The temperature had dropped drastically as we left the warmth of the cabin. He firmly gripped my arm, the sharpness of his nails digging into my skin. The pain ran through my arm but I didn’t dare struggle in his grasp, knowing it would only make him angry. I was already aware of the consequences of those actions that made him angry and then I realised that so much had changed in my life in such a short period of time. I knew what would have happened if we left China, yet no one had believed me. 

 

 

A single drop of rain landed on my temples and streamed down the length of my face, staining my pallid cheeks. As I scanned my eyes over our surroundings I came to the realisation that everyone had barely moved, standing in the exact positions that we had been forced into earlier. They were frozen like statues. The pain and fear was evident in their eyes as the General led me past the rows of them, shoving me into the exact space I had been in before.

 

 

 

He lowered his head until his lips were barely centimetres away from my ears. “Don’t you dare tell anyone anything that has just happened, understood?” He whispered harshly, his eyes shooting a glare of distaste in my direction. He heaved a sight as I nodded my head in understanding, his body turning in the opposite direction as he left me behind in the crowd and returned to the others in power.

 

 

 

The other soldiers immediately straightened their backs and stood tall as they saluted him while he passed by, looking at him with utmost fear as though they were as terrified of him as I was, as we prisoners were. He had great authority above the other soldiers. It was somehow both admirable and frightening. Admirable because for someone who looks relatively young, he is the one that is in charge of this place. Frightening because he has the power to do anything he wants, bring pain to anyone that he feels deserves it. He had too much power.


I shook that conception of him out of my mind as I came to a sudden realisation. The man was no saint to deserve to be admired and followed. He was a bastard who had taken me away from my home and brought me pain despite only being there for a very short period of time. I could do nothing against him or fight for myself while he was in power. When I had once hoped of escape back in China, when I wanted to be free from my parent’s restrictions, I didn’t think that this would be the result of those thoughts.


There was an evil smirk which played on his face as he leaned closer to the men standing watch, whispering something as he glanced over at us. He had something bad in store, I could just feel it. I was unaware of whether this only affected me or it would affect us all. I didn’t know anything anymore. I was lost and confused.


The ambiance grew even more tense as the General departed. My eyes scanned over our surroundings and I grew aware that there were more people that had been taken away, more than I had initially thought. Had they been dragged away like I had? Or were they shot to death by the soldiers strolling by? I supposed I would never know what had actually happened. It was as thought they had just disappeared from the face of the earth, never to return.


“We never expected this much trouble on your first day. And I thought we could make this easy for you if you co-operated,” A chuckle escaped from the Lieutenant’s lips as they called out to us once more. This time there was no response; there was no fighting or rebuttals from the audience of us that could only watch in fear. What were those words supposed to mean? They wouldn’t have been able to treat us any better than they had before,

 

 

 

“General Nichkhun wishes to inform you that your skills will be put to good use. During your stay here, you will be given a job and there are consequences if that job isn’t done to standard. We can’t secure your safety if you refuse to co-operate with our rules and regulations.”

 

 

 

My eyes widened in shock. Not once in my entire life had I been given a job. I had never been expected to do anything within our mansion. If there had been work to be done, it would have been given to the maids and I wouldn’t have to worry. Even my mother did no jobs - she didn’t cook or clean, relying on the maids for everything that she ever needed. She only did the things that she wanted to do.

 

 

 

“If anyone has any problems with this you are free to speak to any of us and we’ll fix that,” he finally finished. I didn’t even want to know how they would fix our problems. I would have rather just kept them to myself.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

They made another trip around us, grabbing and pulling at our arms to separate us into different groups and then lead us elsewhere.  The elders were left behind under the close supervision of the Lieutenant, the rest of us forced away without any idea where we would be going. I didn’t want to know why they weren’t being taken away. I wouldn’t have ever wanted know that would be the last time we would see them.

 

 

 

I closely followed the extending line of woman as they led us through the area, my feet crunching on the cold gravel as we past the crowds of others who had already arrived much long ago. They shivered in their meagre, thin clothing as the cold wind washed over them, their eyes unable to tear away from us as they followed each of our actions. They looked so unhealthy, so thin like skeletons that I began to wonder what had actually happened to them, how they were actually being treated. Those people were a warning for what was to come, what lay in our fate.

 

 

 

My body froze as the sound of wailing grew audible from close by. My ears pricked up at the sounds but no one else seemed to have noticed or they weren‘t interested in what could have been happening. It was evident that it wasn’t the sounds and cries of an adult. It was the shrill voice of a child, a child that may have been in distress. I already knew that I had caused trouble, even within the General’s company, but there was a feeling within me that urged me to help, to find the source of the cries. What if they were really in trouble? 

 

 

I diverted from the line and followed the echoing sounds as they grew louder and more intense. My head turned in the opposite direction to find the group barely visible in the distant surroundings before I unconsciously took another step forward.

 

 

It was not until I came to the back of a cabin that I found the source of the cries and wails. A little girl not much older than 5. Alone. No adults in sight. Her knees were tucked up, brushing against her chin as the tears streamed down her face, staining her pallid cheeks and the fine fabric of her dress. I knew I should have gone back to the others, they must have been far away by that point, but part of me was worried about what had happened to her.

 

 

 

I crouched down beside her in curiosity, my lips parting as I tried to speak to her, “Shouldn’t you be with your mommy?” My eyes scanned over our surroundings to find no soldiers or people around us. The roaring sounds in the distance announced the arrival of thunder, the sharp sparks of lightning piercing through the clouds.

Her head lifted as she cast a look of distress in my direction. Her eyes widened as she realised the danger around us and I could sense that she didn’t know whether she could trust me. “I-I can’t find her. One minute she was beside me… the next she was gone. I’m scared,” she managed to reply between her cries, frozen in position. I could only feel sympathy for the little girl and I was unable to understand how she really felt.


“What’s your name?”


“Mo-Mei. Do you know where my mommy is?” she suddenly asked, her eyes glistening with hope as she looked up and met my eyes. . 


I was unable to answer her question and I didn’t know where I would find that answer. I stayed silent for a few moments, realising that it would have been best to have kept her distracted and leave the thoughts about her mother behind. As I asked her questions about herself, I couldn’t help but notice that she was the most adorable child that I had ever seen.  Her fiery, orange hair bobbed up and down as a laugh escaped from her lips, making me feel as if there was some hope left for us, that things weren’t going to be as bad as it seemed.


It not only took a lot of persuasion to convince Mei to join me, it be came very difficult to find the others and where they had been taken. I was more than certain that if one of the other soldiers got their hands on her she would be in harm’s way. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if something bad had happened to her, knowing that the lord had placed her in my care for a reason. But despite this, the fact that we weren’t following the rules also put us in some trouble.

 
After carefully looking around, avoiding any soldiers in our path, we finally found them. The exterior of the building was vast in its size but once we had found a way of entry, we came to realise that this wasn’t the case. Due to the large numbers of us and the many bunks to cater for the size of our group, it had grown very cramped. I kept Mei close by my side like she was family, like a sister, like my own child.


 

*****


I felt myself slowly drift off to sleep, my eyes struggling to stay open until I was suddenly disturbed. A soldier paraded into the building, his feet thudding against the concrete as a smirk curled at the corners of his lips. I watched Mei from the corner of my eye while she jolted up in surprise at the harsh sounds which awoke even those who had already fallen asleep. I didn’t even want to know why he was there.

 
 He scanned over his surroundings as he stood at the doorway, enjoying the view of the vast number of women before his eyes. It took a few moments for him to realise the note in his hands, casting his eyes upon the thin piece of paper as his lips parted. “Victoria Song! General Nichkhun would like to see you,” he announced.


Whispers grew audible in the backdrop; heads turning back and forth ran as they waited for the one called Victoria Song to step up forward. I felt reluctant to leave Mei behind, knowing she was still in a fragile condition after what had happened earlier. My eyes rested on the soldier as he grew impatient, tapping his fingers on his watch. I really had no choice but to leave. She was people that I could bring myself to trust.


“I’ll be back soon okay,” I whispered, sending an apologetic smile in Mei’s direction. I stood up sullenly and dragged myself towards him, ignoring the words of the women that surrounded me on all sides. They were more things to be worried about at that moment. Only time would tell what General Nichkhun’s plans were for me that evening.