Chapter 1
I'd been stuck in the subway station for twelve days already.
My brother's voice still lingered in my ears. "Be a good girl, Luna. Just wait here and count ten thousand people as they pass by. When you're done, I'll come back for you."
I did exactly as he said. Every single day, I counted.
But I kept messing up. I'd always lose track and have to start all over again and again.
I started with one hundred bucks, but now I only had four left.
The station attendant had asked me a bunch of times, but I always said I was just waiting for someone.
Yesterday, she pulled out a photo of me and started comparing it to some papers.
Today, a bunch of people in uniforms showed up.
They surrounded me, their faces a mix of emotions I couldn't quite figure out.
The guy in charge crouched down and asked softly, "Luna, do you remember what your brother looks like?"
I froze.
I racked my brain, but it was just empty. All I could remember was his words: "Be good and wait, count ten thousand people."
*****
The subway station lights were always on.
They were like the eyes of a monster that never blinked.
The wind blew in from deep inside the tunnel, carrying the smell of rust and dust.
It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either.
There was no day or night here.
There were only people here.
People kept coming and going.
I curled up on a chair in the corner.
This was the twelfth day.
'My brother always said, "Be good, Luna.
"Just wait right here.
"Count ten thousand people, and brother will come back for you."
I was obedient.
I counted every day.
One.
Two.
Three.
A man in a suit hurried past.
A tired-looking woman dragged her suitcase along.
A young couple, the girl leaning her head on the boy's shoulder.
I carefully counted each person as they passed by.
Four.
Five.
Six.
But I kept messing up.
My brain felt like mush.
Sometimes I'd reach a hundred, sometimes ninety, sometimes a hundred and ten.
After that, the numbers would just go haywire.
They bounced around in my head, and I just couldn't grab hold of them.
And then, I'd have to start from scratch.
One.
Two.
I only had four bucks left in my pocket.
Before he left, my brother handed me one hundred bucks.
He said, "If you get hungry, go buy some bread."
I always bought the cheapest dry bread every day.
It cost 1.5 bucks.
It tasted like nothing and was so tough I had to drink lots of free cold water just to swallow it.
But it kept me from starving.
This morning, I bought the last one I could afford.
I got enough left for two more.
If I ate these two, my brother would come back, wouldn't he?
He definitely would.
Because he promised that if I behaved well, he would come back for me.
I was the best-behaved.
The lady in the blue uniform walked up to me.
It was the station attendant.
She came by every day to ask me the same thing.
"Sweetie, are you still waiting for someone?" she asked.
I nodded.
"I'm waiting for my brother."
She sighed.
"Do you know your family's phone number? I can call them for you," she offered.
I shook my head.
"My brother will come back," I said.
She asked me a few more questions.
I just shook my head.
Because my brother said I shouldn't talk to strangers.
The station lady wasn't bad, but she was still a stranger.
She sighed again and walked away.
She was coming by a lot today.
In the afternoon, she showed up again.
She was holding a piece of paper.
It looked like my picture.
She kept looking between the photo and me, comparing us.
Her brows were tightly knit.
I didn't know what she was looking at.
I lowered my head and went back to counting.
Seventy-eight.
Seventy-nine.
Eighty.
There seemed to be more people in the subway today.
No.
They weren't the usual passengers.
They were all wearing uniforms.
There were quite a few of them.
Their uniforms weren't the same shade of blue as the station lady's.
They were a deeper color, and there was something about them that felt really serious.
They weren't coming in or going out.
They just stood there.
Their eyes were scanning all over the place.
But no matter where they looked, their gazes kept drifting back to me.
I felt a little scared.
I curled up even tighter.
My brother always told me, "Don't be scared."
I reminded myself. But my heart kept thumping.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The station attendant headed over to them.
She pointed at me.
She said something to them.
The people in the dark uniforms all looked over at me.
Their eyes were hard to read.
I couldn't make sense of their looks.
Some of them looked at me with sympathy.
Some looked confused.
And there was something else in their eyes…something I couldn't put my finger on.
They began to walk toward me.
One step.
One step.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
I clutched the four bucks left in my pocket.
That was my dinner and breakfast for tomorrow.
They surrounded me.
They formed a tight circle around me.
Blocking out all the passing commuters.
All that remained in my world were these uniformed people.
And the overhead light that never turned off.
The guy in charge was tall.
But he crouched down.
He lowered himself so our eyes were on the same level.
His voice was soft and gentle, as if he didn't want to startle a kitten.
"What's your name, little one?" he asked softly.
I remembered what my brother told me.
"Don't talk to strangers," I reminded myself.
I kept my mouth shut and didn't say a word.
He didn't get mad.
He continued, "Are you waiting for someone here?" His voice was gentle.