Home Arrest

The journey home was an unpleasant one. On normal days, Scarlet dreaded heading back. Today, she wished it was still yesterday when she could relax in the company of her new friends.

The Liu's were silent throughout ever since Scarlet was shoved into the continental car. They journeyed in silence until the front door clicked shut, signalling that they were no longer in public space. Neither parent questioned her or gave Scarlet a chance to explain. The girl wiped any traces of emotions away and buried them deep inside of herself — something she learnt would save her poor heart many years ago.

"Xiu Wen," Mrs Liu's silky voice made the girl stiffen a little but she continued to hold onto that expressionless mask. That sweet voice was only used when Mrs Liu was livid. The last time Scarlet heard her mother sound so nice, she ended up kneeling on the gravel outside for two hours while carrying a bucket of water on her head. As the strict looking lady in pencil skirt got nearer, the light in Scarlet's eyes dimmed. She tried not to think about the hot cocoa, the girl talk she had last night with Alex or the hospitality of Mrs Wilde.

Mrs Wilde wasn't dumb. She noticed what her daughter was trying to do. Usually, she was content with the doll-like behaviour. Ever since she drilled into her daughter how to carry herself in public, she never had another problem like the previous time. Scarlet was a perfect child on a normal day— smart, quiet and obedient. She thought that giving in to Scarlet when she requested to attend school by herself was a sign of her maturity. Clearly, she thought wrong. Scarlet only became bolder and more rebellious after that. This won't do. She decided that things had to be taken a step up, her daughter was in need of severe re-education.

Mr Liu didn't even bother keeping up with the act of a doting father. He simply kicked his shoes off and headed straight for the showers with the only thing concerning him being the jet lag he was suffering from. His wife would deal with their daughter as always. It didn't matter what that woman did as long as they didn't trouble him with more than having to provide for them... he was busy as it is. If Scarlet had too much time on her hands to be causing trouble, it could easily be rectified by engaging tutors. The girl can be occupied for all the empty time slots in between eating and sleeping if that was what it took to keep her out of his hair.

As it is, his daughter was far from perfect in his eyes. There was still so much she could be doing and learning. She hasn't learned how to play the piano, neither has she participated in any chess competitions. For Mr Liu, even if Scarlet did well and had a high Mensa score, without actual accomplishments it didn't amount to anything. Now that Scarlet offended the Wilde Family and created trouble at school, they no longer had a reason to let her do as she pleased.

Scarlet did her best not to tremble when her mother's hand landed on her shoulder gently. It was all an act and she knew it too well.

"Xiu Wen, what weren't you happy with? We agreed to let you attend school by yourself on your request. You're already ten. It's about time that you grew up and stopped fooling around. There are some things that you cannot have in this world no matter how hard you want it. After all, your parents aren't as rich or powerful as some of the people out there... The Wilde's aren't people you should be bothering."

Horrible memories came hurtling back with Mrs Liu's forced smile. A hint of fear materialised in the young lady's eyes and Scarlet knew it all too well... Mrs Liu's smile became cruel when she saw the crack in her daughter's defences. No matter how smart Scarlet was, she was still only a ten-year-old.

The twisted sneer made Scarlet remember the reason why she hated home so much especially when her parents were around. She was forced to stay hidden away in her room whenever she wasn't greeting guests. Her mother's hobby of dolling her up in uncomfortable dresses and shoes just to show her off in front of friends at social gatherings made the girl sick to the stomach. After the showing off, Scarlet would be shooed away and told to make herself useful while her mother talked about business. The girl was then forced to mingle around the other children and play nice to help her mother get a more favourable opinion in the social circle.

Back then there was a boy about two years younger than Scarlet who started insulting and getting all touchy with her when she ignored him. That made Scarlet highly uncomfortable so when he started pulling her hair, she shoved him as hard as she could.

The fat boy lost his balance and tripped over a chair but not before pulling with him an entire tray of food and drinks. The incident brought great shame to Mrs Liu and the woman made her kneel on the gravel outside for two hours that afternoon as punishment.

Now that she's hit someone with a spoon, how will her mother punish her?

"Scarlet Liu Xiu Wen..." the cold voice brought her back to reality. "From today onwards, you will not be leaving your room until further notice. Your father and I will discuss what to do about you."

The young girl blinked without believing it. That's all? They were only going to ground her?

"I understand," she answered monotonously before heading to her room without another word. The juice was getting sticky and uncomfortable by now so Scarlet decided that she would start by taking a shower. Little did she know that a new kind of hell was only beginning.