Chapter 139 - AT HIS COUSIN'S PACK HOUSE III

"Mom!! No!! Stop it!!"

A little girl, cheeks flushed red with perspiration, with a red ribbon on her long jet black hair screamed loudly, clutching tightly to the khaki brown plaid trouser of a middle aged man, who stood over a king size bed tearing off the clothes of a beautiful unconscious woman, whose body was filled with many blood patches.

"Stop it!" She screams, crying ; pounding her tender fists on the man's legs.

"Sensiro!" The man called out, to a young lad who stood by the side of the room, watching the scene with a bland look on his face. 

"Yes master" The lad replied emotionlessly.

"What are you doing, standing there??; Knock her out and deal with her" The older man said.

"Yes master" He replied robotically, walking towards the little girl.

The little girl watches with eyes wide as the young lad walks towards her with a pistol.

Fearing the worse, she shouted;

"No!!" 

Ju woke with a start. It's the same dream again. The dream that has been plaguing her ever since she knew herself. The dream with a woman being raped by a man with a dragon tattoo on his arms. 

She could remember too, that the tattoo was also on the arms of the young lad which had stood there, and had tried dealing with the little girl.

And as always, after the nightmare, Ju couldn't help but wonder who the men were, who the little girl was, and why she always had the dream.

'Is it a telling of a future event, or a past event?'. She didn't know. She was tired of having these dreams. 

An alarm went off nearby.

Ju stretched out her right hand to pause the alarm clock, while cursing loudly. She still felt sleepy.

Rubbing her hands over her eyes, still being sleep wrecked, she sat up on the straw mat and touched a petite boy which was lying across her.

"Ziaxin!! Wake up!" She shouted out a whisper, shaking him a little.

The little boy stirred but still went back to sleep, muttering nothings.

Ju smiled as she stared lovingly at her little brother who slept like he had no care in the world. She sighed tiredly, as she ruffled his thick black hair, a common trait between the both of them. Xiabo, her best friend, had always told her that their thick mass of black hair was a trait they inherited from her mother. Then he would go on and on about her mother's cookies and chicken soup.

She always listened with rapt attention to his tales, as she couldn't remember her mother no matter how much she tried. She couldn't remember her childhood days too. She always met with a blockage, and a fast tirade of pain whenever she tried to recall.

Xiabo had told her then that her amnesia started when they had found her unconscious in the sitting room, at the house. She had stayed in coma for almost a year. When she had woken up, she couldn't remember the incident that brought her to the hospital, or certain past events. The doctor had said she was traumatized.

Ju could remember the following months after she had woken up. She had tried to re-learn her former life, and there were a lot of introductions. She was told that she was seven years old.

She had been introduced to a little cute boy of a year old, making mushing sounds on his trolley. He was her little brother, and they had stuck ever since then.

She had also asked for her mother then; but her father had told her that her mother had died while giving birth to her baby brother. She had believed it.

But as the years flew past, as she thought about the dream which had been concurrent and more regular recently, Ju couldn't help but wonder if the woman in her dream was her mother.

The alarm went off again.

Ju sighed tiredly. She had to wake Ziaxin up.

They had to fetch water from the town's borehole, their tap had spoilt since two weeks ago. Although Ziaxin doesn't fetch, he just accompanys her. It was a precautionary measure. The time was still 5:30am.

"Ziaxin!!" Ju whispered a shout, shaking him vigorously this time around.

Ziaxin woke up, rubbing his eyes tiredly while yawning. 

"Big sister, is it 5am already?" He asked.

"Yes it is". Ju replied, ruffling his thick black hair. She mused sadly, knowing that he was still sleepy and tired from yesterday's work.

Bitting her lips, She thought worriedly when all this would come to an end. Her brother was just 11 years old, and he should still be enjoying his beauty sleep by this time.

"Oh..," he mused 

" Yes, we have to be going before Aunt will meet us here" Just stated, wiping perspiration off his forehead. The night had been hot.

At the mention of Aunt, Ziaxin jerked up his forehead, and sighed sadly.

"Let's go then. I don't want her hitting you with that wooden stick again" He said, trying to stand up.

" Ok ok" Ju chanted as she stood up with her brother. 

His statement had reminded her of the incident that had happened the previous day. She had overslept; the alarm hadn't gone off for reasons best known to it.

She had been woken by a two beats of a big wooden stick, and two slaps when she had finally stood up. Ziaxin had tried stopping Aunt by coming in between the duo, but he was pushed roughly to the far corner of the store room where they usually slept in. His fore limbs had gotten bruised because of that. 

"Ju.." Ziaxin called out.

The worried note in his voice ringing out.

"What is it Zia?" Ju asked, coming close to her little brother, now worried.

"My slippers had cut. Do you remember??" He asked, his eyes brimming with tears as he thought of how his sister could go to the town's borehole to fetch water alone.

"Yes,I do, but I already mended it." Ju replied, breathing out in relief. She had thought the problem was more serious, like his wounds bleeding up again.

"Seriously Ju.. Ziaxin asked, now smiling with excitement. He rushed to where he had dropped his slippers, before he had slept off the previous night, and gasped as he saw that the pair, though worn out had been mended. 

He turned around in excitement, and rushed up to Ju, hugging her fiercely.

"Thank you Ju" He muttered repeatedly, relieved that his sister wouldn't be going to the borehole alone.

Seeing Ziaxin's happiness, Ju was happy too. She was extremely glad that she had mended his slippers. 

She had seen the slippers when she had trudged into the store room tiredly at night after washimg Hangfu's heap of dirty clothes. She had wanted to leave it till tomorrow, but had rememebered that it was the only slippers he had and would wear to escort her to the borehole the following morning.

She had taken it then and mended it with the thick needle, just as Dong had taught her. Dong the shoe repairer who she usually gave free food, that she bought with the tips she received from the customers at her Aunt's restaurant. 

He had asked her then for what he could use to repay her, she had replied that she would love to learn how to mend shoes. He had been suprised but had still taught her. 

Seeing her brother's happiness, Ju was glad that she had learnt it. If not, she would have gone to the borehole alone by the early wee of the morning. She shuddered at the thought. She was scared of the dark.

"Thank you big sis, I love you so much" Ziaxin said, raising up his head to gaze lovingly at his sister.

"I love you too Zia. Let's go, Aunt would soon wake up, and you know I have to prepare chaôfan(fried rice with pork) today." 

Aunt had made timetable for the flow of dishes every week in her restaurent . A flow that didn't include Ju and her little brother. They either ate naked noodles or porridge, and left overs on several occasions. Although Hangfu would rather give her dog her left overs than letting Ju have it. 

The only time Ju ate other food was if Xiabo paid her a visit secretly.

"Would you bring out some for me." Ziaxin stated, pouting his lips and making puppy faces.

"Of course." Ju replied, chuckling at his funny face. She had always brought out a little portion for him alone; a bigger portion would attract punishment from her Aunt. She would notice. 

" You're the best sis ever" Ziaxin said, smiling widely.

"Because I promised to keep rice for you ??" Ju asked jokingly.

" No, of course not. You are the most caring and wonderful person I've met." Ziaxin stated smiling.

"Awwn" Ju said, tapping him on the nose.

"You are too cute". She continued.

"Don't worry Ju; once I grow up, I will work hard enough and make much money. Then I will spoil you. I will take you all over the world, I will take you to art exhibitions and build you an art gallery." He stated in excitement bouncing off the room, going outside.

Ju laughed, although she was touched deeply that her brother was really interested in her hobby. She had always loved drawing and painting. 

"Ok ok, I've heard you Ziaxin. Do and grow up soon. I can't wait to travel around the world with you" She said smiling, allowing herself to dream a little, as she picked up the bucket that was at the back of the store room's door.

"Let's go, time is running." She said, closing the door, and walking up to meet him.

"Okay, big sis." Ziaxin hollered, hopping along their street. 

Watching her brother jumping in laughter, Ju prayed that it remained so; that she would find a way out for them from this hellhole.. Her patience was running thin, but her hope was still alive.