Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 636

and it wasn’t exactly belly of the beast. I cocked an eyebrow - ‘Marginalized? What happened to
you?’ I probed. ‘It wasn’t actually bloody, but it might as well have been.’ She said with a
nonchalant shrug. ‘This whole society is dog eats dog. People would step on each other to become
the best employee, to have the best image, to look the best in the government’s eyes. If you lag
behind, or if you’re consistently at the bottom, they move you to the outskirts — if they can’t use
you, they’ll dispose of you. They keep it a secret, though. They simply say you’ve gone to live
with relatives abroad, or went on vacation but never came back, or quit your job for personal
reasons. It makes no sense to me. Unlike the majority, I happen to have morals and I refuse to put
others down for some petty number on my scoreboard. All of us here were either kicked out or
left voluntarily.’
When he didn’t reply, she gave him a pointed look. ‘Think about it. Do you still want to go back?
I know what it’s like growing up in the villages, I was exactly like you once. If you choose to
work in the Hub, I’ll lead you back to the station. I won’t judge you, but I can’t agree with the
path before you. But it’s a decision you must make yourself.’
‘Well, what else is there left to do?’ His voice rising with panic and confusion. His head swirled
with emotion. He was desperate to give his mom a chance to live rather than survive; he was
mourning the end of his newfound idyllic life, even if it was a lie too good to be true; and most of
all, he was scared of the consequences that would unfold, for any move he made now could
change his fate forever.
Could he make a life for himself and his mother in the Hub? Would he climb to the top of the
ladder and stay there? Would he be trampled over and pushed to the bottom, his hands pinned and
his cheek pressed to the ground? He didn’t even know if he’d rather sink or swim. He couldn’t
stand the thought of becoming someone who constantly mistreated others for his own benefit. If
he agreed to be a part of that society, he wouldn’t be any different from them.
Was it worse to be the oppressor or the oppressed?
He had to change that somehow. Even if something happened to him… no, nothing would
happen to him. He still had his mother to care for, and the thought of her crying over a dead son
sent chills down his spine. Should he just go back to the villages, go back to how things used to
be? Back to running down dirt paths and collecting polluted river water? It might have been
terrible, but it was his home.
But was there a way he could help these marginalized people who only wanted the best for others,
and keep his internship in the Hub so he could take care of his mom?
‘Tell you what. I’ll go back to the city. I’ll continue working as an intern and try to blend in. But
I want to make a change in the system from within. I don’t want this cycle to continue. People
can’t feel worthless just because someone tells them they are. I want to help you. But you need to
tell me everything you know about the Hub.’