text: [Themes: edutainment, war]
  
  Boyan stood before them, smiles and confidence and all. Zhaoluo didn't understand how he could remain so... so strong at times like these. Not empty. Not like Ren, not like her.
  
  "I have a plan," Boyan repeated, having already told this to them before they converged at the base.
  
  "And?" Ren asked rudely.
  
  Glancing at the other boy, Boyan explained, though not loudly, "The soldiers fought for the city, for us. What's to say we can't fight for ourselves?"
  
  "That's suicide."
  
  "But what if we set up traps in the city that explode when triggered?"
  
  "Ammunition?"
  
  "There's gunpowder and some other stuff at my house," Huaxing murmured, cowering beneath the rapid fire of words.
  
  Boyan inclined his head toward her. "Her father was a soldier."
  
  Pain flashed across the girl's eyes before she added, "I can take you guys there."
  
  "Why weren't Zhaoluo, Yinshi, and I told this?" Ren questioned, a look of hurt in his features.
  
  "I'm telling you now!" Boyan snapped. "You're pissy today."
  
  "Can we just be nice?" Huaxing whispered, letting MaiMai inch closer to her.
  
  Zhaoluo nodded. "I don't particularly like fools shouting loudly above me." The sun was golden today, and with Boyan towering over her, his silhouette was a looming shadow over them.
  
  He ran a hand through his unclean hair, sighing his rage away. "Alright. So what say you guys?"
  
  Yinshi spoke, and Zhaoluo was surprised. She had forgotten that he was there. "I agree with Ren. It would be suicide to go back into the city. Have you seen those reports? Do you want to die painfully?" He glanced at Huaxing. "Would you want bad things to happen to the girls?"
  
  "That's why I'm only suggesting that a few of us go," Boyan replied. "Huaxing and me."
  
  "That's ridiculous!" Ren exclaimed, and Yinshi nodded. Their spectacles glinted in the golden light.
  
  Zhaoluo squinted as sunlight hit her eyes when Boyan moved toward where Yinshi sat. The idea was pretty ridiculous and unlikely. They were just teenagers. Kids. Bored, empty, lost, hurt kids that probably saw too much.
  
  "If the Japs plan to kill us all, we might as well die fighting," Boyan hissed, glaring at Ren.
  
  "You sound like a stupid Jap yourself," retorted Ren. "Escaping is a better idea. The military pretty much abandoned us anyway. Even the soldiers left behind here! Did you see them? They had tried to take the people's clothing off their backs to try to pretend like they're us! Because they didn't want to fight. They're cowards, and I don't see why we can't run like they did."
  
  Boyan snorted. "And how do we escape? Nanking is a fortified city! There's walls! And the Japs probably blocked all the exits anyway. We'd need official papers to get through those."
  
  Ren sighed angrily. "Do whatever you want. It's not like I actually have control over you."
  
  "But you won't tell anyone."
  
  The two shared a long, knowing look before Boyan broke away to return to the front. Zhaoluo's eyes followed him, frightened for his foolishness.
  
  "MaiMai will not come with us. Ren clearly will not come with us. Who else will?" Boyan's eyes shined with a dangerous light, looking at Yinshi doubtfully but with eyes on me.
  
  > say nothing.
  Zhaoluo glanced at the dirt below her feet nervously, and Boyan nodded stiffly.
  
  "Alright. Just me an Huaxing then."
  
  She didn't think she could do it. It was far too scary out there. But something was nagging at her. How could she protect Huaxing like this? How? She promised but... her own fears were too strong.
  
  Zhaoluo woke to Mr. Bates' prodding, and she groaned, "What?"
  
  "Shh. I need to speak with you." His voice was quiet as a mouse, and she realized her own unseemly noise had been awfully loud.
  
  She quietly, and groggily, untangled herself from her blankets and followed Mr. Bates outside. Surprised to find the rest of the gang, she fell into the line they made. Maimai wasn't here. At least they could protect the youngest one. Mr. Bates paced in front of them.
  
  Zhaoluo looked down the line, and when she couldn't find Huaxing, something in her heart stopped.
  
  "I cannot believe you guys would do this!" Mr. Bates looked angry, like a teacher reprimanding a student for some crazy act or another. He glared at Boyan. "You fool."
  
  Boyan appeared very calm, but he said nothing.
  
  "Whatever. I just... Somebody made it to the safe zone, left the safe zone on their own volition, and died because of it."
  
  She couldn't hear the rest of what Mr. Bates said. This was too much. She... Huaxing... Zhaoluo started crying. Ren immediately went to her, saying something nice or threatening or something. She couldn't hear. Dammit. Why is she losing everything? She felt a little selfish. The others knew Huaxing longer, but...
  
  She broke her promise. And Huaxing is dead.
  
  After Mr. Bates put more eyes on them (she could feel some of the other refugees just looking at her) to make sure they weren't going anywhere, the others tried to comfort her and Maimai, who were most affected, apparently.
  
  Ren would say something like, "It wasn't your fault. She wanted to do that. Blame Boyan or something if you feel that bad."
  
  She knew that it wasn't her fault, at least not exactly, but she felt guilty anyways. And she couldn't stop that feeling from invading her head as she hugged MaiMai close to her. Zhaoluo didn't think she could ask Boyan exactly what happened, too fearful of what his response could be, but based on what she overheard him telling Ren, she shuddered at the image of Huaxing's head rolling against the ground, blood following it like a red ribbon.
  
  > February...
  It was in the afternoon when the Japanese entered the camp. They were officers, and they carried filled sacks. Another man—Western, named John Rabe—that Zhaoluo had never seen before met them at the facility that was the place for such things. They talked for some time; Zhaoluo and the others—no Huaxing—sat there, watching the door, waiting for it to open. Waiting.
  
  Later that day, Zhaoluo threw down the small pack of powder distributed by the Japanese and hissed for the others to do the same. "It's a drug," she whispered with disdain. "I'm sure this wasn't the first time. I don't remember any times before though... Did they ever...?" She looked around at the others, eyes landing on Ren.
  
  "They did, but we were typically not around or something," was Ren's immediate response.
  
  She nodded and tipped her head to the pile of drugs before her. "Don't ever use it." And then she told them about her father. "So don't."
  
  Boyan agreed. "They want to pacify us. Make us not care. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know."
  
  "The Japanese rule this city now. The Committee is useless, as is the safe zone," Zhaoluo said. It was the truth, and MaiMai may not be able to sleep at night, but she'd rather have the girl able to flee if the Japanese ever try. "We'll keep doing what we're doing. Avoid the Japanese." The ones who killed Huaxing. And Zhaoluo fell into a weary quiet again.
  
  They took over the city. Completely. They pretty much stole the Committee's power and established another puppet government. And the people generally did not care anymore. They were too addicted to heroin at this point. Zhaoluo felt bad for them. They were all victims of this stupid war. The Japanese could take them away if they wanted, so long as they promised to pump death into their veins instead of simply stabbing them.
  
  And it wasn't fair. Mr. Bates and Dr. Wilson and Mr. Rabe... they had little power. All of them. They can't stop the Japanese from continuing the rape and murder. But, Zhaoluo thought, almost gratefully, they did help. But they couldn't stop Boyan. He's impossible...
  
  It was also at this time a cold fire kindled in her body. Zhaoluo was angry. She hated them. She loathed the Japanese for what they did to her family, what they did to her friends, what they did to the innocent. And she hated Boyan too.
  
  > After the war...
  The Japanese pulled out of Nanking. It was spring, and the refugees were no longer trapped. They trudged to their homes in silence only to break down with tears upon the sight of their homes. They looked at the streets, caked with red, with the same horror Zhaoluo felt when she first entered the city and realized her family's end. Or set off those bombs. Their bodies trembled, grey and grail, from loss, addiction, and disbelief.
  
  The government did not return, but people did. And so they began to rebuild Nanking.
  
  > Ending
  A few years later...
  
  Zhaoluo was pouring tea by the time Ren returned. Maimai was setting up the table—the way Li would, with the bowls going from smallest to biggest. After a day helping out at the orphanage, Zhaoluo had returned to find the rice already cooked by Maimai. She'd been grateful for that. She was sick of cooking bucket loads after bucket loads of rice for the children and stragglers.
  
  Ren cleared his throat as he stepped inside, clothing dripping from the rain outside. Zhaoluo smirked; she left the orphanage early enough to not trudge through in the rainstorm. Rolling her eyes, she called over her shoulder, "I heard you already, Ren."
  
  He took off the wet outer layer of his clothing and dropped them into Maimai's waiting hands with a thank you. Ren walked over to Zhaoluo, who whispered, "How's Boyan?"
  
  "He's okay. Doing his communications stuff."
  
  Boyan had been an editor for the Nanking news and also worked for the communications of the city. He hadn't told them anything about his past, but when the city got back onto its feet—those days of stumbling had been hard—he offered Ren a job... The communications branch had been low staffed. Then, he proceeded to offer them a place to stay at the patched up news building. He had automatically taken command of the business as he was at the top of the ladder after the invasion.
  
  Zhaoluo nodded. "Alright." She didn't think she could ever forget what his "plan" had done. Or the promise she broke. Zhaoluo hated uncertainty.
  
  Ren looked at the tea cup, which was overflowing. He tapped her shoulder, and she glanced down, immediately setting the teapot. Quickly, she grabbed a rag to wipe at the tea, which had begun dripping off the edge of the counter.
  
  "Clumsy," Ren remarked, almost taunting her.
  
  "Shut up," she retorted. "It's not like you have to perfect tea pouring."
  
  Something in his face darkened, but he laughed it away. "If you married me, I'd never make you pour tea. It's ridiculous."
  
  Zhaoluo rolled her eyes at that, and Maimai cooed, eyes lighting up with delight. She went over to the pot and carried it over to the table. Lifting the lid, she said, "Enjoy."