| Fan Fiction |
by DTLCT
“Are you serious?” Ray asked, turning to her with doubtful eyes.
“I’m not kidding,” Mandy said.
“So that means we have to sneak out of here?”
“What do you mean sneak?”
“Come on! I’m going to visit your relatives. And Mom’s coming at the end of this week. Of course we have to sneak around. She might catch us, you know.”
“Ge, you’re paranoid.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” He licks his lips once. “I have a very good reason to be, sis.”
“It’s optional that you come to visit. So you won’t be torn between your mom and my relatives. I’m sure Jan could explain it.”
“But I want to come though.”
“You sound like a 2 years-old kid, ge.”
At that time, they have to move aside to make way for people who are entering the building.
“Don’t you know this is a great opportunity?” Ray reminded his sister. “We can lure the fish into the net.”
Mandy wrinkles her face. “Fish? Net? If you want to eat fish, I can go grocery shopping and buy some fishes for you. I could cook it for you also if you want.”
Ray gives her an annoyed look as he’s dodging someone running past him. “You know what I’m talking about, sis.”
Mandy’s expression has changed to irritated by this time. “Don’t these people watch where they’re going?” Then she turns to Ray again. “Don’t tell me you’re really going through with the whole conspiracy.”
“Hey, talk is cheap. If you have a plan, you have to carry it out.”
“But what it your mom comes early to visit you and finds out?”
“Tell the neighbors to lie for me.”
Mandy gives Ray a bizarre look before going on. “Bribe the whole building?”
“Not everyone knows that we’re related.”
“Still…”
“Come on. I have to tell her sooner or later anyway. She might as well find out this way.”
“Ge, there’s a difference. It’s better if you tell her then let her find out on her own that you’ve been hiding it for six months already.”
“Sis, give me a break.”
Before Ray could protest any further, he has to move out of the way again. This time, his back hit the counter. He winces, holding his sides. “Watch where you’re going!”
Mandy isn’t as furious as last time but she has on a puzzled look now. “What’s going on today? Why are people soooo…”
Ray cuts her off. “Probably they want to go to their funeral set-up at an earlier date so they decided to aggravate your brother.”
“Wallace’s coming soon. We’ll just have to keep alert for a couple more minutes.”
“He’s not coming in soon enough.”
“Look at all these people coming back.” She gestures her hand towards another group of people entering the building. “He’s probably stuck in traffic somewhere.”
“I swear there are gold hidden somewhere in this building and someone discovered it so they’re informing everyone to come back and get it now. It’s just us that are on the out right now.”
“Ge, your imagination is getting quite creative lately. The last time we had something hidden was a secret passage and that was like six months ago.”
Ray shrugs his shoulder. “Who knows? Probably someone discovered it and hid some gold in there while we’re not looking. After all, we never sealed the passage.”
Mandy folds her arms inward. “A likely story.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Ray begins to walk outside again since the incoming crowd has simmered down a little. Mandy follows closely behind him, not wanting to be crushed against the counter or the wall when the next group comes in. As they’re walking along the sidewalk, Ray spots a familiar car slowing down as it’s getting closer to them. But it’s not Wallace’s car. However, he couldn’t place where he had seen it before. He’s busy concentrating on looking for Wallace’s car that he doesn’t notice a guy in blue shirt and jeans around his early 30s, stepping out of the car as he parked. The guy walks briskly towards the entrance of the building and makes his way towards the help desk in front. The receptionist says a few words to him, pointing towards the elevators. He looks towards that direction before turning back to smile and nod at her. Then he makes his way towards the elevators.
*****
On the outside, Ray finally locates Wallace. Wallace drives towards them and slows down, trying to find a parking spot. Wallace slows down a bit more and rolls down his window as the Cho siblings are walking towards him.
“I’ll go park in the back and meet you guys inside,” Wallace hollered to them.
“All right then!” Ray yelled back.
Ray and Mandy turn back to go inside. They’re even more careful this time as not to let anyone bump into them. They stop to wait behind the side counter this time so no one would run into them – the same counter that Ray bumped his side into earlier.
They wait about ten minutes more before they see any signs of Wallace.
“Change of plans,” Wallace said as he’s walking towards them. “Cyndi’s going with Alyssa and Annie tonight. Girls’ night out or so they said.”
“Or is it more like ‘Alyssa said’?” Ray asked, suppressing laughter.
“Something along that line.”
Ray looks around before speaking up again. “Let’s get out of this area before we get attacked by another herd of sheep.”
Wallace has on a confused look. “Sheep?”
Mandy smiles. “Crazy crowd.”
“Oh. Let’s get out of here then.”
Although Wallace just said that, but they already started walking since Ray suggested they leave the area.
“So…what’s new today?” Wallace asked. “Why did you texted me with the red light alert?”
“Great news!” Ray exclaimed out, his excitement replacing the annoyed look he had on like seconds before. “We’re going to be able to carry out our plan better than I thought.”
“What plan? I mean which one?”
“The Mission Impossible Project, what else?” He rolls his eyes.
“What happened this time?”
“Jan invited us to her house for a little gathering before Christmas,” Mandy explained. “She knows that we’re probably spending it with our family or along those lines so she wants to have a gathering earlier. But you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“Well?” Ray jumped in. “You’re coming, right?”
They’re waiting for the elevators to come down now. The way Ray looks at Wallace creeps the world out of him. Although Ray’s all smiling, but his darting eyes are sooo sharp that Wallace thought if he answered wrong, he might be met with the worst possible punishment.
Wallace licks his lips quickly. “Well…depends. When is the date then?”
“On the Saturday before Christmas,” Mandy answered.
“Kind of close.”
“Come on!” Ray urged. “I thought you have a week off. If you go, then you still have one full week to relax and do whatever.”
“Mr. Zhao might change his mind.”
“Come on. You’re best friends with the boss’ son.”
“Tough luck. I’m not Jacky.”
“That bad?”
They get into the elevator at that time and Ray punches in 7. He steps back and leans against the metallic bar in front of the back wall. Wallace does the same but at the wall next to the keypad. Mandy is standing at the opposite wall from Wallace, which is to the left of Ray.
“Well?” Ray said, his voice still consisting of the same urging tone. “Are you coming or not, Mr. Huo?”
“I’ll check back with….”
“Alyssa?”
Wallace nods.
At that time, the elevator stops and opens the door at Level 4. A girl rushes in and pushes on the “Close” button so fast that Wallace has to move towards Ray’s area to make way for her. She lets out a sigh of relief after that. Mandy – although has been standing on the other side, but still edges closer to Ray’s area also. They observe the girl slightly, but pretend to be engaged in conversation again since the girl doesn’t seem to want to talk after a friendly smile from the three.
The elevator makes its way up again. It stops at the 5th floor this time.
“This goes up?!” The girl exclaimed out in fear.
Wallace nods.
“Oh no! I’m late!”
Wallace looks at the other two before speaking up.
“Are you okay, Miss?”
“I…I have an appointment I need to go to. I’m already late. If I’m any later, I’ll get fired this time.”
For some odd reason, no one comes in but the door is still open. Wallace walks over to the keypad and push on the “Open” button to make sure it stays open.
“You can take the other elevator down,” Wallace hinted.
The girl lets out a nervous laugh. “Oh…yea…that’s right. Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks!”
“No problem. That’s what neighbors are for.”
After the girl leaves, Wallace releases the “Open” button and presses on “Close” again so the elevator would go up. The three move back to their original spot – their places before the girl had jump into the elevator with them.
“So….” Ray tried again.
“We’ll just have to see about this whole thing, I guess,” Wallace said before Ray could persuade him any further.
Ray looks defeated. “All right then. I guess I can’t force anyone to join in.” He flashes on his mischievous look again. “That means more chance for me to succeed!”
“Ge!” Mandy jumped in.
Ray turns to look at her, his hands rise with an innocent look on his face. “What?! It’s their lost for not being able to come, not mine!”
Mandy ignores him after that. She looks at the number above the elevator and waits for it to open. She walks out first. Ray looks at Wallace before stepping out also. Wallace shrugs and steps out after Ray. They’re walking down the hallway with Mandy a couple of steps before them while Ray and Wallace are walking side-by-side – talking about something else now. When they’re in front of Gallen’s apartment, they hear a loud voice coming from Kevin and Ray’s apartment. Kevin’s voice to be exact. Mandy turns around to the guys. Their expressions mirror hers. Kevin and yelling don’t go together. What’s going on here? Mandy steps back while Ray races forward, trying to listen in while fidgeting for his keys at the same time. He unlocks and pushes the door in to see Kevin standing in the living room area, with a “livid” expression on his face. There’s a guy in the room also. The guy’s back looks awfully familiar, but Ray couldn’t remember. He looks around to see if there’s anything dangerous – like a weapon before entering the room. Mandy and Wallace follow closely behind Ray.
“What in the world is going on here?!” Ray shouted out upon approaching the two.
Kevin and the other guy seem to have gone into a silent mode as Ray opens the door. When Ray asks, they seem to have unfrozen.
“Someone kick him out for me!” Kevin exclaimed with the same angry tone they heard before, pointing towards the guy standing a foot from him.
Ray steps towards the center a bit more. “Who is he…” Before Ray could finish his sentence, he seems to have recognized the guy. Ray turns around to look at Kevin with an understanding expression before turning back to the guy. “You heard him. Get out!”
Mandy and Wallace are even more confused. They had stopped a little behind Ray to observe the situation, but now they’re taking several more steps forward to get a better look at the guy who’s being dismissed by both Kevin and Ray.
“I know him!” Mandy said in a recognition voice.
Ray turns to Mandy. “You mean you know this nut?!”
“No. I meant he was one of those people who were trying to get into the building a few minutes ago when we were downstairs.”
His expression softens towards his sister. “Oh. How did he get in? I was with you the whole time and I didn’t know.”
“He was the guy in the blue car. He drove up when we were outside trying to look for Wallace’s car. He entered the building when you were turned away from him. I just looked around to make sure Wallace wasn’t coming from the other side and saw him.”
Ray turns back to the guy. “You’re getting sneakier and sneakier, aren’t you? Why don’t you try to sneak out of here before we call security?”
“Ray, why all the hostility?” The guy said in a sincere voice – added in with an equally sincere smile. “It was all a misunderstanding. Why can’t you guys accept my explanation?”
“Maybe it’s because it sounds too much like you made it up!” Ray exclaimed sarcastically, pointing to the front door again. “Out! Last chance!”
The guy turns to look to Kevin again with a hopeful expression on his face. “Kev…”
“Don’t call me!” Kevin yelled out before the guy could continue with his plea. “Go! I don’t want to see you again!”
Ray walks towards the phone on the edge of their coffee table and picks it up.
The guy could see what Ray’s doing. “All right. I’m going. No need to do that. But I will come back. I’ll make you guys understand the reason why I did what I did five years ago.”
“Move it!” Ray yelled out again. He abandons the phone and follows the guy out, making sure he’s out for real instead of loitering around the area.
Kevin takes several steps towards the door. He looks like he wants to go make sure the guy leaves too, but he just opens the door a peek and stops there. “Cheng Yee Kin, don’t ever come back here again! I don’t care what your lousy reason is!” He slams the door shut after that.
Mandy and Wallace look at each other with a surprised expression. Cheng Yee Kin?! Cheng?!
© Saturday, October 27th, 2007
Re-posted: Wednesday, October 14th, 2009