White Tiger

us.’
    ‘Western food?’ Mr Chen said suspiciously.
    ‘Oh, come, Ah Wu, French food is very good. You may learn to like it.’
    She smiled over her shoulder at Leo. ‘Go and change, dear Leo. Once again your clothes are ruined.’
    Leo frowned down at his goo-covered slacks. ‘Yeah.’
    ‘And you two ladies had better wash for dinner as well,’ Ms Kwan called up to Simone and me. ‘Hurry, or it will be cold when you come down.’
    ‘She’s right, Emma,’ Simone whispered. She pulled me to my feet. ‘I need to wash my hands after touching that thing.’
    I followed her into the elegant bathroom. ‘What was special about that man, Simone?’
    Simone carefully washed her hands. ‘That was a bad person.’
    ‘The kind that can hurt you, like you said?’ ‘Yes.’
    ‘Did his arm really go black when you touched him?’
    ‘Yes.’ She grinned. ‘It hurts them when I touch them—that was cool.’ She wiped her hands on one of the towels.
    ‘It’s not cool to hurt things, Simone,’ I said automatically.
    ‘It’s okay to hurt them. You have to destroy them, otherwise they’ll hurt me, and you, and a lot of other people besides.’ Simone opened her mouth to continue, then gave up. ‘I think you need to talk to my dad about it.’
    ‘I think I do as well.’
    Leo had already changed his slacks and was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. Simone ran ahead to find her father. I stopped in front of Leo and glared up at him. ‘Well?’
    ‘Dinner isn’t the time to be discussing this, Emma. After dinner, I’ll tell you the whole story.’
    ‘Promise?’
    He smiled slightly. ‘Cross my heart.’
    ‘Good.’ I stormed past him into the dining room.

CHAPTER NINE
    T he dining room was as elegantly furnished as the rest of the house. I sat at the table; Leo followed me and sat as well.
    Ms Kwan smiled compassionately. ‘Dear Emma, I know you have no idea what is happening, but we will tell you all.’
    ‘My Lady,’ Mr Chen began, but she waved him down.
    ‘Don’t worry, Ah Wu. Emma, after dinner Leo will explain everything for you. Now…’ She raised her hands. ‘Let’s see what Jean has prepared for us.’
    The meal was everything that Ms Kwan had promised, but I was bursting with so much curiosity that I could barely touch the food.
    As we ate Simone prattled about the Eiffel Tower and Ms Kwan listened indulgently, asking questions to keep her talking. Ms Kwan also questioned me about myself: where I had come from and what I did in Hong Kong. She seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. Mr Chen and Leo were quiet and morose.
    When Simone had finished her ice-cream, Ms Kwan gently led her out of the dining room, with Mr Chen following. The maid brought a pot of coffee for Leo and me.
    The minute she was out of the room I exploded. ‘What the hell is going on, Leo?’
    Leo smiled slightly as he poured the coffee. ‘Yeah, I was wondering how long it would be before you worked out that things aren’t completely…’ He put the coffee pot back on the table ‘… normal in the Chen household.’
    ‘That’s the understatement of the century.’
    He turned the coffee cup in his hands. ‘Let me work out where to start.’
    ‘How about you start at the beginning and tell me everything?’
    ‘Yeah, if you want to be here all night.’
    ‘Just tell me!’ I hissed.
    He put the cup down and pushed it aside, then took my hand in both of his and looked into my eyes. ‘Before I tell you anything, I want you to understand…Staying with us may be dangerous.’
    I jerked back.
    ‘Don’t worry. As long as you’re with Mr Chen or me, you’re safe. You’re not involved in this; it’s us they want. But if you feel at all worried, then go. Go now, before I tell you anything.’ He gazed into my eyes. ‘We’ll put you on the next flight back to Hong Kong. You can forget about all of this, you can go back to the kindergarten, you can go home.’
    I stared at him for a split second, then pulled my hand away. ‘No way!’
    ‘What?’
    ‘I’m staying here with Simone,’ I said fiercely. ‘Now tell me what this is all about.’
    He sat straighter and drank some coffee. ‘Okay,’ he finally said. ‘You remember when we went to Repulse Bay and you saw the statue of Kwan Yin, Goddess of Mercy?’
    I nodded.
    ‘That’s her. That’s Ms Kwan, the lady we’re staying with. She’s a goddess.’
    I stopped and stared at him, then put some pieces together. ‘Oh my God,