The Travels Of Xiang, Episode 7

Xiang followed the girl to the edge of town, where buildings were more spread out.  Eventually, they came to a small house.  "This is the place?"

The girl nodded.

"Very well."  Xiang walked up and knocked on the door.

A middle-aged woman answered.  "Hello, young lady.  What can I..."  Then, looked past her to see the little girl and went pale.  "No.  Why are you here?"

"Huh?" Xiang said.  That didn't seem right.  "This girl says she's your daughter.  She was getting roughed up in an alley by a man, but I rescued her."

The woman looked horrified.  "No!  You fool!  What have you done?  Take that girl back where you found her.  If you don't, it'll be the death of me and my husband."

"That girl?" Xiang asked.  "She's your daughter!"

Then, a man came to the door.  "What's going on, honey?"  He noticed the little girl.  "Fiddlesticks!"

Was this really happening?  A mother and father were reunited with their daughter, but neither of them seemed happy.  No matter how Xiang tried to put it together, she couldn't make it add up.  "I...don't understand."

"We're going to die because you brought that darned child back here!" the mother said.

"I...I thought I was helping..."

"Thanks a lot, you stupid girl!" the father shouted.  "I've always wanted to live a shorter life."

"I'm sorry..." Xiang said, on the verge of tears.

The mother looked at the father.  "If we leave now, maybe we can escape."

"There's no escaping Musciani," the father said.  "We may as well just accept our deaths."

The mother looked at the girl again.  "Maybe if we take her there personally, we'll be spared."

Xiang didn't know who Musciani was.  She didn't even know the girl's name.  But she knew one thing.  "I wont let that happen."

The parents looked surprised.  "You wont let what happen?" the father asked.

"I won't let you use your daughter as a bargaining chip," Xiang said.  "She's your daughter and barring that, she's a child.  No child deserves that."

"She's our darned child!" the mother shot.  "We'll use her however we want!"

Xiang gasped as a dull pain stabbed her chest and a wave of shock coursed through her body.  Hearing them talk like that actually caused her physical pain.  These people weren't parents.  At this point, she doubted they were human.  A single tear ran down her cheek and she turned away, grabbing the girl by the hand.  "Forget you."  She started walking away with the girl in tow.

"Hey!" the father shouted.  "Where are you taking her?"

"Away from you."

"We need to give her to Musciani to live," the mother shouted.

"I don't care," Xiang said.  "Unlike you, she still has value as a person."

"Get back here!" the father roared, giving chase with a broom.

Xiang let go of the girl and got into her stance.  Then, she waited for him to swing the broom at her.  That's when she let a punch fly, destroying the broom.

The father stumbled to a stop and fell.

"Give back our daughter, you trollop!" the mother shouted.

Xiang grabbed the girl's hand and went back to walking.  She looked back over her shoulder at the parents and said, "Screw off."  As she turned to face forward again, tears ran down her cheek.

"You didn't believe me," the girl said.  "You just had to see them, didn't you?"

Xiang didn't answer.  All she could do was sniffle and cry.  She thought she was helping.