White Tiger (27 page)

I glanced back. They were sitting on a bench on the boardwalk watching the waves. Waiting for us. Damn!

I took the boogie board down to Leo and Simone. Simone jumped up and down, clapping her hands, then fell over in the water. She pulled herself up again, laughing.

Leo saw my face. ‘What?’

‘How far away can she sense them?’

‘About three, five metres. You think we’ve got some?’

I gestured with my head towards the top of the beach. ‘They followed me.’

Leo looked up at the boardwalk. ‘Which ones?’

I looked up as well. They were gone.

I quickly checked the beach; they had taken off their shoes and socks and stood at the edge of the water nearby, grinning.

I backed to stand next to Leo, facing them. ‘Those ones. Look like Mainland tourists.’

Leo dropped to one knee and spoke to Simone. ‘Look at those men over there, Simone. Are they bad people?’

Simone studied them, eyes wide, then grinned up at
Leo. ‘Nope. Just people.’ She jiggled. ‘Let me try the board!’

‘You sure there’s none around here?’ Her eyes unfocused then she snapped back. ‘Let me try!’

Leo shrugged and rose.

I smacked my forehead with my palm. ‘I am so paranoid.’

‘It’s only being paranoid if nobody’s after you. In this case, I’d just call it being careful, and be glad that she has an extra pair of eyes watching out for her.’

I sighed. ‘I suppose you’re right.’

The tourists approached us, grinning broadly. They had rolled their slacks up and were holding their shoes in one hand. Both Leo and I readied ourselves without moving into a defensive stance.

One held a camera out to us, bobbed his head politely and said something in Putonghua.

‘He says I’m beautiful, and you’re beautiful, and Australia’s beautiful, and he wants to take a picture with us,’ Simone said.

Leo and I shared a look.

The tourist bobbed his head again, still grinning. ‘Qing, piaoliang xiaojie.’

‘Please, pretty lady,’ Simone said. ‘Sort of.’ ‘Are you sure, Simone?’ Leo said. ‘Just people,’ Simone said.

I nodded and smiled. The tourist passed the camera to the other man, and stood behind Simone and me. Leo moved out of the frame but the tourist beckoned for him to move back into the picture. He shrugged and turned to face the camera as well.

The other tourist took the photo and the one behind us moved in front of us again. ‘Xie xie, xie xie.’

‘Bu keqi,’ I said, and he smiled even wider.

The two of them waved and walked away.

‘That was extremely weird,’ Leo said, watching them.

‘Show me how to do it!’ Simone shouted, grabbing the boogie board.

After an hour of body-boarding Leo and I had to stop; Simone was wearing us out. We built a sandcastle. Leo sat next to us and watched.

Mr Chen waded out of the surf and flopped onto his stomach on the sand beside us. Simone squealed, ran to him and threw herself on top of him. He grunted and grimaced, and she quickly moved off. ‘Sorry, Daddy, I hurt you.’

He sat up and put his arms around his knees. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Let me see,’ I said.

He moved his legs down so that we could see his abdomen. ‘I’m okay.’

Simone sat in his lap and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. ‘Did you build that?’

‘Leo and Emma helped me. The funny men should have taken a picture of it. It’s really good.’

Mr Chen glanced sharply at me. ‘What funny men?’

‘Some Mainland tourists.’ I shrugged. ‘Wanted to take our photo. All of us, even Leo.’

Mr Chen shook his head.

‘Uh-oh,’ I said.

‘What?’ Leo said, concerned. He sat next to me. ‘Simone was sure they were just people.’

‘Did we do something wrong, Daddy? They were people, not…’ Simone dropped her voice. ‘Demons.’

Mr Chen spoke softly and we all moved closer to hear. ‘Sometimes they have humans working for them. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s been known.’ He pulled Simone tighter. ‘Don’t
ever
let
anybody
take your
photo, Simone. If they do, they can show other people what you look like.’

Simone’s mouth flopped open and her eyes went wide. Then she turned to Leo and me. ‘That’s why they wanted your photo too, Leo.’

Leo thumped the sand with his fist. ‘Damn!’

Simone turned back to her father, very serious. ‘Don’t worry, Daddy. Leo will look after me.’

‘They could have been tourists, it’s possible it was all innocent,’ Mr Chen said. He shrugged. ‘Don’t worry about it. The reason they use humans here is because they are far from their Centre and very weak. An attack here is highly unlikely.’

‘Are you okay so far from your Centre?’ I said. ‘It applies to you as well, doesn’t it?’

‘Is that right, Daddy?’ Simone said. ‘You can’t leave China for very long?’

He held her in his lap. ‘That’s right, sweetheart. Because I’m very big, I can travel and stay away from China, but I could never live permanently anywhere else.’

He smiled. ‘Let me show you something. Do you want to come with me?’ She brightened. ‘Sure!’

He rose, picked her up and put her on his hip. He turned to Leo and me. ‘Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. We’ll be in the water.’ He strode away towards the waves, with Simone talking excitedly into his face.

‘He’d better not waste any of his energy,’ Leo grumbled.

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘He’ll be in serious trouble.’

Leo and I laughed softly together.

Mr Chen carried Simone into the breakers until he was chest deep, then dropped straight into the water and they disappeared.

‘Whoa,’ Leo whispered.

‘Just when I thought he couldn’t astonish me any more,’ I said. ‘Me too.’

They returned about half an hour later. Mr Chen carried Simone out of the water as if they’d been wading together. He sat on his towel, and Simone fell into the sand and dug a hole.

‘Where did you go, Simone?’ I said.

Simone pointed. ‘Out there.’

‘What did you see?’

She shared a smile with her father, then grinned at me. ‘Big fish.’ ‘How big?’

Her eyes widened and she became serious. ‘Really, really big. Big enough to eat Leo.’

Leo laughed. ‘Don’t be silly, Simone.’

‘Oh no, Simone’s quite right,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Some of them were big enough to eat you, Leo.’

‘You shouldn’t take her out if it’s dangerous,’ Leo growled.

‘She was in absolutely no danger. We were in the
water
.’

Leo looked embarrassed. ‘Sorry.’

The next morning Leo was so sunburned he could barely see through his swollen face.

We went to the shops and left him at home to harass Monica. Mr Chen didn’t even offer to heal him.

S
imone shrieked when we entered the theme park. ‘I wanna go on
that
one!’ ‘I’ll take you,’ Leo said. ‘The roller coaster?’ I said. Both Simone and Leo nodded enthusiastically. ‘That’s as good as some in the States,’ Leo said. ‘Oh, thank you very much. Nice to know my homeland passes the Leo Alexander Roller Coaster Test of Civilisation.’

‘Yep.’ Leo grinned down at Simone. ‘You sure, sweetheart? It’s awfully fast.’

‘I’ll be okay if you go with me,’ Simone said. ‘Mr Chen, sir?’

‘You go,’ Mr Chen said. ‘I’ll stay on the ground and guard.’

Leo grimaced. ‘That’s my job. You should take Simone.’

‘And spoil your fun? Besides, I think Simone would prefer to go with you.’ ‘Yeah, Leo, let’s go!’ ‘Emma?’

‘I’ll stay down here and keep Mr Chen company.’ Leo hesitated. ‘Are you sure?’

‘
Go
!’ Mr Chen and I both shouted together.

They shared a huge grin and ran. We followed them at a more sedate pace.

They returned to us, disappointed.

‘Simone’s too small,’ Leo said. ‘And I’m too big. They won’t let either of us on.’

‘Use your magic to make me bigger, Daddy,’ Simone said.

‘I don’t have magic, you know that,’ Mr Chen said.

‘Let’s go on that one instead,’ Leo said, pointing at the pirate ship.

‘Okay!’ Simone yelled and grabbed his hand.

When we reached the priate ship Mr Chen and I sat on a bench where we could see them waiting in the queue. Simone waved to us, jumping up and down. Then she fell over. Leo helped her up, then put his hands on his hips and told her off, exasperated. She slapped him. He tickled her. She wriggled with delight.

‘Tell me about the Mountain,’ I said.

He sighed. ‘What do you want to know? The damage is extensive.’

‘What was it like before the demons attacked?’

He put his elbows on his knees and studied his hands. ‘The Celestial Mountain?’

I nodded.

‘Wonderful.’

‘Tell me.’

He looked up at Simone, wistful. ‘The base of the Celestial Mountain is always in clouds. There is no physical way down; you must be carried by a Shen. The top of the Mountain is covered in trees; not much lawn, it doesn’t grow well there.’

‘How many buildings?’

‘I have no idea.’ He smiled. ‘It would be like counting the buildings in the Summer Palace in Beijing. One leads to another. Walkways through mountain
passes, between the peaks. Seven peaks. Arching bridges over the deep gorges.’

‘It does sound wonderful.’

‘Michelle hated it.’

‘Why?’

‘She needed an audience. She lived to sing. She demanded that I stay here with her, so I did.’ He watched Leo and Simone without really seeing them. ‘She was fabulous. Every time I needed to go to the Mountain, to rebuild myself, she kept telling me she would be all right here, with Leo to guard her.’

‘But she wasn’t.’

‘Her family came to Hong Kong to visit her. Her mother, her father, her brother—all of her family. They didn’t know about me, what I am, they came to see Simone. Family is important, so I left her and went to the Mountain. The demon came. It took Leo down. Her father and brother tried to defend her and her mother. The demon killed them and took Michelle and her mother. Fortunately, it was unaware of Simone’s existence. No attempt was made on her.’

He hesitated.

‘Why did it kill them? Why not swap them for your head?’

He didn’t look up. ‘I don’t think the demon knew that humans are more fragile.’

I gasped. The demon had pushed his fun too far and killed Michelle and her mother by mistake. Now I understood why Leo felt the way he did. ‘Do you know who did it?’

He nodded without speaking.

‘Leo failed you.’

‘Despite what he thinks,’ he said, ‘he didn’t fail. He wasn’t ready. I knew he wasn’t ready, but family is important.’ He watched Leo and Simone board a ride. They both waved and he waved back and smiled.
‘It was my mistake. One of the biggest mistakes of my life.’

‘Leo was your wife’s bodyguard before she met you, wasn’t he?’

‘I am glad we encountered each other. He is by far the greatest warrior of his generation. I have been able to bring his skills to a level he would not have otherwise achieved. Because of his proximity to me, he has been free of the virus and I have helped him to live longer.’ He smiled wryly. ‘He does not see that as an advantage, though.’

‘Virus?’ I said; then, ‘Oh my God.’

He glanced sharply at me. ‘You never need to be told anything twice. Sometimes you don’t even need to be told once.’ He looked down at his hands. ‘I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.’

‘He shouldn’t bring guys home like he does. He should be more careful.’

‘Don’t worry, he’s careful. He’s been tested; he’s clear. As long as he stays with me, he will be free of the virus.’

‘And when you go?’

He didn’t look up from his hands. ‘He’ll probably have about a year.’

‘That’s awful.’ I suddenly realised: ‘I have never had a day sick since I joined your household. You did that?’

‘If you’d taken a sick day I think I would have dismissed you,’ he said. ‘One of the perks of the job.’

I turned to him and touched his sleeve, then pulled my hand away. ‘How long do we have, John? Until you go?’

He took a deep breath. ‘Simone will probably be able to handle anything thrown at her by the time she is eight years old. Then I will be able to release myself from this form and go.’

Less than three years. I would make the most of it.

‘Are you sure you can’t stay until she’s grown up? She needs you.’

‘I know,’ he said softly. ‘I don’t know how I will maintain this form for another three years. It will be even harder now that the Mountain is gone.’

‘Will I ever see you again?’

He gazed into my eyes. ‘It’s highly unlikely, Emma. It will take me a very long time to return. That is my nature. I’m not sure how long, but it will be a long time. I don’t think you will ever see me again.’

I turned away. Ms Kwan was right. There was no hope.

‘Emma.’

I turned back to him.

‘I was hoping that you would look after her for me. When I’m gone.’ I stared at him.

‘You will do this for me?’ He studied me carefully. ‘You won’t have to do it by yourself—Jade and Gold can help you. But I can’t think of anyone more suitable to care for her after Leo and I are both gone.’

I shook my head, speechless. I struggled to find the words.

‘Please do this for me, Emma. All of Michelle’s family are gone. You will be all that she has left. I will ensure that you have everything you need.’

I choked on the words. ‘Of course I will, John. I am so honoured.’

‘Thank you.’ He looked relieved. ‘As soon as Jade and Gold return we will make the arrangements.’

‘What happened to them?’

‘The demons killed them.’

‘So where are they now?’

‘Here come Simone and Leo.’

‘You’re up, Emma,’ Leo called as they approached us. ‘Missy here requires the services of a female.’

‘You have to take me to the toilet, Emma,’ Simone said loudly. ‘Hurry up, I want to go on some more rides.’

When we returned to the apartment Mr Chen stood on the balcony and watched the waves. I went out and stood next to him. ‘Do you want to swim again?’

He turned to me and smiled gently. ‘Yes, I do. But I think we’ve done enough today.’

‘Okay,’ I said, and went inside.

I found Leo and Simone and rounded them up. ‘Come on, guys, we’re taking him down to swim.’

‘Simone’s too tired, I’ll stay here with her,’ Leo said.

‘No, Leo, I should stay near Daddy,’ Simone said, serious.

‘She’s right, Leo. We’ll just have a walk along the beach while he swims.’ Leo sighed loudly.

‘You’re the one that’s tired,’ I said. ‘Just a walk, then we’ll sit on the sand. Let him swim.’

‘You don’t even need to change,’ Simone said. ‘Let’s take Daddy to his water.’

‘You’re right, it’s good for him.’

We all went down to the beach, Mr Chen in his black swim shorts. He hesitated as we neared the water and checked behind us; the sun was setting between the highrises. ‘I’ll only go for a short time.’

‘Go,’ I said. ‘We’ll just sit here and wait for you.’

He passed his towel to me and walked down to the water. The evening breakers were stronger, but he seemed to have no difficulty wading through them. He dropped vertically into the water and disappeared.

The three of us strolled along the edge of the ocean while the sun set. Venus came out over the surf, then more stars.

We stopped and sat together on the sand, watching the waves. Simone sat in Leo’s lap and he wrapped his huge arms around her. The sky above the ocean
darkened from purple to indigo. The breeze freshened, full of the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea. More stars came out.

A small group of dolphins appeared in the water. They surfed from the large breakers into shore, so close that we could see them clearly. We watched, entranced.

‘Does that happen often?’ Leo said.

‘I’ve never heard of anything like it happening before,’ I said.

Simone pulled herself free and stood to watch them, rapt. Then she sat in Leo’s lap again.

‘They say hello. Daddy sent them. They say he’ll be back soon,’ Simone said.

The dolphins turned and leapt above the water as one, high enough for their shining bodies to arc over the waves. Then they were gone.

Later Mr Chen waded out of the surf, his dark eyes shining with contentment. We rose to meet him and I handed him his towel.

He took it and threw it around his shoulders. We walked back up to the apartment together without saying a word.