Triad Tourists

Chapter 10

"I didn't hear you coming in!" Kelan yells.

"You're so irresponsible!" I yell. "What if she lied about her age? You'll be in jail in a communist country, there are no rights here!"

"I was just getting a little cat."

"You can't see anyone, everyone here sounds like a 12 year old, how would you know how old she is?!"

He smiles. "She old enough for sure."

"Kelan, this isn't a joke."

He rolls his eyes. "Again, you treat me like a kid."

"You are a kid!! First it's you wanting to continue getting your butt kicked by MMA fighters and now this?!"

"I'm doing fine on my own! You're acting like my mom!"

"You're not alone, Kelan. I'm right across the hall! And you legally are my responsibility, this isn't easy for me either. And now your disabled."

"You only here when you not around sick people!"

"For money! This is my job and Kyle was nice enough to get you here! This is the only break we get from life at home! You want to go back home? What's back home, huh?"

"Girls and I just got one of them a while ago."

"Do you even know her, she could be dirty!"

"Gui ain't dirty, we talk all the time!"

"I don't care who you talk to, they could be lying pieces of s- wait- Gui? You're Gui?" I finally acknowledge the girl sitting next to Kelan.

She nods without looking at me. "Gui Iman ma'am."

"Niagara's little cousin? How old are you?!"

"18." She says, still refraining from looking at me.

She isn't as dark as any black person I've known. In fact, the only thing carrying her is a slight orange color to her body, and even that doesn't cover all of her. She has a few dark spots over her, probably marks from childhood injuries. Her features are wide, she doesn't look Chinese at all. Then again, Nia never specified if she was or not.

"Don't call my cousin, she's totally overprotective." She finally looks at me. Her eyes are a normal brown color. Her hair is dyed green and blue in the front. Her nose is wide and rounded perfectly. She's - without a doubt- black. "She'll send me back to campus."

"She should." I spit.

Kelan stands, not knowing that easily towers over me now. He keeps his head straight because he doesn't know where to turn. "Tallulah! I didn't ask for you to come here anyways, you should've stayed at home! Nobody told you to barge into my hotel room!"

I quickly push him on the couch. "Kelan Oliver, I'm your big sister. Talk to me like that again and I'll-"

"What can you do? You're broke, we're broke, you get mad at me for trying to live a life that I barely had to begin with. My life, Tallulah. You're stupid, you won't even let me learn how to move around on my own, I can't have my own space for more than half an hour! How many times do I have to tell you before you understand, I'm not your kid." He grabs my hand and slings it off of him.

"Little brother, sit down so I can t-" I'm cut off when I feel a hand on my face. Kelan cups my face and pushes me back with a force that I almost fall from.

He grabs Gui's hand. "Gui, you're staying with me tonight, we can spend the day together like you wanted."

"But Tallulah-"

"Forget about my sister!" He booms. "Tallulah, if you're still here, you can leave." He pulls her into his room and slams the door.

I blink a few times before going across the hall. I still can't believe he grew up so fast and rude. Should I pop off? We've been on that for nearly a year tho. I don't wanna pop off, I'm drained.

I take this chance to pay those fees and make a call to the U.S. "Kyle?"

"Hey, Tallulah. Enjoying your stay?"

"No, actually." I admit. "I need advice..."

"What hap-"

"That's not it. I need your advice about Kelan too. He's... hit that age."

I hear my friend make a groan of realisation. "This is one of those conversations."

While talking, I decide to go for a walk. "Yeah, he was in bed with a girl."

"Oh wow?"

"He went off at me when I got angry. I'm just... Maybe I should take him home?"

"It is about to be time for him to go to school. If you can't handle both of them it's best to eliminate an issue."

"But he's-"

"Growing, making mistakes. Not saying he's the right one here, but both of you went through a lot. Maybe he should pick up where he left off."

"Smoking, sneaking out? He's changed. A lot."

While heading to the lobby, I notice someone in the hallway. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a curly- haired man rubbing himself with easy wipe, he reveals more and more tatoos. But the one most noticeable is the giant tattoo on his chest.

That's the man

I accidentally tune Kyle out and watch as he throws wipes into the trash. He shoves his MMA gloves into a bag and pulls out a shirt. When he puts it on, he ties up his hair in a half up- half down ponytail. (Like Eren Jaeger)

"Kyle, I'll have to call you back. Something came up." Without a second to think, I move to the dark, spooky stairs he stands next to. I go up the first two and then act as if I'm on the phone.

As he stares at me, I pretend that the scrutiny isn't expected. "Xiàwǔ hǎo." I greet, pretending not to know him.

(Good afternoon)

He continues to stare at me, watching me caress me dark brown skin. The sound of people talking is nonexistant, meaning we're alone.

Perfect

At the man grabs his bag, I pull him by the shirt, yanking him under the dark stairs. I force him against a wall by his collar. He's slightly taller than me, by only an inch, if that.

"Shénme-"

"I fought you."

"At the party. I knew I shouldn't have cleaned here." His voice sounds familiar.

My anger grows, and I get ready to hit him. "I want to see the face I dismantle." I fling him into the light, about to hit him when I catch sight of a sly smirk and a face I can't forget.

He notices, making me let go of him. "Awe. You grabbed me, you hurt me. I'm turning red." He laughs, making me more scared by the second.

"Get your filthy hands off of me." He grabs my wrists.