Stardust

Part 5

Chapter 5

April 13 1912

21:00

The North Atlantic Ocean

En route to New York City.

Pov Hua:

The boat was calm and quiet, except the suite with the two brothers. Vietnamese arguing could be heard yet not understood throughout the whole cabin.

The cupboard door slammed as hua grabbed a bottle of liquor from the cabinet, "what do you mean we cant finish our job?"

"I won't do It" Huas brother said "I refuse to help you kill Boram" Nhan stood across from hua in the suit's kitchen arguing with his brother. Luckily no one on the ship that could overhear spoke vietnamese.

"It's because of that girl isn't it?" Hua banged the top of the bottle on the counter until it opened. He poured himself a glass but then decided to just drink from the bottle instead. The hot liquor fell down his throat crowding his thoughts, only enhancing his anger toward his brother.

Nhan, His brother who thought he knew better. Doesn't he know? The eldest sibling is to be respected.

"I am older." he slammed his fist on the counter. "And you will do as I say."

"I am no murderer!" Nhan shouted surprisingly loud for being the less aggressive sibling.

"Why must you make everything so complicated brother? I just want to complete our task, get our money, and go back to Vietnam. You were supposed to meet me here tonight to go over the plan, not argue about it."

"That's the other thing." said Nhan "I'm not going back to Vietnam."

The fire in Huas chest, for as long as he could remember, burned hotter than his brother. Hua felt it, the pushing heat of anger. He tried to control his feelings. but, sometimes it managed to burn through him, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Hua, like a time bomb waiting to explode.

Hua froze. He stared at Nhan. If looks could kill, his brother would be long gone. "What?"

"I'm staying in New York, with Ymir," said Nhan.

Then something flew through the air, the bottle cap Hua threw at his brother. He shouted, "If we abandon our mission, who knows what will happen! Quin and his family will hurt you. They will chase you out of New York and when they find you, you're as good as dead."

"I know the risks! That is why I will change my name."

"That's not enough!" argued Hua. "Do you want to die? Look at you, look at your face, you're not like those Americans. Even if you had a white name, you will never ever be like them!"

Nhan thought for a moment before speaking, "Brother, come with me to New York. Life in the city will triumph life back in vietnam significantly. America is freedom. We will find a way to avoid Quinn."

Hua was silent. Before he finally said. "If you don't help me assassinate Boram. I will do it myself."

He shoved Nhan out of the suite. Nhan begged, Nhan pleaded. But it was no use.

Two different people with their minds clouded by two different things. One brother, the cloud of love. And the other, the thunderstorm of anger. Became strangers.
"If you ever return to vietnam. That is, if Quin doesn't kill you. You are no longer welcome in our home." Hua slammed the door.

. . .

Hua rubbed his eyes. A feeling of sadness welled up in his stomach like water. But he shoved it back down and burned it with his fiery anger. Just as he always did.

His suite had two beds next to each other. Hua took the red velvet cover off and put his luggage on Nhans old bed. There was no true need for it anyway so it served as a nice table. The suite also had a small kitchen, with counters lined with white marble and cabinets with fine china. In the very back of the smallest cabinet, behind the dishes, Hua grabbed a small bag.

He sat at the counter, on a barstyle stool at the edge. He dumped the contents of the bag out onto the counter. Vials of liquids; digoxin, mercury, lead, cyanide. But the one Hua was searching for wasn't a vial, it was a bottle. The bottle: labeled LF. A last resort, the most deadly liquid. Lighter fluid

The plan was simple: sneak into Borams suite, quietly pour the lighter fluid around him then throw a lit match and exit out the door. After that, quickly alert a lieutenant or captain before the fire gets out of hand. The goal was to burn Boram, not the whole ship.

Hua held the lighter fluid in his hand, the liquid sloshed around in the bottle.

"Tomorrow night, Boram will die."

. . .