A New Member

The next morning, Ly Giai and I woke up early so that we could catch up to the people from South City and the villagers quickly.

"They have more people now, so their speed must be slower. Hopefully, we can get to them soon," I told her.

Coming down the mountain, it was empty. Looking around, I felt strange, almost unreal. Just the day before, I was there alone, scared, and afraid. I had to watch every step, worrying every second about the thought of being discovered. But now, I walked with my back straight around a village that only had two people.

Or so I thought. As we walked, I suddenly heard a ruffling sound somewhere. I quickly took the kitchen knife that I had kept from South City out and looked around for any danger.

Ly Giai heard it as well so she hid behind my back. Slowly identifying and moving toward the sound, I came stop at an upside-down basket. Ly Giai and I looked at each other, both confused about what could cause the ruffling sound. Was it a small animal that was trapped?

Carefully, I lowered myself and lifted the basket.

Under it wasn't an animal. It was a boy. A little boy with torn clothes and a dirty face. He was curled up and was quietly crying. The boy was scared. I put the knife away to avoid frightening him more, and Ly Giai sat down beside him.

"Don't be afraid. We are not your enemy," she said while patting his head.

Only then did he slowly lift his head. Seeing her gentle face, he was less afraid. "Everybody's gone. I don't know where to go," he said with a shaken voice.

"Where are your parents?" I sat down as well and asked.

"I… I don't have parents," he said quietly.

"The villagers moved right? Why didn't you go with them?" I asked again.

The boy was reluctant, but he then told us, "The other kids wouldn't let me. They threaten that if I follow, they will beat me up," he cried. This time, he busted into tears.

Ly Giai quickly hugged him while patting his head. She then turned to me and asked, "Can he come with us?"

Seeing the boy crying was emotional as I saw myself in him. I was also hated by other people around me as well. So I wanted to help him like I always wanted someone to help me.

"Of course," I nodded.

Pleased, Ly Giai lifted the boy's head to look at her. "Come with us. We will not hurt or abandon you."

I could see that the boy was touched. He nodded repeatedly. And so, we added another member to our journey.

As we walk, Ly Giai asked, "My name is Ly Giai. His is Do." She pointed at me. "What's your name?"

"I don't have a name," the boy replied.

"You don't have a name?" Ly Giai looked confused. "What do others call you then?"

When she asked this, I could see his face turned worse. Being on the same ship as him, I knew what others called him wasn't anything good.

"How about we give you a name? A nice name. Are you fine with that?" I jumped in.

The boy raised his head and we exchanged a look of understanding. He nodded, "Please give me a name."

I turned to Ly Giai, "I am not educated, so I don't know what is a good name to suggest. What do you think?"

"That is a lot of pressure on me," Ly Giai smiled. "What should his name be..." she started thinking. 

She looked down to observe the boy, squinting her eyes as she analyzed him. "You have a slim figure and quite tall. You have a gentle demeanor... Hm... What do you think of the name Si? Si in bác sĩ (doctor), học sĩ (scholar), and chiến sĩ (warrior). A name that fits for both fighters and intellectuals."

"Isn't Si also mean lovesick? As in si tình?" I added.

Ly Giai nodded, "That too. But lovesickness is not a bad thing. That means you will be loyal to only one person. How is it? What do you think?"

The boy looked confused. "I like it, Si," he whispered the name. "I don't understand much of the meanings you said, but I like how it sounds."

"Glad you like it," Ly Giai smiled. "Nice to meet you, Si," she greeted.

"Nice... nice to meet you, Miss Ly Giai," he bowed to show respect.

He then turned to me. "Nice to meet you too, Do."

I nodded and smiled, then realized something was missing. "Wait! Where is my honorific!?"

Si shyly chuckled, "You are too dirty to be called Mister."

My eyes opened wide as I looked at myself. Indeed I was dirty from head to toe. My hair was a mess, and my clothes were all torn and covered in dirt. I then looked at Ly Giai to see that she was nicely dressed. Her hair was all neatly tied up as well.

"The villagers gave me new clothes to change," she explained.

Embarrassed and couldn't say anything in return, I hurriedly went ahead, leaving them behind.

Behind me, I could hear two voices laughing. 

"Wait for us!" Ly Giai called.