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Reaching into my bag I searched my wallet and proudly pulled out my motorcycle license for him to see. He took it from me as his mouth opened slightly. I’d never seen him so shocked, and to be honest, I don’t know he could be shocked.
“You really can get anything in New York.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Is this real?”
“It is!” I tried to grab it back from him. “If you aren’t man enough to let a girl drive you around, just say so, Mr. Lord.”
He bit his lip and nodded to himself before he slid back to make room for me.
“Thank you very much.” I handed him my bag, donned the smaller helmet and mounted the bike. I felt him behind me as his hands slid around my waist and his body pressed itself against my back. In that moment, he took over all my senses. I couldn’t move anymore and pretty soon, I felt myself remembering the night before—how he’d laid on top of me, how his skin had felt against mine.
“Are you going to go?” he whispered directly into my ear, proving that he knew exactly what he was doing.
“You’re distracting me,” I muttered as I dismounted and took my bag from him. “I’ll show you that one day when you aren’t riding me—I mean, riding behind me.”
He snorted at my slip as he slid into position and allowed me to climb on behind him.
“Aren’t we going?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded as he zipped his jacket all the way. He handed me his gloves and I put them on and snaked my hands around his waist. I held on tightly, as I let my head rest on his back, and when the engine roared to life it didn’t scare me like it once did but brought me comfort. I closed my eyes and held on as we sped out of the hanger and onto the main road. Soon the airport faded into the distance as we rode towards the town and my mind began to shift, just like it had done in the office. I found myself in the present and in the past once more. Watching a disgraced princess who was dressed in red and yellow silk robes, hold onto the former rebel with the only arm she had left. Her body was slumped over his back and though she was dying she smiled as they rode as quickly as possible towards the coast. Her black hair caught in the wind and flowed out behind her, and as her brown eyes met my brown eyes it was almost as if she could see me. Her gaze was unwavering, and we gazed at each other until we arrived at a fork in the road and she went left while I went right and down the path that led us to the very familiar wooden house with large windows. The driveway had recently been shoveled and the garage stood open which allowed him to drive right inside and stop in front of the door.
Neither he nor I said anything as we walked up the steps of the garage and into the house. With the exception of the white sheets that covered the furniture, everything looked exactly the same as the last time we’d been here. But then again how much could a house change? The high interlocking wood ceilings were still high, the gray couch still faced the arched windows, however, what I wasn’t expecting to see was the photo that stood beside the lamp. Walking over to it, I picked up the frame and traced the image of my unamused grandfather and a teenaged version of myself taking a selfie together.
“Forgive me,” he whispered as he walked up beside me and looked at the picture. “I saw it during the reception for his funeral and I kind of, well, I stole it.”
“You came to the funeral?”
He looked hurt. “I was there from beginning to end.”
“You didn’t say anything—”
“You told me to stay away from you, remember?” he replied though I’d honestly forgotten. “You really believed I wouldn’t come?”
I nodded. “I figured you didn’t want to risk it with Li-Mei. You were trying to avoid her, well me, but—”
“Alfred is—he was my only family. Of course I’d go, no matter the risk.”
“Only family besides me,” I added cheerfully.
He nodded. “Besides you.”
“So I don’t have to stay in the guesthouse?” I asked as I put the picture back down.
“What guesthouse?” He pretended as if he had no idea what I was talking about. “There is no guesthouse. As a matter of fact, there isn’t even a guest room. You’ll just have to make do sharing with me.”
I laughed and hugged him. “I missed it here.”
“I missed you here.” He hugged me back before he picked me up and spun me around.
And as I laughed everything went black.
April 24th 1644- Kunning Palace, Beijing, Ming Dynasty
I ran as fast I could, trying not to look at their faces as I grabbed the arrows behind my back, one by one, and brought them forward, sending them flying directly into their chests. It knocked them onto their backs and created a path that led right into father’s chambers.
“Princess!”
All I could see was her black hair spinning around her like a storm as her body shielded me from the dagger that flew directly into her neck. Her eyes locked with mine for only a second—no, half of that—before they closed and she fell to the ground. I couldn’t mourn, I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t scream, I could only run towards my family as the guards made way for me while they fought, giving their lives for us—something many of those in the city had long given up on doing.
We just need to escape. We can escape. It was the only thing I thought about as I threw myself into the doors open so forcefully that I almost fell as they opened before me. Turning around I slammed them shut and managed to slide the latch into place and keep the doors closed. But the sight inside was much more horrid than the sight outside of it.
