Yanhua 3 Waiting

And it was like he fell back into a dream again, that hazy mindset…

Out from the potted plants appeared a small, silvery, transparent fox, and it sprang onto the barrier in front of Li Huai.

h.e.l.lo, it said.

"h.e.l.lo," was the only thing that Li Huai could think of saying back.

Do you understand what is to happen tomorrow?

"I…do." He swallowed, thinking again of the carnage, of the blood, of that horrifying end to their summer…

Do you wish for it to not happen? The fox peered at him inquisitively, its silver eyes s.h.i.+ning like stars.

"I mean, yes, of course," Li Huai gestured with his hands. "It's an absolutely awful thing to happen! We're all going to die!"

What if…you could change it?

"What do you mean?" Li Huai watched the fox as it wrapped its silvery spirit tail around him. "Isn't it…set in stone? Fate decided?"

That is true, the fox replied, still circling him. But the question is…do you want to change it? And if you could, would you?

And then, after one last look at him, hopped over the edge of the railing and disappeared.

Li Huai craned his neck to see where it had went. No, they were on floor 23, there was no way…

"You enjoying our plants?" Hua Fu asked from behind him.

He turned to see her peering at him, wide-eyed, kind of like how that fox had been before. She was carrying a basket of laundry underneath her arm, clearly coming to hang them up to dry. She kept her thin black hair in two braids, and her quiet disposition never betrayed her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, they…smell great," was al Li Huai could think to explain.

"You didn't…drop something over?"

"Oh, no. no. Just…something caught my eye."

"Ah." She nodded and began hanging up socks.

"You want me to…?"

She shook her head. "It's fine. Go back in. I'll be quick."

Li Huai nodded and stepped back inside, leaving the sliding door open, just a crack. Inside w.a.n.g Zhaoshu was sitting at the gla.s.s table devouring some crackers while Lin Yuxing and Chen Shan argued over the correct answer of some science problem. Li Huai sat down next to them and tried to look interested. No, he was interested, truly he was, because he hadn't figured out how to do that problem either…

But…

The fox. And the questions.

I don't want tomorrow to happen, he reasoned to himself. I want to save my friends. Therefore, if there is a way, I should. I should want to change the future.

He remembered all of the stories that he had read of people changing the future, and how it had turned out to be for the worse.

What if that happened here too?

Hua Fu set a bowl of sunflower seeds in front of him. "Oh, thanks," Li Huai said, looking up at her. "You should sit down."

"No, I should finish all these ch.o.r.es before my parents come home."

"When do they…?"

"After I'm asleep. Then out early morning."

It wasn't that different for any of them. Their parents worked hard, overtime, for their children, and their job was to learn. Li Huai wondered when was the last time he had seen his parents. Could he even say goodbye…?

"Do we want to be there when the festival begins or wander in halfway through?" w.a.n.g Zhaoshu asked thoughtfully, cracking a sunflower seed in between his teeth.

There was, honestly, no set starting time. It just kind of opened as people got ready and people just wandered in, and the longer they stayed, the darker the sky became, the more lanterns were lit, and the more people drifted in.

"Well, are we panning on stopping anywhere else?" Lin Yuxing asked, taking off his gla.s.ses and rubbing his eyes. "We said that we'd just be here to drop off our bags, but it's been a good half-hour already. No pressure, though!" he called to Hua Fu. "Take your time!"

"You know, it's barely twenty minutes' walk from here to our places," Chen Shan pointed out. "We could just head back…"

"And miss this glorious afternoon with each other? Nonsense!" w.a.n.g Zhaoshu exclaimed. "No, we're stayin' together."

"We spend every afternoon together," Lin Yuxing muttered.

"No, we spend most of our afternoons doin' homework," w.a.n.g Zhaoshu countered. "Summer school's nearly over, and then the fall semester starts up again. We should cherish every moment that we have together. Right, Li Huai?"

He glanced at Li Huai, and Li Huai was startled by the look in his eyes. They weren't…joking, like they usually were. No, they were completely serious, like he expected Li Huai to agree.

"Of course," Li Huai replied, trying to forget the dream. "We should…"

He trailed off, lost in thought again, thinking of the fox again, remembering the dream again…the dream that had plagued him for who knows how long now…

"It's all right," w.a.n.g Zhaoshu said gently, placing a hand on his. "Take your time. We're not in any hurry to leave."

"Done," Chen Shan announced, coming back, wiping her hands on a towel. "Ready to leave?"

Li Huai stood up. "Then let's go! We've got plenty of sunlight waiting for us!" He gave a grin, but his heart felt like it was breaking inside.

If you could save…

If you could…

If you…

If…

The door to the apartment complex slammed shut as they ran out, one after another, like freed birds.