"Miss Xu, is this story not to your liking?" Mr Yang said, his voice brimming with annoyance. "'no no, sir—it's lovely—really," I said quietly while trying to make myself smaller. I never liked having everyone's attention on me. and it was true I love the story of madam white snake. but I could've sworn I saw something move in the corner of my eye. I wasn't sure what it was but—I know I saw something. As I started paying attention again to Mr Yang who was excitedly telling the story of Madam white Snake, I heard a soft whisper in my ear. I quickly turned but there was no one there. I looked around but saw no one except my class, and I knew that I wasn't any of them. was i—was i going insane—no, i can't be going insane. Maybe Meilin, my one and only friend at this school heard it too. I tapped her on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper but before i could ask her anything Mr Yang loudly said "miss Xu, miss Li—a word with you two please" he grabbed us by the arm roughly and took us around the corner. I looked at Meilin and quietly whispered to her "earlier—did you hear that too" she stopped walking and looked at me like i was crazy then she opened her mouth but before she could utter a single word Mr Yang stopped looked back at us and started to laugh. he opened his mouth to speak but before i knew it meilin blitzed towards mr Yang who simply jumped to the side evading her easily while laughing maniacally. I just stood there in shock. I didn't know what was going on, should I get an abbot, another teacher, should I run, or maybe help meilin. Before I could decide what to do, Mr Yang was holding meiling by the throat and threw her towards me. I was too slow to get out of the way so she hit me, we both fell to the ground hard. Meilin got up first and stood in front of me and said in a growl like tone that she'd protect me from him no matter what—but Mr Yang just laughed at her mockingly "oh little fox aren't you tired yet" he said softly in between hysterical laughing. Meilin looked back at me and smiled then softly said "its ok, i dont think this Guai is too strong just stay behind me ok" i just stared at her i didnt know what to say, then i looked at mr Yang and he smiled at me and slowly lifted his hand to his face and ripped it off like a mask, revealing skin that seemed as if it was painted green, and his teeth were serrated like that of a sharks—i ran.
I tried to grab my dizi, my mom said it was something my dad left me. It's a beautiful and simple instrument. I loved playing on it. My mom hated it—she said it reminded her of him. I don't know if he ever played himself, you see he left before i was born. All I know is he gave me that dizi and that—according to relatives—my mom changed. started drinking more, she yelled, hit—my grandparents couldn't look her in the eyes. I needed to play a song, it always helped me calm down, but as I was grabbing it, I realised—it had broken, it must've happened when meilin was thrown at me. The fall must have broken it. I stared at the dizi for what felt like hours. The one thing my dad left me, the one thing that no matter what could always manage to calm me down, make me happy, help me relax. now lay broken in my hands. i couldnt think, i didnt know if to be sad, angry, or any other emotion. then i heard it, that insufferable laugh. Mr Yang was walking outside towards me dragging Meilin by her ankle then throwing it towards me. i looked at her, she looke bloodied and beaten, she had a black eye, and she was covered in blood. Then i looked at the dizi in my hands and i opened my mouth to scream but no sound could come out, i felt like bursitng out in tears but no tears came. i looked at mr Yang who was laughing hysterically at it all. he then grinned at me, showing off his serrated teeth and muttered under his breath just loud enough for me to hear him. "tell me bàn shén how do you wish to die" then he started laughing again. I stood up, my legs still shaking from fear and i took a few steps until i was standing in front of Meilin. "aww how adorable" he said mockingly "do you really think you have any chance of stopping me little bàn shén" before i could answer i heard something behind me, it was Meilin she was ok. or at least as ok as someone could be after being beat up, thrown around and dragged around by the ankle. She tried to stand up but was too weak to stand without support so she had to lean against me. She looked at me, blood dripping from her head and she grabbed something from her pocket and put it in my hand. I looked at it and it was a hairpin. It looked expansive, it was made out of a deep, dark green snake coiled around its length. Meiling pulled me close and whispered to me "focus, breathe in and out. feel the flow of your qi, and that of everything around you, and pour as much qi into the hairpin as you can" after looking at me ruefully she fainted once more, and I let her down gently. I looked at the hairpin and at Mr Yang who was just standing there, staring at the hairpin. I decided to humor Meilin and closed my eyes. I felt my own qi coursing through my body, i felt the qi of all that surrounded me. and i poured as much of my own qi into the hairpin as I could. At first nothing happened. Then it extended slowly into a sleek white green jade Jian. Before I could think too much about what happened or how it happened I saw Mr Yang run towards me at what I hoped to be full speed. I raised the jian in a panic while closing my eyes. I waited and waited to feel anything of an impact, to be punched, beat, dragged around—but nothing happened. After a few seconds I opened my eyes slowly and looked at Mr Yang who was now mere inches from me, blood dripping from the blade. he simply laughed then winced in pain and whispered to me "i w—will kill——you" then he took two steps back and fell onto the ground while laughing hysterically he slowly dispersed into a black mist—until all I could hear was faint laughing, but that soon was gone too. As I tried to make sense of all that just happened, my head started to hurt, my eyelids felt heavier and heavier with each passing second, the world around me started to grow darker and before I knew it—everything went dark.