A Girl Out of Place

Chapter 12: Work To Do

"This insures me a ticket home!" Tarin's voice sent my heart into my throat. My face flushed with heat and I quickly pulled my hand away from Henry's face. In hopes of hiding my embarrassment, I pushed my way past Henry to Ryn's side. Startled by my sudden movements, she sat frozen on the ground as I slipped my fingers into her hair.

"What are you doing?" Tarin snapped at me.

"Checking the wounded, it's sort of my job. Yours too, incase you've forgotten." I snapped back. Surprisingly Tarin shrugged and began to inquire the conditions of the soldiers around him.

I continued to check Ryn.

The blood that traced through her hair, had not been her own. I looked in her eyes and her pupils retracted as she blinked. I took head injury off my mental list of possibilities.

I ran my hands across her jawline, other than small lacerations that bore no threat, she was in one piece. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

"Everywhere actually," She smiled at my look of alarm. "They got off a few good blows, but your men saved me from the fatal ones." She nodded toward Henry and Davidson, "Thanks for that."

I slipped my hand down to the pulse on her wrist. She waited a moment before she repeated, "I'm okay Margaret." She looked up at her injured friend beside us. "And you! I'm still mad at you!"

His good hand dropped to the top of her head and she froze. Carefully he crouched to look her in the eyes. "I am relieved you are alive too, Ryn-shi."

As they starred at each other a touch of pink highlighted across Ryn's cheeks. My own heart began to flutter again as the atmosphere filled with hope.

Ryn pulled her hand away from me in order to push Lee-Hwa's hand away. "I'm not a child."

The young man smiled. His whole face lit up with sincere joy due to her banter. "That is very true."

"Major rope burns and lacerations on the hands. Jeffers bring some more bandages." Tarin said with distain.

"Yes, Sir." Jeffers quickly did as he was told.

"All of this to save this commie soldier," Tarin nudged Kim-Young with his foot and finally I looked up at him. Tarin had arrived with two other soldiers I hadn't seen before. Both American Privates; one was tall and skinny, while the other was average in height, with a warm island tint to his complexion. The latter carried Ryn's oddly shapped duffle bag. "How important is this prisoner that we all risked our lives for him?"

A look passed between Lee-Hwa and Ryn, "He's not, and he's not a prisoner." Lee-Hwa said. "He's our contact."

"Contact for what?" I asked.

"Several families are trying to escape this war, South bound. He's going to get us to them so we can get them out."

"That's what we do." Said Ryn, "That's what we've done ever since the Lee family rescued me."

"Rescued you?" I shook my head, "But you're from Wigan."

"My Mother was from Wigan. She was kidnapped and I was born. She taught me perfect English while I was surrounded by Chinese-Korean. She died the day Lee-Hwa and his father helped me escape. And I've been helping them do the same for others ever since."

I wrapped my hand around Ryn's wrist. I almost didn't believe what I was hearing. This young girl had already experienced so much tragedy.

"You're just a child yourself, what can you do?" The slender American Private asked. His dialect heavily accented the way Americans speak in popular gunslinging films.