by A. H. Shinn
“Your home sounds nice,” Simi said with a forced smile. “Would you like to go to the temple before dinner? I missed my morning meditation.”
“Sure,” said Kellie. She didn’t mind the break from the long day of physical labor, and she needed to retrace the route to the door to her freedom.
They took another trail to the side of the mountain, which seemed easier to follow. They went down the steep, narrow steps into the temple—the only way in, besides that elusive door. As their feet touched down onto the tiles, Simi rushed to the wall and admired nature’s scene. Kellie’s head immediately turned to the right. What she saw twisted her gut into a knot.
There was a huge, metal padlock on the latch of the door. There was no removing it without a bolt cutter. Simi must have alerted someone to what Kellie noticed the last time they were there.
“I’ll be up top,” said Kellie through gritted teeth, and she stormed up the stairs. Simi’s kindness was nothing but a façade. This nun was just like Lin and Choden. She was playing her part in keeping Kellie against her will.
Kellie sprinted to the highest level. Not in any mood to meditate or practice a form, she went to the edge and stared out into the mountains. She was trapped in another country, and there was no way her family or friends were going to figure out that she was in Bhutan. Jory believed her fake mother’s letter came from China; Kellie expected that they would be looking for her in the wrong country.
She imagined being stuck in this place forever, becoming one of the aging farming ladies. A tear rolled down her cheek. As she wiped it away with a sleeve, the platform caught her eye.
Hastily, she walked up the short steps, and before she knew it, she was standing in the middle of the tight, round slab of cement.
One step would lead to her death. What would the Druk nuns do if their Teacher fell off the mountain? They had been waiting hundreds of years for her. Who would teach them now?
Master Chen popped into her mind, and one of his many sayings echoed in her ear: “When you have no hope, turn around; it will be behind you.”
Kellie didn’t quite understand this line, but it provided her with some comfort. She couldn’t do anything stupid; she had to believe she was going to see him again someday.
When she turned to get down, her foot slipped off the top stair, and her weight fell back. There was nothing to grab onto. Before Kellie could scream, a hand yanked her shirt with solid force. Kellie’s body flew forward and she fell onto Simi as they both tumbled down the steps and slammed to the ground.
“Are you crazy?” Simi shouted. “You almost got yourself killed!”
Kellie lay on the cement, numb with terror. She had just almost fallen off the cliff.
Simi was shaking Kellie’s shoulders. “Rinzen! Rinzen!”
Kellie blinked and saw Simi mouthing words at her.
“What were you thinking, standing up there? Rinzen!”
The sunlight framed the silhouette of a shapely, bald head. Kellie saw angst plastered across the nun’s face.
Kellie pushed her upper body up, but elected to stay sitting and close to the ground. “My name is Kellie,” she spat. Although Simi had saved her, Kellie was still furious about the lock on the door. “I don’t belong here. I want to go home. I am not Rinzen. And even if I was, I wouldn’t stay here.”
Simi looked away and stared at the platform.
“Look at me!” shouted Kellie.
Simi slowly turned to her.
“Do you want to know exactly how I was brought here?”
Simi didn’t move a muscle. She looked fearful, but Kellie didn’t care. Kellie was going to reveal the details of her capture, whether Simi wanted to know about them or not.
“I was left in a forest when I was a baby. Shifu Lau found me and tried to find my parents. When he couldn’t locate them, the Taiping monks adopted me. Although they are my family, I wonder almost daily who my parents are and why I was abandoned. A couple of weeks ago, I found a letter in Master Chen’s room. It was from Victoria Bean, claiming to be my mother.” Kellie bit her lip, still angry and hurt about the insensitive ruse. “You don’t know how happy I was that my birth mother had found me.”
Kellie couldn’t stop the tears from forming in her eyes.
Simi tilted her head down to hide her own tears.
“Master Chen was skeptical about Victoria Bean, which made me furious. I said awful things to him and I may never be able to tell him that I’m sorry…He’s the one who has been raising me in America…the one who sacrificed everything for me. Then one night, Victoria showed up at my house. She planned a day to spend with me so we could get to know each other. I couldn’t wait to have my first daughter-mother date. But instead, I was drugged, chased down, and tied to a bed in an airplane. Then I woke up and found myself in another country!”
Simi wiped her cheeks and looked up at Kellie with her big, brown eyes. She pressed her lips together to stop the bottom one from quivering.
“Simi, I want to go home. I miss my house. I miss the kung fu studio I trained in every day. I miss my best friends, Jake and Jory. But most of all, I miss Master Chen. Please, you have to help me.”
The nun’s glance fell away from Kellie. “Your shirt is ripped,” she said. “I’ll get you a new one.” She stood and put out her hand.
Kellie ignored the outstretched arm and got up on her own. Feeling the warmth flow to her face, she said, “Didn’t you hear anything I said?”
“Yes.”
“Do you even care what your sisters did to me?”
“I’m sorry you were hurt, but you’ll understand one day why you are meant to be here.”
There was no reasoning with her. Simi was no different than Victoria, and she was just as deceptive with her affable personality.
Kellie couldn’t trust anyone here. She had to figure another way out, and the first step was to gather supplies.
“It’s dinnertime,” said Simi. “They’ll wonder where we are.”
Kellie didn’t say anything and neither did Simi as they headed out of the temple. Kellie took the lead, wanting to see if she could find her way back. There wasn’t a better time than the present to set her plans in motion. She was more determined than ever to break out of this prison.
Before long, Kellie spotted the three buildings around the arena. She smiled to herself, proud that she’d already mapped the way to and from the temple. As she approached the dining hall, she saw that the food was already set on the tables. She took a seat on the mat and piled her plate with as many fruit and raw vegetables as it would hold. As she nibbled on a carrot, a familiar scent flooded her nose.
Her mouth began to water as she saw rolls being passed around. She grabbed several of them and couldn’t wait to break one apart. Steam rose from the center as she took a bite of the bread.
Mmm. These will do perfectly.
Just as during the other meals, barely anyone conversed with Kellie. Simi sat at the other side of the hall, most likely to avoid Kellie’s wrath. Good thing she did. She would have noticed Kellie sneaking food.
Kellie paid close attention to the nuns around her. When all eyes looked away from her direction, she brought a food item to her lap and tucked it in the waistline of her pants. After her plate was bare, she pulled down the bottom of her shirt.
She walked carefully back to her room, trying not to make the two nuns accompanying her suspicious. Once she heard the plank fall in front of her door, she pulled out the fruit, vegetables, and bread. After concealing them under the blanket on her bed, she breathed with satisfaction.
“Stage one of my plan is complete,” Kellie said triumphantly. “Tomorrow, find a new exit.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Revenge
The next morning, Kellie bounced off the bed. She was motivated to find another way out of Druk Monastery, and ready to start the da
y. She knocked on the door, and no one answered. After knocking more firmly and still receiving no response, she pounded on the wood with both fists.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
There was no reply.
Kellie sat back down on the bed. Maybe her guards had gone to their rooms? She stared at the handle. Was the door even locked? She got up, pushed on the heavy wood, and to her surprise, the door cracked open.
Sticking her nose into the open air, she scoped out the vicinity. A few women were about, but no one was monitoring her room.
Hmm, Kellie thought suspiciously. Where was Simi? Why the sudden absence of chaperones? Perhaps they were beginning to trust her.
Kellie was going to use this newfound freedom to search for other ways in and out of the monastery. Although the sections she’d been to, thus far, appeared quite scattered, there seemed to be a purposeful design to help ensure their privacy and protection. Each area was constructed in a way to limit its access points in and out. The dense woods surrounding the monastery served as a barrier and deterrent to outsiders.
As a matter of fact, Kellie had not yet seen visitors or drifters wander in. The nuns were well isolated.
After another cold morning shower, she reached for her clothes and found a clean pair. When she got out, the hairbrush and leave-in conditioner were set out for her. She looked around for Simi, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Her first instinct was to go to breakfast. She knew the path from her room to the shower and from her room to the dining hall. After taking a few steps along the familiar route, Kellie turned around and instead went past the shower. Exploring a new section would be beneficial to her surveying.
“Where are you going?”
The forceful voice startled Kellie.
Kellie turned to find a nun glaring at her. She looked familiar, but then again, they all looked the same with their bald heads and identical wardrobe.
“I was going to get some food,” said Kellie, flashing a smile. Lying wasn’t her forte, and judging from the stern expression, it didn’t seem as if the woman believed her.
“Go that way,” she said, pointing in the opposite direction.
“Oh, thanks!” Kellie spun on her heels and took off.
It was apparent now. They were watching her from a distance. She was allowed to go about her day alone without a guide, but she was not free to roam. She wasn’t free at all.
Kellie had to be cautious and not tip them off to her intentions.
When she was halfway to the dining hall, she examined both sides of the tortuous trail. Dense trees and shrubs lined the path like a wall, and Kellie wondered what was on the other side.
Spotting a gap in the shrubs, Kellie slowed her pace. She acknowledged a few women walking past her with a nod. Once the coast was clear, she dashed to the section with the crack and peered between the leaves. All she could see was more shrubbery. She was pushing apart branches when a hand fell on her shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
Kellie turned to see a gigantic frown.
“Peony,” she said to Lin as innocently as possible.
Lin’s glower turned into a raised brow. “What?”
“Shifu Lau taught me some botany. The peony is one of my favorite flowers. I think this is a peony plant…” Kellie pulled on a stem, rubbed a leaf between her fingers, and then brought the pink petals to her nose. “Nope. I was wrong.” She let go of the plant and skipped down the dirt road. “See you later!”
That was a close one.
Her stomach growled as she neared the dining hall. She hadn’t eaten much the night before; most of her food had been concealed under her clothes. She dreamed of buttermilk pancakes, fluffy scrambled eggs, and crispy bacon. When she stepped foot in the hall, she saw everyone eating bowls of porridge.
“No pancakes today,” she muttered.
But her hunger masked the bland flavor, and eventually she went for seconds. Maybe she was getting used to the taste. Anyway, she needed to eat. She had noticed her stomach pulling in and her ribs sticking out, and she couldn’t afford to drop the pounds. Once she was ready to make her exodus, she would need all the energy for the journey. It was vital that she gained as much weight as possible, although their cooking was going to make that feat challenging.
After swallowing the last spoonful, she got up and took her dish, as well as a few others, to the dishwashing section. Kellie wanted to appear as if she was adapting, and it seemed to be working. The nuns around her nodded graciously and they whispered to each other as she walked away.
As she dunked the bowls in a tub of water, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“Good morning.”
Kellie’s heart stopped at the honeyed tone. She knew who it was without having to turn around. Just four days ago, that voice had meant the world to her.
“It’s a great morning,” Kellie said sarcastically without looking at her fake mother.
A gentle hand fell on her forearm. “I really wanted to tell you that I am sorry for how I mislead you.”
Sure you are.
“The others thought it was best that I stay away from you for a few days.”
You should be staying away from me now.
“You need to understand that I did this for you.”
Whipping around to face the one who’d deceived her, Kellie said, “For me? You tricked me and brought me here for yourself. And you went as far as to send your letter from another country…to throw everyone off?”
“We had to do what was necessary.”
“You made me think you were my mother!” This still pained Kellie. “Did you ever stop to think of being straightforward with me? Instead of drugging me and dragging me here?”
An annoying, soft smile perched on Victoria’s face. “We did try.”
Kellie opened her mouth and then closed it. She could not recall any attempts these women made to contact her. “What are you talking about? I never heard from any of you.”
“After Bodhi tracked you down at Taiping Monastery, she returned and reported what she had witnessed. Without wasting any time, Choden and a few of the bhikkhunı−s traveled there to meet you, but only found disappointment when they learned that you were gone. They approached the monks, and Choden spoke with Master Zheng. He seemed uncooperative and would not reveal your location.”
He was protecting me.
“Choden described the prophecy about the Teacher. She even shared with him Sonam’s book. He would not listen and refused to assist us.”
“He probably thought you had the wrong person…” said Kellie.
“He knew we had the right person. Choden watched him go pale when she explained that the child from the prophecy was from the forest and had a special gift. We told him that the town doctor provided us with much information about the girl they had adopted and that the people of Du Zhen confirmed the story of the baby discovered in Shenmi Forest. We just wanted to see for ourselves the power the tracker described you had.”
A lump formed in Kellie’s throat. Why didn’t Master Zheng call or write to tell Kellie about the visit from these women? He should have warned her.
“He threatened us not to come back again and to stop our search for you.”
“You’re lying.”
“No. I am not. He feared the truth.”
Kellie shook her head, unable to believe that Master Zheng would keep information like this. Yes, the Taiping monks had concealed facts from her past when she was too young to understand, but they’d agreed she was old enough now to know everything.
“He wanted to keep your secret for himself.”
Kellie stepped away from the dishwashing bin.
“That is why we had to lie to you and Master Chen. We assumed Master Zheng had warned him of our visit and we could not let Master Chen suspect our intentions
. That is why I had to pretend to be your mother. It was the only way to get you alone.”
Kellie turned to leave.
“That was the only way for you to learn the truth.”
Kellie’s legs took her past the tables and down the steps. She ran in an untraveled direction and heard footfalls behind her.
Spinning around, she shouted at the group of women following her, “Do not follow me!”
Stunned, they took a few steps back. Choden appeared by their sides and put up her hands to stop them from pursuing Kellie.
Kellie darted wherever her feet would take her. She ran on a dirt trail until the path opened up. She found herself on a wide, flat pasture of land. Forcing her lungs to expand, she trembled as she exhaled.
Her hands shook, and tears ran down her cheeks. Who could she trust? Was Victoria lying to her? There would be no point in the woman deceiving Kellie now.
Roaming around the field of grass, Kellie gazed at the clouds. Her jaw clenched tightly as she thought about Master Zheng and tried to understand why he had not told her about the prophecy. She spoke to him regularly on the phone; he’d had many opportunities.
She hated secrets.
Could Master Chen have known about the bhikkhunı−s’ visit to Taiping Monastery, too? Kellie wasn’t going to assume that he’d also kept that information from her, though he was the one who’d hidden the letter from her fake mother.
She didn’t know what to think anymore. The Taiping monks knew how much Kellie wanted to find out who she was, and they had kept so much from her. Her emotional side told her that they loved her and wanted to protect her, but her logical side forced her to question their decisions.
Kellie sat, cross-legged in the middle of the field. She played with the tall grass, allowing the blades to sift through her fingers. As she watched a ladybug climb its way up the stem of a dandelion, she had the funny feeling she was being watched.
Figures, thought Kellie. Like they would actually let me have some freedom.
“I know you’re there!” she shouted over her shoulder.
No one answered or showed herself. Trees lined the field, and Kellie just knew someone lurked in the shadows.