The Forest

After all, why wouldn't he treat other enslaved people this way?

She shivers slightly, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. She forces herself to breathe normally and relax her body. Her breathing returns to its usual pace, but she still feels uneasy.

She hears footsteps coming closer, and the man stops abruptly in front of her.

She raises her head slightly and sees his face right above her own. His expression is stoic; his expression seems almost unreadable.

He takes a step forward, closing the gap between them.

She tries to move backward but fails to accomplish this task. She closes her eyes, waiting for whatever he will do.

His lips meet hers in an urgent kiss; his tongue runs across her bottom lip, begging for entrance.

Her eyes shoot open, and she struggles against his grip, but to no avail. She opens her mouth, allowing him entry, and his tongue meets hers.

She gasps as he pulls her closer, deepening the kiss.

'This man is crazy!' she thinks to herself.

Their tongues are entwined as they kiss and touch each other.

"Is this all right?" he whispers, thick and oozing.

She nods, not trusting herself to speak. Her body feels warm with desire, and she feels her knees go weak.

All she wants to do is fall back onto the bed, pull him onto it, and explore every inch of his body with her fingers...

Her thoughts are interrupted when he suddenly releases his grip on her waist and pushes her away from him, causing her to stumble backward.

"I will accommodate you when you've settled into life here," he smirks, turning and walking away from her.

She watches his retreating form until she loses sight of him through the open doorway.

"What's going on? What's happening to me?" She screams, clenching her fist tightly. She drops to her knees and covers her face with her hands, crying silently.

******

Harriet tries to do well in her schooling and tutoring. Cai Rongyan keeps her up to speed regarding language, among other things... She has mastered enough to get by and does her best, however. She tries to ensure she is always prepared to answer any questions and never hesitates to explain herself. However, it still has yet to make a difference in the slightest.

Sometimes, her thoughts are clouded, and she forgets to do anything for hours.

When she returns to reality, Harriet finds herself lying on her bed. She turns over and stares at the ceiling in silence.

"I want to go home..." She mumbles.

She sits up, looking out the window.

"I want to go home..." She repeats.

"I can help you..." the strange figure's voice echoes in her mind once again.

'Huh, that's the voice from last week...' she sits on her bed and clutches her covers. She places a hand on her chest, which is still beating fast. 'What should I do now?' she asks herself.

Suddenly, a loud thump is heard, startling her.

She looks around her room, trying to find out what caused such a sound. She sees a piece of paper thrown across her floor and gets up to pick it up. She holds it against the light and reads the note on top.

"If you need someplace to hide... come and find me in the forest."

'The forest is dangerous, but this man is more dangerous... He could throw me away at any time!' she folds the paper and stuffs it in her pocket.

'No matter what the situation is, I must protect myself!' she thinks.

She looks out of her window again. She sees Du Zuolin standing in the middle of his yard, gazing at the setting sun.

'When I think of it, I've never seen him outside at noon.' She notices that the sun's orange rays are reflected perfectly on his black suit as if he were painted.

Her eyes widen with excitement when she realizes what she's seeing.

'I've found the perfect way to protect myself,' she thinks.

It's time to leave this hellhole.

******

She is walking in the forest wearing shorts and an oversized shirt. A pair of sandals cover her feet, and a backpack hangs limply over one shoulder.

The forest is eerily silent. The trees watch her silently as she passes under their branches, making her feel like she has entered a completely different world.

Suddenly, something grabs her arm, causing her to drop her backpack.

She picks up her backpack.

When she turns around to look, she sees nothing.

'Hah, this is probably a bad idea.'

Slowly she turns and continues walking.

As she walks past another tree, she hears a noise.

"Hello?" She calls out quietly.

No response. She begins to walk faster. She is confident that there's something out there watching her—a small branch cracks beneath her foot, alerting her to something lurking nearby.

"Do you want to go back home?" the voice from earlier echoes around the forest.

She immediately freezes and slowly turns around. Nothing is there; she imagines things.

She shakes her head. 'I'm being silly.' she thinks, placing the bag next to a tall oak tree.

"So, what do you want, disembodied voice?" she asks.

A breeze blows by and leaves rustle.

The wind then stops.

"Where are you?" she asks quietly.

Suddenly she catches a glimpse of red in the corner of her eye. Something white flutters toward her, causing her to jump backward. She stumbles and falls onto the ground.

"I can give you something; in return, you'll provide me with something, it says.

"Give what to you?" Harriet replies, sitting back up.

Something glides from the treetop and lands on the ground beside her. It slowly moves its body along the grass until she realizes what it is. Her eyes grow wide as she watches it move closer to her, revealing its actual color:

White feathers.

"Hello, Angelic being..." she drops to her knees. "Tell me what you want from me." she stammers.

"Ri-- Really?" Harriet stands up excitedly. "What kind of guidance are we talking about here?"

"You'll understand once you get the chance to see the real Du Zuolin," it says, nodding its head.

"Okay..."

She stares up at it in awe.

"All right, I'll have to work hard," she says, "and I promise to study harder than ever!" she says with determination.

The being nods. Its red eyes gleam at her.

'What? The others would have been more skeptical.'

The being flies off into the distance. Harriet didn't bother following after it since it was gone already.

She smiles and puts her hand on her forehead.

'I just got my first assignment! It won't be long before I leave this place!'

******

Cai Rongyan steps out from behind the wall. Harriet's eyes immediately lock onto him.

"Hey..." she greets quietly.

He walks toward her and takes a seat beside her. His gaze stays fixated on the window.

"Can we talk?" she says timidly, avoiding eye contact.

"What do you want, missy?" He raises his eyebrows slightly, giving her a stern look.

"I don't need your tutoring anymore! I have an angel helping me!" she announces proudly.

"Wha-" Rongyan is stunned. 'Boss, this girl is a serious chunni.'