Fan Fiction |
by Mimosa
All he needed to do was getting himself to her place. But first he would have to free himself from this suffocated room. What was that? Rain? The sound of the water flashed on the tin roof masked all other noises. This was his chance! Gallen jerked, and the chair felt onto its side. His head bounced hard on the old dusty wooden floor. His eyes saw stardust all over.
It took Gallen a while before his sense would come back. Inch by inch, he slid and stretched his body higher, each move accompanied with shooting pain from his waist. Perspiration made his clothes stick to his skin, and together with the pain, the dust, the humid air, it made life almost unbearable.
With one last yank, Gallen wrung his tied hand free of the high chair's back. His body was at the threshold of its pain tolerance, but there was no time to lose. He wriggled violently to free the rope around his ankles out of the chair’s legs. Gallen realized ironically that it was ways harder to do so than it appeared on a TV screen. After 10 minutes of struggling and cutting his own flesh with the rope, he freed his legs. At last! His wrists were still tied behind his back, but he would attend to that later. At least now he could run.
Gallen grinded his teeth again and dragged himself toward the door. He prayed for it not to be locked. Please let it be unlocked… Please…
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Get him” the man shouted “Over there!”
It was pouring, the night was pitching black, but the white shirt on the fleeing man made him quite an easy target.
“Stop!” The rain outpoured the shouting. “Stop!” The pursuer raised his hand
Was it a gun shot?
The white figure paused, swayed on his side, and then slumped down…
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Carmen woke up, panting. Sweat misted her forehead. She closed her eyes and gulped. Such a horrible nightmare she’d just had! She shook her head, trying to chase the images away.
The rain was rapping hard on her window pane. Carmen scolded her silliness; she should have closed the outer wings of the window. Maybe she should do it now. Carmen pulled the sleeves of her nightgown together and got up. She lingered beside the window and peered at the black space outside. It was quite frightening. Carmen shivered…
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Raymond groaned and fumbled for the phone without opening his eyes. He must sounded genuinely sleepy, for at the other end, the female voice was apologetic
“I’m very sorry, but I must speak to you at once! Could you come by the 6:30?”
“6:30? Train? And where to?”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” The voice hastened “Ferry, of course. I could see you at the pier.”
Raymond was fully awake by the time the girl hung up. He didn’t know what made him believe her, but he found himself got up, shaved and changed at the speed of light, and half an hour later was catching the first ferry toward Peng Chau.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Dai Jie, have you seen Ray?”
“No, he’s not in his room!” Jessica stretched and yawned “Why?”
Hester frowned in dismay… “He told me he wanted to go with me today to my filming location.”
“Well, he might come up with another plan.” Jessica shrugged “You know Ray!”
“I’d better get going now, Jie” Hester scribbles onto a note and passed it to her sister “Sis, give Ray this address in case he still wants to join me!”
The phone rang the minute Hester disappeared behind the door, Jessica picked up..
“Yes? Oh hi Roger, hold on, she’s just stepped out!” Jessica placed the phone down and rushed to the hallway, but the light on the elevator had dimmed… “Sorry Roger, she’s gone. Try her cell phone!”
“If she only switched it on!” Roger sighed. “Do you know when she will be back tonight?”
“Not tonight, Roger!” Jessica felt the disturbance in Roger’s voice “She’s filming in Peng Chau for a week I think!”
“Oh, I see” Roger said, feeling bitter. He had no idea she was filming out this week. Hester didn’t mention anything. In fact, she had stopped talking about them since Monday. All their conversation seemed to focus on his second brother. Roger had tried to wave it away, yet he still felt an undercurrent of jealousy gnawing inside.
“Roger?” Jessica hesitated
“Yes?”
“When will you have to report to work? Would you have time for breakfast?”
“I’m taking a day off, Jessica! Breakfast sounds good!”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Uncle Chan Yip” Felix startled at the dark circles under the older man’s eyes and the pale shade of his face “You don’t look well at all.”
“Don’t worry, Felix. It’s only a bad night sleep, that’s all!” The secretary of the late Mr. Wong blinked his eyes behind his glass and turned away.
“Well, if you want you could take a day off, Uncle!” Felix suggested.
“I… I’d rather stay here.”
Something had clearly disturbed the man, Felix was sure. But he didn’t press the matter. He himself had not had a good night sleep either. Roger called and said he would want to spend sometimes at his friend’s house. Well, Felix had no problem with that. What had troubled him was the one question his youngest brother had asked. The second time within a week, painful memory of his mother awoke and probed deep into Felix’s wound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Dai Gor, why did Mom leave us?” Roger had asked.
“Because she cared for her happiness only!” was Felix immediate answer.
It was a long pause on the line, before Roger placed the second question
“Do you remember any aunt named Martha, Mom’s distance cousin?”
Felix was perplexed by the question. What would it have to do with anything? Felix was only 5 at the time. An age that was old enough for Felix to feel the pain of being abandoned by his own mother, yet too young to remember all other details in life! Vaguely, Felix had an impression of someone rather than his mother was there in the house when he was little, yet he couldn’t recall the name.
“Did Dad mention the name by any chance, Dai Gor?”
That Felix could be certain. “No, Roger! Never!”
Martha? Martha who? No, Felix was sure he had never heard of that name before, ever. Not from his Dad, not from anyone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Mr. Wong” Vivian’s soft voice interrupted Felix from his trance. He looked up. Her eyelids are red and swollen, and she appeared quite agitated. It troubled Felix to see Vivian in such a stage. He indicated a chair, and she sat down on its edge.
“Would you like a drink?” He offered, and added as he rose “please call me Felix, Vivian”
“No, thank you. I’m fine” Vivian shook her head, “There’s something I’d like to … emm… to talk to you”
“What’s that, Vivian?” Felix sat back down, frowning.
“I’ve got this...” She looked up at him “..this email again. Another one, I mean. But I think it’s from the same person. It said, it said... Here!” She handed him a quarterly folded page.
“What do you think of this?” He eyed her…
“I don’t know, Mr. Wong.. I mean Felix.” She admitted “That’s why I came to you. But last time..”
“Check the ferry’s timetable, Vivian!” Felix fetched his blazer
“But you have a meeting in half an hour, Mr.. eh.. Felix!”
“Call it off.” He snapped. Last time the email tip was proven to be accurate. Whoever that was tipping Vivian off might as well tell the truth this time.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jessica had called in sick to get a day off. Well, it was one of those times that lying was turned out to be the best policy. After their long 2-hour breakfast, which had served as a counseling session, Roger and Jessica returned to Nick’s house. Jessica immediately tumbled on the little booklet that Roger had fortuitously picked up from the Wong’s kitchen counter the night before. Her eyes were wide-opened as she realized it was the original of the computer file they had looked at earlier.
Jessica gently traced her fingers over the torn edges of the missing pages. It corresponded to the missing page of the computer’s file. What was really on that part of the script? Husband and wife had had a stormy argument here at the end of page 17. They reconciled here on page 20… Gallen was born…
“Roger, listen!” Jessica walked over and stood by Roger, who was sprawling at the other end of the couch. The TV screen was switched on, but he apparently didn’t pay any attention to it.
“Are you still looking at that horrible script?” He mumbled with a frown
“Roger, I have an idea why your second brother torn the pages away!” She ignored his frown and went on confidently. “These two pages must talk about the mother running away. She might seek consolation from a friend!” She paused and looked eagerly into his eyes
“And?” Roger’s face was still drawing a blank
“Roger… Maybe it was too much of consolation, which later on, well,”Jessica stuck out her tongue “resulted on your second-brother, Gallen!”
Roger’s jaw dropped. Such an imagination!
“Evidence, Jessica!” He spoke after a long pause, silently admitted that her theory was possible.
Jessica appeared thoughtful, while Roger rubbed his face
“What’s wrong with my family?” he groaned “What’s been happening?” He snatched Jessica’s arm. He must have pulled a little too hard, for she lost her balance and fell on top of him.
“Hi Hester!” Nick greeted cheerfully. “Didn’t know you stop by!”
Jessica and Roger broke away, blushing…
“I thought you went out!” Roger opened his mouth, and immediate shut it, as Nick grinned from ear to ear... “I … I didn’t mean that. There’s nothing between us!”
“So, what if there is?” Nick made a face “Sorry for the intrusion! I’ll take a hide right now!”
Jessica was blushed to the root of her hair, but she collected herself and stepped up, attempting to end the misunderstanding. That silly Nick was so sure she was Hester.
“Nick, right?” Jessica extended her hand “Nice to meet you, I’m Jessica!”
Nick’s jaw dropped in shock. Jessica? Now.. now.. He had totally underestimated Roger!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When Raymond emerged from Peng Chau police station, it was almost noon time. Now where should he go? He needed a reliable lab, a good forensic lab if possible. It was a shame that he can’t use the police’s facility at the moment. Oh, maybe his Dai Jie would help… Raymond reached for his cell phone.
Two hours later, Raymond duly reported at the steps lead to the entrance of HK University Analysis Lab. To his annoyance, he saw Wong Sir on one side of his sister, and a familiar-looking young man on the other. Ray wished his sister had come alone, and cursed himself for not asking her explicitly so.
“Wong Sir!” Raymond nodded, and looked inquiringly at the other, who’s smiling cheerfully
“I’m Nick!” He said, “Nick Cheung! You were there when I gave my statement, at the police station.”
“Oh, you’re Gallen’s buddy!” It came back to Raymond now “How are you?”
Roger watched Raymond keenly “Why do you need a forensic lab, Raymond?”
Raymond hesitated. Should he take these people into confidence? It wasn’t too wise to do so, at least at this time. He put on a smile
“Nothing in particular, Wong Sir!” Raymond shrugged nonchalantly “Just want to kill time. I’m on vacation, see?”
Roger knew Raymond was lying blatantly to his face, but the young CID might good reasons to do so.
“Jessica, you know all the people here?” Nick asked excitedly, as the four matched down the corridor
Jessica didn’t answer, for they reached a double door with a formidable security officer guarded in front. Jessica produced a badge, and proceeded to put down the names of the party into the log book. Four badges were passed to them, with the instruction of wearing them all the time they were on the site.
Nick was excited. He’d never been to such a classified facility before.
“Sir, may I ask which lab you’re working for?” A girl in white blouse appeared right under his nose. Nick jumped
“Er… I’m not working here… I’m a.. yeah.. a visitor!” He pointed at his left chest, and the girl’s eyes opened a little wider.
“I would have to escort you to the security, Sir!” She said politely, but firmly. Nick felt the blood rushed to his face.
“What do you mean?”
She pointed at his left chest “If you’re indicating your visitor badge, sir, I don’t see it anywhere!”
“Er. uh..” He looked down and realized she was speaking the truth. He must have unknowingly dropped the badge somewhere… His face was burned…
Then Nick heard giggling sounds, both in front of him and behind him. Jessica stepped up and the girls hugged.
“Tara! How have you been?”
======================================================================================================================
Headline: Mimosa will probably have to be admitted to the hospital soon due to an emotional breakdown. Her Gallen was reported to be fatally shot...
---------------------------------
Tara-mei: You're officially inducted into EOB, dear Tara!