship and I'd never wanted it to end.
"I'll wait for you~ I promise you~"
Then something caught my eye. It shouldn't have caught my eye. If I didn't see it, the worst wouldn't have happened at all.
Someone at the table across us was having her hand hidden underneath a jet black coat. She was dressed in dark. Dressed to kill. Her sun-glassed eyes were concentrating on Neon the android.
Everyone had his or her eyes on the singer but her face looked very intense.
I could tell that she was up to no good.
The next thing was she just stood up. As she was taking out her weapon, I shouted my lungs out at her.
"HEY YOU! PUT THAT GUN DOWN!"
She pointed her gun towards me. My mind turned blank.
I should have died.
I was the one who should have taken that bullet.
"XING XING, MOVE!"
A loud shot pierced the air. Someone dropped onto the ground.
I looked down.
My friend. My precious friend. My only friend.
That was our last meal together.
We didn't even get to say goodbye.
Author's Note:
Songs sang in the story but I never own them:
- Living Alone by Freya Lin
- Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat