I woke up late the next morning, the other servants were probably going to disapprove of this...

I rushed to the kitchen while still braiding my hair, cook didn't seem to care about my tardiness, and was busy going about doing her things, she didn't even look up at me. It wasn't after I patted her on her arm did she realise I was there, this was strange as cook was always alert and observant, often picking on every little mistake I made while doing the duties.

Today cook was supposed to show me the proper way to dry the chrsanthemum leaves for tea but it seemed she had forgotten, instead she sent me off to the market place to buy rock sugar. After handing me a few copper coins, she shooed me out of the kitchen. I was instructed to make it quick, it seemed cook needed it badly...

I decided to use the back door as it would lead me to the marketplace faster, as I neared the backyard I saw step mother- in- law in the arms of a man.

I tried to hide myself but it was too late, the man saw me and he caught my gaze. Step mother-in-law noticed this and turned around to see me staring back. Before she could react to me witnessing, the man spun around and fled through the back door.

Step mother-in-law stormed over as I stood rooted to the ground frozen with fear and shock.

 "How long have you been here?!!" she demanded, because I couldn't reply, she slappd me across the face before dragging me to the kitchen.

Cook was nowhere to be seen in the kitchen, step mother-in-law finally released my arm,leaving angry red welts on it. I was paralysed with fear not knowing why she brought me to the kitchen...

She caught me off guard when she grabbed my right hand and placed it on the kettle boiling on the stove...

The pain was unbearable,tears pooled in my eyes at the excruciating pain, I tried to make out a scream, my lips forming an 'o',but nothing would come out. 

When she finally released my hand, she hissed in my ear...

"If you ever breathe a word, your dead body will be left to rot on the streets!"

Just at that moment cook came into the kitchen, her eyes wide when she saw me and step mother-in-law.

Cook applied ointment on the injury and dressed the wound swiftly,without ever uttering a word. I sat there sniffling and wincing at the pain, after she was finished, she directed me out of the kitchen.

"Best to keep what you saw to yourself in this household." she said quietly before she headed back in to the kitchen.

I was to be excused from my duties by cook and sent to my room to rest. I decided to read the Book of Odes to kill time,every small movement I made with my right hand hurt as I slowly flipped a page. Just than the chamber doors flew open.

Song Qian stormed in and sat next to me on the bed.

"I heard it all from cook, you don't have to hide it! That horrid demoness! "

I gave her a small smile to reassure her I was fine but Song Qian had determined I was still in great pain.

"This won't do! We can't have your pretty hands scarred! I'm going to get you the best snow cream there is, you stay here and rest! I'll be back soon!"

With that my vivacious friend rushed out to find the cream.

I had barely finished a page when I heard loud wailing sirens... It couldn't be...How could there be an air raid?

Thoughts raced through me as I ran out to check, please don't let the fighting reach here, please, please...

I bumped into Fengjie who grabbed me, we ran all the way to the back of the estate.The servants had opened a wooden latch that led to an underground bunker, it was a bomb shelter!

Fengjie lit a candle and I was able to see the familiar faces around me, outside the siren continued to wail mercilessly. To my great relief step mother-in-law wasn't with us,where she went I didn't know and didn't really care, what worried me greatly was Song Qian, whom wasn't here...

Cook must have sensed my worry, she hugged me gently and reassured me Song Qian would be fine.

"That girl is like a cockrach, you can keep hitting it but it won't die."

I smiled back at cook praying hard that she was right...That I would be able to see Song Qian's pretty smile again.

After a long time the sirens had seemed to die off, we came out only to be greeted by the dark sky. I rushed out to see if Song Qian had returned.The manor was till intact, in fact so were the other houses and buildings around, everything was just as it was, was the air raid a false alarm? More importantly where was Song Qian?

Night had settled over the town, Luhan returned home after wandering the streets in the shadows searching for answers. Too many unanswered questions he had, like bits and pieces of a puzzle he could not piece together.However he had picked up information that the dreaded Japanese had already gotten close to Beijing, sooner or later they were going to enter this town,it was going to happen after all. He couldn't stop the fighting then, how could he do so now...

Luhan felt indignant at the thought of it, he was gone too soon.Perhaps Father was right...

His thoughts were interupted when he saw a familiar silhouette rushing pass.

She must have been too preoccupied to notice his presence, that she didn't even shun away...

"Yanchen?" he called out to the girl.

Yanchen turned around to face him, Luhan saw panic in her eyes. She seemed to be really worried about something that she didn't even flinch when he moved closer to her.

"Are you alright?" Luhan asked her.

Yanchen mouthed two words, Song Qian. Luhan then understood why she was worried, Song Qian probably wasn't with them when the siren sounded earlier on.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine!" he smiled at Yanchen, she didn't seem too relieved. 

"Shall we go find her?" Luhan asked,Yanchen nodded eagerly.

Luhan manoeuvred the streets with Yanchen following close behind.

" Where could she be?" Luhan thought out loud, he turned to Yanchen...

Under the bright moonlight Yanchen's pale skin glowed reminded him of-

"Yanchen!" she turned around,it was none other than Song Qian.

Yanchen ran towards the flustered Song Qian and embraced her,it was Luhan's first time seeing Yanchen smile so happily,it warmed him up.

Luhan went back to the chamber first, leaving the two girls to chat in the backyard.He felt happy knowing that Yanchen was no longer that scared of him seeing how she didn't keep he distance away from him the whole time just now. They could click really well and probably had the same interests, seeing how Yanchen was interested in his favourite book, he could finally have another friend! He was pretty lonelyand knowing that he could get along with Yanchen relieved him after all she was going to spend a long time here,since she was... married to him.

The door to the room opened to reveal Yanchen, she nodded at Luhan,as she stepped in Luhan noticed she was holding a small white jar but what caught his attention was her bandaged right hand...

"What happened to your hand?" he asked casually trying not to sound awkward.

Uneasiness flashed in Yanchen's eyes as she shook her head slowly,but Luhan had already seen it in her eyes, the eyes were after all the windows to one's soul.As Luhan was a ghost he had a heightened sixth sense and he knew Yanchen was hiding something, the injury was probably not an accident...

"Someone did this right?" Luhan asked gently, Yanchen's widenend eyes gave her away.

"You don't have to suffer alone! I could help!" Luhan couldn't stand it when his friends were bullied.He then realised his hands were on Yanchen's shoulders.

The touch surprised both of them, for whenever Luhan touched a human he would pass right through. He relased her and looked away knowing his negative energy could harm her.

"It's my step mother isn't it? Only she is capable of such cruelty." he said quietly. Even though it wasn't good for a human being to come into contact with a spirit, Luhan knew that the bandages had to be changed frequently to prevent an infection.

Yanchen stared at Luhan as he moved over to the bed and crouched down, searching for something under it.Was it still there? The last time Luhan remembered it was placed there.

He pulled out a wooden box and opened it, taking out a roll of bandages. Luhan gestured for Yanchen to sit opposite him,hesitantly, Luhan gently unwrapped the old bandages on her hand. Yanchen winced as her wound was exposed to the air,Luhan deftly applied the snow cream onto her wound. Yanchen flinched back and Luhan had to hold on to her wrist to bandage the wound properly. Realising he was gripping her wrist he immediately released it, Yanchen was a girl after all. He finished dressing her wound and cleared his throat,

"When I was young I would always injure myself running about, so much so that I learnt to tend to the wounds..."

Luhan didn't look up at Yanchen but he heard two knocks, thank.you. Luhan had learnt before that this was the western-invented morse code.

He looked up surprised,Yanchen was grateful for his help and he could see it in her eyes, the eyes were the windows to one's soul after all.

"I'll leave you to rest for the night." he said softly before disappearing.

Luhan sat outside the room,leaving Yanchen to rest inside, before long the light from the room behind was gone. As the moonlight from the full moon shone down, illuminating his hands,Luhan wondered how he was able to touch Yanchen...