From Dawn Till Dusk - 08 - Unwanted Cooperations

===
November 6, 2009……9:00 a.m.
===

The morning sun finally reached its peak. Dawn again enveloped the city of Hong Kong in its warmth as people’s day fully began. For one individual, his day had already begun and was dragging out longer than it should be.
He had his phone in his hand, glancing back at the address in the text as he stepped out of his car and down the side walk. Ron was in the more quiet and outskirt side of Hong Kong where rich villas and mansions filled the streets. Each residence was fenced off by a high rise elegant concrete wall of white plaster or stone. Glancing inside at each house as he looked at their house number, he could see how vast the land must be just by the depth his view got. He looked back at his phone. Knowing he was on the right street and heading the right direction, he just had to find the house numbered 1091.
Earlier he had sent a call and a text message out to Kate and Bosco, requesting their presence at that house as soon as possible. Abiding Nancy’s promise to Tavia, Ron kept the search between him and his team instead of releasing the news to the entire police force. In his mind, Ron continuously questioned himself why he wasn’t even protesting his act. He was helping Raymond Lam, a criminal, find Michelle Yim, yet another criminal. Looking up into the bright blue sky and the fading yellow autumn leaves, Ron shook his head and laughed at himself quietly. Because of Nancy, he would always end up flexing his principles. He was beginning to wonder if they were more important to him, or his Nancy was. At the moment, Nancy won by a far mile. Ron shoved his phone back into his faded jean pocket as he stopped at the house and pushed the opened front gate to get inside.
Behind him, without looking back he could hear the familiar car engine of Bosco’s dying Cadillac come to a stop in front of the house. He then heard footsteps as both Bosco and Kate got out of the car and walked closely beside him. Obviously he had just woken Bosco up because his hair was still a mess, his eyes half closed, mouth wide open yawning, and Bosco had on what looked like a navy blue sweatshirt with Kanji characters and an old pair of light blue jeans he probably threw on without much thought. Kate on the other had looked even better than usual. In a way, Ron could also describe her as slutty, but that was no way he would think of his close colleague. She had on a short white mini skirt, a low cut red tube top with a black vest on and her hair up. In all honesty, she looked as if she had just gotten out of a club. Bosco was smart enough to bring their tools with him. In his hands he held two black cases, filled inside with tech equipments that would greatly aid them.

“What’s the emergency call for? Why are we at this house? And what happened to you and Nancy last night?” Bosco asked as he stretched his arm walking in.

“Consider it a secret operation,” Ron replied. “We’re looking for Michelle Yim without letting the rest of the force know. We’re at this house because we are meeting Raymond Lam here. And Nancy and I went to arrest Macy Chan last night with enough evidence to prove her guilty, but she got away and Nancy got shot and is still at the hospital.”

Bosco raised his eyebrows. He must’ve had a thought run through his mind, but he decided to shrug it off knowing asking more and more questions would only complicate things. “When this is over, tell me the whole story,” he spoke to Ron.

Ron nodded as they neared the door. He noticed that the moment Kate stepped into the grounds of this villa and realized where she was, she was suddenly quiet, a lot different than usual. She kept her eyes from direct contact with Ron’s and pretended to look around the house. He couldn’t explain what exactly it was, but Kate wasn’t herself. That was all Ron knew. Something about either last night or today or maybe something about Michelle Yim and this house was causing Kate to think about something. She was acting weird, and normally he would take a little time out to question her out of kindness, but this was not the time.
The front doors opened just as they approached it. A tall young man stood in the doorway, wearing a bright sky blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collar left loose and unbuttoned. Ron had to take a second look to recall that the man was Raymond Lam. He was so used to Raymond portraying a street rat in a vest with his arms showing, but instead Raymond looked serious and professional with no tattoo in sight. The only thing recognizable about him then was his face and the way his hair was oddly messy.

“Welcome,” Raymond greeted. “Glad you’re willing to help.” His attention was mostly on Ron, wondering how and why the principled officer decided to offer him his aid.

“How long has Mrs. Yim been missing?” Ron asked immediately as he walked inside.

Bosco set the two cases on the glass table that Raymond had led them to in the living room. He opened each one quickly and took out two laptops along with wires and another small system box with red lights blinking at a mild speed.

“She was supposed to get off the flight at three yesterday. We visited her here this morning but didn’t see her. Then we called everyone who would know that she’s back and we still couldn’t find her,” Raymond replied, watching them as the three police officers set up their work.

“Kate, can you please call the airport and check up on that for me?” Ron asked.

Standing to the side, Raymond had his arms folded as he watched with a straight expression as Kate left the room the make the call. Bosco asked first then went around the house to set up his antennas and get a good feel of the place for some if any evidence or clues. Raymond’s observing eyes shifted from the well dressed but tired eyed Ron to the sloppy and uncaring mess Bosco, and finally to the slutty tramp of a police officer Kate. He raised one eyebrow surprised at what results he got by Tavia making just one call. The only thing missing was the presence of that goofy and reckless officer who tried to pass herself off as a triad, Nancy Wu. Raymond then sat down on the sofa across from Ron and began a conversation.

“So I get the special team from the police force? I feel so important,” he teased.

Ron glanced up for a mere second from the laptop screen. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Please, an uptight by well principled officer, a sloppy and unready mess, and a slutty tramp of a police investigator. All I’m missing is that amusingly reckless cop Nancy, your fiancée.”

Ron’s thought processed quickly as he asked casually his next question. “You knew Nancy was a cop. Why did you still allow her free roam in your territory?”

“She showed no threat to me personally,” Raymond replied. “…for the moment.”

Ron only nodded as he continued typing away rows and rows of codes and lines on the laptop.

“There’s something weird about her,” Raymond finally spoke a part of his mind.

Ron didn’t bother to look up, keeping himself busy with work and away from direct speech with the playboy and triad. “Who? Nancy?” he asked.

“No,” Raymond replied as he leaned back on the sofa, still with his arms crossed. “That other girl officer, I think Kate was her name? Whenever I’m at your office for interrogation, she would be flirting all over you. Something’s different today.”

Ron suddenly stopped typing and looked up from the screen, completely ignoring the midst of his work. “You think so too?” he asked, wondering if someone like Raymond Lam could have such high deductive skills.

Raymond nodded and had a small, unreadable smile across his face. “Did you reject her badly?”

“No,” Ron replied. “But something is wrong.”

“Keep an eye on her then,” Raymond warned. “It’s just a feeling, but I think that this Kate might just be more trouble than Nancy is.”

He never thought the day would ever come, but Ron kept Raymond’s word fresh in his mind. He nodded and gave a quick, neutral smile as a silent ‘thank you’ and returned back to his work, typing and opening up tracking software on the laptop. Never would he be able to guess what kind of trouble Kate might bring, but just the thought of trouble made him more alert than anything. As he worked, Ron kept half his mind on the software and the other half on Kate.
The front door to the house suddenly opened. It wasn’t a loud bang or a grand entry, but the sound of the door knob and hinge was enough to stir Raymond and Ron’s attention. They both turned their heads and looked up, only to find three women step in from the doorway. Raymond was glad to see them, one especially who wore a straight yet undyingly attractive expression on her face. The other woman was one he knew would cause him at least some amusement for the day, but the last woman he completely didn’t recognize.
Ron on the other hand was caught completely surprised by their presence here. He saw Tavia walk in first, then Fala, and then his Nancy. Whether Tavia and Fala showed or not didn’t matter to him as they didn’t have a still bleeding wound on their shoulder and still jacked up on painkiller medications, but his Nancy was different. Nancy walked in, first her expression was unreadable, but then a smile suddenly widened her face as she sat down beside him. He knew by instinct that whenever Nancy was like that, something was wrong and she was hiding something. He gave her an acknowledging nod and so did to the others.

“I explained to Nancy that you knew everything already,” Tavia spoke with a gentle smile.

Raymond could easily see how comfortable she was around him and her close friend. He definitely wouldn’t mind these girls. “And is Inspector Nancy Wu okay with me knowing?”

Nancy socially smiled. “I’m fine with it. Actually I’m quite thankful you haven’t tried to kill me yet,” she replied in a casual tone.

It shocked them all how calmly and nicely Nancy could reply about such a scary thing, but three of the four knew her better and she could possibly pull anything off.

Raymond then turned to the shy and reserved girl that sat between Nancy and Tavia, her long hair cupping her face nicely. “I’m afraid we haven’t been introduced,” he spoke with a smile.

“Fala Wu,” she simply replied. “Nancy’s younger sister.” Even though that was the fact, Fala would more often than usual feel that she was the older one and Nancy was the younger one. Their roles have been reversed ever since Ron showed up in Nancy’s life. Fala had become much more mature with age and Nancy the contrary. She knew no doubt that it was because of the happiness Ron brought Nancy that made her so childish and carefree and she didn’t mind it at all, but it was just odd to her.

Raymond nodded, smiled and shook her hand. “Pleasure,” he spoke.

===

Taking a short break, Ron finally got to know the house better as he and Nancy walked around, first searching for the bathroom and then a place to get some fresh air. He held her hand but kept quiet. Their walk was silent until they reached the open patio in the backyard where the shining sun shown brilliance down upon them. Nancy leaned on the wooden railing as she took in the beautiful landscaping of the rich backyard. Ron did the same for a moment until he sighed and finally decided to speak seriously with her.

“I told you to stay in the hospital,” he spoke calmly. “You know better and usually would only do something like this when the case is really important. Tell me, who is Michelle Yim exactly and what relations do you and her have together?” His speech was straightforward, but it was a better option than beating around the bushes.

Nancy looked down at her hands, thought for a moment and finally released a long sigh. “Michelle Yim,” she began with a bitter smile. “I don’t really know how else to put it. But do you remember when we first met?”

“The time in the alley?” Ron asked.

“No, before that,” Nancy corrected. “That time at the police academy when we, two complete strangers, spoke to each other and decided to become police officers.”

Ron nodded. He definitely remembered that time. After all, whether big or small, Nancy still played a role as Ron’s muse to becoming the great officer he was now. “What about it?”

“Remember when I told you that my reason in joining the police force is because police officers can find people and it’s because I want to find someone?”

He nodded again. “Of course I remember. I never forget anything you say.”

Nancy smiled, still looking down at their hands, now linked and fitting perfectly together. “I never told Fala that was the reason. I only told her that I want to become a police officer because it seemed like a fun job and because of all the benefits we get from it.”

Ron nodded and moved closer to her. Their foreheads were touching as he looked at her face while she looked down at their hands. They were so close he could feel her warmth and her heartbeat rising at a slow but steady pace. She looked tired and worn out, but was still capable of holding her sweet, sweet beauty that he loved so much. Nancy’s wounded shoulder was bent back oddly, perhaps to keep the wound from causing too much pain. He didn’t notice this until they got closer again.

“Well the person I wanted to find was Michelle Yim,” Nancy spoke softly. “I’ve been denying it for over ten years now, but she’s my mother.”

Holding her hands, Ron was quiet for a moment. “You’ve told me about your past and what your mother had done, but you never told me who she was and I respected that secret of yours. Now that you have the opportunity to see her again…what are you going to do?” Ron asked. He was fully understanding of Nancy’s situation for he had asked to hear her story many times so as to remind her that even if the world turned on her, he would be the one still beside her.

She shook her head and laughed without humor. “I don’t know. I never imagined that I’d be able to see her again.” Nancy paused for a moment. Her words were soft and sullen even if she had on a fake smile. “I still can’t bring myself to forgive her so easily. Now her being a triad also complicates things, but I can’t deny it. Even though I hate her for what she did to me, I still miss her.” Only when she was around Ron and no one else could she admit to something like that. Only around him alone could she admit to her true and innermost thoughts.

“It’s your decision, but my idea is to cherish the time you have now. Things could have changed in ten years, and no matter what she’s still your mother. Sure you have to break the news to Fala but that could be done slowly over time. For now, try your hardest to mend your relationship with her. No mother will stop loving their daughter, and it goes the same the other way around. Just don’t be reckless and get into trouble that’s all I ask. Whatever you do, I’ll support you.”

She leaned in to kiss him. Ron returned her kiss quickly and after a few seconds, their quick interaction turned into a moment of pure silence and passion. He held her tighter, knowing his Nancy needed him. Nancy ignored the constant shots of pain that came from her shoulder and only focused on him. As she kissed him harder, Nancy thanked God for allowing such a wonderful man like Ron to be there for her. Taking his words into mind, she didn’t know how she will do it and she doesn’t know how her rash nature would affect it, but all she knew was that somehow, she will fix up her broken home.
Just the thought of speaking to her mother again after so long made her nauseous and sickened, but she will have to do it if she wanted a proper home again. No matter if she was a cop and her mother was a triad, no matter the fact that Fala was a forensics that stood in between them, no matter the fact that both sides were supposed to be enemies. She was still going to fix everything. Nancy closed her eyes harder as Ron pushed in for a harder, stronger and more passionate kiss. She could feel his soft lips on hers, providing her support as she thought through such an important decision in her mind. At that moment, it was decided. With Ron by her side, she had the confidence to do anything. She will do what she wanted most, and it was to fix her broken home and then finally expand on it with Ron soon after when they could properly get married once everything was done and over with. There are possibilities that fate could toy with her and mess things up again, but she didn’t care. All she knew was she had a chance to fix everything. She was determined to do so, no matter what the cost.

===
November 6, 2009……3:00 p.m.
===

The afternoon came by slowly, dragging out every single second of it. Raymond was just about ready to fall asleep, if not for the fact that he had a missing savior lingering in the back of his mind. During the time, he had been sitting beside Tavia, watching as she even understood how to work the different police technology. Bosco Wong, the untidy mess was more helpful than he could ever believe. In nearly one hour, Bosco had cracked the many messages of nearly the whole 14K triad, and narrowed down Michelle’s location to five places. Raymond couldn’t understand how he did it, but Detective Wong was really something.
Another hour seemed to have passed, but when he took a look back at the clock it seemed five minute hadn’t even passed them by. It felt as if Raymond was frozen in time, waiting in a bright, autumn afternoon. Tavia had left him to go to the bathroom, doing whatever a woman would do in there, and also cancelling all her plans for the day just to help him. He was so thankful of the busy city woman that he couldn’t hide his little smile for her, even during a time like that. He waited in silence for a minute, but boredom soon caught up with him.
It had come to the point where he memorized each and every aspect of the house for Raymond. He had wandered pass the screen doors leading to the open patio. About to go outside, he noticed the oblivious couple, too engulfed in each other to notice the moving world around them. For the first time in a very long time, Raymond felt a mature sense to leave them alone and not ruin their moment, no matter how much his rougher, triad side wanted to. He shook his head and continued walking on. A little bit pass the patio, he finally saw her. She had basically disappeared from him since that morning, but he saw her again. Kate, the skin showing girl of the police force stood before the glass window, looking out at the couple.

He approached her casually, finding something off with this girl. “It hurts right?” he asked.

She turned to face him. “What do you mean?”

“Anyone with eyes and ears can tell that you’re in love with Inspector Ng. If you’re in love, it would hurt to see him with someone else.”

She didn’t even bother to deny it. She nodded in silence and then longingly turned to look back out the window.

Raymond raised an eyebrow. “So what’s wrong this morning?” he asked.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she lied.

He simply laughed. “Right,” Raymond sarcastically replied. “Usually you’d be all over him and not even allow them a moment of alone time.”

Kate suddenly turned towards him with an angry expression on. “You,” she began.

He cut her off quickly. “Don’t lie. So what’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” she replied.

Raymond folded his arms, amused by how reading people could be so fun. “If nothing’s wrong, can you go and help me find Michelle Yim now?”

Kate turned from him and began to walk away. She suddenly stopped and without turning around asked, “Why do you need to find Michelle Yim? You’re probably only going to get yourself in more unwanted trouble.”

There it was. Raymond knew she would spill something sooner or later. Normal people would simply base her words on a guess, a simple question to get out of doing her work, but there was something about the atmosphere that day that made him believe she meant something more. He kept his arms folded and watched her as she lingered in her next step. He knew that she had something on her mind and that something could no doubt relate to Michelle. This woman, she was a questionable one to him. Perhaps he was just over-analyzing the situation, or perhaps it was instinct. He didn’t know, but he’d rather be safe than sorry.

“More trouble?” He continued to question, hoping for more leaks.

She shook her head and left. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a complete idiot. Raymond sighed and continued with his walk around the house, wondering what would happen next. He didn’t know why, but things felt like they were beginning to get interesting.

===
November 6, 2009……6:00 p.m.
===

Hours passed by. At that time in the evening, they were all gathered in the elegantly furnished living room, waiting on phones and staring at laptop screens for news. No one spoke much, it was one of those times when speaking would do more bad than good for them. Ron scrolled through a series of recorded phone conversations Bosco had easily recovered while Nancy stared blankly at the footages taken from the airport.

After a long while, she finally spoke. “The last place they confirmed seeing her was at the airport.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “But I also saw Michelle Yim at a bakery too. So she must’ve had time to roam the streets a little bit, and then she was taken.”

“You saw Michelle Yim at a bakery?” Tavia asked, surprised.

Nancy nodded then she turned to Ron. He had his head in his hands, listening intently even though he had already heard the story. She then took a look at Fala. Out of all of them, Fala seemed to be the least involved. She helped Bosco out and continued treating to Nancy’s bullet wound with the medical knowledge she had. What all but two of them knew was that Fala and Nancy had more related with Michelle Yim than anyone would ever think.

“If it had been someone we know, on the streets one of the gang members must’ve seen it,” Raymond suggest.

“Not unless if that person had enough reputation to back their actions up enough to remain unquestioned,” Ron cut it.

“Where are you going at?” Kate suddenly spoke up. She had been unusually quiet most of the day but that moment, all eyes turned on her.

Ron didn’t hold back his words. To him, Kate was a colleague, someone he could talk to, and nothing more. “I’m saying that someone well known in the 14K could’ve taken her. Raymond you said it yourself, recently there had been a lot of stirs in the 14K. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if it was someone big in your gang.”

Nancy nodded in agreement. “Why is Michelle Yim back in Hong Kong?” she asked.

Tavia turned and faced Raymond, wondering if he would hold back the truth or not.

It took him a moment of thought, but he finally decided. What was most important right then was to find her. Even if the cops do find out about their little plan. What he didn’t want to happen though was for it to be leaked, and in that room he knew there was one person he couldn’t bring himself into trusting.

“Never mind then,” Nancy sighed.

“No,” Raymond interrupted. “I’ll tell.” He stopped for a moment, his eyes on Kate. Ron saw it too and he took over Raymond’s role in paying attention to her reaction. “Kevin Cheng, the son of the last 14K boss, is at odds with Michelle over who should be the head of power in the gang. He came back to Hong Kong a few days ago, ready to discuss with the elders and higher ranked members about it. Michelle came back in secrecy to fight him over the seat.”

Kate remained quiet and showed no reaction. But that was her mistake. Ron saw that everyone else in the room had some reaction beside her. Fala was intrigued by the whole gist of the story she was witnessing. Tavia shook her head and sighed, hearing of stories similar to this, the fighting of power, over and over again. Bosco hid his amusement into where the case was leading, and Nancy stayed in awkward silence as millions of thoughts ran through her head. The fact that Kate had no reaction to this triggered something to Ron. She must’ve known something ahead of time. It was either that or Kate really had nothing on this case, but Ron was willing to bet otherwise. There was something about her today that triggered his attention.
The sound of Raymond’s cell phone suddenly caught their ears by surprise. He scrambled to get it from the empty sofa across from him as Ron attached a tracking but onto it and Bosco turned on the software. They all sat in silence as he placed the call on speaker phone.

“Macy?” Raymond spoke once he realized who had called him through the caller ID.

“Raymond, I’m glad you picked up!” she spoke loudly over the phone in a pitchy voice.

“What’s up?” Raymond asked. He turned to look at Nancy and Ron.

“I’m sure by now you have heard about what happened last night,” Macy began.

“No, I haven’t,” Raymond replied, narrowing his eyes on Nancy, the one person he knew was capable of pulling some unpredictable stunt.

“The cops came and interrupted my little meeting. It’s fine now, I’m pretty sure one of them is in critical condition.”

Ron looked at Nancy, then to her wound. He wanted so badly to yell at her, but he just couldn’t bring himself to. Not with all the many things that were happening around them.

“Macy why did you call?” Raymond asked impatiently.

“Leave with me,” she demanded.

“What?”

“Leave with me. I know you value Michelle Yim’s life very much, so leave Hong Kong with me and I’ll let her go. I can’t stay here anymore, not if I still want to have my freedom. But I can’t bear leaving without you either. So using Michelle Yim to get you to come would be the best idea.” She replied confidently.

Raymond paused for a moment but then asked, “Where are you?”

“That doesn’t matter. Tomorrow at three I’ll pick you up at your apartment. Then we can go.”

With that the line went dead. The whole room turned to Bosco and Ron as Bosco silently gave them a thumbs up. Raymond slipped his phone back in his pocket and sat back down on the sofa, running his hands through his hair as he let out a troubled sigh. He had some idea of what was happening, but for Macy he doubted them all. He had always thought she was too innocent to be able to do anything. That was part of the reason he kept her around.

“Michelle is probably with her. We have to find her before she picks Raymond up tomorrow or we’ll lose trace of Michelle,” Tavia spoke, placing her hand on Raymond’s shoulder.

“She’s at the bay, east point,” Bosco pointed out as Ron looked over his shoulder on the map he had just pulled up. “The phone call traced to there. But it’s in the middle of the water, so we’ll need to get a boat if we go there.”

“I can’t believe it was her the whole time. I mean I had some idea, but I never expected them to all be true,” Raymond spoke in frustration. “What happened to her?”

“Love changes a person tremendously,” Tavia commented.

He looked up at her with sullen eyes, his way of a silent ‘thank you’. Raymond then turned back to the crowd. “Did you guys try to arrest her last night?”

“We did,” Nancy replied, pointing to Ron and to herself. “But of course, she got away.”

“And one of you got shot?”

Ron nodded. “Nancy did.”

“On behalf of Macy, I’m very sorry. I knew something was going to happen and I could’ve prevented it, but…I’m sorry.”

Eyes of surprise were met when Raymond suddenly stood up and apologized to them. He spoke in the sincerest voice and his eyes showed no lie. Tavia was struck with silence, watching as the infamous playboy of the 14K suddenly showed a side much more mature than she could ever imagine. She was right. There was something different about him, something that made her want to trust him, want to be with him, and want to love him. She had attempted to deny all her feelings before, fearing the pain she would walk into. But what he said just then to Ron and Nancy that was just the push she needed to take the jump.

Ron too was in shock. In one day, his impression of Raymond had nearly taken a full 360 degree turn. “No need to apologize,” was all he could say.

“Nancy’s wound will be fine,” Fala spoke in, assuring everyone. “What’s important now is that we find Michelle Yim. If Macy could change that much like Raymond had seen we don’t know what she would do to Michelle.”

Nancy suddenly turned to look at Fala. Inside her mind, she was foolishly laughing at herself for pushing the people around her in such an ironic situation. Fala, her sister, was speaking of their mother as if they were strangers. As if that wasn’t odd enough, the one innocent soul of the night world had turned into a complete psycho.

“Kate, when’s the next boat available for us to use?” Nancy asked.

Kate seemed out of it as she rested her head on her hand. Sighing, she finally gave an answer after glancing at the screen. “Tomorrow morning, six a.m. The bay will be open for us then. Now we won’t be able to do anything unless if we get a signed paper, but that could take days.”

It was all silence afterwards. Raymond sat beside Bosco as he pointed out the different directions they could take in getting to Macy’s constantly changing direction. Tavia stayed close to him, her hand protected in his hold as she knew of no way she could help anymore. Tavia looked on the screen, playing a game in her mind of which way to take. Occasionally she would speak up and point out to them a different option, and almost every offer she had worked, but she was too engulfed in another matter to provide much of help. She was too engulfed in Raymond. Her impressions of triad boys were never altered so much in her life. She saw something in Raymond that she couldn’t ever imagine. She had thought guys with real principles were limited to only a select few and with her luck she would never meet an available one. But her luck seemed to have turned. She silently laughed in her mind, thinking how in one day, an unwanted cooperation could allow so much change to silently creep up on them.
She suddenly tightened her grip on his hand and Raymond quickly returned to gentle nudge. He glanced at her quickly, quick enough that it was discreet to the entire room, but slow enough that she could see his clear, shiny eyes.

===

In another room of the house, Fala had found a small box of first aid materials that proved to work in helping reduce Nancy’s jolting, piercing pain. She gently dabbed small amounts of alcohol to the wound, cleaning it and to numb out the effect of the bullet. As she did so, she sighed whenever Nancy would hold back her squeal of pain, shaking her head at her sister. She was gentle every time, but the pain could not be helped.

“You don’t have to hold back your cries you know,” Fala sighed. “Every girl is entitled to cry.”

“It’s become a habit,” Nancy laughed humorlessly. “People always have something they don’t want others to see, and I’m just the same. I don’t want to seem like a burden to everyone. Even though sometimes I feel like I am.”

“What are you talking about?” Fala laughed in an airy sigh. “I think you had a very long day.”

“Probably,” Nancy nodded and yawned. “Have you ever thought about our mother?”

Fala was caught off guard. She knew that whenever they accidently touched upon that topic, Nancy would become very guarded and sensitive. She never thought Nancy would be the one mentioning it, and in such a calm voice. Her sister had definitely had a very long day if that happened. She stayed silent, unsure if she should tell Nancy how she truly feels.

“I’m being serious,” Nancy spoke. “I know it’s usually a sensitive topic to touch upon, but have you?” she continued to ask.

It took a moment for her to process an answer, but Fala slowly sounded it out. “Often,” she replied. “To be honest, I wonder about her every day. I was too small to remember what she looked or sounded like, but how could I ever forget my own mother? I remember how she used to hold us.” Fala paused. She laughed bitterly as Nancy could see the tears come to her eyes. They were held back though, something she didn’t want Nancy to see. “I never thought we’d be able to talk about her again. I wanted so badly to ask you where she was or what she was like, but whenever we touched upon that topic, you’d back away and close yourself entirely.”

Nancy sighed as she slowly slipped her shirt back on. “I’m sorry,” she spoke softly. “…but a lot of things are better kept hidden.” She sounded sad and down, but she wasn’t closing herself up. Fala was glad and wanted to hear more, anything she could about the mother whose face she never knew. “If we see her again, how would you feel?”

“I wouldn’t know because I could never imagine the day. But I would be very glad to see that she’s alright. And I would ask her why she was never there.”

Nancy leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Fala. She could feel Fala’s arms around her body as they stayed together, hugging for a long moment. Nancy then let out a soft sigh, trying to come to a conclusion in her mind. After a long moment, she slowly and carefully pulled herself away. She placed both hands on Fala’s shoulders and spoke to her in a soft and nearly motherly voice. During those moments, it was then that Fala felt like the younger sister of the two. They were rare moments, but usually important, unforgettable ones for their minds.

“If we see her again,” Nancy began. “I’ll let you know. But remember to have fudge brownies ready, mom loved brownies,” she sighed.

They both smiled and Fala nodded. She could hear loud footsteps approaching them from down the hall, perhaps a guy. The only man that would come at that time was Ron, and Fala knew well enough to give her sister and still future brother-in-law some alone time. As Ron’s figure appeared at the door, Fala quickly cleaned up the first aid materials and quietly slipped out of the room. Ron had his hands in his pockets. He finally pulled them out when he was around Nancy’s presence, using them to gently take her into his arms.

“Why do you always have to pretend that nothing could hurt you?” he asked softly as he turned her so that her shoulder wouldn’t hurt against his body.

Nancy smiled. “Funny, Fala and I were just talking about that before you came in.”

Ron leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You talked to her about your mother didn’t you?”

She nodded. “I didn’t tell her it was Michelle yet. I didn’t know if I should.”

“Time will eventually fix everything, no worries.” Ron closed his eyes and sighed as he rested his head on the nape of her neck. “Since there’s nothing left to do but wait, Raymond and Tavia are downstairs, staying cozy. Bosco’s playing a game on one of the laptops, and Kate is zoning into space.”

“Does something about Kate today seem off to you?” Nancy suddenly asked.

Ron nodded gently. “Yeah,” he replied. “But we could worry about that tomorrow. Right now she won’t be doing anything.”

“I guess so.”

“Tired yet?” he asked Nancy, able to feel a soft, almost inaudible ‘yes’ from her. “Then let’s go to bed.”


===
November 7, 2009……7:00 a.m.
===

The morning sun was beating down on them as the two boats scanned the waters in search of a bigger one. The sun was brightly hanging up on the sky, gleaming down and causing most people to cover their eyes. It was bright, but unusually chilly for an autumn morning. So cold that even Ron had to wrap his arms around Nancy to keep her warm. It was so cold that Tavia had to snuggle against Raymond to keep warm. They didn’t know what the sudden change in whether could foretell, beside the fact that winter was coming early that year.

“Ron do you see anything?” Nancy asked as she pushed herself back into his hold, searching around the nearly empty waters.

He shook his head. “Fala?”

“I got nothing,” Fala replied as she attempted to properly maneuver the boat.

“Ron,” Bosco’s voice suddenly spoke over the radio. “We found her.”

“Send me your location and we’ll get their immediately,” Ron spoke.

The temperature in Nancy’s body rose once she realized how close they were. She pushed herself out of Ron’s hold to get closer to the radio. “Fala steer east,” she spoke quickly. “Bosco, who do you see?”

“All we see are Macy and Michelle. She has Michelle handcuffed and standing at the bow of the boat,” Tavia’s voice spoke over the radio now. “Bosco is getting out his gun, he could see a gun and knife in Macy’s hands.”

Nancy turned to look at Ron. “Did I drop my handcuff the other day?”

“Maybe, but I’m more worried about her gun,” he spoke as he leaned on the windshield of the boat, looking ahead as he held Nancy close by.

“Macy’s asking Raymond to get on the boat and leave with her. Then she’ll make the exchange and give us back Michelle,” Tavia spoke. “Bosco’s in position in case anything happens. He wanted me to tell you guys that.”

“Tell Raymond whatever you do, don’t agree to Macy. If she brought a gun, she’ll be expecting something from us.”

They were coming closer. Nancy could see the two boats, facing each other as they approached. She could hear the voices of Macy and Raymond going back and forth, arguing about something she couldn’t understand. A cold and lonely breath of wind stroked their faces as the speedboat continued on its path due east. She narrowed her eyes down to the front bow of the boat, trying to see clearly as they were approaching from the back.
Her eyes widened slightly when she finally saw the scene. The familiar face that stood on the bow of the boat beside a young girl, handcuffed and threatened to silence. The woman didn’t quiver in fear. Instead she seemed to be quite confident she would be released safely. Nancy finally got close enough to see her eyes, looking out in the open sea and seeing another boat approaching to her rescue. Her aged and warm eyes lit up for a moment, but then returned to a discreet glance once she realized Macy would notice if she acted up. Her black fur coat was taken off and sitting on the chair beside them as she stood in a lovely white blouse, swaying freely in the ocean breeze. Michelle’s eyebrows suddenly came together slightly, seeing clearly the faces that were approaching to her rescue. They felt like familiar faces and something inside of her made her feel very close to them, but yet she couldn’t recall who they were.
Inside her head, rescuing Michelle was top priority, but there was another thought lingering in the back of her mind. Nancy wondered whether she would even recognize them. It had been so many years since she had last seen them, how could she ever imagine that the two chubby, sweet-tooth little girls she once knew would grow up to be such women.

“Fala kill the engine,” Nancy spoke softly. She stood up straight, holding onto Ron’s hand as she looked back, coming into eye contact with her mother, Michelle Yim.

Midway Rendezvous

I actually didn't plan on putting another post up so early, but one of my good friends (cough cough) literally annoyed me into doing it. =_= I cave so easily.
But so in this post I will explain the meaning of the name I decided to give this blog.
Why did I name it "Midway Rendezvous"?
Simple actually.
Midway means halfway
and Rendezvous means meet
So put it together and the meaning basically is:
"Meet Me Halfway"
In all honesty when I first made this blog, it was because of a thing called "love"?
I wanted to find a guy who can meet me halfway, that's why I decided to name this blog "Midway Rendezvous".
I was pretty upset over the many unrequited loves or the fallen ones, and I had a lot of emotions built up that I felt uncomfortable showing others face to face. I don't want people to pity me or to go "awww" whenever I say something deep, sad, depressing, etc. So I keep it all to myself. Soon it kind of got overwhelming keeping everything inside...
So this blog came along.
But now, after so many mistakes, I can say I've learned a lot. Too much, but it's all good. Though it did made me wonder. All those times before, when I was hurt, when I was on the ground, was that really love? Or was I just blinded by an illusion? I thought love was something that would last a lifetime. Something that can't be changed. I thought it was supposed to lift a person's spirits, make them ignore the world, forget the pain and suffering, erase the bad memories and replace them with new, beautiful ones. I always thought love was a good thing. How come my love only had silent suffering, broken promises, heartbreakers, players, and pain? How come my love had too much thinking, too much worrying, too much fear, and too many fights? How come the love I experience in reality is so different from the love definition in my mind?
So I've come down to two conclusions:
Either I have never been in love before and never had a first love yet and all those before were merely illusions pretending to be love...
Or reality is just a cruel and hard world.
Well...
I'll never abandon my idea of love.
Love is waking up in the morning and not caring what will happen afterwards because there is always someone beside you and you know they'll stay there. Love is taking long walks, words unnecessary. Love is a gentle kiss, not forceful or confusing. Love is a long hug, not because you feel like you should but because you don't want to let the person go even for just a second. Love makes you smile like an idiot and be unable to explain why. Love is sneaky but joyful. Love makes you look at the sun as if it was God and see the moon as your guardian angel. Love is a good feeling.
Yep, I definitely won't ever abandon my idea of love.
But I never said I won't acknowledge the reality either.
In this cruel reality, I've seen so many people confuse love for lust, choose greed over love, and break promises in love. I've seen so many beautiful endings fall apart. Too many tears, too many divorces, too many broken promises, too many heartbreaks, too many unhappy memories. Love is beginning to seem like a farfetched idea in reality. I guess in reality, love is just plain cruel.
...
I'd say that I'm a stubborn dreamer. I can see reality for what it is...but I refuse to accept it. I'll keep looking for that light and maybe someday, maybe someday I'll look back at all this and laugh at how much I've grown.
...
let me hear your voice
if we can be honest with each other, surely
we could understand each other
open your heart
let me hear your voice
the path that we've walked, we definitely took
an important step towards the future

every person individually, no matter who they are carry troubles as they live
and desperately hold onto their broken heart

^^ It's quoted from "Let Me Hear Your Voice" by Big Bang^^

...

I also have Kaze to Rainbow by Garnet Crow stuck in my head.

Doesn't Kaze mean wind? Hmm...sweet song. I wish things sang in songs were true. There are lots of things I wish for actually. Like:

A guy would show up at my door randomly with roses ^_^

We could take a nice little stroll to destination unknown. It's more fun when we're lost.

We can watch dramas and anime together and I wouldn't have to fear that he'll think I'm...odd.

We can date but still be total best friends...:/ I got really close once...but it still didn't work out.

We could act like total idiots together but come out stronger in the end =D

...

P.S. Nancy you are so damn right, I need some help with my "minor" case of ADD lol. But hey, just be glad I'm revealing all this to you...and maybe the few other unknowns who read this. Oh and seriously, I don't "like" anyone right now, all the guys at our school are not my kind of guy. I'm not searching for the one either, if we're meant to be, we'll find our own way to each other even without realizing it....(sigh)...I guess you're right, I fall for the boy who brings me roses with no reason whatsoever. Gonna miss ya this week girly

...

P.P.S. Naruto is better than Sasuke >:P Look how beautiful that is!!!!!!!!

Life: TV on Replay

Lately, nothing big in particular has been happening. I could say ever since I decided to close my emotions from it all, things have gotten a little boring. But then...just when I thought it could be the draggiest part of my life, fate never ceased to amuse me.

I've spent the past couple of days watching tv basically. Not tv as in sitting on a couch with a bag of chips and staring at a moving screen, no. It's a different kind of tv. I could say I'm watching life pass me by. It's quite interesting actually, gets my curiosity going.

I've been tuned in on this recent set of dramas going around school. Luckily it doesn't involve me directly, so I'm simply a spectator. What I don't get as I watch it unfold is: how can someone do that? How can a girl do that to the boy who she once said I love you to? I would explain in further detail why I ask this question, but if I did it would mean revealing who these individuals are, and I don't think it's a very good idea to do so. But still, how could she do that to him?

I don't understand people as well as I thought I could. She's just a girl like me, but I can't see things her way at all. I guess life is just a huge irony that way.

After a while, I start to look at the situation from a life perspective. Then I see that deja vu seemed to have repeated itself over and over again. I swear something similar had happened before. It's like watching reruns over and over again. Oh well, I guess since I'm merely a spectator I can't really give my advice to anyone in the drama. All I have to say is it's better to let go now than when things get too deep. But hey, no one ever listens to the crazy girl who trips over her own two feet right?

On a different note, I will relate my thoughts to the idea of "Life is television on replay" again. See, I've seen it happen before. When I fall, when I'm on the ground, and when I get back up again. In life, I've fallen many, many times, and every time the same way. =_= If only I could learn from my mistakes and not fall ever again. In a way I'm talking about love. In another way I'm talking about life in general. And in yet another, more random, way, I'm talking about my clumsiness.

(sigh) I just had something really good in my mind I wanted to write down. But I sorta forgot it, that would explain why this whole entry had been so random. If you look back, it would seem like I had a minor case of ADD going on up there ^^

I guess all I really wanted to say was:

Life repeats itself whether you want it to or not. Every time you fall, think back to the times the same or similar thing had happened in the past, and hopefully find a way to save yourself from there. If you can't, then I guess when you fell it was a good lesson to be learned.

Wow ^^ if that was all the I wanted to say, I guess I really didn't need the long entry above it. Oh well, I guess since not many people ready my blog anyways, I won't get any complaints. Have a good day ahead and if you fall remember what I said.

~ Life repeats itself. When you fall down...somehow you eventually pick yourself back up. ~

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Lately, in case you haven't been informed, Japan has been rocked by an Earthquake, Tsunami, and the crisis afterwards along with the explosion of the nuclear power plants. I'm not asking you to give me money for donations because I honestly don't know how to get it to them, but just as around, I'm sure churches and organizations are more than happy to accept your donations. Every little bit helps, money, clothes, food, anything.
We really need to help Japan out of this because think of what Japan had given us in the past. Anime, Manga, Video Games, Music, Technology, and so much more. So Anime lovers, manga addicts, video game addicts should all do something.
Today I saw a very close friend of mine who was born in Japan and raised in America. She usually is a very happy and bubbly person, but today the atmosphere around her was sullen and sad. I didn't have to ask her what was wrong to know. Later she also told me that her grandmother's family happened to live in the part that was affected greatly by the tsunami, and now her family can't contact theirs. I felt sad when I couldn't come up with any way to help besides just sitting there beside her. Today I also heard some people make jokes about Japan. Since I live in America, a bunch of well...idiots...were saying that it's kharma for Pearl Harbor and makings jokes like "What did the tsunami say to the Japs? Nothing it just waved."
...
Well I'm not being arrogant or anything but I know one of those people reads my blogs, we talk about it occasionally. Here's my shout out to you. Go Fuck Yourself. War is war and this is a natural crisis. If you're not having sympathy or caring for it then shut it. You don't hear Japanese people making fun of you when hurricane seasons come do you? So shut it or go fuck yourselves. Thanks ^_^
And a shout out to my best friend who is reading this as I type (awkward) =_=
It's all up to fate and don't worry, things will resolve itself soon. Japan will pull itself together and me along with our friends are wishing you luck on contacting your grand parents. <3
P.S. My grandma is convinced the world WILL end by 2012. Here's exactly what she said: "Get your helmet on! The earthquake and tsunami in Japan, North Korea, China's falling government, the U.S. economy, the money fraud ordeal in Vietnam, all the crazy things happening in Asia, the overall falling economy! Go get your helmet on now! I wouldn't be surprised if something big happens in Europe soon. And maybe a hurricane or something will hit America. Get the helmet and put it on your head now!"
=_= Honestly grandma what's a helmet going to do?

Too Much...? Too Little...? Or Just Right...?

Lately I admit I've been bored out of my mind. I look on my blog and realize that I haven't added anything more to the 'My Pages' part of my blog, so I thought I'd post some.

Hmm, so I figured since I'm anonymous on here, I'd vent about some of the stuff that's been going on in my life. You can read on if you'd like or if you don't give a damn about my random thoughts then oh well, I can't force you. ^_^

So lately I've gotten out of a very long relationship. It's somewhat romance, but not the kind of romance with boyfriend and girlfriend like in the dramas and movies...sadly life isn't that perfect or easy. There was this boy I have liked for over a year now. My memories with him are limited, but they're good enough for me to remember. I've danced with him. And just last week I went out with him. We are good friends, but I guess it was because we became too good of friends that dating became an awkward thing to him.

When he suggested that we break up because he still only saw me as a friend, I admit I was quite upset. But luckily after all the years I've been through, if there's one thing I learned it was to hide my real feelings. So like how I'd always do, I'd pull a fake smile and agree to his suggestion. Now when I think back, I feel that I'm slowly getting over him. I'm no longer thinking so much about him, and I'm no longer trying to understand him as much.

The only bad part I can say now is that I fear I've lost my muse. As a writer, I need something to base my ideas off of. Even though life is never a movie perfect scene, my imagination bends it. But now that I'm no longer occupied by the thought of romance, I found myself to be louging around all day, doing absolutely nothing. I'm not even writing.

So I guess...falling out of love has caused me to lose my muse as a writer. I could always try to fall back in love, but what's the point when it's forced? Feelings can't be forced. So now...what to do? I feel like I've hit a gigantic writer's block that seem impossible to get over. Whenever I write it's usually during a period of tense emotions, but lately, I've been feeling pretty neutral and lazy that when I write, everything feels forced to me.

Hmm...what to do.

I guess it's time again...

When I go and search the internet for all the kinds of blogs I could find and write using them as inspiration. It still surprises me how I could get inspiration out of the randomest ideas, and they don't even relate! Still...I guess surprising myself brings a little fun into my colorless life.

Wow. I've been ranting a lot for this post. Oh well, I guess it's better than just letting it building up all inside and then one day have a mental break down.

=_= Now looking back at this post, I don't care how many people if any at all reads this, I think I'll continue to post some more stuff like this. Have fun sorting through all the randomness I put on my blog! ^_^

From Dawn Till Dusk - 07 - Missing, An Empty Void

===
November 6, 2009……7:30 a.m.
===

The sunlight was soft on her cheek as it shown through her open bedroom window. Fala was in her bed, restless from a night of insomnia and paranoia. The sunlight finally hit her eyes as the morning grew. She cringed slightly from the light, but she quickly adjusted to it. Sitting up, Fala ruffled her hair slightly as she yawned and stretched her slender arms wide. Her violet lace nightgown became unwrinkled as she stood up from her bed. Small signs of dark circles could be seen under her eyes as she slowly made her way to her bathroom. In her small apartment where she lived alone, she had grown used to the silence. Yet last night, she suddenly had a strange feeling that something was happening, something bad.
Her head tilted upwards slightly, looking at herself in her bathroom mirror. A thought suddenly came to her mind, a thought she had never bothered with before. She suddenly began to wonder from the features of her face, whether she looked more like her mother, or Nancy did. Looking down, she shook her head slightly. Fala didn’t understand why she was suddenly wondering about her mother. She rarely ever did before, so why now?

“Ah stupid insomnia,” she sighed to herself, blaming her silly thoughts on her lack of sleep.

As she brushed her teeth, Fala suddenly remembered the short dream she had during her small amount of sleep she had gotten. Surprisingly, her dream was about the one man she would never think of falling for. Her eyes widened awake when her train of thoughts pulled itself back to that incidental dream. Fala remembered it clearly, as if it had been real, as if she had just lived it out last night.
In her dream, she was with Ruco. She didn’t understand why she was with him, but they were at a beach together. That dream felt peaceful and quiet. Fala could even remember the smell of the ocean as she was washing her face. She remembered how she and Ruco only sat together in the soft sand, looking out at the peaceful ocean together. The wind caressed their faces gently. From then she suddenly had a troublesome feeling inside of her, as if something bad was happening right at that moment. She felt uneasy, but Ruco had his arms around her and that calmed her down, until she suddenly woke up from her dream.

“Silly dreams make no sense,” Fala mumbled to herself as she got dressed and ready for work. It was like any other day for her. Wake up, go to work, then perhaps grab a drink with her sister or some friends, and then go home. Nothing new, nothing special, at least that was how it seemed.

The sound of her familiar ringtone suddenly caught her attention. Fala turned from her vast and colorful closet to her bedside table where her cell phone laid charging. The screen lit up brightly as she received a call from someone. Inside her head she wondered who could possibly be calling this early in the morning as she answered the phone call. Forgetting to look at the caller ID, Fala was caught a little surprised when she suddenly heard Ron’s voice over the phone, panicking as if he’s having a heart attack.

“Fala get to the hospital quick, I’m in the ER waiting room,” Ron spoke in a rush.

Her eyes widened. As a natural instinct, she knew that whenever she got a call like this, especially one from Ron, her own reckless sister who was supposedly older than her had gotten herself hurt during an operation again. This wasn’t the first time Fala had received calls like that, but whenever she did she would feel her stomach tightening, worrying for her own sister’s sake. Yet that time, she noticed something. That time was different, from the night before of insomnia and paranoia Fala could say that she had expected it to happen. It’s safe for her to say that she saw it coming, but why and how?

“It’s Nancy again,” she spoke out loud. “I’ll be there as fast as I can, what exactly happened?”

“It’s too long to explain. I’m still waiting right now. I don’t know what’s going on in there.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon,” Fala hurried out her door as she hung up the phone.

===
November 6, 2009……7:45 a.m.
===

The room was lit with a bright white light as doctors and nurses in white blouses rushed back and forth. He looked up solemnly from his seat, able to see the many faces that appeared through the hospital waiting area. Around him were many families, many couples, and many lives. The area only had a few windows on the far side of the counter otherwise ER rooms surrounded the whole floor. Occasionally a curtain would be opened showing inside a scary sight of bright red blood and a person fighting for his or her life. The entire floor, when viewed quietly in one seat, could be seen as an interesting one. There were tears, there were laughter, but most importantly there was a lot of fear.
Ron was quiet and sullen as he waited in the cold hard chair, staring at the closed curtain to the one room before him. He desperately wished for someone to walk out, to inform him of the current situation and how the fragile girl inside was doing. He held his hands together and rested his chin on it, waiting in silence as if nothing was wrong but inside he exploded in fear and worry. Ron’s eyes lit up when he saw the motion of someone coming towards the curtain from the other side. Then the sound of the rings against a metal bar clicked in his ears as a doctor pulled the curtain to the side, stepping out in a calm manner. He looked around first, but before he could call out Ron had already stood up and blocked his path.

“Are you the family of Miss Nancy Wu?” the doctor asked as he took off his gloves and mask. He was a middle aged man without many wrinkles, perhaps because he found a joy in saving peoples’ lives and so wrinkles weren’t a problem to him.

Ron nodded frantically. “Yes, I’m her fiancé,” he breathed. “Doctor how is she doing?”

“Well you’re lucky you got her here in time,” the doctor smiled in a comforting way. It eased Ron’s heart a little as he listened to the rest. “We got the bullet out of her shoulder. She was lucky it didn’t hit any vitals, but her shoulder blade has been fractured and because of how deep the wound is, she’ll need to stay a few nights for observation.”

Ron nodded again. “Is she asleep right now?”

“No, she managed to stay awake during the whole time. You’ve got yourself a very strong wife-to-be.” There was that comforting smile again. “Though she did lose a lot of blood so she’s quite pale and weak right now, but I’m sure you’ll be able to nurture her back in no time. Go talk to her. The nurses are preparing a room for her right now.”

“Thank you doctor…”

“Doctor Lau,” he smiled.

“Thank you Doctor Lau,” Ron finally smiled as he rushed in, pushing the curtain to the side.

There in the blinding white lights, Ron saw his Nancy, lying on the bed with a salmon colored blanket over her. He could see her blood stained shirt sitting on a tray to the side of the room as she laid comfortably under the blanket, playing around with her air tube the doctor had placed on her. When she saw him, she looked up and smiled. Ron walked in slowly. His Nancy was still the same, strong and stubborn as always. She did indeed look weaker and tired. Her lips had temporarily lost its color and her eyes seem sunken, but she was still beautiful and astounding to him. He bent down beside her, kissing her forehead first and pulling her hair away from crowding her lovely face. Nancy smiled as she tried to get used to the air tube.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Ron breathed, caressing her face gently.

He could hear her faint sound of laughter as she turned her head to snuggle closer to him. “I don’t like this air tube. I don’t get why I have to use it,” Nancy complained softly as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re not mad at me anymore?” Nancy sighed.

Ron shook his head. “How could I be?” he replied softly.

“Fala’s right,” Nancy spoke. “We’re such an odd couple.”

Holding her close, Ron chuckled lightly to her remark. All the anger and frustration he ever had for Nancy had seemed to have just disappeared in that instant. They all vanished into thin air as he held her tightly in his arms. In their world, the only thing that mattered to him most was Nancy. He had come close to losing her numerous times and they all ended the very same way. Nancy was safe and sound, even able to make silly remarks as he let out sighs of relief. From the small opening of the curtains, Ron could see the sunlight beaming in softly through the hospital window. His heart lightened as a gentle smile fell upon his face.

===
November 6, 2009……8:30 a.m.
===

His mind was bound and trapped within a trance, so deep it was beyond his belief. For the past nearly twelve hours, Raymond had been happily spending time with Tavia. Those kinds of plans had never worked for him before, ones where he would drive the girl around, talking and getting to know each other. It would never last longer than maybe an hour at most, but that time with Tavia, what he had with Tavia was just unbelievable. They had been together for so long, had gotten in so many deep and thought binding conversations, he began to think that it would be a normal thing for them. Raymond couldn’t help but smile to himself at the thought.
They were both inside his car. Tavia sat up from her seat as she stretched her arms wide, stepping out of the car. They stood before a grand white villa with a yard that was so large its land stretched down to the horizon as it seemed. The house had a modern style, white and black with many towering glass windows. It looked beautiful inside and out.
As Raymond stepped out of his car, he too stretched as far as he could. Being in the car for so long, though he did enjoy the wonderful time, it did bring tension to his muscles. He let out a huge yawn, sighing as he turned around to look at Tavia. Her beautiful face was facing the house, jaw opened and eyes wide. Obviously she was beyond shock.

“This is where Michelle lives?” Tavia asked in disbelief. “This house is amazing!”

“Did you think all triads lived in cardboard boxes or something?” Raymond chuckled.

“Of course not!” Tavia turned away with a humorous guilty face on. She smiled but Raymond quickly saw her slither as a soft sound came from her throat as a laugh.

He subconsciously took her hand, fitting his fingers perfectly between hers as he took her towards the house. “Come on,” Raymond smiled. “I’ll show you the inside and introduce you to Michelle.”

The door opened with ease as the key triggered the lock to open and the door hand turned so easily, almost by itself. As Raymond walked in, what he expected was a gentle woman sitting on her bar counter, drinking coffee with today’s paper in hand, but instead in turned out the complete opposite. The house was empty. It echoed with an eerie silence and a breath of cold air that proved the house had been untouched since a while ago.

“Something’s wrong,” Raymond spoke, glancing around the room as he tried to listen for a sound, any sound to calm his thoughts.

Tavia too was quiet. Almost as if they were in sync with each other, she too felt that something was oddly wrong and strange with the emptiness and coldness of this house. It had a spooky feeling of loneliness lurking in every corner almost.

“Michelle should’ve been home last night. Her plane landed yesterday afternoon and sure enough Kevin wouldn’t pull a trick this soon.”

“Kevin?” Tavia asked. “As in Kevin Cheng, current head of the 14K? What does he have to do with Michelle?”

“It’s a really long story. I think it would be better suited if Michelle told you herself. What’s important right now is that we find her,” Raymond sighed.

“Let’s call some of your men to…”

“We can’t,” Raymond interrupted.

Something was obviously wrong. Tavia watched as Raymond pulled out his phone, scrolling hastily through the long list of contacts as he seemed to be searching for someone. Tavia didn’t understand him at that moment. If Michelle, a woman so important and respected to him, suddenly went missing, why wouldn’t he find all the men he could to go get her back? Adding on, there was definitely a story behind this powerful woman that Tavia needed to hear, especially if it was one that Raymond wouldn’t casually tell her himself.

“I can’t let anyone know that she’s missing because…” Raymond paused for a moment, thinking. “The only ones who know Michelle is back alongside Kevin Cheng are me and Ruco. No one else does.”

“What exactly is going on in the 14K?”

“To summarize it all up,” Raymond began quickly. “Kevin and Michelle back for a fight over the power of the gang. Kevin’s father was the last head, and the seat would usually pass on to the next generation, if only Kevin wasn’t a jackass fool and Michelle was the only one who did the work. Michelle is Kevin’s step mother. The story behind it, you’d have to hear from Michelle herself, I’m sure when we find her she’d be glad to tell you. But right now, Michelle’s return to Hong Kong is a secret between her, me and Ruco. She purposely came back the same time Kevin did so as to make her entrance in the board when he brings up the topic of head position.”

“So the 14K is lacking a proper leader right now?”

“You could put it that way.”

Tavia remained quiet for a moment, trying to think of a way to help Raymond. She didn’t know what exactly was going on with him, but all she knew was that she wanted to help him. A thought suddenly came to her mind that she was reluctant to try, but her will gave in anyways.

“What if we get Nancy to help?”

Raymond turned to her in surprise. “Actually, that may not be a bad idea. Can you make sure that the entire police force doesn’t know about it though?”

Tavia nodded as she took out her phone and began to dial the number that had been engraved in her mind many, many years ago.

===

Room 14B…Room 14B was the only logical thing that ran through her mind that morning. Fala gripped her bag tightly as she rushed out of the elevator, not even trying to be discreet with her desperation. The nurse in the front office had told her a Miss Nancy Wu was in room 14B, yet she didn’t tell her what had happened and whether the patient was conscious or not. All Fala knew was that with her older sister, anything was possible. Nancy was so outrageously reckless that no matter how many times she repeated this process, her heart would shake and race every single time. As she ran down the near empty hallway, Fala nearly overran the room she sought to be her destination. She turned back and stopped, taking a short breath before barging in through the part open door.
Walking in, seeing the frail and fragile girl sitting upright on the bed with a smile on her face, Fala’s heart took a 360 degree turn in emotions. She was relieved that her reckless train of an older sister was alright. She sighed and walked in, smiling at Ron and noticing the few wires that the doctors had connected to Nancy. There was her breathing tube over her nose, a tube coming out of her wrist and another from her arm with a sack of blood visibly attached to it. She came in, softer and calmer, and sat down in the other empty chair. Without speaking a word to each other, Ron smiled and leaned back in his chair, watching them. Fala rubbed her eyes with her hand, a habit of hers when she is frustrated, and Nancy sat innocently with a smile on, acting like the younger one in the relationship. They all knew, next came the nagging.

“What in the world did you do this time?” Fala asked patiently, shaking her head.

Ron noticed as Nancy’s facial expression changed slightly. He knew she was cringing in pain from her unhealed shoulder, but she attempted to hide it. Abiding her wishes to keep her sister from worrying, he discreetly moved up beside, her, pulling her gently in his arms as he began to explain to Fala what the reason was that Nancy was in the hospital.

“We were following up on a lead,” he replied.

“We got caught, I saved his ass, and then I get shot!” Nancy replied in a silly tone, making emphasis on the last three words of her sentence.

After a short moment, Fala too moved closer to Nancy, sensing the pain that chilled through her sister’s body. She took Nancy’s hand and only smiled, shaking her head. Nancy admitted to herself that many times, Fala would seem like the older one, not her. Her pain soon died away when the emotional and physical warmth that both Ron and Fala, two of few most important people in her life, had brought to her. She closed her eyes and sighed.
Between their long but peaceful silence, a soft hum suddenly caught all of their ears. Nancy was the first one to perk up as she felt the buzzing from her cell phone that sat almost invisible in the upper left corner of her hospital bed. Ron gave it to her so as she didn’t have to reach and they all remained quiet as she answered the unsuspecting call.

“Nancy? No questions but I really need your help,” Tavia’s voice suddenly rang through.

Nancy’s eyebrows suddenly bunched up in confusion as she replied, “Tavia? Where are you?”

“I’m at Raymond’s friend’s house, Michelle Yim. She has gone missing, and she’s a big part of the triads. I need you to help us find her, and please do not inform the entire police station.”

Inside her heart and mind, Nancy had immediately frozen. She repeated Tavia’s last sentence many times in her mind, setting it in constant replay as she refused to believe the words. The name mentioned in that sentence had scarred her whole life, and now it came back to cause her even more pain. Her heart raced and Nancy could feel herself beginning to shake as those painful memories automatically replayed itself in her mind. Able to control herself, Nancy forced all the tension into her side with her fractured shoulder, being discreet about the emotional pain that had revisited. Inside her mind, with all her will Nancy forced herself to think of only one thought: put on an act.

“I’m not even at the station,” Nancy replied, improvising. “Alright, no questions…” she suddenly paused to think. “Wait a minute, does that mean Raymond Lam knows I’m a cop?”

“Nancy where are you now? I’ll come there and explain to you.”

“How about this,” Nancy suggested as she looked up to Ron’s awaiting face with a mischievous smile. “Tavia you come meet me while I ask Ron to meet with Raymond and Raymond can give him the information we need? I’ll get a few others to help and won’t inform the whole station. A missing person, evidence could vanish as we speak so come to the hospital as soon as possible. Room 14B.”

Tavia seemed as if she was in a rush a she replied hastily. “Alright, I’m coming down right now. Raymond told Ron to meet him at the house. I’ll send a message to Ron’s number with the address.”

“Alright,” Nancy replied as they both hung up the line.

Once done, Ron crossed his arm and looked at her expecting something bad to come out from Nancy’s mouth. Her mischievous smile sent chills up his spine, knowing his reckless fiancée would do anything to help a friend, no matter what it was, and especially if the friend happened to be an unpredictable lawyer named Tavia Yeung.

“What did you promise?” Ron asked.

“Um…” Nancy began, now finally thinking about what she had said. “Tavia is sending you a message with the address of a house for us to check out. There’s a woman who is a strong part of the triad missing and she doesn’t want to stir the whole police agency.”

“And who else will I be meeting down at this house?” Ron asked.

His reckless fiancée was silent for a moment, wondering how Ron would react once she told him. Nancy knew Ron didn’t like mixing with the enemy, but just maybe… “Raymond Lam…”

Fala watched quietly as her sister and brother-in-law had yet another one of their special moments. One person would do something reckless and the other would be stuck to clean up the mess. It had always been like that for as long as they had been together. Fala would always wonder how such a strange yet passionate could exist, but her thoughts were quelled when her wandering mind finally landed on the fact that life is unexpected.

Ron had his hands stuffed in his pocket, rolled his eyes, shook his head, and let out a faint sigh. “Just this once,” he spoke to her in a serious tone. “No more reckless behavior afterwards.”

Nancy nodded in agreement. “Promise,” she replied.

He leaned down to give his Nancy a quick kiss on the lips. They locked for at least three seconds, if they could call that brief. Leaving, Ron was still worried about Nancy. She looked tired and worn out. If it were a non-close friend of hers like Kate was, no one could notice that Nancy had been through a lot the night before, but to close relations such as Fala and himself, the color of Nancy’s face pained him. He turned from her, trying to ease his worry for her and believing that she would be good for the time being.
Within an instance, Ron was already casually strolling out the door. He shook his head and sighed as he left, taking what he had to do next as an emergency police call, and pretending that Raymond Lam was the man he hated most in the world. He himself was surprised at the things he would wound up doing for Nancy, even crossing over his clearly drawn line. Ron could only remember his interactions with Raymond Lam in the interrogation rooms, or at most during an arrest, never as a casual meeting of aid. He shook his head and shrugged it off thinking: there’s a first to everything.

“He’s quite a catch isn’t he?” Fala asked.

Nancy nodded happily. “Yeah,” she sighed.

“I’m surprised. I thought Ron would rather shoot himself than meet and help out a triad. I guess people do act differently when they’re in love.”

“It’s been at least five years already. I don’t think that hopelessly blinded by love stage lasts this long,” Nancy replied.

“If you say it’s not love,” Fala began. “Then what is it?”

Nancy made a silly face at her younger sister as she began to change out of her hospital gown into regular street clothes. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Help me take my shirt off, I can’t bend my arm too high or it hurts.”

“What are you doing in street clothes anyways? I thought you’re staying in the hospital.”

“Am I?” Nancy asked mischievously as a wide grin spread across her face.

As Fala helped Nancy take her shirt off, she finally got a good glimpse at the bullet hole in the back of her older sister’s shoulder blade. By the looks of it, it must have punctured to the bones and been extremely painful. She had always been surprised at the level of pain Nancy could endure, ever since their childhood together. If Fala was in Nancy’s position with a bullet hole that big in her shoulder, she would be in too much pain to even move. Just imagining how much it could hurt made her cringe. Knowing the amount of pain Nancy must be going through right then, Fala was careful as she pulled Nancy’s top over her head and that shoulder. Just as she did, from the corner of her eye she saw a figure approach the door wide open.

First they heard a knock and then both looked up once Nancy finally got her shirt off.

Suddenly, Nancy saw a worried lawyer rushing towards her. “Oh my god, Nancy,” Tavia exclaimed as she turned Nancy around quickly to see what had happened. “Fala what happened?!” Tavia asked.

“It was with Ron while they were getting a lead. Apparently she had been very reckless this time. The wound looks deep,” Fala replied.

“It looks serious. What are you changing into street clothes for?!” Tavia exclaimed.

Fala sided with Tavia as they both demanded an explanation from Nancy. Knowing Nancy, they knew that although she was careless, daring, and reckless, she would know better than to get out of the hospital when she was that badly injured. It was merely one bullet, but that deep it would’ve caused life threatening problems if it had not been removed earlier. Fala and Tavia stood together as the semi-close friends they were and both watched Nancy with waiting eyes. Their arms were folded, waiting for a response while worries ran through their mind.

Nancy finally dropped her smile and sighed. “Who was the woman you’re looking for?”

“Michelle Yim,” Tavia replied quickly. “How is that a reason?”
Billions of thoughts were running wild in her head. Just the mere mention of the name Michelle Yim shot painful memories back to her, ones she thought she had forgotten. Nancy was quiet for a moment, thinking hard about the name, the name that meant so much. After over ten years of denial, Nancy finally thought and wondered about her again. The woman named Michelle Yim, the woman who tore apart her loving family, the woman who destroyed her carefree childhood, and the woman who betrayed her heart and trust. She cringed at the thought and tried to force back the tears that were appearing in her eyes, knowing that it was not the right time to reveal everything to Fala and Tavia. Crying was definitely not an option.

She sighed and shook her head as she placed her hands on both their shoulders and led them out of the room. “I’ll tell you everything once we find her.”

By the tone of Nancy’s words, both Tavia and Fala knew that Nancy had some relations to this woman. It must’ve been a very bad relationship if Nancy seemed troubled just at the mentioning of her name. Fala watched her sister, seeing in Nancy’s eyes how her act of happiness and senseless was suddenly dropped once Ron had left. She knew that Nancy was hiding something, and rarely ever would Nancy hide something that neither Ron, Tavia, nor Fala knew. Tavia gave Fala and curious look as Nancy stood between them. They didn’t know what exactly was going through Nancy’s mind, but the woman, Michelle Yim, is definitely of something to Nancy. Whether it was good or bad, they will have to wait to find out.