| Fan Fiction |
by Hibiscus
Ariel was fast asleep when the pilot announced that the plane would land in 20 minutes. Fast asleep when the “fasten the seatbelt” sign came on and fast asleep when the plane touched the ground. She had to be shaken awake by the stewardess when the plane was three quarters empty.
She came awake instantly, as she always did. One minute she would be dead to the world, the next she’d be alert and awake.
“Are we there yet?” Ariel said stretching. Then she noticed the people alighting and gave a bark of laugh at herself. “Duh Ariel.”
Nodding at the stewardess, Ariel collected her stuff from the overhead compartment and followed everyone else out of the plane, through the customs, to the luggage and then outside into the waiting lounge. The Dean was supposed to send someone to pick her up from the airport but Ariel was damned if she knew how she would recognize said person.
She looked around curiously. It was her first trip to Taiwan. Even though she was Taiwanese by heritage, by nationality she was Canadian. Everyone at the airport, it seemed, spoke mandarin. Ariel’s mandarin was superb so she had no trouble following the conversations which all seemed to involve something called “fei lun hai” and someone called “Wu Chun.” And it seemed a bit too crowded for an airport. There were gaggles of girls, dressed in hideously bright colours swarming around, chattering excitedly in high pitched voices. Ariel glanced down at her respectably black jeans coupled with a skin tight v neck black t-shirt.
“Shit, it’s hot.” Ariel muttered to herself looking around for a sign or something that would identify whoever had been sent to get her.
No such luck. She was beginning to develop a headache at the base of her neck and it would spread slowly until it was full fledged migraine.
Suddenly she saw a very tall girl holding up a huge sign which was full of flowers and hearts and had a little name “Ariel Lin” on it. “Thank you God.” Ariel pushed her luggage towards the girl.
“Hello?” Ariel said but the girl wasn’t looking her way. Ariel nodded to herself and then tried again. “Hello?!” She said a bit louder. But the girl still wasn’t paying attention. Suddenly the gaggles of girls surged in one direction carrying Ariel and her luggage trolley along with them. The girls started screaming and Ariel felt claustrophobic surrounded as she was. She tried to maneuver out of the group and away but somehow she ended up at the front of the line of screaming girls. Someone pushed her from the back and she flew forward losing control of her trolley.
Suddenly there was an ominous thud as the trolley connected with something really solid. An oomph and a loud yell tinged with pain followed. Ariel’s bags fell off the trolley. Everyone fell silent. Ariel frowned; she was still hanging on to her trolley.
“I suppose I have to see who the victim is.” She said to herself. All of a sudden she became conscious of everyone’s eyes on her. She turned and the gaggles of girls were staring at her with varying shades of malice and anger.
“Well, I’m really popular.” Ariel walked to the front of the trolley. A guy lay on the ground moaning and holding his knee and her favourite suitcase, vintage mind you, lay on the ground beside him. Ariel glanced from the guy to the suitcase. “Oh what the hell?” she muttered.
“My poor baby,” Ariel said to the suitcase. She picked it up and put it back carefully on the trolley. Suddenly people started running towards the guy and Ariel watching them run towards him, leaned down and whispered, “Get up. I don’t think you’ll die.”
Ariel walked away leisurely as the girls found their voices again and started to converge on the fallen guy. Ariel looked back. “Must be hella popular, him.” She mused to herself and kept on walking. After she had walked a safe distance away from the Girl Parade she turned and looked around for the tall girl with the sign again. And as expected, she was nowhere to be found.
“Gee Ariel, it’s just not your day today, is it?” She muttered to herself. Finally she caught sight of a customer service desk and approached it. She had the nice little woman behind the desk announce her name a couple of times and settled to wait for the tall girl with the ridiculous sign.
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Wu Chun, member of the band Fei Lun Hai, an actor, a singer and the most wanted man in Taiwan sat up and watched the girl walk away from him. His eyes narrowed in disbelief as he watched her swaying hips got further and further. She hadn’t apologized, she hadn’t asked him for his autograph, she hadn’t squealed in delight and horror. She hadn’t apologized. That rankled him.
“Wu Chun!!! Smile! I love you!!!” Ah. That was more like it. Wu Chun stood up, putting on a sheepish smile, looking towards his fans. He smiled at them, putting on his ‘wounded but brave’ expression and they moaned in delight. They loved him. He detested them.
“Are you okay, sir?” His body guard asked him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you faster. I was ensuring that the chauffer was situated right in front of the airport.”
Wu Chun rubbed his chin and continued walking, hobbling a little to get the sympathy from his supporters who obliged him by growling, perhaps at that girl. Truthfully, his legs were fine, he was fine but this was a great opportunity for him.
“You are fired.” He said to his bodyguard. Then ignoring the shock struck man, he gave his perfect “humble boy” smile and a little wave and blew a kiss just to see the girls sway and moan. “I love you all.” Wu Chun said smiling at them. “Twits,” He thought.
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“I’m so sorry!!” The tall girl rushed to the customer service desk.
“About damn time you were here.” Ariel stuck the lollipop back in her mouth and straightened from where she had been leaning against the wall.
The girl turned and her eyes widened to a point that it was almost comical.
“What?” Ariel said shortly. She was in a new country, being met by new people. She had flown thousands of miles; she was hot, sticky, and uncomfortable. She did not have the patience to withstand gawking from strangers.
“You are the girl who bumped into Wu Chun!” The girl said, her voice lingering on the name, almost like a caress.
“Wu who?” Ariel raised an eyebrow.
The girl sputtered. She took in Ariel’s attire, luggage and accent. “Omg, you don’t know who he is?!” She sputtered.
“Is he the weather god?” Ariel quipped.
“Huh? No no.” The girl replied, shaking her head as though confused.
“Then I’m not interested. Shall we go or are we going to spend the entire day chitchatting at the airport?” Ariel smiled blankly.
“Oh I’m sorry. Please, follow me.” The girl started forward leaving Ariel to follow. “I just can’t believe you don’t know Wu Chun. Fei Lun Hai, you do know about them, right?”
“Fei Lun what?” And as the girl went on to explain, Ariel held up her hand. “I told you, unless they are weather gods who can make it rain and cool, I’m not interested.”
“Oh. I still can’t believe you actually got to touch him.”
“I believe the pleasure was my trolleys.” Ariel smirked. “Do you want to touch the trolley where it touched Wu Who?”
“Wu Chun. And can I?”
“I was kidding.” Ariel turned to look at the girl, amazed. The girl had the grace to look embarrassed. She wasn’t a bad looking girl, Ariel decided. She was tall, had amazingly pretty eyes and curly black hair.
“What’s your name, girl?” Ariel asked.
“Oh I’m sorry. I’m Mina Chen.” The girl smiled brightly, extending a hand which wore several bangles. Ariel’s eyebrows rose. And then a thought occurred to her.
“Wait a minute. Aren’t you one of my room mates?” Ariel asked the girl.
“Yes! That’s why when Dean Kang asked for a volunteer to come pick you up, I offered.” Mina gushed.
“Why?” Ariel asked.
“Cuz I wanted to get to know you better since we are going to be living together. I’m so excited, so are the others! I’m sure we’ll be great friends!” On and on she went and Ariel to get her to stop talking, yawned. Loudly and without abandon. Mina looked horrified immediately and Ariel hid a smirk.
“I’m so sorry! You’ve had such a long flight and I’m keeping you here by gabbing. Let’s go to the car!” Mina rushed them off to the parking lot.
Ariel followed her. “A nice person would tell her its okay. That she wasn’t gabbing and even if she was, whatever she was saying was interesting. Hmm. Too bad I’m not a nice person.” Ariel mused. They reached the car and the next thought in her head was, “Oh hell no.”
The car if it could be named as such was a behemoth model of old age, painted canary yellow with red flowers scattered at random points.
“Why don’t you give me the address and I’ll take the cab.” Ariel said looking uneasily at the car.
“Oh I couldn’t do that! Besides Sebastian would be so hurt,” Mina said.
“Sebastian?” Ariel had an urge to close her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see the car.
“My baby,” Mina petted the car.
“Oh. I see. Did you paint it…him yourself?” Ariel cast it…him a dubious glance.
“How did you know?” Mina was all smiles.
“A lucky guess,” Ariel smiled back with some difficulty.
“Well, come on then, get in.” Mina helped Ariel put her luggage into car.
“This is all you’ve got?” She asked her.
Ariel nodded. “Everything I wanted to bring anyway.” Ariel cast one longing look at the inconspicuous cabs and got into “Sebastian.”
“You have to go meet the Dean first so I’ll drive you to the office and then we can go home,” Mina said easily as they drove through the traffic clogged roads.
Ariel looked out the window curiously at everything and everyone they passed.
“Does it feel like home?” Mina asked glancing at her.
“Home? No,” Ariel replied.
“Oh right. You are from Canada, aren’t you? I wish to go there some day. Where in Canada? Is it beautiful?”
Ariel had been trying to sneak in a nap. She sighed. “Yeah, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.” She thought of the cobbled streets of Vancouver, the greenness, the multicultural society, the mountains, the weather, the sunshine, the rain, home. “It’s beautiful.”
“Is this your first time here?” The girl would never stop asking questions.
“Yep.”
“Why did you choose to come here?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ariel frowned and turned to her side to look at Mina who was driving.
“You could have gone anywhere to study. London, America, New Zealand. And you chose Taiwan. Why?” She seemed genuinely puzzled.
Ariel smiled to herself and that smile spoke of secrets too guarded to speak out in the daylight. “I heard the food here is really good.”
“What?”
“Yep. I’m going to take a nap,” Ariel closed her eyes determinedly and Mina fell silent.
About 20 minutes later, Sebastian pulled into a driveway and Mina shook Ariel awake. Ariel looked curiously at the university building approaching as they progressed down the driveway. The campus was beautiful, trees scattered everywhere, wide open spaces and benches situated cleverly. There were some students lounging in the courtyard. All in all, it had a normal, cozy comforting look; the generic look of all places of academia: nonthreatening and inviting.
“I need to get something from the bookstore. I’ll wait for you by Sebastian,” Mina replied. “The principal may look scary and imposing but he is not a bad person. Just misunderstood.”
Right. Ariel looked amused at Mina’s words. People didn’t scare her anymore. She rode the elevator to the fourth floor where the Dean’s office was. Stopping before the receptionist she said, “I’m here to see the Dean.”
“Do you have an appointment?” The receptionist, a snooty middle aged woman asked.
“Tell him Ariel Lin is here.” Ariel replied coolly.
“I’m sorry but if you don’t have an appointment you can’t see him. He can’t have students harassing him all the time. He is really busy.” The receptionist for some reason seemed to have taken a disliking to Ariel.
“Okay.” Ariel smiled pleasantly. “If you want to risk your job for something so trivial, so be it.” And she turned to go.
“What?” The receptionist asked, this time with a quaver to your voice.
“I have nothing else to say.” Ariel said without turning back.
Just then the door to the Dean’s office opened and two men stepped out. One of them was presumably the Dean, dressed smartly in a suit, with distinguished grey hair cut close to his scalp. The other man was a foreigner in every sense of the word including the blonde hair and the blue eyes. The Dean shook the foreigner’s hands and then he noticed Ariel walking reach the door.
“Ariel Lin?” He called out.
Ariel paused in the midst of raising her hand to open the door and turned. “Yes?” She replied.
“Did you come to see me?” The Dean accompanied the foreigner to the door where Ariel was standing.
“I was told I had to,” Ariel replied with a sardonic glance at the receptionist who gulped and busied herself immediately.
“Please follow me into the office,” The Dean ushered her into a large spacious room. The trademark of an influential man, Ariel mused. A big office, big windows, plush carpets. How much did Deans make anyway?
“I’m Dean Kang,” He held out a hand. Ariel stared it for a second and then looked up him and then shook it for a bare second.
“I’d tell you my name but you already know it.” Ariel drawled.
“Please sit down,” Dean Kang gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. Ariel settled into the chair nearest the door.
“Okay. Let’s talk about lodgings. You can choose a dorm room from-” He stopped to consult a sheath of paper.
“I’m not staying on campus,” Ariel replied.
“What?” Ariel got the Dean’s undivided attention.
“I am renting an apartment off campus.” Ariel replied leaning back in her chair.
“And your monthly allowance?”
“I will not claim it. You can give it away.”
“Your grandfather…”
“Listen,” Ariel snapped to attention. “I no longer recognize that man as my relative. I have nothing to do with him. I will live on my own and work for my food. I know that you are a glorified spy for him. Ah, don’t deny it and next time you talk to him, just let him know. There are other countries, other universities in this world. His arms and influence don’t stretch long enough to encompass the entire world. Nothing he says or does will ever induce me to return to him.”
Ariel stood up.
“If that’s all?” She made the words into a question but she wasn’t asking. She nodded at the Dean and walked out of the office, hips swinging leisurely as usual.
When she got outside she found Mina leaning against the car.
“Wasn’t he scary?” Mina asked.
“Who?”
“The Dean!”
“Oh.” Ariel put on her dark glasses. “Very. I’m quaking in my shoes.”
“Let’s go home!” Mina smiled happily at Ariel.
They drove for about ten minutes and then turned into a street which seemed to be full of townhouses. They passed all the townhouses right down to a cul-de-sac. Sebastian stopped in front of a run down house, with a sad little yard overgrown with grass. The steps were leading from the porch to the pathway looked shaky. There were lights on in the house and Ariel was reassured that Mina hadn’t brought her to an abandoned house to kill. Ariel’s lips quirked at the thought of Mina trying to kill her or anything else for that matter and straightened as she realized that reality had taught her that anything was possible.
“We are home!” Mina bounded out of the car; excuse me, Sebastian with irrepressible good cheer. She started helping Ariel take out her luggage when the door to the house opened and a girl walked out.
She obviously had bided her time to make an ‘entrance’ and she stomped down the pathway to the car. Ariel knowing full well that the girl wanted attention, specifically hers, didn’t give her any, concentrating on unloading the car stopping only when the girl came and stood right in front of her, invading her space. Ariel looked up. The girl was taller than Ariel though not as tall as Mina. She had incredibly fair, unblemished skin, almond shaped eyes and a pierced nose. Her hair was silky and straight and she was dressed up to the nines, boots, clingy jeans and top. She stood in front of Ariel, legs apart, hands on hips and nostrils flaring.
“Like a bull ready to charge,” Ariel thought, her lips quirking in amusement again.
“Rosalinda?” Mina’s voice hesitantly sounded in the early twilight.
“Defending your territory?” Ariel said very softly and the girl leaned forward to hear her better. “Fair enough,” Ariel nodded. “I will fight you. But just so you know, you will lose. Badly.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed in anger and she opened her mouth to say something.
“Rosalinda Anna Wu! Behave yourself!” Two other girls had come out of the house and the older one of them said in an authoritative and Rosalinda swallowed her words sullenly. She gave Ariel a look and then moved back.
“People just love me,” Ariel thought to herself.
“Mina, introductions please!” The girl with the authoritative voice said to Mina and she immediately started talking rapidly.
First she pointed to Rosalinda. “This is Rosalinda, third year engineering major, prima donna, slob and my best friend.”
Then she pointed to the authoritative girl who had short hair, boyishly cut, laughing eyes and a perpetual smile hovering over her lips. She was dressed practically and her only concession to vanity were her rings which were elaborately designed and on three fingers of each hand. “This is Cecily, final year, mother of us, education major, great cook and my best friend.” Ariel nodded to her.
Finally the last girl. She had very long wavy hair, glasses on and she was wearing mismatched shoes. Her eyes had a faraway look and Ariel didn’t think she was even listening or aware of what was happening. She had a cute button nose and was very tanned. “This is Patience who of course is the most impatient, triple major, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. Insane. Genius. Insane genius and my best friend.”
Mina gestured to Ariel. “Ladies, this is Ariel Lin, Canadian, Taiwanese (thanks to her parents) and…well, that’s all I know about her. Oh yes, she bumped into Wu Chun and made him fall and oh, she doesn’t know who Fei Lun Hai is.”
As twilight lost the fight to the night and faded sorrowfully, Ariel stood in front of Sebastian, in front of the beaten down house and in front of a group of friends, no best friends.
“It’s like those games…what doesn’t fit into this group? Hmm. Once an outsider, always an outsider. Chin up, girl. All you need to do is survive.” She nodded at the girls and because it was expected, because she actually wanted to try she said, “Nice to meet you all.”
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Author's Note: I know you didn't expect something so drastically different from Tuesday. Frankly neither did I. But this is how it has to come to be. And if anyone is reading this, tell me if you please, how you like it so far. Thank you.