“Lev? What on God’s green Earth are you doing out here?”
Lev lowered his hands that were trying to shield his head, I think.
“You know this guy?” Mr. Huang asked.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“他是你的朋友吗?” (Is he your friend?) I nodded in reply while Lev looked like he understood nothing of what Mr. Huang was saying.
“Please tell me he did not insulted me in another language,” he said aloud and I could only laugh lightly.
“No, I did not just insulted you in another language.” Mr. Huang slipped in. He gave Levy a scrutinizing look.
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere,” he mused softly. “Who did you say you came here with?” Mr. Huang’s arm muscle twitched visibly and I got ready to block his blow if he was going to throw one towards Levy again.
I don’t know what beef they have but Levy’s a friend and I won’t let him get hurt. I know very well how that’ll turn out for him just by getting trained by Mr. Huang for a few days. It will not be a pretty experience.
“Oh, a friend. I’ve been trying to contact Pixie but she hasn’t been answering. I found out that my cousin knew her grandmother so I gave her a call and she told me where you’re at. So here I am.” I frowned at his explanation.
Something’s not adding up. Nana knows not to give out information like that to strangers. Especially with what I do. Maybe he confirmed something that convinced her he was a friend?
Whatever it is, maybe it's a good thing that he was there. It gives Mr. Huang someone to partner me up with so that I could start learning how to fight properly instead of punching air and stuff. It’s starting to make me feel like an idiot.
“小福，你没告诉他你的名字吗?” (Xiăo Fú, haven’t you told him your name?)
“还没.” (No)
“Should I be worried?” Mr. Huang's eyebrows were a bit furrowed; that indicated that he didn't trusting Levy. “No.”
I knew he wanted to ask more questions related to that answer. He probably wanted to know if I truly trusted Levy or not but I honestly haven’t figured that out myself. My doubts were mostly built out of wariness and Bryant has taught me a lot of things but being reckless on who you trust was not on that list.
During the whole conversation that I had with Shī Fu, Lev looked like he wanted to bang his head against a wall and I couldn’t blame him. Mandarin would sound like a fork scratching a black board to someone’s ears if they didn’t understand it. It was hard to understand and definitely harder to learn. If mom didn’t let our old neighbour didn't teach me that language from my early childhood, I would be slapping my hand over the mouths of anyone who uttered a single word in mandarin.
It was an excellent language to speak in if you didn’t want anyone to understand what you’re saying though. Bryant and I used to speak in Mandarin all the time just to get on our parents’ nerves. It was hilarious whenever they would just pick up their things and leave the room every time we started speaking to each other in Mandarin.
“So where’s your friend?” Mr. Huang’s accent grew thick and I was immediately wary. Nothing good ever happens when his accent appears.
I remembered that one time I followed Bryant to Mr. Huang’s place and ended up staying over.
Some rude hiker got lost and strayed to Mr. Huang’s cabin. At first, he was just seeking some directions but then he started getting arrogant vibe and he started picking on Bryant for no reason.
I had jumped in front of Bryant and glared at the man sharply when he started making fun of my brother. The hiker had towered over me and it was most probably a comical sight. The second he narrowed his eyes at me and made a move to touch me, Bryant grabbed me by my waist and hid me behind his figure, out of the man’s reach. Mr. Huang’s accent when he demanded the man to leave his land was so thick that no one would’ve thought he was a local. From then on, my body tense up and I grow alert when Mr. Huang's accent thickens.
I would’ve been terrified if I was at the receiving end and I truly felt sorry for the hiker. Fortunately, he escaped with a mere bruise on his arm from where Mr. Huang gripped it.
“Oh, he’s somewhere nearby, probably setting up the tent or something.” Levy replied dismissively while looking around the area in disinterest. My eyebrows shot up at that.
“You guys are planning to camp here?”
I didn’t know how I felt about that but Levy was a friend so it should be alright, right? Mr. Huang, however, didn’t seem to think so. The questions he was shooting at Levy seemed to be endless.
“When are you planning to return to wherever you came from?” I slapped Mr. Huang’s arm lightly which was unsurprisingly hard with muscles. For a guy his age, he was beyond fit.
“Don’t be rude, Shī Fu.” I scolded him in a slight whisper. He either didn’t hear what I said or decided to ignore it.
“Whatever it is, I don’t see the need for you to knock at this hour.” I frowned at him. He wasn’t usually this rude to people. Last time I remembered, he was quite civilized.
“Right, I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure that Pixie was really here and that I didn’t get the wrong house.”
“Well now you know so good night.” That was the end of the conversation as Mr. Huang ushered me inside and nearly slammed the door at Levy’s face.
The second the door latched close, I turned to him and showed him how disappointed I was.
“What has gotten into you? Honestly, that was the most hostile that I’ve ever seen you been.” I said aloud honestly, not caring that Levy was probably still outside and eavesdropping.
“Xiăo Fú, bù yào xiāng xìn tā. Nĭ tīng dào wŏ ma?” (Xiăo Fú, don’t trust him. Do you hear me?)
“Nĭn duì tā yŏu shén me shì? Nĭn zhī dao tā shì shéi ma?” (What do you have against him? Do you know who he is?)
He shook his head, took the pan from me and just walked away. I silently gave him the ‘wtf’ look as he walked into the kitchen to return the kitchenware. I got back to my pile of comforters and blankets, deciding not to bother anymore, and plopped down on the fluffy looking pile only to regret it afterwards when all that fluff gave away and my butt met the hard floor.
Note to self: Don’t do that ever again.
I knew Mr. Huang was keeping something from me but although I didn’t like it, I knew he’ll come around. With that thought in mind, I tucked myself back under the covers and tried to go back to sleep before the sun comes out and wakes me up to continue my training.
The sun came out earlier than I would’ve liked it to but I managed to force myself out of the covers and take a quick, freezing shower. I was basically squinting through tiny slits and almost bumped into the bathroom door but the ice-cold water helped pop my eyes open.
When I was finally done with my shower, I dumped my pajamas on the corner, too lazy to fold them up. I tried to start the morning with good spirits but I could feel my inner bitch was clawing its way out.
Mr. Huang left a note on the kitchen counter saying that he’ll be back soon. I grabbed a few bananas and apples and began nibbling on them while waiting.
After I took the last bite out of the banana, I heard a series of footsteps nearing the kitchen. That caught my attention. I thought that Mr. Huang and I were the only people in this area. I quickly took the knife that I used to cut up the apples and got on the counter adjacent to the door to prepare a surprise attack.
When a couple of men stepped foot into the kitchen, I held back. They were too engrossed with their conversation that they haven’t noticed me standing there yet. I could tell that they weren’t expecting company because of how loud their voices were.
Something was definitely off.
“Lev?” I asked him in a confused tone. His eyes went wide and he quickly looked at me.
“Pix? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you said she left!” He accused his companion. My eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as I heard what he said.
“And what if I did leave? Were you planning to ambush my teacher? What are you really doing here?” I couldn’t hold the questions back even if I wanted to so I didn’t even bother. Mr. Huang’s advice from last night came back to me and I gripped the knife even tighter.
“She did leave, I saw her!” The unfamiliar gruff voice answered, spiking my irritation as they continued to ignore my presence. Honestly, who did they think they were.
“Well you must be goddamn blind because she’s standing right in front of us!” Lev shouted at the man and I could see his ‘friend’ growing angry at his tone.
“Watch it. Know your place.”
Oh, I’ll show them what ‘knowing your place’ really means.
I aimed the knife at the man’s head and since I was painfully aware of my terrible aim, I wasn’t surprised when it missed the man’s head But it didn’t fail its purpose. The kitchen fell dead silent as the knife clattered onto the floor.
“I asked you guys a question, someone better answer it or the next knife won’t miss.” I threatened lowly. They both glared at each other but Levy spoke up.
“Give us a minute, please.” I contemplated it. I wasn’t stupid, they were obviously hiding something. That was exactly why I agreed to his request. They weren’t going to tell me the truth anyways; might as well eavesdrop. Levy wouldn’t suspect it, he probably thought that Pixie has higher morals than that.
But Cassandra Johnson doesn’t.
The second that they stepped out of the kitchen to talk a few steps away, I made sure to leisurely pretend to leisurely walk to one of the seats that weren’t visible from where they were standing.
Once out of sight, I rushed to the wall nearest to them. I tried to catch everything they were saying with some difficulty. I could only decipher enough to make a quick assumption on what they were doing here.
“I thought that you were sure she was the one who went out.” Lev hissed to his friend.
“I was, but that bastard must’ve expected it and dressed up like her instead to trap us.” The other dude said lowly. Lev shushed him quickly but my fingers were already curling up into fists.
“But that doesn’t make sense. Why would he want us to corner her instead? Isn’t he supposed to be worried that we might hurt her?” Levy whispered in a hushed tone. That made me question the situation as well.
“Screw it! It’s two guys against a petite girl, let’s just sack her up and come back for that son of a bitch later on. He’ll probably come running to us to fetch his bitch back.” His friend spat.
I think that’s enough, no? Let’s knock them out before they carry that plan out for real. God knows what they’re gonna do to me once they kidnapped me.
I quickly sneaked to the other side of the kitchen, making sure that the hushed voices were still went on. I swiftly exchanged the knife for a pan instead. I want to knock them out, not kill them. I need to figure out what their beef with Mr. Huang is.
The second I have the pan in my hands, I went through the back door in the kitchen and circled the house quietly.
They had their backs towards the front door, probably trying to keep an eye on me, and I swear it was all too easy. They didn’t even get to react before the pan connected sharply with their heads. I made sure to swing it as hard as I could.
My logic: the harder you hit them, the longer they’ll be out cold.
The second that their bodies hit the floor, I took the covers that I used to sleep and bundled them up like giant babies. It was just to make it harder for them to escape in case they woke up before I could find the ropes to tie them up with.
I began my search for the ropes and luckily, I didn’t have to chase a hopping bundle of covers when I got back. After I tied them up, I cleaned up my corner, tidied up the covers and took out a book to read while waiting for Mr. Huang to get back.
And of course, like all smart sociopaths, I also made sure to keep the pan within arm’s reach, just in case.