chapter 6

- Twelve Years Ago -

Josephine Liu stayed curled up in the corner of the room as the morning’s rays filtered in through the half-opened windows, the broken bottle still in her hands. She had long since removed the makeshift weapon from the corpse, the glass slipping from her stepfather’s flesh with a small sickening squelch. She had no idea how long she sat in the corner, staring at the dead body which had only just stopped bleeding awhile ago. The blood on her hands and face that was spilled had dried, making her skin taut. A tangy, metallic smell clung around her, barely penetrating the shock which had frozen her body.

Keys jangled at the door before it opened. Amber’s mother stepped into the room, stopping in the middle of her yawn as an unfamiliar odour met her. Slowly, she turned to her right where she dropped everything she held. Her husband’s body lay stiff on the ground, his eyes wide-open and peering at her lifeless. Her gaze then travelled over to Amber, where she saw her daughter sitting trembling in the corner, her eyes wide-open in shock. She rushed over to her daughter, prying her stiff hands apart to remove the broken bottle before gripping her daughter in a tight hug.

“What… what happened, Amber?” she asked in a gentle voice, not wanting to believe the evidence in the room.

The warmth of her mother’s chest finally broke Amber out of her shock. She began to cry, sobbing loudly into her mother’s clothes. “He… he… wasn’t drunk… tonight... He… he… began kiss… kissing me and… and… doing… things…” Her explanation was fragmented but Amber’s mother understood nevertheless.

Suddenly, Amber’s mother pulled apart the hug, wiping her tears away as a new determination came into her voice. “Listen Amber; we have to leave. Get as far away as possible from this place.”

“And leave him here?” questioned Amber as she glanced at the body.

“Yes, we leave him here. Someone will find his body even if we try to hide it. Best not to bother and try to get as far away as possible.” She suddenly stood up, pulling her daughter to her feet. “Only take what you really need, okay, Amber?”

Amber nodded as she ran off to her room and her mother went to hers. As she entered her room, Amber finally noticed all the blood covering her. Bile rose to as everything she had done finally caught up with her and she barely made it to the bathroom, vomiting what little there was in her stomach. Her mother came running into the room at the sound, kneeling down to rub her daughter’s body as she tried to hold back her tears. When Amber finally stopped retching, she collapsed against the wall where her mother soon returned with a moist towel and began wiping the blood from her daughter’s face.

“Are you okay, Amber?” she asked, her heart wrenching with the sorrow she felt for her daughter.

Amber nodded weakly as she let her mother clean the dry blood from her skin. “There was just… so much blood…” Her mother then helped her up, taking her to stand under the shower, letting the cold water clean the rest of the blood. She then returned with a fresh set of clothes, which Amber promptly changed into. They placed the blood stained clothes into a plastic bag to take with them. After the cleanup, Amber’s mother took her to sit on her bed as she went about packing her daughter’s belongings.

As she finished, Amber’s mother was about to pull her daughter out of the room when Amber pulled her back. “Just one moment, Mum,” she said as she ran over to retrieve something from under her bed. She stood back up, a square metal tin in her hands which jangled slightly. Amber reached for the backpack her mother held, stuffing it in the midst of her clothes.

Her mother didn’t say anything, merely raising an eyebrow in surprise before they left the room, locking the door behind them. It was still early in the morning and people were only beginning to wake, the streets still quiet.

It took them some time but they finally made their way to a bus station. There, Amber’s mother waited in line, ignoring the long-distance taxi drivers who were trying to solicit business. Although it was still early, the station was bustling with activity. Amber waited in the rows of seats, holding the two backpacks close to her. She glanced around at the other people, a small fear gnawing away at her heart. Her mind began to play tricks on her and she began to suspect that everyone knew she had killed her stepfather. She grew agitated, willing her mother to hurry and return to her side.

Relief flooded through Amber when she saw her mother return, a comforting smile on her face. Amber hopped off the chair and ran to her, gripping her in a tight hug.

“Don’t leave me alone, okay Mother?” she said quietly as she buried her face in her mother’s dress.

Amber’s mother kneeled down to comfort her daughter. “Mother’s never going to leave your side, Amber darling. Mother’s always right here.” She patted the back of her daughter’s head, her hug tightening slightly. “Everything will be alright, Amber dear… everything will be alright…”

They returned to their seats as they waited for their bus to Jeju do to arrive. They didn’t have long to wait before it came, right on time. Amber’s mother led her daughter to the bus, Amber clinging tightly to her mother’s side, eyeing the other passengers warily. Fifteen minutes later, Amber and her mother were seated in an isolated spot on the bus and they pulled out of the station, heading towards the freeway.

Leaving the city limits, Amber began to grow tired, barely able to stifle a yawn. She peered up at her mother, her eyes slightly drooping. “Where are we going, Mother?” she asked sleepily.

Amber’s mother smiled down at her, kissing her daughter gently on her forehead. “To Jeju, dear. I know it’s not really that far but it was all I could afford.” She encircled her daughter in a firm hug, adjusting her position so that Amber could lie comfortably on her lap. “But for now, my dear; just sleep. Forget everything that happened. When you wake up, we will be in a new place… with a new start…”

A month flew by quickly. Amber was admitted into a school without much fuss and her mother took up a job at a nearby open-air restaurant as a waitress and kitchen hand. The days drifted by with no interesting events, as if that night in Seoul had never happened. Yet every night, in their small room in the slums, her stepfather’s face never failed to appear in her dreams. Amber would wake up suddenly, sweat pouring down her face as sobs wracked her body bitterly. Her mother would then be startled awake but she was always ready to calm her daughter down, muttering assurances into her distressed child’s ear.

However, Amber did her best to appear untroubled during the day in an attempt to be less of a hassle for her mother. She felt guilty that she had brought this hardship onto her, but she didn’t regret what had happened. Now she had more time to spend with her mother, time she had lost when she was avoiding her stepfather. Amber’s mother was the only reason she had decided to try and put the tragic event behind her, for she was the only person she cared most about in the world.

Amber made her way down the side of a street towards the restaurant her mother worked at, glancing at the cars as they sped by. After school each day, Amber would make her way to the restaurant to help her mother as much as possible, thus earning the favour of the owner, Madam Lee. The owner was a feisty, large woman, her face lined with the years of hard work she put into the restaurant. Although her appearance made her seem formidable, she was a soft-hearted woman with an optimistic attitude towards life.

The small restaurant was mildly busy, not many customers yet as it was the time between lunch and dinner. Amber promptly entered the back of the shop, leaving her school bag out of the way. She then proceeded towards the sink where a large pile of dishes lay, waiting to be washed. Pulling up her sleeves, Amber found a small stool and pulled it over to the sink, stepping up on it so that she was just a little higher than the top. Water gushed out of the tap and she poured a little of the soap onto the sponge, making it foam as she began to wash the dishes.

Her mother suddenly appeared behind, a small smile on her face as she shook her head. She walked over, pulling up her own sleeves. “How many time do I have to tell you that you don’t have to help me, Amber?” chided her mother with mock scorn.

Amber only smiled back up at her mother. “I want to help,” she replied simply.

Amber’s mother gave her a little peck on the cheek. “You are the most adorable daughter, Amber.” She suddenly took the sponge out of Amber’s hands. “Now, go and finish all your homework first. Then, maybe I’ll let you help me out a little.”

“Fine, Mother,” sighed Amber as she shook her hands of the soap scuds. She grinned at her mother as she hopped off the stool, walking over to heft her bag over her shoulder and exiting out the back door into the alleyway behind.

Whenever Amber was chased off to do her homework, she would always come out into the alleyway. Madam Lee had asked why she didn’t study inside but Amber replied that she found the restaurant was too noisy for her to concentrate and that she preferred to be outside when working on her homework. The alleyway out back was quite clean and Amber made her way over to a small worn out table which Madam Lee kept out there. She had given Amber a chair to sit on too after agreeing to the girl’s desire. Amber pulled out her notebook, along with a textbook and her pencil case. A history test was coming up soon and she had to make sure that she studied hard to get good grades.

An hour flew by and Amber finally covered the last of her homework. She shut her textbook, feeling a sense of accomplishment flood though her. Now she would be able to go and help her mother in the restaurant. Packing up her stuff quickly, she halted as she stepped towards the doorway, a soft cooing noise catching her attention. Believing she was hearing things, she was about to continue when she heard it again. Curious, she stood rooted to the spot, listening attentively to figure out where the sound came from. The cooing came again as she snapped her head towards the dumpster. A small rustling sound was heard and as Amber went to open the lid of the dumpster, her suspicions were confirmed.

A small grey pigeon sat trapped on top of a pile of rotten vegetables, its wing bent at an odd angle. Amber figured the poor creature must have broken its wing as it flew into the dumpster, thus ending up trapped. The bird shifted again, hopping away as it was startled by Amber’s appearance. Taking pity on the creature, Amber decided to pick the bird up, muttering soft words to calm it down as it flapped wildly. Before long, the pigeon stopped moving, cocking its head around alert as it took in its surroundings. Amber smiled as she took the bird back over to the table.

“Let me have a look at your wing…” she said gently, as she carefully touched the broken wing. The pigeon cooed loudly, pecking her hand.

“Ow! That really hurt! I won’t help you if you don’t behave, Mr. Pigeon.” Amber peered again at the wing. “Hmm… I think it’s broken. Maybe I’ll take you to the vet.”

She hopped off the chair, carrying the bird inside. Amber found her mother cleaning the tables with an old cloth. “Mother! I found this hurt pigeon out back! Can I take him to the vet?”

Amber’s mother looked at her with a frown. “Amber, let that thing go! Do you know how many germs those pesky birds carry?”

“But, Mother! Its’ wing is hurt!” whined Amber as she held the bird protectively. “I can’t let it go in this condition!”

Madam Lee laughed as she made her way over. “Let the girl go, . I think it’s adorable that your daughter wants to help the poor animal.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a couple of notes. “Here, Amber; take this money to pay the vet. And make sure they bandage his wing up properly, okay?”

Amber smiled up at the woman, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thankyou, Madam Lee,” she answered as she took the money and ran off, her mother shouting behind for Amber to come back. Madam Lee continued to laugh, assuring her that it was alright.

A vet was located nearby and although they appeared reluctant to take the bird in to treat, they eventually conceded when they saw that Amber was willing to pay them in cash. The veterinarian seemed kind enough and he allowed Amber to stay in the room, showing her how to set the fragile bone and bandage the wing. Seeing how attentive Amber was to his teaching, the veterinarian couldn’t help but smile, offering her a bottle of bird shampoo with which to clean the animal. Amber bowed her thanks and left smiling, clutching the bird with its’ bandaged wing firmly.

“You’re lucky you found me, Mr. Pigeon, or else you may never have gotten your wing fixed. That would be really sad… you’d never be able to fly again.” Amber let out a small sigh as she stared into the sky. “I wonder what it’s like up there… must feel great to fly through the air, to feel so free… soaring through the clouds without a care in the world…” She turned back to look down at the pigeon with a smile. “I guess I’m making you homesick now, huh? I’d better hurry back to the restaurant before Mother starts to worry too much about me!”

Amber quickened her pace, arriving to an abrupt halt just outside the restaurant. There seemed to be quite a lot of people crowded in the shop, trying to peer over one another’s shoulders at a scene inside. Amber wondered what they were doing when the crowd suddenly parted, letting her mother through as she was led out by two policemen, her hands handcuffed in front. Her heart literally fell to the floor as comprehension dawned on her twelve year-old mind. She ran forward, the pigeon still clutched in her hand.

“Mother! Mother! What’s going on?” she asked, even though she knew the answer.

The police officers halted as they saw Amber approach, one of them holding her back. Amber’s mother cried as she watched her daughter, tears streaming down her face in glistening trails. “Amber, dear… don’t worry about Mother, okay? Everything is going to be fine… everything is going to be fine…”

Another policeman came to hold Amber back, his grip on her shoulders firm yet gentle. He looked down at Amber with sorrowful eyes, feeling guilty about what he had to say to this little girl. “Your Mother has to go to the police station, dear. She did something bad in the city. She killed a man so now she has to be punished.”

Amber shook her head in disbelief. “No… no…” She broke free of the policeman’s grip, running straight for her mother who was about to enter a police car. “Mother! What are you doing? You didn’t kill anyone, I-”

“Shhh!” hushed Amber’s mother with a panicked expression. She peered at the two policemen who were eyeing her suspiciously. “Don’t speak nonsense, Amber. I’m doing this for your own good, dear. Mother killed your stepfather; there’s no way we can runaway forever, my dear. I’m so sorry…”

Amber began to cry uncontrollably, shaking her head furiously. “No… no… no… you didn’t, Mother… you didn’t…”

Her mother pulled her in for a tight hug, unable to control her tears as well. “I’m sorry, Amber… I love you so much, my little angel…”

The police officers finally pried Amber away from her mother, the policeman from before now restraining her tightly as she screamed loudly, her voice resonating sorrowfully through the street. Onlookers turned away at the sound, unable to watch the heart wrenching scene of a girl who had just lost the most important thing in her world as a result of her mistake: her mother.

tbc.

Another sad part of amber's past is revealed... *sigh* Hmm... I'm starting to wonder how long this story will be. It's seems like the plot is moving forwards slowly, but there's such a huge cast involved, lol

Next chapter: Amber and Henry finally... meet?