Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 383

Future Adventures of the Greater Bay Area
Dulwich College Beijing, Wang, Ariel - 11
“Stop complaining, Sophie. You know that I didn’t want to move any more than you do, but this place could be
a fresh beginning for both of us and you have to learn to just… accept the truth.”
“You swept me from my once-perfect life and expect me to accept the truth! No. THIS WILL NEVER BE
HOME!” Sophie stormed into her room, tears streaming down her cheek. The moment before, she had
everything she ever needed and wanted: a family, friends and, most importantly, a home. But, in a blink of the
eye everything was gone; she had no one, nothing. Why was life so unfair? Why was she the one that had to
experience this nightmare? Sophie knew, she was once a playful child, living her life in her carefree style. How
she thought that it would last forever.
“Sophie, it’s time for dinner!”
No reply.
“Sophie!”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going out now.”
“With who?”
“No one.” The tears welled in her eyes once again. Everything has changed since they moved into this new
‘home’, supposedly the Greater Bay Area (GBA), including what was once Southern China, Macau and Hong
Kong.
As Sophie walked into the elevator, her eyes drifts to the advertisement on the wall, the content mostly
persuading others to come to the GBA, saying that the GBA could be a new start and a perfect fit for your
family. ‘New start’, ‘family’… It was certainly a new start for Sophie, but a family was what Sophie could never
have again. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stepped out of the elevator.
In the alley, Sophie’s footsteps echoed. As she walked on, the night got colder and colder, Sophie’s emotions
seem to have a feeling of their own and the tears flowed once again. Why? Why? She thought she deserved to
live like every other child. She didn’t do anything wrong so why does it has to be her? “Because of your father.
A cold-hearted thief.” Sophie flinched. The voice was real, she was sure. She turned her head slowly to face
whoever might be talking, but to her surprise, she was only surrounded by darkness. She wanted to go towards
the owner of the voice, but her legs stayed in place. Her gut told her to run, to hide, but Sophie wanted to know
more, and finally, her curiosity got the better of her and her legs started to move towards the target. As she
turned the corner, she gasped.
A man stood in front of her, holding a long, curved knife. He wore a black mask on his face revealing only his
eyes. Something clicked in her memory, she had seen those eyes before. But, before she can sink deeper into the
mystery, fear started to bubble up. Without hesitation, Sophie started sprinting through the alleys towards her
house, not processing everything she saw tonight. She had to uncover the truth, even if it risked her life. She
knew it was something that would affect her forever…
Sophie dragged herself into bed, barely keeping her eyes open. But as soon as she saw darkness, a nightmare
came. Till this day, Sophie never forgot what happened that night. If she remembered taking her water bottle so
they wouldn’t have to go back, everything would be okay now. At least her dad would be alive. She hated
herself. There were no tears on her cheek, she wanted to cry and believe that everything would be all right again.
It was lie. Everything would soon change. Her gaze lifted, she saw a silhouette scattering away into the night,
only his mischievous, little eyes showing.
Sophie woke with start as sweat trickled down her face. It was him. He was the one that crashed into her father,
not by accident, on purpose. He called her father a thief so there was something he wanted that her father had
taken. Something important. Something inside this house. What could he possibly want that is inside this house?
This house only contains regular furniture and nothing else. The attic. Her mother had forbidden her to go inside
the attic. If that something was here, it was inside the attic. Sophie tip-toed out of bed and silently shuffled up
the staircase. This time it wasn’t curiosity that dragged her into the unknown, she had to, she must uncover the
truth.
There was a door, painted white, at the top of the staircase. The attic has always been locked, so she filled herself
with hope as she pushed on the door. The door opened with a creak. Sophie hoped that no one had heard the
noise. She stepped into the dusty room and prepared for whatever was in there.