The streets of ZhouZhou were basked in a flickering red light. My mother insists that it never happened, but i remember that night. It was one of the best nights of my life.
I was only seven years old then, still a little girl, but I knew much of the world. That night I learned much more than I ever thought I could.
It was late into the night when they reached our part of ZhouZhou. Their loud cheers and shouts pricked my ears and I awoke with a start, my eyes flickering open to see red shadows dancing on my bedroom walls. My first thought was that our small home was on fire, but then I looked out the window and saw them. Our house was on the village square, and thats where they were gathering. I climbed out of bed and walked to the window, squatting so that my head barely cleared the bottom edge.
They were dressed in robes, colored brilliantly with reds and oranges, holding burning torches high above their heads and short wooden sticks that shot lightning out in spirals. They seemed to be celebrating.
Their leader, wearing a golden mask while the others wore yellow, stood on the fountain walls.
"My friends!" He held on to one of the stone dragons sticking out of the fountain and swung around to face the crowd, "Tonight, our time of glory has begun!
The shouting overtook the man's voice, and he waited for them to quiet.
"Tonight we join our comrades in Beijing, where we will take hold of our neighbors hands and take the Europeans with a speed and efficiency they have never seen before! There they sit in their castles, proud and sure that they rule all. But tonight, under Lin Wang's guidance, we shall overcome!"
My older sister ran into the room, grabbing my elbow and pulling me into the hall, "Suri, get away from the window! What are you doing! They'll see you!"
"They're planning a war!"
"Suri, I'm sure it's not a war you have to worry about. They don't seem to be of our people."
"But they are! They're talking about joining hands with Bejing to overtake the Europeans and-
"No, Suri. I mean they're not normal," she looked around before dropping to her knees before me. She took my arms and shook me a little as she spoke, "Suri, they have power. They've been floating things around and destroying things with little sticks and-
"Kiya, I'm afraid!"
"Suri, go back to bed. They won't notice us. They're not here to bother us."
And then, everything was silent. I could hear my father shifting in his bed, the mats and blankets rustling with his movement. He hadn't seemed to notice the noise. Kiya and I ran to my window.
"Kiya, they're gone."
"Suri, go to bed. Don't mention this to anyone tomorrow at school." And with that, she left.
In the morning on my walk to the school house, nothing in the square was amiss. I looked to Kiya to see if she noticed.
"The flowers look pretty today, don't you think?" she smiled, giving no hint that she remembered last night's events.
I turned back and was silent the rest of the walk.
Tightly Constructed Chinese Puzzle Boxes by LilykinsLove
Story Notes:
This is a next-generation story, set in the late 2030's and the early 2040's.
Chapter Notes: I would like to thank my beta, Potterphile12, and also greeneyes for helping me develop this idea from the beginning.