Fiction: Group 3
I knew that voice. I woke up to that voice for nearly two years. I used to find comfort in that
voice, but I only felt dread as I slowly put my arm down. Those intense grey eyes and creased forehead were
inches away from mine. I yelped in horror and crawled backwards until my head hit the wall. A cold feeling
that went down my spine. Dershan paced the room in front of me, muttering, his voice calm and quiet. The
voice that screams trouble. I stayed silent until I found my found again.
“R-Rachel doesn’t know what you do, Dershan. You’re a dangerous man and you’re better off in
prison.”
I spat right by his polished shoes, proud that my voice didn’t break. Even cowering in the corner of
a room with a ripped dress and smudged lipstick, my ego would never die.
“You’re a loose string, gorgeous,” Dershan knelt down right in front of me, his face leveled with
mine. His nose nearly touched mine, and I tried shrinking into the mall to put some distance between him
and I. Forget the strong ego. “You know what happens to loose strings.”
I pleaded until I couldn’t plead anymore. My eyeliner ran down my face and my knees were black
with grime. He kept me in that room for hours. I stood up on my shaking knees and hammered at the walls,
screaming until my voice broke. I finally gave up and sunk to the ground, and didn’t move until light rays
peeked through the opening door.
“Mr. Li?” a man raised his eyebrow at me.
“Yes, yes, Wang. That is Beatrice. Say hello, darling.” I glared at Dershan, knowing my voice
would betray my fear. “She isn’t very nice,” Dershan smiled at me, “since we’ve done you a very, very
generous favor.”
I would’ve scoffed if I weren’t so scared. I would have flipped him off with a smart remark and a
flick of my eyebrow if I had the energy left. All I could do was keep my head up while Dershan’s two
bodyguards hauled me up to my feet and marched me through a back door I hadn’t even realized was there.
The night air was such a relief that I took my first deep breath. Men grabbed both my arms, tossed
me into the backseat of the car and slammed the door.
“What are you going to do with me?” a line I’ve heard a thousand times in movies, but I had to
say it. I was terrified, and Dershan could see it.
“Nothing, sweetheart. We’re only going to take you someplace so you can see our show. Nothing
will happen to you. We’ll let you go,” he purred.
The ride didn’t take long at all. My gaze turned to the familiar sight of my favorite place in
GuangZhou, the Haiyin Bridge. The men flanked me, hooking their arms on either side and practically
dragging me. No pedestrians were in sight at this time of night, except for a pair of people standing in the
middle of the bridge, with men tying their wrists and ankles together.
Dershan marched in front of my view. I ran through a list of horrible things he might be up to in a
matter of seconds, but none of them came close to seeing my sister’s terrified eyes and my mother’s tears
streaking her face. They were standing dangerously close to the edge. I knew what Dershan was going to do
even before he ordered them off.
Now, as I look at the dark waters of the river, I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t go
out that night to the casino. They would still be alive, they wouldn’t have had to pay for a mistake I made. I
walk back down the bridge, towards the main road. I feel better, my mind clearer. I remember that last
week, I received the news of Dershan Li’s arrest. Rachel called in a mix of happiness and grief, joy and
anger, but in the end, both of us are relieved.
