Red Phoenix

by Kylie Chan

  ‘Chocolate,’ Simone said. ‘Chocolate chip.’

  ‘Oh. I thought it was red bean. Needs milk with it, it’s very sweet,’ he said, still through the biscuit. ‘Soy milk would be good.’

  ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full, Daddy. That’s rude for Westerners.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Simone leaned back to put her head on his shoulder and snuggled into him. He pulled her tight and took another bite of the biscuit.

  Rhonda’s face softened.

  ‘Will you let Michael come and work for us, Rhonda?’ I said.

  ‘Let me think about it,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure I want him to follow in his father’s footsteps too much. I was hoping he would just lead a normal life, away from all of this.’

  ‘It’s his birthright, Rhonda,’ John said softly.

  Rhonda snorted with disdain. ‘His birthright is to be completely ignored by his father, who is too busy chasing women and horses to care for his mother.’

  ‘The White Tiger always tells his women the situation before he takes them,’ John said. ‘You knew what you were getting into.’

  Rhonda sighed. ‘I thought I was different. I thought I could change him. I thought I was so special that he wouldn’t need anybody else.’

  ‘You all think that,’ John said sadly. ‘Every single one of you. But the others stayed. You left.’

  ‘I was wasting my time. I was surprised that he let me go, but in the end I think he didn’t give a damn one way or the other. He has provided well for us, I don’t need to worry about money. It’s a sad episode of my life that I want to forget. But I did gain a wonderful son out of the whole sorry mess, and that’s made it sort of worthwhile.’

  ‘What are you doing with yourself now, Rhonda?’ I said.

  ‘I started a business with the money he gave me. I deal in antique furniture from China. It’s quite lucrative. I don’t actually need the child support money now, but it’s nice to hit him where it hurts, so I still collect. I suppose if Michael moves in with you, I’ll tell the Tiger not to worry any more.’

  ‘I can see where Michael gets his spirit,’ John said. ‘He is a very impressive young man. I hope you’ll let us take him on.’

  ‘Will you be teaching him martial arts?’

  ‘Yes. It will be part of his job.’

  ‘Another part of his job will be to go to the same school as Simone and guard her,’ I said. ‘And I will expect his grades to be good as well.’

  Simone looked at me. She hadn’t known that. She didn’t say anything.

  ‘He shouldn’t have left school, but he’s old enough to choose for himself,’ Rhonda said. ‘If you can make him go to school, then it will be worth it. Does the Tiger ever come here?’ She turned to John. ‘You’re one of the Winds, too.’

  ‘He’s over here all the time, Rhonda,’ John said. ‘He’s one of my best friends. Michael will see him quite often.’

  ‘He doesn’t seem to have any romantic notions about his father,’ I said. ‘In fact, when he does finally see him, he may break his nose.’

  ‘Take a photo for me if he does, please.’ Rhonda rose. ‘Well, I think that settles it for me. Michael can move in here whenever it suits him.’

  ‘Sit back down, Rhonda,’ I said. ‘There’s one more thing I have to tell you, and it’s about Leo. John, take Simone out for me, will you?’

  ‘I’ll be right back,’ John said, and carried Simone into the kitchen. Simone didn’t protest.

  Rhonda watched them leave, then turned to me. ‘Did you just order around one of the Four Winds?’

  ‘I just ordered around the Sovereign of the Four Winds, Ruler of the Northern Heavens, and Right Hand of the Jade Emperor Himself,’ I said. ‘It’s a long story, and sometimes even I can’t believe it. I must tell you the whole thing one day.’

  Rhonda sat and shook her head. ‘What else do you want to tell me?’

  ‘Leo has AIDS, Rhonda. As long as he stays with John, the virus is dormant. As soon as John leaves us, the virus will become active, and Leo will probably have less than a year. That’s why we’re bringing Michael in; we’ll need a bodyguard for Simone when both Leo and John are gone. I hope that doesn’t change your attitude about Michael working here.’

  ‘If you’re suggesting that Leo and Michael are more than friends, you’re wrong. Michael has already had a few girlfriends.’

  ‘I’m not suggesting anything of the sort,’ I said. ‘I just want you to know. I want to be completely open and honest with you about this, and want you to feel that we’re not hiding anything.’

  John came back in without Simone, sat and poured himself more tea. ‘Yes, young Emma here is very big on being completely open and honest.’

  ‘Give it a rest, old man.’

  He chuckled good-naturedly.

  ‘I don’t think that’s a problem, Emma,’ Rhonda said. ‘Leo is terrific, and it’s a shame this had to happen to him. I suppose I have to trust you and John.’ She studied John. ‘How long do you have?’

  John smiled sadly over the top of his tea cup. ‘Not more than three years. You know how hard it is for us to stay in human form. This is one of the most difficult things I have ever done.’

  ‘And you’re doing it for your little girl.’

  He nodded.

  She looked from John to me. ‘Are you two married?’

  ‘No, it’s a long story,’ I said. ‘It may happen one day if we’re both very lucky, but at this stage it’s not possible. It’s mostly to do with the fact that he is a Shen. And that I’m completely nuts.’

  John nodded agreement and I glanced at him impatiently. He saw that I wanted to thump him and grinned.

  Rhonda watched with wonder. ‘You must tell me the whole thing later. But I have to go. Michael’s waiting for me to let him know my decision.’

  ‘You will be welcome up here any time,’ John said. ‘Feel free to come and check on Michael whenever you please.’

  I rose. Rhonda stood as well, and I showed her to the door. ‘Give me a call sometime, Rhonda. We’ll meet for lunch and share a good moan about the trials of living with male Shen.’

  ‘I heard that,’ John called from the living room.

  ‘Good,’ I said loudly without turning back. ‘It’s even worse living with a reptile. At least the Tiger has nice fur.’

  ‘A reptile?’

  ‘I’m a Turtle,’ John yelled.

  ‘Yes, you damn well are,’ I shouted back. I grinned at Rhonda. She didn’t seem to understand the insult.

  Rhonda shook her head. ‘He really is different. You’re very lucky.’

  ‘I know.’

  He’s here, Emma. At the door.

  The doorbell rang and Monica answered it; I heard the voices.

  I went out to the hallway. Leo and Michael were kicking their shoes off at the door. Michael had a duffel bag.

  ‘Don’t worry, ma’am, I’ll take care of him,’ Leo said. ‘I’ll show him around, introduce him to everybody, stuff like that.’

  I want him to come into the training room and swear allegiance at the same time, Leo. ‘Yes, sir.’

  Michael’s face went completely blank.

  ‘Oh, you heard him,’ I said. ‘He was on broadcast mode, everybody in the household heard him. I wish he wouldn’t do that. And he’s not supposed to be listening anyway. If he does it again he’ll be in serious trouble.’

  Sorry.

  ‘You’re still listening.’ Ma’am.

  Michael grinned, then tried to control his face. ‘Leave it with me, ma’am,’ Leo said. ‘Okay.’ I went back to my room and my thesis. Later, there was a tap on the bedroom door. ‘Come.’

  Leo poked his head around. ‘Charlie grabbed him off me and told him the whole story. Right now they’re in the kitchen and she’s trying to see if she can feed him so much he explodes.’

  ‘Did he swear allegiance?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Did he understand what it means?’ Leo opened the door and c
ame in. ‘Yeah. He knew. And he did it anyway. He’s a great kid.’

  ‘I don’t know what we’d do without you, Leo.’ ‘Neither do I.’ He went out.

  CHAPTER NINE

  A few weeks later John, Gold and I sat around the dining table and studied the student lists. ‘How many do you think we need to recruit?’ I said. ‘Gold?’

  ‘We should bring on another three hundred to guard the Mountain when the demons have returned to strength,’ Gold said, ‘but we don’t have room for them. Bright Mansions is full. There’s plenty of room in Wan Chai to train them, but nowhere for them to live.’

  ‘We could buy another residential building in Happy Valley,’ John said.

  ‘Good idea, my Lord,’ Gold said. ‘The market is down, there are some good buys. We could buy an older building, demolish it, and construct something purpose-built. We could even do that with the North Point building, put up something with more space.’

  ‘At the current rate of construction, Gold, how long before we can start moving students back to the Mountain?’ I said.

  Gold’s boyish face went pensive. ‘I think about five years, my Lady.’ His face cleared. ‘I see your point.’

  ‘Yes,’ John said. ‘It will take that long to build to purpose anyway. Forget it. We’ll buy something in the Valley and put them there. See to it. Dismissed.’

  ‘My Lord,’ Gold said, and disappeared.

  John turned to me. ‘I don’t know how I managed without you, Emma.’

  ‘Neither do I.’ I glared at him. ‘It’s August already.’

  He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. ‘I don’t have time, Emma.’ He threw himself forward again and rubbed his hands over his face, then tied back his hair.

  ‘You’ll have all the time in the world if you fade out and leave us. But we won’t be able to defend Simone.’

  ‘Simone can call a Celestial Master now. You don’t really need me any more. I could go now.’

  I shot to my feet, horrified. ‘Don’t you dare leave us, Xuan Wu!’ I shouted. ‘We need you! You can’t go!’

  He sat unmoving, his face expressionless.

  ‘Don’t go, please, John.’ I fell to sit. No. He was right. He could go. Simone would be safe if she could call a Celestial Master.

  ‘You wouldn’t be safe though, Emma. I need to stay near you.’

  ‘My safety is beside the point. Simone’s the one we need to protect.’

  ‘I need to protect both of you.’

  I crossed my arms on the pile of papers in front of me and put my chin on them. ‘We need you here. Please don’t go yet. Wait until you can’t stay any longer. We need you. I need you.’

  He smiled gently. ‘If I’m going to stay around then I’d better see Mercy.’

  I leaned back and sighed with relief. ‘You gave me a terrible fright just then, John. Please don’t do that again. Promise you’ll stay absolutely as long as you can.’

  ‘I promise you, Emma. Of course I will stay as long as I possibly can. I want to be with you. I want to be with both of you. I was just teasing.’

  ‘You’ll be teasing on the other side of your shell next time,’ I growled. ‘I’ll clear our diaries for the week after next and we can all go to Paris. We’ll need to have it done before Simone starts school. Michael should come as well; some travel will open his mind, and he can meet Kwan Yin. We can return Charlie to London while we’re in Paris. How’s that?’

  He spread his hands across the table. ‘Whatever you organise is fine with me. I am in your capable hands.’

  ‘I wish,’ I said with feeling, and he went expressionless again. ‘Call Kwan Yin and tell her you’re coming.’ He remained unmoving. ‘Do it right now, Xuan Wu.’ He pulled himself upright. ‘Is that an order?’ ‘Damn straight it is.’

  He leaned across the table and glared at me. I leaned forward as well and glowered back. We faced off across the table. I was about to shout at him when Ms Kwan appeared next to me. ‘Don’t worry, Emma, he called me. I will be waiting for you, Ah Wu. Look after yourself and your family.’

  He nodded to her but she had already disappeared.

  ‘Happy?’ he growled.

  ‘Not until I have you in Paris and locked up with her,’ I growled back. ‘Go and meditate. Guard your energy. You’re probably running on empty.’

  He grinned and pushed his chair away from the table. He was.

  A week later Charlie came in to clear the dishes from the family dinner.

  ‘Sit, Charlie, Monica can do that,’ I said. ‘Meeting time. I’ve arranged for us to go to Paris next week.’

  Simone wriggled in her seat. ‘I want to go to the Eiffel Tower!’

  ‘You always want to go to the Eiffel Tower,’ John and I said in unison, then shared an indulgent smile.

  ‘I’ve made the arrangements,’ I said. ‘Out of Macau, as usual…’ I hesitated, then shook my head. ‘It feels very strange to be the one saying this.’

  ‘Get used to it,’ Leo said softly.

  I ignored him. ‘Out of Macau, as usual, next week. When we arrive in Paris, we’ll pop you on the train to London, Charlie, and you can organise the house in Kensington for us.’

  ‘My Lady.’

  ‘Oh, come on, Charlie, please,’ I said, exasperated. ‘There’s really no need for that.’ She just smiled.

  ‘We’re going to London too?’ Simone squeaked, eyes wide. ‘I want to go to—’

  ‘The Science Museum,’ Leo finished for her. ‘Well I do, silly Leo.’

  Michael sat quietly. I understood: he was listening carefully and didn’t want to mess up. At least he knew the situation. When I went to Paris, I hadn’t even known why we were there until we’d been attacked by demons. Then I realised that Michael didn’t know why we were going to Paris either.

  ‘Stay here after everybody’s gone, and I’ll explain for you, Michael.’

  He nodded appreciation.

  ‘We’ll be staying in Paris for five days…’ I turned to John. ‘Are you sure five days is enough? We can spend the whole week in Paris if we have to. You needed a good ten days after the Attack.’

  ‘Five days is sufficient.’

  ‘Okay. Five days in Paris, then two days in London, then back here to prepare these young people for school.’

  Leo and Michael scowled and I glared both of them down.

  ‘Everybody happy?’

  Charlie opened her mouth, then closed it again. ‘Go on, Charlie, this is family.’

  ‘My Lady.’ I sighed, but she continued anyway. ‘My Lady. Before we go, may I take some time to shop for my relatives? I’d like to go to the markets, Stanley and maybe Temple Street, to buy gifts for them.’

  ‘Temple Street!’ Simone said, excited again.

  ‘You want to come too, Princess?’

  ‘Ooh, yes please, Charlie, I love Stanley and Temple Street. Can I go with Charlie, Daddy?’ She stopped and thought. ‘I have some money I can spend too.’

  ‘You can go, Simone. When is a good time, Emma?’

  ‘How about Saturday?’ I said. ‘Temple Street will be really buzzing. I don’t have anything on at the Academy.’

  ‘That would be perfect, my Lady,’ Charlie said.

  ‘I’m teaching all day Saturday, Emma, I won’t finish until six,’ Leo said. ‘I can’t come to Stanley during the day, but Temple Street night market I can do.’

  I considered the options. Both locations were extremely busy and full of people. Demons usually preferred to attack us when we were isolated. ‘I should be able to guard Simone with Michael as backup in Stanley. We’ll have dinner here, pick you up and go to Temple Street. Can you come as well, John?’

  ‘I have some of the Generals coming on Saturday, looks like it’ll be a long one. Leo, yourself, Michael—I think that’s sufficient.’

  Simone scowled; she didn’t want Michael along.

  ‘Give it up, Simone,’ I said. ‘I think you’re right, John, the three of us will be plenty.’

>   Everybody went out, leaving me to talk to Michael. Monica brought in some tea.

  Michael’s face was intense. ‘Why does he have to go to Paris, Miss Donahoe? What’s the big deal with this?’

  I sighed. This was hard.

  ‘Mr Chen has to retain human form to stay and guard Simone. It’s a tremendous drain on his energy to stay in human form for such a long time; normally Shen like him shuttle between a number of different forms. What he’s doing in staying with us is extremely difficult.’

  ‘How many forms does he have?’

  ‘Three that I know of, including the human form that he has now. We’ll probably never see the True Form.’

  ‘True Form?’

  ‘Animal. I’ve never seen it. I think Leo has. If he changes to the animal form, then he’ll be gone for a long time; he won’t have the strength to return to human form.’

  ‘What animal is he?’ Michael paused, thinking. ‘North Wind. I know that the East is a Dragon, and of course the West is a Tiger. But I don’t remember. What animal is Mr Chen?’

  I nearly choked on it. ‘A Turtle.’

  His jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. Then he lit up into a huge delighted grin. ‘You know that calling someone a turtle is slang for calling them a—’

  ‘Michael.’ I cut him off. ‘I understand every single insult attached to the turtle. I’ve heard them all. I know what the poor beast’s head and neck resemble. I know that the Ancients thought that the male turtle had no sex organs. I know that turtles are notorious for their…’ I hesitated, searching for the right word. ‘Behaviour. I know about the egg business. I know it all. So does Mr Chen. So watch your mouth. Okay?’

  His mouth snapped shut and he nodded. He could see that he’d pushed it too far.

  ‘Mr Chen’s True Form is even stranger than that. He’s a combination of two animals, a snake and a turtle. He claims that right now he’s lost the Serpent part of him and doesn’t know where it is.’

  ‘He’s lost part of himself? How could that happen?’

  ‘Even he doesn’t know how it happened. He really is extremely weird. Compared to him, your father is almost normal.’

  ‘What about my father?’ Michael said. ‘He has different forms too?’