Little Flower

Okay, I just realized there's only one of Reese's crew I haven't introduced you to yet! There are more characters, but they join in later on in the story, and I don't want to go out of chronological order yet.

This is Suyin, thirteen years old, a little shadow. This sampling's from Reese's POV, because Liv has gone and, surprise surprise, got herself into what looks like trouble. Again, the accents here are pretty thick again. Suyin has a very pretty, purry Singapore accent, and it just seems to go with her personality so well.

I may have been half-sleeping, sitting there slumped on the ground. But I still felt the moon against the right side of my face, streaming in almost tangible beams through the opening. The light flickered against my eyelids. I opened my eyes. The moon was stable there again, a white half-orb beyond the window and over the thick treetops.

“Suyin,” I said, “I know you’re here.”

A slender figure materialized out of the shadows.

“You on’y one what a’ways know I am her’.”

She crouched beside me, her slanted eyes reflecting the light of the moon. She wasn’t wearing her hat.

“Why are you awake, flower?” I asked.

“Bad things afoot. Liv is on de game.”

“What?”

“She go out, but not come back. Netta waits up for her, Suyin goes and follows. No one see.”

“Where is she?”

“Kingston.”

“What is she doing?”

“She is on de game. Not alone. Wit' a man.”

Something inside suddenly felt cold.

“A man? What kind of man? Did he-- was he touching her? Where did they go?”

Suyin shook her head.

“No, no, just game. No play footsie. I see them, they no see me, Suyin could put a very nice knife down in his eye and den he see nothing, never ‘gain. But no. Just game. They go to Gull Roost.”

“The Gull’s Roost? By the docks?”

“Aye.”

I was up in an instant and heading for the door.

“Suyin, get Kutch and Netta. Tell Netta what’s happened and tell Kutch to come to me. And you,” I paused with the door open, turning to point seriously at the child, “you stay here and you go to bed. Do you understand me?”

“Aye, Reese.”

I spared her a small smile before I dashed out. She was worried, after all. And so was I.

Suyin's a strange character, and I hope that translates well here. Although she's only a little girl, she's very protective and has a strange sense of humor that contrasts weirdly with her nature. I think it's because largely, she doesn't understand concepts such as death. She never really thinks that hard. I think she mostly thrives on the notion of keeping the family together and generally having a good time.

Well, tell me what you think of her. She's my strange one, but I love her anyway.