Ashleigh Liu moved as a refugee from Vietnam. She, her older brother, and younger sister were transported first, before their father came. They received the unfortunate news about their mother's death. Apparently, she was unable to make it out from the bombing, since she was on one of the last boats. Dennis and Eva were both immensely apprehended being in a foreign country. As their father warned them about the dangers, including the disgraceful thing they would be in the westerner's eyes.
Learning a completely foreign language was overwhelming for the two of them, especially Eva. However, Ashleigh was extraordinarily fast at picking it up. Soon, she was on top of the class list with her grades. Their father was way too astounded to be pleased with her. Instead, he scowled her for competing with her older brother. As Dennis was the only son, and the favorite one he invests in. While her brother was also coping well, Eva was failing in every subject and constantly taunted at school. The white peers would mock her accent, her petite and thin stature.
The three Liu siblings lived in a small apartment, one that was located on top of the restaurant that their father worked at. Ashleigh shared a room with Eva, while Dennis slept with their parent. There was a small break in between the two rooms, one where they use as a lounge room. Despite the constant taunt the peers gave towards them, Ashleigh was proud of her accomplishments. Mainly her intelligence, one that she was able to use to beat all those who mocked her. Ignoring her younger sister's excruciation, and her older brother's overwhelming sensation from being in senior school.
"Ashleigh, you're doing so well at school. I just want to congratulate you!!" her father said to her one morning. "However, your sister made a suicidal attempt the other day. Your brother is stressed out. As a family member, I expect you to help out!!" her father said, with his usual frown.
"Yes, whatever!!" Ashleigh muttered. "Eva's not even doing her work, she skips them!!"
"As a family member," her father said again, with his eyes flashing in anger. "I expect you to do more than what you're doing right now!! Dennis could really use your help!!"
"Dad........why do we have to invite her to live with us," Dennis came from behind the wall.
"Who..........?" Ashleigh asked in confusion.
"Stephenie........she came with me on the boat. I expect you kids to be on your best behaviour, while she comes to stay!!" their father ordered, eyeing at Ashleigh.
Despite her intelligence, she was still suffering from the torment caused by her peers. Two particular girls caused her to breaking point. Penelope Aner and Freya Masons. Both of them came from prestigious families, with both parents white business people. They would corner Ashleigh every break time, while they begin to call out names towards her. One particular afternoon, Freya went too far with one of her pranks. A simple joke that would turn her life around, and the turning point for Ashleigh.
Almost 70% of the school population now believes that Ashleigh and her brother had intercourse. The rumor went insanely wild, to a point where Dennis refused to go to school. Ashleigh was now mocked everywhere she went. Even some of the teachers gave her a polite but obvious disapproving smirk. As she walks home from school that day, she received many disapproving glares and scoffs from the neighbors. As she entered their apartment block, she caught Stephanie coming out. She was putting on her jacket.
"Ah, you must be Ashleigh...........the middle child of Peng Yu," she said, with a snobby grin.
"Yeah, you must be the person he was talking about!" Ashleigh replied, while looking up and down at her.
"Kids!!" Stephanie muttered as she walked away shaking her head.
That night, Ashleigh left home after supper. As she heard her drunken father beating Eva again. The tormenting cries from her younger sister was unbearable, while her cowardice brother Dennis stood there doing nothing. As she was walking by the lake, she realized the water was moving. Right at that very moment, two pebbles began floating in the air. It was almost as replicated inside her mind. As the night was getting closer, Ashleigh began heading back home. Her head was viciously bumped into two broad chests.
"Lost are we, little slut?" came a viciously thick voice, as Ashleigh looked up to see two large men.
"Excuse me!!" she replied, while trying to walk pass them.
"Not so fast, baby girl!!" said the other one, with a clear mocking gesture inside his tone. "Not until we get a taste of you first!!"
"Should we fuck her now........or wait for it later. The police'll bound to let us go," the first one said, while smirking at Ashleigh. "Nah, they'll let us go for fucking a dog!!"
Before Ashleigh could control what was happening next, two pebbles came and brutally hit them in the heads. They grimaced as they exchanged looks, trying to figure out who threw it at them. The thought of them getting hit was exactly what went through her mind, and then it happened. The gangsters quickly ignored the hit, as one of their foreheads were bleeding. They grasped onto Ashleigh's tiny wrist, trying to break it in half.
Before she could interpret her next move, both of them forcefully bumped each other in the heads. The force was so strong, both of their foreheads were now streaming with blood. They groaned as they looked around, only to see there were no one there. At the split second, Ashleigh realized she was the one that caused this to happen. She repeatedly thought about their heads being bashed against the concrete ground. So it happened. She scoffed as she walked away from the carcasses.
"Ashleigh.......we meet again," came the chuckling voice of Stephanie.
"Yeah," she replied with as much callousness as possible. Trying to avoid having a long-term conversation.
"Your father just beat that little retarded sister of yours again," she scoffed, while letting up a cigarette.
"I'm sorry?" Ashleigh blurred out, trying to emphasize her anger. "Did I just hear you talk about my sister!!"
"I mean, come on now!! We all know with an IQ like hers, she will never get anywhere," Stephanie said, while chuckling off.
Before Ashleigh could make another telekinetic move, Stephanie suddenly va nished in the distance. At first, she assumed it was the darkness that veiled her in the distance. However, there was soon a report of a missing person. The two dead carcasses were still untraceable by the police. With Stephanie now missing, their father was drinking even more. Using the money that the government had given them as refugee charity for alcohol. The house was soon unbearable to be resided. The three of them would live elsewhere.
For her siblings, it was some of the most excruciating times in their life. For Ashleigh it was the best. The recent news was that of two 14 year old girls, found dead in the bathroom of a public high school. The moans of her sister and the groans of her brother disturbed her a little, but she was mainly too preoccupied with laughter. Ashleigh always believed she was an exception, but now there's something even more beyond her understanding that's with her.
