Chapter 5: chapter 5

“Mom!” William ran toward his mother. Melisenna was only in her late forties but her hair was already graying, making her look like she was in her sixties. The responsibility of raising a family all on her own took its toll on her. When William showed up, she hugged him and cried harder. “William!” William wiped her tears away. “I’m back, Mom. Leave everything to me.” He approached the group of people who were trying to uproot the tree. He knew the one in the lead. His name was Diego Reynolds, the second son of the village chief. He was an elementary dropout and the local thug, and he used to bully William a lot. Coldly, William asked, “Trying to uproot my tree and tear my house down, are you?” Diego was a little wary when he first saw William since he was an ex-convict, but Diego was no pushover either. He stood up and argued, “Your tree is ruining the town’s image. I need to uproot it. Also, your house is unregistered. The law gives me the right to tear it down and replan the layout.” His face fell. “I know you were just released from prison, but if you do anything funny, I’ll send you straight back in.” William chuckled. “I won’t try anything funny. I’m a model citizen. I support your endeavor, but I have to tell you that this spruce tree has a mind of its own. You’d better stay away from it.” Diego froze before bursting into laughter. “As if! I’m touching it right now.” He brought the shovel down once more. “See? I’m fine.” William subtly shot a gold needle into one of Diego’s acupoints. Diego couldn’t even feel the sting, but a moment later, he started to go into a seizure and frothed at the mouth. He clenched his teeth tightly, and in the process, drew blood from his tongue. Shocked, Diego’s team put their tools down and quickly massaged him, yet none of that worked. Diego was trembling harder, his eyes filled with horror. William said, “Yeah, that’s the spruce tree’s spirit punishing you. Take him to the hospital, or he’s going to die.” The thugs snapped out of it and quickly took Diego into a car, then they shot off to the hospital. Melisenna was surprised that the thugs left just like that. Was the spruce tree spirit really behind it? Tia stepped forward, smiling. “Hi, Mrs. Barrett. I’m Tia. I’m William’s friend.” Melisenna looked at Tia, and she was delighted. Oh my, she’s pretty. “Is she your girlfriend, William? You must tell me more.” Mom’s taking it the wrong way. “She’s not my girlfriend, Mom. Just a friend.” Disappointed, Melisenna said, “What a shame. And she’s so pretty too.” She smiled. “You seem like a nice girl. Are you single?” Oh my god, Mom. “We should go inside now, Mom.” William dragged Melisenna into the yard. The yard was filled with pots of flowers in full bloom, filling the air with a fresh scent of flowers. Every corner of the house was cleaned to perfection thanks to Melisenna. Melisenna made small talk with Tia and went off to do some chores. Mia helped as well. Just then, only William and Tia were left. Tia looked at William and blurted, “I know you’re a fighter, William, and a good one too.” Surprised, William looked at her. “How do you know?” Tia nodded. “Back when you saved your sister. That kick’s more powerful than anything my grandpa’s bodyguard can do. And what happened to that thug earlier was no tree spirit magic. You did something to him.” William looked at her in admiration. Well, she’s observant. “Not everyone would be able to tell. So, who are you exactly, and why are you following me?” Tia sighed. “I’m trouble. Big trouble.” “How so?” William looked at her. A sigh escaped Tia’s lips once more. “It’s my wedding today, but I do not like the groom, so I ran.” William paused for a moment. “Ah, a bride who ran from her marriage. But why do you say you’re trouble?” A bitter smile curled her lips. “My family is sort of powerful. They might come after you if they know I’m here.” William stared at her. “Wait, you’re staying?” Tia gave him a pouty look. “I know you’re a good guy, William. I’m safe here. Please, let me stay.” William rolled his eyes. What a pain! A short while later, lunch was ready. Melisenna made four dishes and a cauldron of soup. She was a good cook, and Tia wouldn’t stop praising her. Melisenna felt even more affection for the girl. Halfway through lunch, Tia started acting pitiful again, claiming she had no money to rent a place and that she was worried for her safety. Melisenna pitied her. “I have a spare room. You can stay at our place, Tia. Makes it easy to have meals with us.” William quickly said, “You have to pay rent.” “Shut it.” Melisenna shot William a look. “It’s already hard enough for her to survive.” Tia looked at Melisenna gratefully. “Thank you, Mrs. Barrett, you’re so kind.” Tia and her sweet talk. Now my mom loves her more than me. William couldn’t do anything but finish his lunch quietly. After lunch, William handed a card to Melisenna. “There’s a hundred and twenty grand in there. I made it back in prison by trading stocks. Keep it.” Melisenna was shocked. William had been sending a lot of money home over the years, and now he was giving her a hundred and twenty grand. However, she was happy that William made so much money dealing with stocks. He’s smart. She smiled. “Sure. I’ll keep it. For your wedding.” She looked at Tia mysteriously. Tia and Mia did the dishes and chatted away while William treated his mother. He whipped out his golden needles and inserted them into her acupoints, then he quickly made his way to the apothecary’s shop on his electric scooter to get some herbs. I have to take it slow with cancer. Acupuncture and medicines are essential. Qi is also important as I need that to unblock her meridians. The treatment went on until the late afternoon. At about three-thirty, a commotion rose outside the house. William took a look and was met with the same group of thugs he saw earlier. They were trying to tear the wall down, and the thugs shot him a glare when he came out. If he tried to stop them, they would kill him, or so they thought. William crossed his arms and shouted, “I told you the spruce tree is our guardian. You tear our house down and the spruce dryad is coming after you.” The thugs’ hearts skipped a beat. Diego was still in the hospital thanks to the spruce dryad, but then they thought it was just a lie. Guardian spirits were not unheard of in this region, but tree spirits were just a joke. The thugs ignored William and went on with their tearing of the wall, but all of a sudden, one of the thugs gasped. He went into a seizure and foamed at the mouth, just like Diego did earlier. William said, “See? Told you that the spruce dryad is angry. Take him to the hospital.” Shocked and scared, the thugs threw their tools away and dragged their friend to the hospital. Well, you don’t see people run that fast every day.