Round Two (KBTBB FF)

14 - Hanako Yamada

When I wake up, I'm surrounded my complete darkness. I panic at the change of ambience and feel pain echoing through my head. I feel a rough fabric wrapped around my forehead and my jaw. As I outline the bandage all around my head, pain shoots through my nerves when I run my finger down from my forehead to my right cheek bone. I can make out very little light from the gap at the bottom of the bandage. I sit up and feel around me.

I think I'm on a bed? The sheets are silky and the pillow is so fluffy. Where am I?

I hear the creak of an opening door and light invades the room. The light is turned on.

"Hello, Miss? Are you awake?" Someone speaks out to me.

"Hello?" I hear a woman sigh with relief.

"Thank goodness you're alright. You've been asleep for a week."

"A week? What happened to me?"

"One of our men on patrol found you near the docks with a gash across your head. We didn't think you'd make it but you seem to be doing much better. We need to clean your wound and you must bathe today. The boss would like to see you." She walks to me and helps me off of the bed. "You haven't eaten since. You were already so thin and now you're just skin and bone. We need to get some food in you."

"Where are we going?" I walk slowly.

"To the bathroom. I'll help you bathe."

"Okay."

The woman slowly unravels my bandage. I slowly open my eyes so that they adjust to the light and look at her. An elderly woman smiles at me, her face wrinkling a bit more. I look around and see an enormous bathtub that seems more like a pool, a toilet, and vanity sink.

"Where am I? This place seems like a castle, it's so luxurious." I look around.

"You're in our boss's mansion. He took you in to help you recover from your injuries."

"What? Boss? And what injuries?"

"Simon Lee. He is the boss of the Bell Crickets. A Hong Kong mafia syndicate. Don't worry, we want to help. We won't harm you." She pats my hand. "You have a large cut on the right side of your face. You might have hit something and passed out. We need to bathe you. The boss wants to meet you and find out more about you so we can reunite you with your family."

"Oh."

"Come on now, we need to get you out of that dress. I dressed you when you came here. Thank god you're so light, but you've lost a lot of weight. You're probably famished."

She begins the bath and I untie the long thin white nightgown from the top and slip it off. The elderly woman turns around and gasps.

"Just look at you! You can see every bone in your body! We should hurry so you can eat lunch. It's 11, so we have an hour to enhance your beauty. You may be hollow, but you still blossom like a Meihua."

"Mei." I step into the hot bath.

"Is that your name?" She starts to wash my hair and scrub my body.

"No. I don't know what my name is." My comment makes her gasp.

"You don't know? You must have hit your head harder than we thought. Can you remember anything?"

"I don't know. Mei sounds so familiar but it hurts to think about it. What's your name?"

"My name is Ai. I'm the head maid here in the Lee household."