Life Chapter #4 - 1988

Her head remained down as she ate her cereal, trying not to catch the attention of her foster siblings who sat on the other side of the table. She did not need to get into another incarceration with them, it was not worth it.

"Hey orphan, remember it's your turn to wash the dishes later!" Harold called out smugly as his biological siblings looked on. His parents were busy getting ready for work and it was time to start the daily hazing.

Wang gripped her spoon at that remark and slurped her milk just a little too loudly.

"What's the matter? Don't want to do it?"

"I will do my chores." She replied a little coldly and continued to focus her attention on her food.

Harold gave a small tsk. "You better watch your tone, orphan. We can kick you out in a heartbeat."

Like she did not hear that before. Every house she was sent to so far treat her so differently. Like her feelings did not matter at all. The first couple of times that occurred, she reacted with anger. Eventually she learned to shut down her emotions. The less they could see how she was feeling, the less they could hurt her.

"Noted." She said dully and finished ever single drop of milk in her bowl. The Hunters were generous with food portions and she was thankful for it. Maybe she could finally gain some weight after being quite scrawny for three years.

Wang went over to the sink and slipped on the gloves. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter were quite adamant about teaching their children about independence and refused to purchase a dishwasher. She soaped up her bowl and spoon and got rid of all the grime as she waited for the Hunter children to be done eating.

"You know, if your parents loved you enough, you wouldn't be doing dishes now would you?" Harold was deliberately pushing her buttons as he handed her his empty plate.

The fourteen year old chose not to reply and focused on the task at hand, tuning the bully out.

Harold was displeased at the silence. "Hey orphan, what are you, deaf? Guess that would run in your family."

"I don't think my family is relevant in this. I did chores at home too." She replied politely, attempting to divert the conversation as she rinsed the soapy dishes.

"Of course they're relevant. You wouldn't be in the foster system if your parents were able to take care of you. Know your place."

She chose not to rise up to the bait. "Uh huh." Wang pulled off her gloves after placing the wet utensils and cutlery into the drying rack.

Not satisfied at the teen's lack of reaction, Harold stuck his foot out and tripped her, causing the raven haired girl to stick her hand out to grab onto something to stop her fall. Unfortunately, the first item she managed to hold was the drying rack and she pulled it down to the floor with her.

The clatter of broken dishes brought Mr. and Mrs. Hunter downstairs. "Dear child, what happened?"

"We were fighting and she fell, Mom." Harold said innocently.

Mrs. Hunter looked disapprovingly at the teen. "Miss Wang, I'm afraid this behavior is unacceptable. We brought you into our home and you repay us with this attitude. I'm sorry but you're going back to the girls' home."

Not a word was spoken as the Asian youth picked herself off the floor and went upstairs to pack her things.

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"This isn't so difficult, Wang. Just do the chores printed on this list on time and you get to eat. You don't finish them, you don't get any food." The ex-military man in front of her spoke rather harshly. The system decided that she needed discipline so what better place was it to get that than the home of a retired colonel?

It was hell in that house. Everything had to be done according to schedule and the unnecessary inspections were driving her up the wall. She thought that if she did not perform her chores, she would be sent back. The girls' home was much better than this foster home which was nothing but a stifling prison. How did this man's children live with it?

Colonel Jones was not irritated by her defiance though, he had seen plenty in the army and he knew they would come round sooner or later. His son and daughter managed to follow the schedule with no complaints at all. This delinquent teen would just need a small push in the right direction.

"I wouldn't be able to perform my chores well without any sustenance, sir." Wang said earnestly as she tried to ignore the hunger pangs in her stomach.

"Pfft, that's just an excuse. You had lunch in school just three hours ago and now you're hungry? I'm sure you have enough energy left in you to finish this."

This was the last straw. She had been malnourished for the past week and she could barely stay awake in school.

"With all due respect, no. I'm going back to the girls' home."

The teen turned away to grab her belongings as Jones stretched his arm out, "That's insubordination little lady!"

In a sudden burst of strength, Wang cartwheeled to the side to escape his grasp. All that gymnastics training paid off even if she had been skipping practice. She quickly ran up the stairs and locked the door, grabbing her luggage and throwing the windows open. Behind her, she could hear the colonel banging on the door. The teen dropped the baggage on to the grass with a thump and she scaled down the trellis that was located at the bottom of the window.

"Come back here!" Jones hollered as he peeked his head out of the window.

There was no time left to waste as the raven haired youth quickly took her possessions and leapt over the fence, taking off in the direction of the girls' home.

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The lanky teenager entered the gymnasium where her team mates were already practicing. She deposited her bag on the bench and pulled off her shirt, revealing the leotard underneath.

"Well look who decided to show up?"

Wang ignored the words from the snooty team captain and proceeded to warm up her muscles.

"Knock it off. I want all of you to concentrate on practicing for the competition. And that includes you too, Wang." Miss Sophie called out and walked towards the raven haired girl who was taken aback by her coach's words.

"Me? I've been skipping practice. It's hardly fair for me to participate." The youth said uncertainly and looked around to see the rest of the gymnasts quickly turning their heads away. She knew that their opinion of her was already unsavory.

Sophie took a seat on the bench and gestured to the student to do so. "I know you've been through a lot these few years and the situation with your mother is unstable but-"

"I apologize Miss Sophie but please do not talk about that woman ever again."

That particular promise of bringing her back home never came to fruition. Once again, Wen Ting had broken two promises in a row. It appeared that she loved alcohol more than her daughter.

The coach nodded and changed the subject. "I'm sorry. We can talk about something else. You have talent, Wang. I heard you managed to escape from that military foster family using those skills. I am very proud."

The teen gave a small smile. "Thanks."

"Why don't you channel your time and anger into gymnastics? I've permitted you to come in here whenever you like and now I'm asking you to repay that generous allowance by taking part in the competition."

Wang still looked unsure and she glanced down at the wooden floor. "I don't want to ruin your name and be a laughing stock, Miss Sophie."

"You wouldn't know until you've done it. It's just a competition. You can gain experience from performing in front of a crowd and if you do win, you will be able to prove to your naysayers that you are not what they think you should be."

There was truth in the coach's words and for too long now, the teen was tired of being looked down by others. This was a chance for her to shine! It would be best if she took the opportunity.

"Alright."

Sophie beamed at her student. "Good. We shall start with the drills. Now that you're committed to this, I can't let you have it easy."

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She leapt off the spring board and did a hand spring onto the vaulting table, propelling herself into the air. The teen twisted her body around, trying to get as much in as possible during her hang time before gravity did its work to pull her back down to the ground. Seeing the landing mat quickly growing in size, Wang braced herself and landed firmly on her feet before standing up with both arms out in a victory position.

There was polite applause from the audience as the judges got down to work. They flashed a score of 8.5 to her and Wang bowed before returning back to her coach. Sophie draped a towel around her student and handed her a bottle of water.

"You did great, my girl. Now get some rest and cheer the rest of your teammates on."

The Asian teen nodded as she sipped the liquid and cooled down so her muscles won't be too strained by all the movement. She was so caught up in the atmosphere that she almost failed to notice the announcements of vault event.

"Wang, come on! Let's listen to the results." Sophie called out and the youth eagerly ran up to her mentor.

The judge went up to the podium and spoke into the microphone. "In third place from West High, Wang-"

She did not need to hear the rest as she jumped up and down in jubilation and embraced her coach. Finally, after years of feeling like a worthless being, she achieved something! It raised her spirits and for the first time in what felt like forever, Wang smiled earnestly from the bottom of her heart.

The control of her own happiness was in her hands now. She did not need someone else to do it for her.