Severing Time & Space

Solitary Confinement, Part II

Wu Meiying paced across her room in frustration. Her bare feet padded along the ground and made soft thumping noises, but she could hardly hear the sound, her mind focused entirely inward.

“I can’t take it. I can’t take it. I can’t take it. I need to see him.”

She raised a hand to her mouth, extended her thumb, and bit down. She didn’t bite too hard. Wu Meiying was not interested in tasting her own blood.

“But if I sneak out, there’s a chance Aunty will find out, and then she’ll punish me. I might even be forced to remain in this room for longer than a month.”

She had no idea how Wu Àiliàn knew she had been sneaking into Wu Jian’s room every night, but now that she was aware of this, Wu Meiying knew she couldn’t be careless.

“Surely they won’t find out if I just sneak out once. I won’t even visit him. I’ll just watch him from afar. No. That won’t work. There’s no way I could watch him and not want to be near him.”

When Wu Meiying closed her eyes, she saw several possibilities play out before her, like moving paintings. Each was a possible future. Like threads of a spiderweb, she could see the possible futures branching out in many directions.

This was her unique power. She had no control over this ability. She didn’t know why she had it or even how it worked. However, this power had been with her since she was just a baby, and she had used it to her benefit when sneaking into Wu Jian’s room.

When she was younger, this power caused her to cry a lot. She often saw horrifying visions as a child, and since she had no control over them, they would haunt her day and night. The only time they ever became manageable was in Wu Jian’s presence. For reasons she didn’t understand, he was able to calm her visions just by being there.

Now that she was older, they didn’t affect her like they used to, and she had even been using them to her advantage.

Unfortunately, each possible future involved her getting caught and punished even further.

Wu Meiying sighed and sat on the bed, exhaustion seeping into her bones. Being by herself was horrible. She was keenly aware of Wu Jian’s absence in her life. It was like a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should have been.

For as long as she could remember, Wu Meiying had been in love with Wu Jian. Even before Wu Jian began sharing her feelings, even before she became consciously aware of them herself, she had loved him. She didn’t understand why she felt this way. However, whenever she looked at him, her heart felt warm and at peace. Perhaps that was why her visions calmed in his presence.

And yet…

“I wonder why I also feel such sorrow when I see him?” she asked herself.

It was not something she had told anyone, not even Wu Jian, but her heart ached when they were together. Sorrow and regret always filled her. She didn’t understand these feelings and was even afraid of them, so she often pushed them to the side, but now that she was alone, those feelings came to the fore and refused to go away.

Groaning, Wu Meiying fell back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her forearm.

“This sucks,” she muttered.

__________________________

The month soon passed. A servant came to the room and told him that his father had summoned him to the meeting hall. Wu Jian was so excited that he almost forgot to put his robes on, but after remembering to don his hanfu, he rushed outside and just stood in front of his building for several long seconds, breathing in the fresh air. Only after he’d had his fill did he begin moving.

The final effects of winter had dispersed while he was confined, giving way to spring. The snow had melted but the wilted flowers were not growing yet. However, as he passed several gardens, Wu Jian saw many branch family members planting seeds and raking sand. The motes and streams that were frozen over before were now flowing again.

“JIAN!!”

“Ah. Meiyi—gya?!”

Wu Jian turned at the sound of Wu Meiying’s shout—only to feel the air leave his lungs in a rush as something plowed into his stomach. He hit the ground hard. Stars filled his vision as he smacked the back of his head against the stone pathway.

“Wu Jian! Wu Jian! This is you, right? You’re really here, right? I’m not dreaming? Hmm. Hmmm. It certainly smells like you. Yup. This is definitely Wu Jian’s scent.”

“Uuuh… Meiying. I’m happy to see you too…”

After uncrossing his eyes, Wu Jian smiled and began stroking Wu Meiying’s hair. He had missed this silky feeling. Several seconds passed before Wu Meiying set her chin on his chest and grinned mischievously at him.

“I wanna kiss you right now.”

“You probably shouldn’t. Everyone is watching.”

Wu Meiying’s cheeks swelled as she pouted. “I know that. I’m just saying I want to.”

“Well, that’s fine then.”

They couldn’t remain like that forever, so Wu Jian asked Wu Meiying to get off him, and the two walked together toward the meeting hall. His father was already waiting for him alongside his mother and Wu Taohua. While Mother smiled, Father retained his stern expression, and Wu Taohua looked at him with cold indifference.

“You called for us, Father?” asked Wu Jian after kneeling in a subservient pose.

“I am here as you requested, Uncle,” Wu Meiying said, also kneeling.

Father twitched at being called “Uncle,” but he let it slide, even though Wu Taohua looked dissatisfied by Wu Meiying’s informal term for her husband.

“Your one month confinement is over. You’re free to move about as you please. However, I hope what happened will serve as a lesson to you both,” Father said.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying couldn’t help but share a smile, but they knew there was still decorum they needed to follow. Still kneeling, they placed the fist of their right hand against the palm of their left and lowered their heads in a bow.

“Yes, Father.”

“I understand, Uncle.”

“Then you are both free to leave,” Father said with what almost sounded like a sigh.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying scurried out of the meeting room after giving one more bow, then stood underneath the sunlight, basking in their newfound freedom

Everyone else was getting started on their day. Some people were working on the gardens, others were walking toward their destination—wherever that was—and several courtyards were being used as a sparring ground for the older clansmen.

“What should we do now?” asked Wu Jian.

“Hmm…” Wu Meiying tilted her head to the side, then smiled. “Breakfast?”

“Breakfast,” Wu Jian agreed.

He offered his hand. Wu Meiying reached out and grabbed it. Lacing their fingers together, they headed for the dining hall.