Fiction: Group 4
amount of time locating the street, she found the building and cautiously prowled into the apartment. It was
like any other apartment, elegantly furnished with wood. But this was of no significance to Scarlett. Instead,
treading carefully, she headed into what looked like her parent’s bedroom. Both were asleep and her
immediate reaction was one of revelation. Lying side by side, she could see that her mother was significantly
smaller-boned just like herself. The resemblance was uncanny. Her hair was a tint of hazel albeit she had
wavier hair and her eyes were shockingly brown just like Scarlett’s. Though Scarlett had her mother’s eyes,
her facial features could only be attributable to her father. His strong cheekbones accentuated the chiseled
structure of his face, and his eyelashes were reminiscent of that of a giraffe’s. They looked so peaceful that
Scarlett was unsure as to whether she should rouse them from their slumber.
“What should I say? I don’t even know what I should call them. They did dump me onto the streets, so
why would they want to see me? I don’t want them to feel indebted to me after I save their lives; I want to
earn their love.” Oblivious of her surroundings, Scarlett choked when she realized the Chinese God had
manifested himself out of nowhere.
“Scarlett. I lied. The success of this job is contingent on one paramount phenomenon.”
“And what is that, o mighty God?” Scarlett suppressed a laugh; surprised she was able to come up with such
a snide remark.
“A phenomenon where, you must die whilst ingesting the pearl. The pearl’s healing powers will only work
when one sacrifices themselves for the greater good.” The response that he was expecting didn’t come.
Scarlett had grown so accustomed to his far-fetched ideals that she no longer processed what he said.
“What? Are you crazy? I’m not going to die for you.”
“It’s not for me. It’s for your parents, for the preservation of your humanity. Today, you may choose to
ignore my message, to go on and live your own life. I assure you, nothing bad will come of your decision.
But if you do go on to save your parents, the lives of your fellow citizens, your name will be the unsung
hero of this generation. Your sacrifice won’t be known in all corners of the world, but you Scarlett Long,
you
will be leading this procreation of humans into an era of luminosity, whether people acknowledge it or
not. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. I only hope that you heed my words and
choose what you think is right.” Scarlett trembled under her knees. Everything was coming at her at
incredible speed and all she could do was allow the God’s words to roll over her, every syllable shaping her
into a newfound individual. While she was aware that her life was certainly irrelevant in the whole scheme
of things, she was hesitant about leaving her whole life behind. How would Grandma Wei and Yan cope
without her? Was she really willing to sacrifice her existence?
It was at this moment that Scarlett noticed her parents stirring. Her eyes scanned over the humans that had
heartlessly dumped her onto the streets – rage started to build inside her. How
dare
they lose faith in her,
how
dare
they lose sight of hope, how
dare
they turn their backs on her. Turning her back on them would
simply mean that she’d be destined to repeat their mistakes; Scarlett wouldn’t let that happen. Her
compassion would allow her to rise above that threshold and come out as a better, and stronger person. It
was then, that a blinding radiance of light filtered into all corners of the room; light, that is, which overcame
the darkness.
Chapter 4
Guangzhou, 2014
“Countless generations of humans have encountered champions, but it is the unsung heroes that challenge
our boundaries and act upon altruism who are truly champions. So I urge you, go find your compassion,
your humanity, your inner unsung hero – Scarlett was just one of the Pearl River Delta. Let us raise our
glasses to Scarlett Long and may she eternally rest in peace.”
