《A Little Bit OF A Silverlining HIATUS》


 Shilan and Family

    In the small town of Reeds about two hours away to the nearest city, lives a family of six. The house they live in was run down and in need of repairs. A broken window can be seen from the street as well as a wooden plank that covers it. In the front yard, the dried yellow grass looked like it can ignite into flames at any minute while there were several bushes that needs to be trimmed, despite all that, there were no sign of trash or unwanted junk lying around the property like the other houses around it.


    This shabby neighborhood is just one of the many that can be seen in this small college town of Reeds. The main staple of income comes from the agriculture that the local farmers¡¯ operates, small business owners, and the steady influx of college students that attends Reeds State University. There is a small strip mall that has the major department stores and fast food restaurants that caters to the local population. Other than that and a few entertainment spots and parks, the town of Reeds has nothing else to offer.


    The Cha family that lives on Jackson Street is pretty well known to keep to themselves. In the ten years that the family had moved in, every so often, neighbors can hear loud arguments and fragile things breaking. Many times, they can see and hear the children cry out in distress. Many neighbors suspect that the family has some domestic violence going on, but the children were always tight lipped and never shown anything indicating abuse.


    The children, by the neighbors¡¯ standards, were hardworking, quiet, well behaved, and overly polite. They can be seen doing chores around the house, especially the oldest daughter, Shilan.


    Panting, Shilan rushed out to the backyard with a basket in her hands as she thought of her family. Her mother, Ceila, has a very temperamental personality. She also has a mild case of OCD which makes her fly off into a wild tangent, when she sees something not to her liking, causing most of her anger to be directed at Shilan. She is harsh and impatient, making her four children very wary of her to the point that they are frighten of her; and also ashamed of her when they¡¯re in front of close relatives and strangers. Ceila is a woman who is proud of her pretty looks and has a superiority complex. She takes pride of how young she looks even after having four adolescent children. She can often be heard bragging to many of her friends and relatives how she can still attract the opposite sex who are younger than her. This is also one of the many threats that she often torments her husband, Cha Neng with when they argue.


    Cha Neng is a man of few words. Many people who don¡¯t know him well thinks he is a fair, patient, and loving family man. They could not be more wrong. Ever since Shilan can remember, her father had been addicted to opium and gambling. He could never keep a job for more than a few weeks because of his laziness and addictions. His lack of employment is often one of the many reasons why Ceila consistently mocks him to being half of a man for letting his family fall into poverty; and reducing her to the humiliation of receiving public assistance from the government. Cha Neng¡¯s state of mind often correlates to his substance abuse. If there isn¡¯t any money for his gambling and opium, he indiscriminately abused his wife and daughter. Though more so, on Shilan than his wife in fear that Ceila will divorce him.


    Despite his addictions, Cha Neng is a very overbearing and patriarchal person. He is a narrow minded traditional man who believes that reputation is everything. He favors his three sons over his only daughter, Shilan, who is the oldest. He had never laid a hand on his sons because he believes that they will be able to bring fortune and high reputation to his name. Cha Neng¡¯s mode of discipline is through his motto of ¡°Do what I tell you to do, and not do what I do¡±.  He believes that this will deter his sons from going onto the wrong path in life and it justifies his addictions to gambling and opium under the ruse of ¡®he¡¯s too far gone in waste that he can¡¯t be helped anymore so learn from this¡¯.


    To him, a daughter is not worthy of his time and love because eventually when she marries, all her successes and efforts will fall to her husband¡¯s family.


    Thus, Shilan grew up in a very sexist family. Her younger brothers are indifferent to her plight because they were raised that women are beneath them. Her father could care less about her as long as he can fulfill his addictions. Her mother uses her like a servant and abuses her to relieve her stress. It is no wonder that Shilan grew up to be timid and unassertive. Throughout her seventeen years of life, Shilan couldn¡¯t remember a time when she felt warmth and familial love. There wasn¡¯t anyone whom she can confide in and she was so very afraid of being kicked out of the only home she knows of.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Not only was she abused at home, she had also became a target for bullies in school because of how poor her family was. It can be seen with the hand me down clothes that she wears, the lack of participation in fieldtrips that requires money, and her ¡®free¡¯ lunches. The bullying never went beyond mental abuse but it was enough to isolate her from the rest of the student body. Therefore, with no friends to trust and familial support, Shilan grew distant from people and aloof. So without anyone to rely on, Shilan turned to books to escape from her harsh reality. But with so many responsibilities in the home, her retreats to the fantasy worlds were limited to when she had time in her busy schedule.


    Now at this moment, Shilan is frantically taking down the laundry that was hanging outside. The clothes that she had hand washed were one of the many chores that she had to finish before her mother comes home from work. She didn¡¯t want to think of her punishment if it wasn¡¯t done. Shilan knows that as long as the chores are done and dinner prepared, her family will not bother her unless they decide to vent their stress on her, leaving her some time to finish her school work and read her favorite books.


    Yet, today is a little more different than usual, Shilan is excited. It is rare to see the corner of her lips slightly curving up. The reason for this is that she found a part-time job at the bookstore earlier today. She was walking home from school when she saw the help wanted sign on the window and decided to apply. To her surprise, she was hired by the owner right there and then. Shilan was mainly hired to work the weekends and a couple of hours during the weekdays. In her seventeen years of life, she felt a tingeing bit of happiness from this accomplishment. To her, this is a small step of independence which gave her a small boost to her self-confidence and value. She can¡¯t wait to tell her mother about her employment because this will mean she can stay away from home for a period of time as long as it is work related. She can only use school work to escape to the library every so often before drawing suspicion. So this miracle of a job is the precious respite that she can have to relieve her cumulative stresses.


    Shilan sigh as she think of the chores that she had to consolidate. With her working part-time, her chores will double on certain days. The one that takes the longest is the laundry. Since, Ceila is the only one working; their budget is always in the red due to Cha Neng¡¯s habits, so they could not afford a run to the laundromat each week. Thus, washing clothes fell onto Shilan. She secretly dreamed of the day when she can actually use a washing machine. So if she set aside a little bit of money, she can finally go to a laundromat! It could be considered as a life goal of hers to get a washing machine so that she can lighten her chores. It can also not be exaggerated that she hated washing clothes by hand. There were many times she cried because of them. She also had many nightmares involving mountains of clothes that fell on top her, suffocating her to death. ¡®Yes, washing clothes is the bane of her life¡¯ thought Shilan.


    That night, before she went to bed exhausted, she silently tiptoed to the living room where Ceila is watching one of her Korean dramas. Ceila was lounging on the sofa when Shilan entered the room.


    ¡°Mom¡± whispered Shilan tentatively.


    Ceila narrowed her eyes at Shilan before answering, ¡°What?¡±


    Shilan¡¯s body trembled as she tried to gather up her courage to inform her mother that she had found a job. She manages to stutter, ¡°Umm¡­un¡­uh¡­I found a job at Weshire Book¡­store¡­to¡­to¡­day¡­I¡­I¡­ start work this week¡­weekend.¡±


    Hearing this, Ceila picks up the TV remote control and pause the drama. ¡°So, how many hours a week are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Twen¡­twenty-two to twenty-four hours a week, mainly during the weekends¡± answers Shilan as she wringed her hands to together in anticipation.


    ¡°How much is the pay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nine dollars an hour.¡±


    After thinking a bit, Ceila decisively said, ¡°Leave the bathroom cleaning, dishes, and taking out the trash to your brothers. You make sure to mark your schedule on the calendar. The food and the phone bill is now your responsibility. For each paycheck set aside thirty dollars in the gas jar.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± reply Shilan as she turns to go to her room. Her heart a tiny bit lighter and her eyes a little shinier slowly went to bed. She could care less about her earnings because now she can stay out a little while longer, breathe a little bit easier, and out of the way of her abusive parents. As an afterthought, Shilan mused before her eyes closes, ¡®mother seemed to have been in a good mood today.¡¯

 Chapter 2: School, Work, And Creepy Men

    Hi! Thanks for reading. If there are any suggestions or advice I would really like to hear it. Sorry, the pace is a bit slow right now but it''ll pick up later. The font size is confusing. I just copied and paste but I can''t get it to size down. Any advice? Or go I have to re-type everything?


    *******************************************************************************


    Chapter 2: School, Work, and Creepy Men


    Ding! Dong! Dang!


    Many students flooded out of their classrooms in droves. Their happy chattering and excited faces were not lost on Shilan. ¡®They¡¯re feeling so exhilarated that school is out for the summer. While I wish it can go on throughout the year.¡¯


    Conversations of many students can be heard everywhere as Shilan continues on to the front gate of the school.


    ¡°Hey, what did you get on your final?¡± asked a guy who was walking with his friend.


    The friend shrugged in defeat as he grimaces. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I pass.¡±


    Then laughter ensues as they disappear into the crowd of walking students heading to who knows where. This made Shilan feel a little envious. She would have liked to share her passing grades with a friend too. She imagines how her friend would have locked her arms around her shoulders while praising Shilan on her 3.7 GPA. And then both of them will go out and get something to eat as a celebration. But alas, it seems like it was not to be for this year either.


    ¡®Maybe my last year next year, I can find a friend¡¯ thought Shilan as she left the school.


    **************************************


    Shilan sadly walk to her part time job as she laments on what to do for the whole summer.  It is not that she has nothing to do; it is how she can¡¯t find a way to stay out of her home for the summer. When one lives in a troubled home, it is best to stay low and out of radar so one can avoid it. So when it got closer to the end of the school year, she had wanted to find another job. But none of the places she had applied for called. Hence, feeling a little dejected, she entered the bookstore that had accepted her four months ago.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the gloomy face?¡± asked a woman with clear blue eyes. The woman looked to be in her late thirties. She has soft light brown hair and a generous smile that gives off a caring vibe to anyone who talks to her.


    Shilan fixed a small smile on her face and turned to the woman. ¡°Hello Cathy. What gloomy face?¡±


    Cathy stared at the young girl in front of her. For the several months that she had hired Shilan, she still can¡¯t read her very well. Even though Shilan always have a small smile on her face, Cathy just knows that it is always a fake one. The girl always has a lonely and sad demeanor that she tries to hide behind a small smile. What she doesn¡¯t know is that she isn¡¯t convincing Cathy one bit at all. But Cathy won¡¯t push Shilan to reveal her secrets unless she is willing to share it.


    ¡°Shilan, since school is out for the summer, do you want more hours?¡±


    Her small face brightens immediately as she nodded vehemently.


    Cathy laughs. ¡°Wow, you are such a workaholic. One of the part-timers quit so instead of hiring; I figure I should just increase the hours for everyone during summer vacation. ¡°


    ¡°Boss, we love you to bits¡± exclaimed Shilan. She can¡¯t wait. The extra money will really help with her long time goal. A washing machine! With the excitement of more hours, Shilan threw herself into arranging and stocking new items onto the shelves.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    **************************************


    Arms stretched above her head, Shilan twist to the right and then to the left to relieve the tension in her back. She glances at her wrist watch and confirm that it was about 8:30pm. Then without stopping, she continues to turn around the corner and make her way to the brown run down house. As she crosses the walkway to the front porch, a loud and pleading voice can be heard.


    ¡°Please, just give me a little time. I promise. I¡¯ll at least get the interest ready for you in a few days¡¯ time.¡±


    Cha Neng kneeled as he begs the couple of men that were standing in front of him. They wore dark clothing completed with black sunglasses. The man on the right, bended down on one knee and took off his sunglasses. With a forceful poke to Cha Neng¡¯s left temple he growls out, ¡°You know how to borrow but then when it¡¯s time to pay, you pretend to not know when the deadline is.¡±


    ¡°Please, please, big bro Chu Feng . . . Just a few more days, my wife and daughter¡¯s paychecks . . .¡±


    Thwack!


    A fast kick connected to Cha Neng¡¯s chest. He blanched and kowtows again. Banging his head on the floor, Cha Neng continues to pray for a few more days.


    ¡°Please, save me some face. Just a few more days!¡± he whined. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely pay the loan.¡±


    The man called big bro Chu Feng slowly wiped his sunglasses as he looked towards the smaller man. His right eyebrow lifted up in question and the smaller man let out a long sigh.


    Pew!


    Spit landed on Cha Neng¡¯s head as he continues to lower his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± orders the man.


    ¡°Yes, big boss Liu Ye¡± answered Chu Feng. But before turning to leave he kicks Cha Neng again, ¡°A week. If you don¡¯t have it, be ready for the consequences.¡±


    **********************************************


    Shilan, hearing the men getting ready to leave, she hid behind the overgrown bushes in fear. She had heard of loan sharks before but had never thought that her father would stoop so low to borrow from them. Trying to be quiet as possible, Shilan held her breath as she watch the men drive away before entering the house.


    The first things Shilan saw were broken glass everywhere. White papers were scattered all over the living room and her father, cowering on the ground next to the sofa. She could see her brothers peeking from upstairs as they tried to hide their shock and fear.


    Cautiously, Shilan shook her father¡¯s left shoulder and softly calling, ¡°father?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to hear her so she tried again in a louder voice.


    Whack!


    Shilan didn¡¯t see what had happened. All of a suddenly, she was by her father¡¯s side for a minute and then the next second, she was flung behind her father hitting the wall hard.


    ¡®It hurts¡¯ thought Shilan as she stared at her father¡¯s enraging face. His darken face looked green and purple as his hands rolled into two fists.


    Thunk! Thunp! Thuk!


    After the series of punches that her father let loose on her, he left the house. Tears were streaming down her face as she slowly tested her body for any broken bones. Thankful, that there wasn¡¯t any. She slowly got up and carefully went to her bedroom to rest her bruised and achy body before trying to muss up the will to start cleaning up the mess in the living room. Not long after washing her pale shocked face, she heard a loud shrill scream.


    ¡°WHAT IN THE GOD DAMN HELL HAPPEN HERE?¡±

 Chapter 3: Ceila鈥檚 Rage and Cha Neng鈥檚 Decision

    Chapter 3: Ceila¡¯s Rage and Cha Neng¡¯s Decision


    Today, work was hell. The stupid supervisor droved Ceila up the wall. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Ceila only have a GED, it would have been her who had that title instead of that stuck up mutt, Jodi Andrews. Irritated and jealousy just made Ceila more irrational. She sped home in record time so that she can release her anger on her worthless husband. It was a wonder how she hadn¡¯t divorce him yet. She had thought about it but her pride just wouldn¡¯t let her.


    She was from a small clan but a rich one. When she had first laid eyes on Cha Neng, it was love at first sight. Before he turned into a useless and abusive jerk, he was a talented man. He was well studied in the arts of poetry, xiqin, and folk songs. Not only that, he was handsome and from a fairly good family.


    But her mother was against the marriage and even before she succumbed to illness and death, she still had hated him. Her mother never told her why; but because Ceila had always gotten what she wanted; she rebelled and argued until her father gave in. Shortly after their marriage, war happened and they had lost.


    They had to move to a new country where everything were strange and out of their element. What Ceila missed the most was the status and wealth that made everyone admired and worshiped her. She blamed her father and husband for having chosen the wrong side in the war.


    Despite her temperament, she firmly believed in karma and fate. She had gone against her mother¡¯s will and had betted her pride on Cha Neng so now she had dug her own grave for being willful and arrogant. She must have owed him in her past life, because even after he started gambling and became addicted to opium, she thought that with patience and her sons growing older, he will turn around and improve. But that was not the case. It seemed like her husband had become lazy and unmotivated.


    Scrreeeccchhhh!


    The tires squealed to a stop and Ceila rambled inside ready to start a fight when she had to stop out of confusion. What she saw was a place so rummaged and messy that she couldn¡¯t tell what was what. But her focus zoomed onto the broken pieces of glass that were lying around everywhere. It was not just any old glass; it was a beautiful heirloom, a vase that her mother had given her. Even though it wasn¡¯t worth much, the sentimental value was priceless. An invisible taunt string that had been holding her sanity for so long, all of a suddenly snapped, making her howled like she had never done before. Her vision blurred and the room began to spin around. Ceila managed to scream, ¡°WHAT IN THE GOD DAMN HELL HAPPENED HERE!¡±


    Ceila was enraged. Her beautiful vase was broken. The only link to her mother and her old life had shattered. She felt so much pain that she just started to randomly grab things and threw them against the walls.


    Then a pair of thin arms came around and tried to embrace her. Ceila couldn¡¯t register who it was. Her mind was so unstable that even she had no control over her emotions. Her anger over-rode every other feeling that was going through her head.


    Shilan had rushed downstairs to find that her mother had lost it. She even desperately tried to embrace her while pleading, ¡°Mom, please. Mom, please calm down.¡±


    But that didn¡¯t do anything except earning Shilan a few more jabs to her already bruised ribcage. She was more scared of her mother hurting herself from all the broken pieces of glass than for herself at the moment. She struggled to drag her mother towards the stairs where it was safe but instead was rebuffed.


    SMACK!


    Somehow, while struggling to break free from Shilan¡¯s arms, her mother swung her open palms wide and connected to Shilan¡¯s face. It was so quick that she didn¡¯t register the burning pain until after a few more seconds. But she still did not let go of Ceila.


    Then Shilan did something that she wouldn¡¯t have dare to under normal circumstances, she quickly let go of Ceila and stood in front of her, drew back her hand and gave her mother a stinging slap across her face.


    ¡°Calm down¡± said Shilan in a low voice. ¡°It was the loan sharks.¡±


    Ceila, dazed from the slap, digested the information.


    ¡°Loan sharks?¡± she whispers. Then she shrilly screamed, ¡°Loan sharks?! Why doesn¡¯t he just chop me apart, kill this god damn family, and burn us all up?¡±


    Then it seemed that she had just remembered something, she ran up the stairs and slammed into her bedroom. ¡°That shit!¡±


    Shilan follow closely behind her and saw that clothes and other miscellaneous items were strewn about. Hearing her mother cuss, she instantly knew why. Her father had done this looking for her mother¡¯s secret stash.


    Ceila slowly walked to the bed and pushed it towards the wall. The large rug that decorated the floor beneath the bed was also dragged along with its weight. What revealed underneath the bed where it had used to be was the hardwood flooring. Close to the wall, the hardwood flooring looked loose and was held down by some screws. Ceila quickly open the drawer next to her and took out a screw driver.  She unscrewed the plank and gently took out a small safe.


    ¡°Thank God.¡± Ceila was so relieved that her knees became weak. She had worked so hard to save this money that if Cha Neng had taken it; she can probably kill him without a second thought.  She then saw Shilan looking at her. There was no curiosity in her eyes just understanding.


    Ceila have mix feelings about her daughter. Every time she sees her, multitude of feelings comes up.  They all jumble about especially hate and jealousy. Without any rhyme or reason, Ceila feels hate for her own flesh and blood. She knew it was irrational but her daughter embodies memories that she doesn¡¯t want to remember. Many times just looking at her daughter, depression just flares and drives her mad with rage.  With the anger and fear that Cha Neng had found her secret stash gone, she slowly grasps her sanity.


    ¡°What the hell are you looking at?¡± Quipped Ceila as she narrows her eyes to slits. ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡±


    Not wanting to draw any more attention to her, Shilan quickly escape downstairs to clean up the room. With a long and tire sigh, Shilan just wanted to run away. She hope that her father stay away for the moment because if he came home. . .


    ¡®No, no, no, no. I already have a headache. I don¡¯t want to think about it.¡¯


    ¡°SHIT! Shit. Shit¡± mutters Cha Neng as he walks around in circles. ¡®Where the hell am I going to find the money to pay them with? Should he go to his cousin and beg him for money? No. No. No. He can¡¯t, he¡¯ll be a laughing stock.¡¯


    While he continues to scheme, he couldn¡¯t come up with anything. Short of selling himself as an organ donor, he has nothing of value. Then as he thought of his family his eyes lit up.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡®Ahhh, why did I panic when I could have offered this alternative?¡¯ With an insane chuckle he slowly walks home to put his plan to work.


    When he finally got home, it was past midnight. The whole house was dark except a little light that shine through the cracks of the window blinds in the upstairs bedroom that faces the street.


    ¡®She¡¯s waiting for me¡¯ thought Cha Neng. He squares his shoulders and slicks back his hair as he gets ready for battle. He quietly makes his way up the stairs and opens the door to the bedroom. Ceila was still dressed and was comfortably sitting up on their queen size bed. When Cha Neng walked in, her eyes were flashing daggers at him waiting for him explain.


    Cha Neng didn¡¯t make any excuses or even tried to lie. ¡°I borrowed 20,000 dollars. I lost 18,000 at the Golden Bowl Casino. The rest went to my medicine.¡±


    Ceila didn¡¯t say anything; she just quietly waits until he was gone. Rattled, Cha Neng helplessly said, ¡°That day I borrowed the money, was my lucky night. I was winning and there was no sign that said I was going to lose. So, I didn¡¯t stop. Then I lost it all in one hand.¡±


    He ruffles his hair in irritation. ¡°But if you agree, we can solve this without losing a cent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening¡± was all Ceila said.


    Cha Neng hesitantly continues. ¡°You know how in our culture, girls have a bride price? Why don¡¯t we have Shilan go in exchange for our debt?¡±


    ¡°So you want to sell out Shilan?¡± Ceila asks in disbelief. ¡°Do you know that she is still underage? Do you know how much face you will lose if you do this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with having a daughter pay for her family¡¯s debt? It is one of her duties to help; she should be honor to help save her family¡¯s face!¡±


    ¡°We live here in this country right now. There are laws. I don¡¯t think you can get away with this.¡±


    ¡°We can unless you open your mouth.¡± Cha Neng pauses and then said, ¡°This is the only way unless you want the loan sharks to kill us all.¡±


    Unable to think of a solution, Ceila purses her lips. There were so many pros about Cha Neng¡¯s solution than cons. The only problem is Shilan. Even though she gave birth to Shilan, she couldn¡¯t necessarily say that she raised her, and she have to admit that she had been depending on Shilan to take care of the household. Ceila doesn¡¯t think that her daughter will take it kindly. She¡¯s a quiet girl but she also has a lot of patience and endurance. Ceila herself knew that the girl must have other plans about her future. Shilan had never rebel or been hostile towards them which even made Ceila feel slightly guilty but her hatred for her daughter usually over shadows it. But this decision is out of her control. She just has to turn a blind eye to this problem and let Cha Neng take the responsibility and blame.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    ¡°Shilan will be okay. She just has to produce results and make the organization happy. As long as she does what they want, we¡¯ll be debt free.¡±


    Ceila doesn¡¯t know who Cha Neng was trying to convince, her or him. She just hopes that whatever happens, there will be no more trouble after this.


    The following few days were very quiet. Her parents didn¡¯t get into a fight like she thought they would. Her father didn¡¯t seem worry about the loan sharks so Shilan assumed that her mother paid them with her secret savings. Even though she felt no love for her family, she still has to thank them for giving birth to her. That was why she had never given them any problems and obediently conforms to their rules and demands. Maybe deep inside of her heart, she still wanted her parents to love and acknowledge her? She had read somewhere before that ¡°a parent could never really hate their own child.¡± Unless this is false, Shilan, secretly hope that her parents have some affection for her despite their volatile temperaments.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    The car horn snaps Shilan out of her revelry. She looks to both sides of the street and when there were no more cars; she crosses the street to go to work.


    That night after work, Shilan was surprise to see her father waiting outside of the bookstore. He rarely if ever has come to pick her up.


    ¡°Shilan, is that your father?¡± ask Cathy as she looks out the wide window. ¡°Does he want to come in while we get ready to close the store?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it is okay. It doesn''t take long to close the store anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess¡± reply Cathy and then she smiles. ¡°I will like to meet him though?  I want to let him know how well he has raised you. You are such a good kid and very hardworking.¡±


    Not knowing how to respond to Cathy, Shilan blushes in embarrassment. She was not use to having people compliment her so it made her feel awkward.


    Cathy seems to understand why Shilan¡¯s face was so red and chuckles. She then turns off the lights and follows Shilan out the door.


    Shilan was nervous. She had never introduced anyone to her parents before so she was having mix feelings. Her parents weren¡¯t very social people and they were shy of the new language that they had picked up. So she was surprise when her father greeted her boss, Cathy. He didn¡¯t say much beyond a thank you when Cathy complimented him. Then her father told her to get in the car.


    ¡°Goodnight Cathy. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning¡± said Shilan as she waves her hand out the window of the moving car.


    Cha Neng looks at Shilan and silently drove. When he drove pass Jackson Street, Shilan wonders where they are going.


    Noticing the question in her eyes, Cha Neng said ¡°I have somewhere to go before we go home.¡±


    With an uneasy feeling, Shilan didn¡¯t voice any objections. But for some reason she was very nervous.


    Two hours later, her father stopped in front a small building. There were multiple bars and small businesses along the street. There were many shiny lights and people walking about. Her father got out of the car and went around to her side, opening the door.


    ¡°Come out. I need your help with some papers¡± orders Cha Neng.


    A little scared and confused, Shilan slowly got out of the car. For some reason the hairs in back of her neck stood up and from the recess of her mind a voice softly urges Shilan to run.


    *************************************************************************************************************


    Thanks for reading. If there are any suggestions or advice please give me a heads. There are only a couple of more chapters before this part of her life ends and towards the main story.

 Chapter 4: Escaping, Hiding, Home

    Chapter 4: Escaping, Hiding, Home


    Shilan hesitantly climbs out of the car albeit a little too slow for her father. Which he then grabs her forearm and impatiently drags her to the two stories building in front of them. The front of the building is just like any ordinary places. There were two large windows with advertisements about their loans and products.  The place feels like an insurance office. The only thing that was odd about it is that it was still open this late into the night. When they enter the office, Shilan begins to shiver. The bells on the glass door rang loudly as they enter didn¡¯t help her nerves either; the sound only makes her feel more alarm. Shilan felt an odd tingling like she was on display. She quickly looks at the surroundings and tried to memorize the layout.  In front of her, there is the stairs leading up and down to their respected floors. To the left, there is a large and long counter with different brochures and behind that counter, there is a door leading to another room. Then to the right of the room is a set of sofa for people to sit comfortably while waiting.  To the far back of the room were two doors. One, for employees only and the other is the bathroom.  There didn¡¯t seem to be anything out of place. It looks plain and business-like. Her father led her to the sofa to sit down while waiting for someone.


    After a minute, a huge man enters the room from the door behind the counter. He had dark short hair and was dressed in a black suit. His enigmatic eyes slowly take in the image of Shilan. The way that he was staring at her, made Shilan even more uneasy.


    ¡°Well, welcome to our office¡± said the man. He walks toward Shilan and extended a hand to her. He waits for Shilan to take his hand for a shake.  When she did in greeting he continues, ¡°My name is Chu Feng. I am the manager here. And you can sit here while you wait for your father.¡±


    Shilan nods her head as she sits on the seat closes to the front door. The name Chu Feng sounded really familiar. She couldn¡¯t remember where she had heard the name from. But it bothers her. It feels like she is missing something. As she continues to mull over the name, her father Cha Neng had follow the man to his office.


    After Cha Neng settles himself in front of the desk, Chu Feng seated himself before him.


    ¡°You are scum¡± Chu Feng said derisively. ¡°What kind of a man and a father will do this? Although, it is a loss for you, it is profit for us.¡±


    Even though Chu Feng and his boss, Liu Ye, work for the organization there were still some codes of rules that they abide by. Even if they are atrocious men in the underground world and money and power is everything, selling one¡¯s own flesh and blood is looked down on in disdain, especially a young and innocent one. Though, it is in bad taste, it is not uncommon for many desperate loaners to resort to this and the organization will take it if it means payment.


    ¡°She looks innocent. Her worth will be higher if she is still a virgin.¡±


    Cha Neng quickly reassures him. ¡°She hasn¡¯t even gone out with friends, let alone a man before. My daughter is still pure.¡±


    Chu Feng looks at Cha Neng in disbelief. When he first laid eyes on Cha Neng¡¯s daughter, he had to take a step back to catch his breath. Shilan stands at 5¡¯4 with a lithe figure. She had long thick silky black hair which fell down to her hips. Her face was arresting, her eyes enormous, sad, long lashed, and mesmerizing. They were a vivid, brilliant gold, holding secrets, and unimaginable pain. Even her mouth was sculpted and inviting. Her complexion was fair and smooth with a healthy glow. Even though the girl looks cold and aloof, it only made her more desirable.


    ¡®The girl¡¯s stand offish attitude probably made it hard for people to approach her. She¡¯ll be auction off at a high price¡¯ thought Chu Feng. There are many jobs that a girl can do in this underground world. Most of the jobs concentrate in the sex and drug industry although there were some exceptions. He wonders how Cha Neng¡¯s wife looks like now with how their daughter is so beautiful. ¡®This bastard seems to have all the luck.¡¯


    He takes out some papers and pushes them to Cha Neng. ¡°Sign them and you can clear your debt with us.¡±


    While they were in the office, Shilan had sneaked behind the counter when she finally remember the man and overheard what had been said. She was so shock that her pale skin turned even whiter than usual. With her heart beating fast, any hope that she has towards her father dissipated. She felt the world spinning before it stop and crashes down all around her.


    ¡®I need to get away before they come out¡¯ thought Shilan as she makes her way towards the front door. ¡®I need to stall them first though.¡¯


    She looks around and quietly ran to the two doors in the back of the room. She opens the bathroom door and flushes the toilet. She takes off the ceramic lid of the tank and proceeds to remove the chain to the floater and unplugs the flapper so that the water will constantly run. She then went to the sink to turn on the faucet. Then she grabs the door knob and quickly locks the bathroom door before she closes it behind her. She opens the door next to the bathroom and left it ajar to make it seem like she had probably gone out that way. Then with fear and adrenaline aiding her courage, she slowly makes her way to the front door. Shilan carefully opens the door as quietly as she can so that the sound of bells will not alert the men of her escape. As soon as she got outside, she rushes into a group of young men and women who were in the middle of bar hopping. She wanted to blend in and lose her trail so that she can find a way back home. She wants to know if her mother is in on this and if not, hopes that her mother will save her. After all is said and done, her mother had given birth to her. That is the only hope Shilan have left.


    After walking for a few minutes with the crowd, she left them to find a bus stop or better yet to hail a taxi so that she can get further away from the shady office. She is still numb from the fact that she had been sold. Without realizing it, tears so deep with pain and fear, fell from her amber eyes. She had tried so hard. When they had beaten her and worked her to the bones, she thought that it can¡¯t be helped, because she is still underage and had nowhere to turn to. She had heard and read of all sorts of scary things about being a foster child that relying on the system was out of the question. At least with her parents, she wouldn''t be afraid of being molested or raped. Plus, it was not fair to break up her brothers only home. Shilan was the only one that their parents abuses anyway.


    In the small corner of her heart, a furious voice penetrated into her mind, ¡®I hate them. I wish that they will die.¡¯


    Horrified at the thought, Shilan shakes her head and tries to push the angry thoughts away. She inwardly cries, ¡®They¡¯re my parents and family.¡¯


    But the seeds of hatred had already slowly emerged as she looks for a safe place to hide and plan what to do next. She stops inside the 7-11 store and takes out her wallet.


    ¡°Where in the hell can a lone girl go?¡± yelled Chu Feng as he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He had made a mistake. He thought that with Cha Neng in his office, the daughter wouldn¡¯t budge in fear that something might happen to her father. He was wrong on all accounts. The girl was smart and she outwitted them by misleading them that she was in the bathroom. It had caused them several minutes of pursuing her. And when they finally realize that the girl had run, it was too late to find which direction she had taken. Not knowing what to do, he kicks Cha Neng in anger. ¡°Does she know anybody here in the city?¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Cha Neng shakes his head, ¡°No. She doesn¡¯t even have any friends at home.¡±


    Chu Feng punches the counter when the answer was not what he was hoping for.  One of his underlings came into the room and shook his head, indicating that there was no information on the girl.


    ¡°Umm, I already sign the papers, releasing guardianship to you¡± shakenly mumbled Cha Neng. ¡°I already did my part so I am going home now.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast¡± barks Chu Feng. ¡°The girl got away. So the bargain is off.¡±


    ¡°But, but it wasn¡¯t my fault. I brought her here. Only you didn¡¯t secure her well. You can¡¯t hold it against me. I already sign the papers¡± insisted Cha Neng. ¡°All I can do now is if she comes back home, is to call you guys to come and fetch her.¡±


    He backs towards the door as he tries to get away from the furious man. Before he could get away, Chu Feng grabs him around the neck and slams him up the wall. ¡°I am giving you some time. If and when she gets home, call us. Otherwise, we are going to be talking about some other compensation. You understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡±


    Chu Feng pushes Cha Neng out the door and roars to his underlings. ¡°Close the store. We¡¯re done here!¡±


    An hour and a half ago, she had stopped at the seven eleven to withdrawn 200 dollars to cover the expenses of a room and for the train ticket home. Now, Shilan is getting ready to sleep in a motel room about 30 minutes away. She had to ask a lady who was standing at the corner of the street to go in and procure the room because she was underage for twenty dollars. The lady probably thought she had run away from home and felt some pity for her since she didn¡¯t ask much. Shilan was tired out from her experiences today. She just wanted some sleep. Luckily, the motel that she is staying in is only 3 blocks away from the train station. Tomorrow she¡¯ll go home and figure out what to do.


    It was afternoon when she finally got to Reeds. She wanted to go straight home but scratched off the idea. She was afraid that the shady men and her father will be staking out her home. There was only one place that Shilan felt that she can stay low at and it was the abandon house about three doors away from her home. It was closed down earlier that year and it had a public notice on it. The yard had a lot of overgrown bushes and it had a broken window in the back. The only reason why Shilan knew about the broken window was because she had seen it when she was peeking in the yard out of curiosity.


    Shilan had decided to wait until night time to sneak into the house. But first she needed a few things like a flashlight, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and jelly, two bottles of water, and a roll of toilet paper. Shilan is sure that if the shady men did come for a stake out, they will give up in a couple of days leaving her father responsible for her capture. So if she waited a few days, Shilan was sure she can talk to her mother after that.


    Three days later, when Shilan was sure that the men were all gone. She slowly sneaks into the backyard to enter her house through the back door when she heard her father yell, ¡°Give me the god damn money woman. I will die if I don¡¯t have it.¡±


    ¡°Bull! Even if I have the money which I don¡¯t, I will not give it to you¡± shouted Ceila. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just get the hell out of our life? I have enough of you and your crap. Do you hear me? Enough!¡±


    ¡°You want me to hit you? You think you are so good that I wouldn¡¯t dare divorce you?¡± Laughs Cha Neng, ¡°Your stinky mouth and ill behavior will have all the men running the other way. It is only I, who can tolerate your constant nagging and it is only so because I have my opium, otherwise I would have kicked you out of the house like the whore you are!¡±


    While her parents were fighting, Shilan slowly inched her way to the living room and hid behind the archway that leads up to the stairs. She sees her mother with a wooden bat in her hands while her father was gripping onto an empty glass bottle. Without warning, her mother swings the bat and hit her father in arm. Her father howled in pain and threw the glass bottle straight at her mother. It misses and smashes to the floor. Then he leapt forward to try and take the bat away from her mother. She didn¡¯t let him, she swings again and this time got Cha Neng on the side of his thigh. He growled in pain and in frustration as he grabs Ceila by the hair. ¡°Let it go, now¡± he orders.


    ¡°Never!¡± Ceila defiantly yells, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go suck your balls somewhere far away from here, you god damn loser!¡±


    Ceila grabs Cha Neng¡¯s free arm and bite him hard. He lets go of her and pushes her way as he inspected his forearm. ¡°Bit*h, cough up the damn money!¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body! If you want it so bad, why don¡¯t you sell me too?¡±


    Time seem to stop as the blood drained from Shilan''s face. Laughing silently and uncontrollably as burning pain from behind her eyes started to pool together. Her last hope was gone. Tears streams down her face , "Her mother knew. She knew.''


    ¡°Fu*k you. If you won¡¯t give it to me, I¡¯ll look for it myself!¡±


    Shilan presses her palm to her mouth, ashamed that she was too frightened to stop their fight. Yet, a part of her didn''t care anymore as she knew the truth. All she can do was coward behind the wall and wait while they continue to hit each other. Then her father takes up the stairs with her mother close behind. There were muffled sounds and many fragile things shattering. Then Ceila, panting, ran down the stairs with a small safe in her arms, her father pursuing her. He had a small gun in his hand.


    ¡°Come back here!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Without any warning, her mother picks up a lamp and threw it right at Cha Neng. He blocks it and the lamp flew away a few yards from him. In furious rage he cocks the gun right at Ceila.


    ¡°Nooooooo!¡± shrieks Shilan as she instinctively ran towards her mother, trying to shield her.  Even if her parents were despicable and lower than animals, she just can''t let a human die in front of her.


    The second the gun sounded, Shilan saw her mother¡¯s eyes widen in terror. Her mother was saying something but all the sounds seemed to have faded away. Shilan couldn''t hear anything and time seemed to have slowed down. There was a sharp, mind blowing pain in her head and the last thought she had before everything went dark was, ¡°I am finally free. I hope they pay for this.¡±