Chapter Text
Lee wasn’t sure what was different.
The owner had given him a strange look when he walked into work for the day. Lee must have looked like a mess. He felt like a mess.
He was sticky with old dried sweat and his hair was oily and matted against his skull. He felt exhausted down to the marrow of his bones, but his mind was all together too frazzled and too wired to keep anything together for very long.
The Owner, Liang, watched Lee stumble around the shop. His face was pulled into a nervous frown that he took out on his long braid pulled over his shoulder. His hands folded into the earth kingdom billowing sleeves eyes nervously flickering around the shop. He shuffled forward sliding up to Lee as Lee yanked his apron on.
“Lee?”
The apron didn’t hide how grubby his work uniform was. It’s so dusty, how did it get dusty? “I’m here for work. Sorry I’m late.”
Liang blinked and nodded slowly. He tugged again on his braid looking nervously at the door, “I see. Well then, I guess…”
Liang fluttered nervously around the hot plates. He kept staring at Lee. Unease curled up Lee’s spine. Tnese now he shoved his way into the small back room. The window was wide open letting in the hot late spring air. Lee stomped towards the shelf of tea leaves. Reaching up a flash of pain down his shoulder had a jar slipping from his fingers.
Swearing, he reached for the broom leaning against the window sill. Lee froze. A cold fear washed over him and he looked up at the eyes of a Dai Li.
Spinning on his heel he marched back out the front. He didn’t feel tired anymore.
I have to get out of here. I need a plan. Joo dee would be easy enough to get around but what about the Dai Li?
An eery sense of déjà vu shivered through him. He couldn’t remember what had happened. He’d woken up in Joo Dee’s apartment said good bye and walked to work, she had seemed the same as the last 3 days. But then there was Liang who was shocked to see him again, and then there was the Dai Li watching openly from the window.
I lost time again.
He didn’t even remember what he did wrong this time. He poked his memory but nothing came back.
Lee pushed down his frustration keeping his spine stiff as he marched around the shop serving tea. Liang watched fretfully from behind his tea pots. The scowl fell naturally over Lee’s face. Fuming he stomped around never saying a word. Around him customers averted their gaze ducking there eyes low or back into there cups.
“Jasmine for table 9.” Lee snarled. “Green for table 3 and one pot of the hibiscus robus special for table 4.”
Liang tugged on his braid a few times.
“What?” Lee growled.
“Nothing.” Liang didn’t look at Lee.
“What the hell is wrong with all of you?” Lee snarled slamming his palm on the table. Liang jumped.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Lee felt his hands itch as his temper rose. He felt like he had a fire roiling inside him, and all he had to do was open his mouth and scream and it would just blaze golden flames chomping and eating everything insight. His lip curled as his hands clenched the table.
“I know the Dai Li are watching me.” He hissed. Liang’s hands froze then he meticulously started back at his tea. Lee didn’t let up, “And I need you to be honest with me. What is wrong. Why were you surprised to see me? Tell me!”
He didn’t mean the near pleading tone his voice took on at the end by Liang was looking back at him. The worry melded into pity and Lee felt his blood boil. He couldn’t afford to shout, but it was a close thing. Liang looked around the shop casually, almost too casually he made it so obvious. Lee rolled his eyes.
Liang leaned forward under the pretense of inspecting his tea cups.
“You’ve been gone the last 2 days.” Liang whispered, “Three days ago you came to work and the Dai Li drag you off just outside, I didn’t think you would be back.”
Horror bore down like a flash ice encasing him. “Two days?”
“Honestly, what did you do? I’ve never seen the Dai Li hound someone so much.”
“I… I don’t know.” Lee tried to swallow around the growing horror crawling up from his belly.
It was not a good thought. Lee was silent as he took the cups from Liang and passed them out to the customers. His mind felt numb as he hurried about the store. Finally, there was another lull. Lee hurried back to Liang.
“What else?” Lee whispered scanning the corners out of the corner of his eye, “What else?”
“I don’t know anything else.”
“I know Joo Dee isn’t my aunt.”
“Shut up.” Liang hissed and Lee’s mouth snapped closed, “Don’t ever say that out loud again, you hear me? Don’t.”
Lee nodded his throat constricting.
“How much are you missing?” Liang asked as he checked the temperate of the boiled water before pouring it over the tea leaves.
“I remember about 3 days.” Lee said, “I sometimes know I’ve skipped time, other times I don’t.”
Liang’s face twisted into a deep scowl; he muttered a swear under his breath. All of this Lee noticed was very carefully hidden behind those giant sleeves of his.
Lee looked down at the slightly reflective surface of the tea. A thousand came to his mind but Lee found himself not asking any of them.
“Do you have a mirror?”
“Why?”
“Joo Dee doesn’t have any mirrors or anything reflective.” Lee said, “I don’t know why. I was hoping I could figure something out. The Dai Li get antsy when I touch my face, and Joo Dee has made me skip time before for it.”
“I don’t see anything usual. You’re a handsome young man… you have a large scar over your eye.”
Lee blinked, “It’s a scar?”
Liang jaw slacked and he shook himself a little, “It’s from fire, I think. Your hair covers most of it.”
Lee barely caught his hand before he could touch the scar. It’s a scar from fire.
“Do you… do you not remember how you go it?” Liang whispered.
“No.” His hand brushed the rough skin. It was rough bumpy then smoothed out into waxy lumps further out form the eye. Fire.
“Maybe that’s for the best.” Liang whispered very softly. His hand brushed Lee’s sleeve knocking the boy back out of his whirling thoughts. Liang’s eyes flickered to the door.
Abruptly a tray was shoved into Lee’s hands. “Get out their Lee! I don’t pay you to do nothing!”
Jumping Lee scrambled back and jumped to pass out the tea. His mind whirled. Liang didn’t meet his eyes again but Lee barely was paying attention to that.
How did I forget a scar like that?
Lee passed out tea with numb hands. Why do the Dai Li not want me to know about my scar?