Chapter 3- Only time

Mornings are supposed to be relaxing and pleasant. And someone ought to tell that to my aunt who barged in to my room this morning and literally dragged me out of my bed while muttering some stuff about being late for free breakfast . Great, messy pony tail, T-shirt and pants and I'm out in public. I wonder if my aunt notices my drag state. She throws me a glance as we were in the lift and said "we'll have breakfast in the meeting room. Only a few committee members will be there." Yep..she totally noticed my underdressed state. 

  We arrived at the meeting room in no time for the sake of free food.My aunt introduced me to the ones around, most of them around my aunt's age. I greeted everyone of them politely and flashed a good kid smile. They were rather friendly folk,unlike my aunt's secretary who sneered and scorned at me . Yep, remind me to stay away from people who judge a book by its cover. She rolled her eyes and continued on the phone with a minister using a voice that sent goosebumps down my spine. I've decided to call her "hag" as calling her a woman would disgrace the female race. Perhaps it was my underdressed state or was it just because I was the prized niece of Amy Ma --you've got to give it to my aunt, she really does know how to brag. In someway, she reminded me of those evil stepsisters in fairy tales who were mean and full of themselves .

   Breakfast was great despite having to bear with the hag's annoying voice . I was trying to figure out how the hag possibly existed or survived when my aunt disrupted my thought.
 "Kate, I'm gonna leave you with Jen while I prepare for tonight. Make sure you're ready."
 Before I could even ask what I was suppose to be ready for, she was already out the door muttering yet again about being late for something.
 "Great.." I was abandoned ... again.
"Miss Kate, my name is Jen and I'm in charge of assisting you with your attire  today." I spun around and saw a polished lady standing before me. Well, at least she looks friendly unlike the hag. Confused, I stared at her questioningly, what's wrong with my attire? Okay perhaps I am really underdressed now but did aunt Amy seriously hire a person to tell me that? 

    

  As she read my expression, she explained how tonight was a big night for me and aunt Amy. So I ought to look more than presentable. I don't know why but something doesn't seem right about it. Do I seriously need to look so extravagant that when I asked her whether or not I could wear the maxi dress that I brought , she simply waved it off saying
 "no,no,no.that will never do." In her no nonsense voice.

    If that didn't do? What did ? 

Apparently manicures,spas and etcetera did. She took me to a spa, I had to admit it felt so damn good I almost fell asleep. Next was a trip for a facial plus a manicure . I mean all this is sort of nice and all but something still didn't click.Why would aunt Amy invest on all these? But then again ,I suppose all these is free which is why she wasn't letting it go to waste by letting me enjoy it since she was oh-so-busy. Yep. That's right. 

    I was pampered from head to toe from morning till evening. Just when I thought we were done, Jen brought in a beige ball gown with slight floral prints that was so simple and yet elegant that I couldn't resist but stroke the material . She helped me put it on and urged me to sit down so she could do my make up. And for the first time since forever,I trusted someone to do my make up. I believe I was in good hands since Jen apparently had great sense of style . She even put my hair up in a simple up do with a hair stick that had pearls at the end. 

  

   When she was done, she moved away so I could take a look in the mirror and damn. "Who are you and what have you done to Kate ?" I chuckled as I stared at my reflection. The gown was absolutely to my liking,not to mention what a great job Jen did to my hair and make up.My jade necklace which was a family heirloom  surprisingly went well with the whole outfit. I looked at Jen gratefully, and hugged her for what she did. A bit overreacting but hey, it's great to know that even I can look like this .

  "It's nothing miss Kate, was a pleasure working with you miss. All the best for your performance tonight." I stared at her blankly.
"What do you mean by performance?"
She shrugged and said that's what aunt Amy told her,that I was gonna perform tonight .That was all. 

 "Crap.crap.crap.. What in the world does she mean by that??"
Just as I was about to make a distress call to aunt Amy, she burst into the door already dressed in her cheong sam and signature pearl earrings.
 "Oh my, you look wonderful my dear. Now,the event is gonna start soon so we best make our way to the venue now."
Before she could yet again drag me along,I managed an
 "Excuse me,but Jen said something about me performing something? Or I probably misheard?" Hopefully I really did misheard . Aunt Amy looked back at me and said in a matter of fact tone
"Didn't my secretary tell you? You're gonna be the leading the first dance tonight."  I stared at her disbelievingly and sighed.. Evil hag was behind this. Great. It's too late to escape now, aunt Amy is already dragging me by the arm to the venue with a death grip. 

   I stared back helplessly at Jen who bid me farewell as I was dragged further and further away. Fingers crossed u don't have to dance with an old man who can't keep his hands to himself ,that would just be.. Unthinkable.

   As we neared the entrance of the venue, I replaced my shock with a friendly facade .This means war you old hag . I'll show you what happens when you judge a book by its cover.  Our presence was acknowledged the instant we stepped in. Basically everyone was up for a meet and greet Amy Ma and my genius for an aunt was using me as a magnet to attract attention and envy from the fellow attendees who were mostly middle aged people from the upper class.
"Heh, might as well play along since she paid for my spa." Time to let the lady to surface and be like one.Lady-like ways to talk, walk and breathe. Most of it drilled into me by my mom from an early age. I couldn't help but think that she was actually preparing me to be the perfect bride when I grow up but heck, that's just weird in this time and age.

   After they finally and thank god dispersed thanks to aunt Amy , I swear I couldn't take anymore people trying to match make me with their son or nephew. I just can't.
"Spit spot, We need to hurry!" Aunt Amy lead me towards the VIP area and there stood a group of people . From a distance I saw the hag there ,she was apparently harassing someone with that voice of hers again.There was a elderly gentleman there who my aunt referred as James. I was introduced to James (more like sold) by my aunt. From the fliers around, It's obvious that sir James is the biggest sponsor for this event. "crap.. does that mean I'm gonna dance with him?"

"What a fine young lady, I'm honored to have my son lead the first dance with you." And with that, he nudged his son who was apparently the person being harassed by the hag to greet me. The hag was disappointed that her conversation was cut short, disappointment was quickly covered with dismay as she saw who the culprit was.

  

   I could hear the hag mentally scowl at me in disbelief when she realized who I was whilst I cheerfully smiled at her. Well who knew revenge was sweet?  Turning my attention back to sir James' son, I realised he was staring at  me. Or was he gaping? He did look familiar actually..have I seen him anywhere before?
"Trouble magnet?" I heard him whisper .
"You?!" HOLY CRAP ITS HIM.
Why does he suddenly look so handsome? Holy crap was I that blind before that I didn't see those mesmerising eyes behind those boring specs of his?
"KEEP CALM KATE.KEEP CALM." I ran the mantra over and over again in my mind just in case sirens went around in my head panicking . Apparently everyone in the group saw our little "reunion" and uncle James and aunt Amy was elated to learn that we have met prior to today . The old hag didn't seem happy with it though.

  "Chase, what are you waiting for? The music is about to start. You better escort this lovely lady here over to the centre court now in time for the dance" said uncle James . He recovered from his shock and nodded at his father's statement. At least I finally know his name now, Chase huh? if I recall correctly, chase meant hunter. 

**Scene music in the player -- it's called the score.*

   Chase extended his hand to me and I accepted it . We made a beeline to the centre of the ballroom,with my hand in his as he lead me. We shared a few looks of confusion, agreement and understanding as the crowd started to clear away from where we were. Giving us space to lead the first dance. 

    The music began and so did we with a bow and curtsy we struck our position. I knew instantly that this man could waltz by the way he held me.As we took our first steps, I felt his clear lead. We smiled, realizing how well we spoke to each other without saying a word. Then he lifted his arm for a single turn and I spun effortlessly. He smiled again, and I could see his mind turning, either thinking of new moves to try or trying to figure out how we ended up here.

  

  I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy dancing with him even though we had an audience. His shoulders were broad and firm and with the help of heels, I fitted perfectly with his height. I felt this wonderful chemistry between us as we continued to glide and spin and twirl with grace around the floor.

  As the music softly ended, we both beamed with delight. I was breathless with exhilaration. He had shown me how beautiful a dance the waltz can be.The crowd slowly joined in and danced. Both of us looked at each other and silently agreed to get out of there to talk ASAP. 

  He lead the way and we ended up at the balcony .
"Typical place to stay low profile eh?" I chuckled.
"Yep.Just like the movies."
We enjoyed the silence for a while and he finally broke the ice.
" We should get this sorted out right? " he asked.

"Why should we? Isn't it nice just the way things are for now? I had an adventure today, I was dragged out of bed. An evil old hag didn't inform me that I was leading the first dance . I panicked about dancing with an old man who can't keep his hands to himself and I ended up here in the balcony with you." He just looked at me with disbelief.. And started laughing with me too.

"I'm gonna take a good guess and say that the evil old hag is that secretary earlier." I recalled the look on her face earlier and just couldn't help but giggle. If I remember correctly, she was boasting about how  rare it was to see her in a dress which was suppose to mean that she looks drop dead gorgeous now, But I doubt the dress does much difference with her ugly personality now does it? 

"BINGO,congratulations you win a prize." I said as I  gestured and handed him an imaginary prize. It was albeit a bit childish thing to do but he actually pretended to accept it.

"You look beautiful " I looked behind me,making sure it was actually directed to me .
"Thanks,You don't look too bad yourself."I beamed. Can you believe this ignorant guy started laughing at me because of that?
"You don't get compliments like that often now do you?"  

"From old folks with bad eyesight? Plenty. From a guy who looks for trouble? Not till just now." I said whilst trying to cover up the blush.
 "Perhaps we should head back in before my dad and your aunt go sending for a search party." He suggested.
 "Yeah.. Wait. Can we collaborate and be partners tonight? I doubt you wanna dance with evil old hags that view you as an eligible bachelor and I want to avoid pervy men."
I stared at him, waiting for an answer.
"So what makes you think I'm not one those pervy men?" He smirked.
 "Really? Fine. I'll tell the hag you're interested, I'm sure she's keen." His facial expression changed and we finally came to an agreement to go as partners for the night.

**authors note ---wheww...that was long.so what do u think?**

    

   

    

    

   

Chapter 2- Only time

 Great. I've been assigned a mission to disguise myself as a perfect parent's friend's child who is an all rounder. Good manners, great academics and most importantly -- presentable.  Who appointed such task? It's non other than my oh-so famous aunt Amy who despite my reasoning about being unwell insists that I help out with that event of hers. She is the president of some chinese charity funding organization if I'm not mistaken, I never bothered to find out the details .
   
     This wasn't the first time she asked me to help out at an event, and fingers crossed its actually the last.  The first time was .. pure torture. My aunt just told me to look presentable which actually means wear a dress and act like a proper girl and that my job was to only take down names at the reception. I trusted her and all hell broke loose. When we arrived, the job for receptionist was filled in and I ended up in the hands of a middle-aged woman who started literally caking my face with make up and later on turned me into an usher to escort the VVIPS on stage. All through that my aunt was no where to be found.

   This time there was no difference, the same old instructions other than the fact that I was suppose to look extra pretty since the event was held in some high end place. Not to mention the fact that the event is to take place tomorrow and I'm suppose to be there by tonight. My mom only chuckled when I told her about my dreadful "mission" , so much for an understanding mother.  I proceeded to pack my stuff albeit begrudgingly, now came another major problem.

   "What am I going to wear?! ugh.."
I looked into my wardrobe filled with monotonous sweats and plain T's and sighed. If only I spent some time shopping other than sleeping...nah. I'd take sleeping over shopping any day. It was apparent that today wasn't one of it. I was about to head out whilst I still had time to shop till I bumped into my mom who handed me a black maxi dress . Great, talking to understanding mothers works after all. She saved me so much trouble and I don't need to worry about explaining to people about my knee injury.

   I grabbed my duffel bag and threw in the dress and some other girly essentials like heels, classy but useless clutch and most importantly .. make-up. I don't think I can resist punching people for caking my face with make up anymore , I can make a clown cry with the amount of make up they apply on my face. Contrary to popular belief, I enjoy playing with make up despite that dreadfully horrible experience. Of course, no one has to know about it. After bidding my mom farewell and having my cat see me off ( I swear the darn cat just said "May the odds be ever in your favor" in that furry little head of his whilst rejecting my offer of coming along with me )

   I caught a train and arrived at the location where the event was to be held . The venue was so fancy schmancy the receptionist with a sleek bun and professional outfit had to do a double take when I told her I had a room reserved under Amy Ma. I guess I couldn't blame her since I was just cladded in a grey T-shirt and sport shoes with a standard army duffel bag. Perhaps I did look very out of place among all these classy ladies in killer heels and gowns so long it's bound to make someone trip and fall.My aunt would kill me for ruining her reputation if she saw me now, but thankfully I didn't need to see her until tomorrow since she had some fairly important meeting about choosing between red napkins and white napkins for the event.
 
    Oh well, at least I have the whole evening for myself at this place. Maybe I could do a bit of exploring after I check out my room. The place is built on mangrove trees which is totally awesome and so darn cool.  I decided to walk around the veranda and see if I could spot any crocodiles in action. And just my luck I saw a pair of bumps bulging ever so slightly above the peaceful waters.

 "Gotcha ! " I murmured to myself as I crept to the edge of the balcony to take a better look at it. I observed the crocodile for a very long time, secretly wishing it was gonna do something other than just staying stationary with the occasional disappearing acts as it sinks under the water. Just as I was starting to lose hope and opt to go walk around somewhere else instead, I felt a presence coming towards my direction and stopped beside me.

  "Great.. you have company. Just turn, smile and leave so you don't look like you hate his presence. Got it Kate? Turn.Smile and Leave. " I thought to myself as I stared ahead at the direction of the crocodile, seemingly fascinated by it's stationary state. I was about to carry out my escape plan which sadly didn't happen when that person decided to open his or her big mouth.
 
  "You know..the crocodiles here are fed and tamed , wouldn't even budge if you were to even volunteer as prey in front of it" came a man's voice.
And a really nice voice at that.
   "Crap Kate, don't loose it just because he has a eargasmic voice" I thought to myself begrudgingly. "Well hello, you volunteered as prey before?" I asked as I turned around and faced him.
He was a rather tall and lanky man even with a relaxed posture as he leaned on the balcony rail looking straight ahead, suddenly fascinated by the branch before him.

 "Perhaps." he said as he suddenly changed his subject of his interest who I'm afraid currently.. is me. As our eyes met, I thought he was rather average looking with a pair of glasses on his nose. Those strong and defined jaws were definitely a plus to his looks, holy crap I have got to stop ogling at people. Especially people who barge into me making a fool of myself.
"Well now, aren't you an adventurous person? Or do you simply enjoy to seek for trouble?" I said as I tried to compose myself.  He smirked and replied
 "For someone who has been staring at a croc for I don't know.. an hour? I could say the same about you."
"Hn. Perhaps." I said.

  Darn, he's good. But I'm better. The conversation--discussion--debate--argument.. went on for the whole evening even when it started to rain cats and dogs. We continued at a gazebo made of glass nearby which was more like a lounge with big and comfy swing chairs. Our topic went from anything to everything, it felt nice to talk to someone who actually knows stuff instead of plain ranting on empty facts. Despite what happened earlier, I quickly found this young man's presence to be enjoyable. He was mature and witty at the same time,  which is quite rare among guys his age. But of course, I will never tell him that, not after he pointed the fact that I was a walking trouble magnet after enquiring about my scars. The pitter patter of the rain was urging my eye lids to descend and let my weariness from the long journey earlier to take over.

  "Miss? Miss."    someone.. someone was nudging me...Holy crap who's there?!
 "Yes?" I said as I woke up instantly and stared at the culprit. I took in my surroundings and realised I was still at the gazebo and he was no where to be found. The hotel staff who woke me up professionally flashed a smile and said
"Miss, A gentleman asked us to kindly wake you up in case you fell asleep,please retire indoors as you might catch a cold out here."
I nodded and gave my thanks, hoping she would leave me be as I walked back to my room whilst trying to figure out what happened. And it just struck me that I actually fell asleep during our chat and I still didn't know that ignorant guy's name.He could've just woke me up now couldn't he?

 

 

My renaissance

   There is always a point in life when one experiences down fall and being strong is the only way left. It brings back memories of my primary school days. My first three years of primary school wasn't what you would call ideal for a kid from a Chinese family.(you know those strict and stern typical Chinese families) I spent those years in a somewhat relaxed state as everyone in my family were busy and so they paid no heed to what I did. Since I had a strong basic due to my years of dedicated work during my preschool years (mastering BM through doraemon comics, English with Enid blyton and maths --sadly thru mental arithmetics classes which I dreaded and was forced to attend) I basically understood everything taught in class except for mandarin. In the end, the endless boring homework started to bore me ,hence I began to slack off. And as soon as teachers started teaching advance stuff beyond what I knew , my grades began to drop. 

   Teachers would make me stand in class or go to the office to see then personally (sometimes due to my disastrous handwriting) I remember at one point, a teacher snapped and gave me a lecture in class. I stood. My hand fidgeting and in the back of my head , a little voice urged me to say :" thank you for the lecture 谢谢老师的教诲" . I don't know where it came from since I know I was far from admitting that doing homework was good for me . But after the teacher finished her lecture and just stood there and stared at me in a disappointed , I mustered up all the courage and recited the words the little voice told me to say. Immediately, I saw the teacher's stern facade crumble replaced with a soft expression of relieve (and initial shock) *haha*  and in a soft voice, she told me to seek for help if I needed it and granted me permission to sit down.
   
    She probably said something else afterwards but I couldn't remember what . Anyways, since standard 4 onwards I was always in top ten. Was it because Of that insane 10 seconds of guts with  the teacher? Honestly nope. I still flunked my homework every now and then . But it was nice to know that someone was genuinely worried about my academics. 

 

   I started paying attention to my classes in standard 4. From rock bottom during the trials, I ranked 9th from previous 19th. I remember doing a victory jump followed by my signature peace pose before strutting over to get my result slip from my class teacher. I remember she announced it in a way that was something like " and the biggest surprise of all... " something like that. 

     
 I was what you would call a dedicated student who brought big and heavy dictionaries to tuition . But in all honestly, I think the academic improvement was due to my sister's threat of transferring me to some other school if I don't do well in exams. But yeah, no one knew. It was kind of sad that no one came for my report card ._. My best friend's dad had to get it for me since my parents were busy. 

 

 But I knew that 10 sec of insane guts left a mark in my classmates memories when our standard 6 strict science teacher ranted about how he never had a student who thanked him for his lecturing. And right that moment, I heard whispers of my name going around the class . (Should I be happy? I really don't know) 

   Do I regret slacking homework during those first few years? Hell no. I learnt so much more while I'm not wasting my time doing meaningless homework . I spent it reading books, crafting, reading books, and more crafting. Of course loads of TV as well, which taught me more about ethics and general knowledge than school can ever teach. 

   Making stuff always brought me joy. I learnt how to play alone and spend time with myself. (Truth to be told,wasn't good at socialising till I joined scouts and other activities.) Those years are valuable as I invested time in me .