Chapter 2: Escape in the Rain

Lu Wei pressed Lian closer to her chest, the child's shallow breaths feathering against her neck as they neared the small apartment complex. Every now and then, he whimpered, his hand gripping the collar of her oversized jacket like it was a lifeline. Three years old, and already carrying the weight of pain and abandonment.

Liam trotted beside them, trying to keep pace with her long strides, his tiny boots splashing through puddles. "You live here?" he asked curiously, glancing up with wide, curious eyes.

"Just for now," Lu Wei replied, shifting Lian gently in her arms. "It's a safe place."

That was all that mattered—for tonight, they needed safety, warmth, and answers. She pushed open the rusted gate and climbed the stairs two at a time, fumbling with the key to her temporary studio apartment. She hadn't planned on staying long—just long enough to plan her next move, to disappear completely. But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

As the door creaked open, a gust of warm air greeted them. The apartment was small—bare walls, a threadbare couch, a rickety table—but it was dry, and it was hers. For now.

Lu Wei stepped inside quickly, kicking off her soaked shoes and guiding Liam in with a nod. She gently laid Lian down on the couch, kneeling beside him and brushing damp strands of hair from his forehead. His cheeks were flushed now, a mix of fever and exhaustion.

Liam hovered nearby, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Is he gonna be okay?" he asked, voice unusually soft.

Lu Wei looked between the two boys. They were both soaked to the bone, their small frames shivering. "He will be," she promised, though worry gnawed at her. "But first, let's get you two warm."

She quickly got to work—rummaging through drawers for the smallest clean shirts she had, pulling out towels, starting the old kettle on the stove for something warm to drink. The entire time, Liam followed her like a quiet shadow, occasionally asking questions like, "Why are you dressed like a boy?" and "Do you have candy?"

She gave a soft laugh at the last one. "Sorry, no candy. Just dry clothes and hot tea."

Liam made a dramatic groan, flopping onto the floor like the world had betrayed him. "You need to buy snacks if you're gonna save people," he said with a wise nod.

Lu Wei couldn't help but laugh again. Even with everything going on, even with Lian's labored breathing, Liam still managed to be a little sunbeam in a storm. She wrapped a dry towel around his shoulders and whispered, "You're a cheeky little thing, aren't you?"

He grinned, dimples showing. "That's what Lian says too."

Once they were dried off and dressed in oversized shirts that nearly touched their ankles, Lu Wei knelt beside Lian again, wiping his face with a damp cloth. The boy had finally started to settle, his breathing steadier but still strained. His small hand reached up and clutched hers.

"You're not gonna leave?" he asked in a small, trembling voice.

Lu Wei felt something shift in her chest. She hadn't planned on becoming anyone's guardian. She was running away from her own fate, not trying to take on new responsibilities. And yet here she was—soaking wet, exhausted, but holding onto the hand of a child who looked at her like she was all that stood between him and the dark.

"No," she said softly. "I'm not leaving. Not now. Not ever."

The words came out before she even thought them through.

That night, after she got Lian to sleep, Lu Wei sat on the edge of the couch with Liam curled up beside her. The boy leaned against her shoulder without asking, yawning loudly.

"You talk like a girl," he said, half-asleep. "But you look like a boy."

Lu Wei smirked. "That's the idea."

"Why?"

"Because… sometimes being a girl means people try to control you," she said after a pause. "But people don't mess with boys."

Liam blinked slowly, as if digesting that. "I like you better as you," he mumbled, and within minutes, he was asleep.

Lu Wei sat there for a long while, listening to the rain against the window and the soft snores of the children beside her.

Three years old.

They were only babies. What kind of world let children this young wander the streets, sick and alone? Who had left them? Why?

Questions she would ask tomorrow. Tonight, she would watch over them.

She walked to the window, checking for any signs of her pursuers. The city lights flickered in the puddles outside, and the streets had grown quiet.

No one had found her. Not yet.

Lu Wei returned to the couch, where the twins were curled up together, tiny hands grasping each other even in sleep. She didn't know where they'd come from, or what their story was, but she knew what her next chapter would be—protecting these two.

No matter what.

And for the first time since escaping her own fate, Lu Wei felt like maybe—just maybe—she had run toward something, not just away.