Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 265

The Penniless Pearl
Singapore International School, Wong, Angelina Cheng - 11
The usual deafening chatter, the usual blaring horns-nothing out of the ordinary was noticed that
bustling morning.
In the midst of all of the chaos, though, was a dark hooded figure, striding nonchalantly in the busy
streets of Jinwan with an object tucked beneath their cloak. Clearly, they were trying to keep something
hidden, and it went unnoticed by the city’s people.
The shadowed figure turned away from the crowd and began walking towards the quietest and
dingiest streets in the entire city. As they approached a disintegrating building, they looked both ways to
make sure they weren’t being followed. Then they unlocked the door and stomped up the stairs, the noise
of their footsteps echoing throughout the building.
When they reached a unit, they knocked on the door in a specific pattern. When it slowly creaked
open, they swiftly entered, slamming it shut behind them.
“Do you have it?”
An adolescent boy stood beside a quartz countertop, looking expectantly at the figure, who nodded
and handed him the object beneath their cloak. He snatched it out of their hands and began inspecting it
carefully.
“You can take the cloak off now,” he said without looking up. “Nobody can see you here.”
The cloak fell to the ground, revealing a teenage girl with long, brownish-black hair and dark,
fierce eyes. She was the spitting image of the boy, only younger. It was obvious that the two were siblings.
“Nice job,” the boy said when he finished his inspection, looking mildly impressed. He stared
greedily at the gilded watch. The iridescent pearls that bordered it glowed in the light, and written in the
middle with gold, cursive letters was the word Pearlmaster. He could already imagine the headlines in the
newspapers when he and his sister became rich from selling it the sixty-six million dollar timepiece: “Ewan
and Daytona McIsaac, teenage millionaires.”
“Where are they?” Daytona asked her brother, snapping him out of his daze.
Ewan pointed towards a room. “They’re watching some boring drama show,” he informed her,
rolling his eyes in disgust. “I guess that’s the kind of stuff that you find entertaining once you get old.” He
pretended to choke.
“At least they’re distracted so they won’t hear us leave,” Daytona said, ignoring him when he
continued to gag.
“We’ll be back before they even realize that we’re gone,” Ewan promised.
The siblings’ parents were completely in the dark about the fact that their daughter had stolen a
sixty-six million dollar watch while their son had been researching what the fastest way was to bring it to
Hengqin so that they could sell it to a man who had agreed to buy it for a good price.
They raced out the door and sped down the stairs two at a time. Daytona held the watch gingerly
as she ran, careful not to scratch it.
“You figured out what route we’re taking, right?” she asked uncertainly when they reached the
car, hoping her brother had done his research properly.
“Of course,” he assured her. “The fastest way to get there is to take the Honghe Bridge because it
directly connects Jinwan to Hengqin. The drive is only twenty-one minutes.”
The newly built bridge was an extension of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and
shortened the journey between Jinwan and Hengqin by half.
Twenty minutes later, Ewan jerked the car to a stop in the middle of a pitch-black street. An eerie
silence filled the air.
“Looks like we’re here,” Daytona murmured, getting out of the car. They began scanning their
surroundings.
“There aren’t any people,” Ewan observed, stating the obvious.
“Can you be so sure?” a deep voice boomed from behind. The siblings spun around to find a man
with green eyes and dirty blond hair glaring at them.
“I’m not going to waste your time with introductions, nor do I need to know who you are,” he
said coldly. “We had an agreement. Give me what you want, and the money is yours.” He held up his
briefcase.
The siblings glanced at each other warily. Then Daytona stepped forward and handed him the
watch. He looked it over carefully and slowly nodded, satisfied.
“Before I give you your money, let me make something clear,” he said warningly. “What we’re
doing isn’t exactly legal, given that you stole this watch. If you get me into any trouble, I will personally