PhoenixDragon
by Delineations . Alyona

. Copyrighted © by Iva Liu . 2009 .

Be Inspired

But Don't Steal

!Thankyou!

“Stupid girl! What do you think you were doing standing there like a rock yesterday?” her father shouted, his face red with anger. “You could've done something! Something!”

His hand was shaking, as though he was suppressing the rage that was growing larger by the minute. Not that Vivian could help it, her father had always over reacted when it came to his reputation and her forgetting her manners in front of the few most important beings would forge him a bad name.

Knowing that nothing she could say would help her situation, Vivian simply looked into her fathers eyes defiantly and hoped deep within her heart that he would leave her room soon. But before she could help it, she was slapped hard in the face. The ringing sound of the hit echoed in the room like a bell, chiming loud and clear.

She glared at her father menacingly, clutching the side of her cheek.

After a moment of silence, she finally replied. “Sorry, father.”

Her father jolted surprised, still frowning. He hated it when she gave him that look. Vivian may have the attitude like her great-grandfather, and she might actually become him, but he will not – never – encourage such attitude from her.

“Find yourself a dress,” he grumbled. “There will be another gathering tonight,” he said, his voice calmer than his shouting mere seconds ago. “Everyone is to attend.”

After sending a disdainful scoff at Vivian, he turned on his heel and stomped out the large wooden doors. The doors slammed shut behind him, she could still hear the soft creaking of the wood as they swung to and fro.

Her hand left her cheek. A large red stain covered her face, but it already dimming slowly.

She wondered silently whether she could ever be good enough. Perhaps she would never be, that was why her father treated her so. To punish her for being so very naively stupid at times; it wasn't like she could alter who she was inside. She had never met an Immortal Woman, let alone five! The surprise had simply caught her off-guard.

She could feel her anger bubbling up inside her again, though it wasn't like her to get so angry all the time. Vivian shook her thoughts away and began to concentrate on calming herself, taking in deep breaths as she sprawled on the floor.

A knock on the door forced Vivian to open her eyelids, albeit annoyed. She looked down at herself, seeing the night gown she was still wearing since last night. She rubbed the back of her head and sighed. Nevermind, she thought to herself. “Come in,” she said in a strangled voice, glad that the water works had yet to come. She leapt up from the floor as the door opened; she couldn't let anyone see her disheveled, it wouldn't do any good for her reputation if that happened.

Aunt Lin stepped into her niece's room cautiously, a worried look plastered on her face. “Vivian,” she uttered her name softly. Seemingly unconsciously, Lin took another step towards her niece and reached out a hand towards the teenage girl and patted it gently on her cheek. “What did your father say?”

“Nothing.” Vivian replied under her breath, “He just wanted to make sure I remembered how I was supposed to act a.. around the Immortal Women.”

Lin sighed, and turned Vivian's head to the side. If it wasn't for the red slap-mark on her niece's cheek, she would've believed what she said; but since her niece didn't say anything, she decided not to press on further. “I'm sure everything will be fine,” she whispered reassuringly, taking her hand. She noticed her niece cringe slightly at the movement of her hand, and came to a conclusion that perhaps her brother-in-law had hurt his daughter quite badly. “Why don't you tell me what you will be wearing tonight? I suppose you would want to impress someone?” She asked, changingthe subject.

“I haven't decided yet.” Vivian confessed honestly. Aunt Lin smiled at her and pulled her towards the wardrobe. She opened it, welcoming the soft scent of lavender.

Vivian had a very large collection of clothes, most of the clothing were made from a material they produced themselves, not sold any where else in the world. Lin pulled out a yellow dress that caught her eye. The cutting was traditional, decorative buttons sewn neatly in a row across the neck line, streaming down towards a slit on the right. A faint outline of a Dragon was outlined on the left...

“You're not honestly making me wear that.” Vivian asked bluntly, pointing a rude finger at the yellow dress. “I hate that colour, and I hate that dress even more!”

Shaking her head, Lin turned to her niece. “Why not? It's a wonderful dress! It shows off your figure, your status... what more do you need?” She said, holding the dress in front of herself. There was nothing wrong with it, although the style was a little old-fashioned and the colour a little off as though it had been worn countless times beforehand.

“I need a dress that will make me stand out!”

“This dress is also capable of making you –”

Vivian crossed her arms in front of her chest, “I don't like this dress, auntie.” She said politely before her aunt could say anything more. She wore that dress at an introductory ceremony two years ago, her figure still small in the curves the dress was cut in. Her mother had barely took another glance at her at the ball, she even received a beating after the ceremony was over. In fact, as her mother beat her ruthlessly in her bedroom, the woman barely said another word. She left by midnight, when the moon was hung at the highest.

Instead of arguing further or make any more comments, Lin simply smiled knowingly at her niece and nodded. “Alright then. Why don't you choose something that you'd like to wear tonight and I'll comment on it?”

Nodding, Vivian peered into her wardrobe, picking at the clothes randomly that hung neatly on the railing. There was nothing new, or vibrant coloured that caught her eye. After all the times that she had dressed up, she was getting bored of her wardrobe. There really was nothing she was interested in.

That was when she saw something glimmering in the darkness, what could only be perhaps a trail of stones or jewels. She slid into the small space between her racks of clothing and reached for it.

When she came back out into the light, she saw what it really was. It was a necklace. Beads of diamond and jade lined on a long piece of thread that hung them together; a pendent dangled loosely at the end in the shape of an egg, the entire pendent was enbarked with small pieces of pink diamonds and yellow stones. It was beautiful.

Never had Vivian seen this necklace in her room before, she would've snatched it right into her hands if it was. What surprised her was that it was in her wardrobe, on the floor, flung at the corner barely cared for. Had someone dropped it? Was it a maid? It was highly unlikely that a maid would have possession over such a beautiful accessory. “But who?” She murmured to herself.

“What is it?” asked Aunt Lin from behind her, without suspecting anything.

“It's nothing,” Vivian replied in a soft voice. “I just found this necklace on the floor at the back of my wardrobe.” She held the necklace in front of her aunt trustingly, still pondering over why she had never seen it before.

Aunt Lin reached and touched the stones that adorned the necklace, feeling the coolness of the stones on her finger. She, too, had never seen the necklace either, except that it looked awfully familiar. She took the necklace from her niece and held it above herself, shining it in sunlight. The stones were real. They glistened in the light, refracting beams of pink and yellow lights around the room. It was lovely,

“Where did you say you found it again?” She asked her niece.

Vivian scrunched her nose, and rubbed it absent-mindedly. “At the back of my wardrobe,” she replied. “Why?”

Aunt Lin simply laughed at her niece's response. “I think you should wear it to the gathering tonight. Who knows who you'll meet! Right?”

Vivian simply smiled at her aunt, “I guess... But I don't think I have the dress to go with it...”

“Nonsense! I'll just take you shopping!”

Looking quite bewildered, Vivian widened her eyes at the woman in front of her. “But... we're not allowed outside the provence –”

“Sweetheart. How did you think I survived fifteen years of marriage in this household?” Lin chuckled at her niece's surprised expression and winked at her. “I'm not as ignorant as most people think!”

“I'm sure, auntie.” Snorted Vivian, a finger rubbing the tip of her nose. “That's why you always hang around with a seventeen year old girl in her bedroom.”

Lin smiled at her niece's sarcasm and knew immediately that she had forgotten about the brawl with her father. She put the necklace back into her niece's hands, and looked back up at her. “You know what? Why not we sneak out right now?” She offered, grinning slightly. “I hold responsible if you get in trouble. We can get you that perfect dress that everyone at the gathering would sigh and envy.”

Vivian nodded enthusiastically, grateful for her aunt. It would be her first time leaving the province, and she was going out into the real world with a big smile on her face no matter what.

“Good!” Aunt Lin smiled. “Now go get ready, I'll meet you at the east dragon fountain in ten minutes.” She patted her niece's shoulder gently, and walked out the room to set out what she would have to bring with her...

It takes eight hours to fly from London via Beijing and a transfer-flight to Xining, Li Hua was already getting agitated in her last minutes on the plane. She fidgeted with her seat belt, tried to lie down and sleep, but she still couldn't sit still.

After what seemed like a very long wait, the co-pilot finally announced the arrival at the Xining and would be decending soon. Instead of the usual anxiety she would feel when the plane lands, Li Hua felt only tireness and stress, it was as though her entire being didn't want to see her parents after not being in contact for the past school year. Maybe it was simply because she missed London and her friends; or it could be that inner voice she kept hearing since the airport.

It's not me. You're over-reacting.

She sighed, then looked up when a hostess came over to her and requested politely to tuck her seat up to prepare for landing. Li Hua nodded, fumbling over the little button that adjusted her seat somewhere on the right. The plane dived, heading towards the runway.

The plane landed roughly, she could hear the engine roaring just outside.

As she deplaned, she quickly recognized the cooling yet warm air of her hometown. Nostalgia came over her as she breathed in the air deeply, happy that she had once again returned home. Though she wasn't always here, it was her birthplace, the place where she had spent her childhood. The place always gave her a sense of security she never felt back in London, where it was always raining and was cold.

She hurdled herself through the baggage claim and the security check.

The travel bag was all that she had and she had sat in First Class, so the time taken for her to get to the exit was short and soon she was greeted by the fresh morning air of Xining – to her relief.

She looked around the almost empty airport. When she did not see anyone she knew, so she automatically began to search her bag for her cell phone. While she fumbled the many small pockets at the side of it, she wondered why no one came to pick her up. Usually, atleast an escort or a friend would be at the gate waving at her as she stepped out of the terminal; but because she saw no one, she suddenly felt disappointed... and her phone was gone again.

“Boo!”

A voice rang loudly in her ear, causing her to jump. Li Hua looked up and saw Chris standing beside her, smiling at her. Her face immediately brightened.

She flipped around as quickly as she could, except her bag intercepted her way. “Bloody hell! Chris!” She exclaimed. “You freaked me out!”

“I freaked you out? Really?” Chris chimed, raising his voice and grinning. “Cool!”

The boy she once knew had grown atleast four inches taller than her, thank god he still had a very childish face else she wouldn't be able to recognize him. Chris was one of Li Hua's closest friends back when they were children. After she left for boarding school, they rarely communicated. She was just glad to see him again. She looked around and behind him. Noticing that no one was with him, her smile fell slightly.

“Li Li!” while she was still entranced in her own world, Chris enveloped her in a bear hug. Li Hua's face cruushed onto his chest a little too roughly. “It's been so long, I can see that you are still as squishy as eveerrr!!”

“C... Chris! Get off me!” she whimpered, struggling under his grasp.

Chris looked down, and saw her pressed face. “Woops! Sorry Li Li.” he said, releasing her of the death grip.

Li Hua sighed. “You absolutely should be Chris, but I shall forgive you once again.” she smiled at him, taking a breath from her nose. “You can be so adorable sometimes.” She joked, flicking her hand at him. She tugged at the belt of her shorts and stood up straighter, smiling at her friend. “I guess you still haven't lost that death grip yet!”

“Guess not.” Chris chuckled softly, then he looked at Li Hua's heavy bag hanging on her shoulder. “You want me to carry that bag for you? It looks weight-ty.”

Li Hua smiled at him innocently, “I'm cool, thanks for the offer though,” she replied, beginning to walk towards the exit.

Chris pouted. “Aw, c'mon!” he cried out, following Li Hua closely behind. “I can tell it's really heavy from here!” Chris ignored Li Hua's requests and grabbed the hilt of the bag swiftly, flinging them over his own shoulders. Li Hua turned along with the bag, looking at him. “Yep! Very heavy!” he huffed, but not letting it go.

She narrowed her eyes playfully at him. “Exactly,” she said. “Heavy. So, now you're just gonna have to carry it all the way back to the apartment–”

“Oh, no no! You're not going back to the apartment this year!” Chris interupted, shaking his head. “You are to go back to the provence. With me!” he exclaimed happily.

Instead of feeling excited and acknowledged like she should be, Li Hua felt only emptiness and a little wrong about the situation. Since when was she allowed in the provence? “The provence? Are you kidding me?” She asked disbelievingly, not convinced about what he said at all. “What about all my stuff?”

“You're clothes and everything had already been moved back to the main house; and obviously I'm not lying!” Chris replied, looking a little disappointed in her. “Shouldn't you be feeling accepted? You weren't allowed to join the main family last year...” He paused to think for a bit. “Actually, you were never allowed in the provence since you left for boarding school, right?”

“Right...” She murmured, feeling suspicious of the entire arrangement. “So exactly why am I accepted there this year?”

Chris' eyes seemed to widen greatly at her question, but his smile never faded. “Uh... I've got... no idea.” He said, pausing between syllables. “You should ask your parents. So... yeah. Let's go!” At this, he walked past Li Hua out the automatic doors and towards a sleek, black van outside.

Despite what her childhood friend, whom she trusted very much, said, Li Hua was still feeling queezy about the situation.

Why was she invited back into the main house this year? She remembered being allowed to attend several classes and gatherings when she came to visit last year, but she was never actually permitted to step into the residential area or the sacred temples and what-nots inside the place.

Abandoning her speculations, she walked out of the airport after Chris and into the car parked outside waiting for her. The van was very comfortable, compared to the other forms of travelling she had been on before. She hated it every time her family hired a cheap taxi to drive her to her apartment; some had not been cleaned or wiped-down for atleast five years and the drivers always spoke their Chinese so quickly she didn't understand a word they said.

“Here, I'll help you.” Chris said as he offered a hand at her, already climbed onto the vehicle. Li Hua gladly took it, and was pulled inside within seconds. She could see the driver at the back of the car, placing the bag at the trunk.

“I'll have to remind myself to pack a bigger bag next time! Then maybe next year you'll lose that strength of your's on my bag.” She remarked teasingly, then she let out a heavy breath, exasperated. “Dear Lord– it would be good if I had some of that strength...”

Chris chuckled softly at her response, he reached behind Li Hua and pulled the open door of the van close. “Yeah, well. It doesn't come without hard work!” He said, sitting down in his seat.

“I know.”

The driver walked around the side of the van and got into his seat. He turned around to look at Chris, as though asking for permission to drive. Chris, in turn, simply nodded and turned his head back to Li Hua. She had broken eye contact with him, and had decided to look out the window instead.

The engine started and Li Hua found herself leaning closer towards the window, seeing the scenery shift from the entrance of the airport to the familiar grassy fields of nearby farms and small villages. She reminded herself that no matter how much she missed the grey and concrete streets of London, she would have to get used to the grassy fields of her homeland again; it had always been the first thing that came to her mind every year she came back. Although she recognizes the landscapes, she still had an urge to shift uncomfortably at times.

“Hey, what's been going on at the house lately?” She suddenly asked Chris, who, too, was staring out of the window.

Chris turned his head towards her, his eyes wandering elsewhere as he thought of an answer that could, hopefully, satisfy his friend's need of information and at the same time subjected enough that he wouldn't be in trouble. “Uh... Nothing much really. Same old stuff.”

“No gossip?” Li Hua asked, quirking an eyebrow up. “I remember there used to be lots of gossip around the place when I was younger.”

Once again, Chris had to think of how to answer her. He inclined his head to the side, and pondered over whether to tell her hints of what is going on or perhaps a lie. “Well, there was this maid who got pregnant with the stable boy's kid. It had been the talk of the week, last I heard.” He answered, weaving his story along the way. “The whole situation was kinda sticky, so I didn't bother medling in it.”

It was obviously a lie, Chris never missed a chance to know what was going on in the household. Gossip was what made his job enjoyable as an escort, it would be boring if there was no talk of jealousy or tales of infatuation. That, Li Hua knew as well. She took note that Chris was someone who enjoyed a good story, and reveled in what was happening in his society. “You're lying.” She stated simply, not blinking an eye at him.

“I'm not!”

“You are! You never not-bother yourself in a good gossip!” She said, her voice pitching a little higher than usual as she tried to imitate a mocking tone. “So tell me, what's up with the pregnant maid?”

Shit. He cursed under his breath. Chris was never quite good with lying, especially when someone was staring straight at him. He dimly smiled regretably and shook his head, buying time. “Um... I'm not supposed to tell.” He said.

Li Hua looked at him incredulously. “Huh. So you say...”

“Yeah. About that–” He tilted his head backwards and sighed. “A new maid was hired last year, she was sweet and good-looking. Not that I found her attractive.” Li Hua smirked slightly in response to his comment, but Chris ignored her and continued to babble. “Not long later, she started flirting around. I mean, anyone could tell she was the unprofessional type that sleeps with men to gain benefits. There was this young stable boy who came... uh... a while ago, he was... um... kinda innocent and so, he slept with the girl. She got pregnant. They both got fired.” Chris finished his tale with another sigh, glad that he had successfully woven a lie. “Happy?”

“Happy.” She replied nonchalently. “Though I don't get why the stable boy would sleep with a woman he barely knows with a snap just liked that.”

“People do lots of stupid things.” Chris said. “That includes giving into their feelings of lust.”

Li Hua smirked lightly at him, looking amused. “When did you start getting so knowledgeable about these things? Did you get yourself a girl?” She asked, poking him on his shoulder playfully.

“No...” He said, shrugging uncaringly. It was true that he hadn't; he was always sent on different errands and had no time for his personal relationship.

“I'm sure.”

“I didn't!” He exclaimed, looking at her with widened eyes. The girls back at the provence were nothing more than servants that were hired by various random people, he couldn't be attracted to any of them. Yes, he was an escort; but he was an escort who was chosen, not hired. It was not for the sake of money either, it was about duty.

Smirking, she turned her head to back to the window, observing the scenery as it passed by her. Then she frowned, realizing that she had forgotten that the whole point of the concentration was to try to find out from Chris why she was going to the provence after near six years of not being allowed there. Scrowling, she looked back at him. He was still staring at her, him frowning slightly from his previous disagreement.

She smiled at him, inwardly chuckling at how childish he was acting. “Hey, question.”

“Yeah?”

Taking in a deep breath, Li Hua looked away as though she was thinking for a moment. “Did my mom sent you?” She asked, before staring straight into Chris' eyes. Just as he was about to reply, she cut in again. “I want the truth.”

For a moment, he looked taken back by the question. Though instead of stuttering, he seem to know the answer straight away. “No... I just found out from someone that you were going to return, so I offered to pick you up.” He replied. When he saw Li Hua's expression, he added. “I'm not lying! You can ask your dad when you get back home!”

“I believe you.” She said, furrowing her brows together. “But if my mom didn't send you, who ordered you to tell me that I'm going back to the provence this year?”

Chris sighed heavily, looking down again. The car bumped softly at that moment, causing the two to turn their gaze at the driver. The driver looked back and gave us an apologetic smile, then turned his attention back onto the road. “Um...” He began, scratching the back of his head. “Your dad... and several other people...” His voice drifted off into the air uncertainly, which made Li Hua wonder if he was lying again.

“My dad?” She asked, ridiculed. “He never speaks to me, why would he care for my welfare now?”

“I don't know!” Chris suddenly barked, causing Li Hua to jolt. “I'm just an escort! Maybe he's starting to care! I don't know!” As he finished, he realized how he had just sounded and covered his mouth with his palm, smiling regrettably at Li Hua. “Sorry. I... I don't know what came over me–”

“What about Yu Hua?” She asked, dismissing Chris' sudden outburst.

Nervously, Chris gulped. “Y... Your sister?”

“Yeah... Do you know her number?” She continued, looking suspiciously at him. He was avoiding the question, that was just about obvious; it was especially noticeable as she mentioned her sister. What had happened while she was away? She asked herself. What was wrong? “I should... I should talk to her. Should I?”

He instantly broke out in cold sweat, his throat bobbing when he swallowed. He was specifically ordered to not let out any information to her. It was an order! He couldn't... So, what should he do? “Um...” He mumbled, rattling his brain for an answer. “She's not here... right now.”

Li Hua seemed disappointed in his answer, knowing that he was not answering her question. “Where is she?” She continued to ask. “Is she out of country?”

“Kinda...”

“You're not telling.” She stated the obvious, shaking her head.

“No. I'm not.” Chris turned away, stopping himself before he said something he would regret. He didn't like lying to her, but she can't help it, not when he was under orders. What was he to do? Defy Him? No... He would not. Even if he had sworn he would die to protect her...

~ Chapter Three End ~

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A/N: mmm... Don't know if this edit is good enough! I didn't edit everything. Just some bits...

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