The storm came out of nowhere.
One moment the sky was clear and the next it was black and angry and the rain was pounding against the windows like it wanted to break in. Thunder rolled across the sky and lightning split the clouds and the whole mansion shook.
Wenhao was lying on his bed trying to ignore it when the lights flickered once. Twice. Then everything went dark.
Complete and total darkness.
Wenhao's breath caught in his throat.
He hated the dark. He had always hated the dark.
He sat up in bed and his hands were shaking and his heart was pounding and he could hear his own breathing too loud in his ears.
"It's fine," he whispered to himself. "It's just a storm. It'll pass. It's fine."
Another crack of thunder made him flinch and he pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. His ankle throbbed but he didn't care. He just wanted the lights to come back on.
He wanted someone to come.
He hated that he wanted someone to come.
Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. He couldn't tell. The darkness made time feel strange and wrong.
Then he heard footsteps in the hallway.
The door opened and a beam of light cut through the darkness. It was a flashlight. And behind it was Zhenlong.
He stood in the doorway with the flashlight.His face was half lit and half shadowed and his eyes found Wenhao immediately.
Wenhao was hugging himself in the middle of the bed, his face pale and his eyes wide and his whole body trembling.
Zhenlong's expression shifted. Something softened in his eyes.
He walked into the room and set the flash light on the table.
"I'm not scared okay" Wenhao said quickly.
Zhenlong raised an eyebrow. "You're shaking."
"That's because I'm cold. Not scared. Cold. There's a difference."
Zhenlong sat down on the chair near the bed and set the flashlight on his knee. He didn't say anything. He just sat there and looked at Wenhao with that unreadable expression.
Wenhao stared back.
"What?" Wenhao demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm not looking at you like anything."
"Yes you are. You're looking at me like I'm a stray kitten you found in a box."
"Well I don't see a difference"
"I'm not a kitten. I'm a hostage. There's a difference."
Zhenlong's mouth twitched. "You're right. Kittens are easier to handle."
Wenhao opened his mouth to argue but another crack of thunder made him jump and he grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to his chin.
Zhenlong watched him and his expression was softer than Wenhao had ever seen it.
"I'm not scared," Wenhao repeated, his voice smaller now.
"I know," Zhenlong said. "You're not scared. You're just... cold."
"Exactly. Cold."
"The power should be back soon."
"It better be. This is a terrible kidnapping experience. No lights. No heating. No entertainment. I'm going to leave a bad review online."
Zhenlong chuckled. "I'll make sure to improve the amenities for my next hostage."
"You better."
Another flash of lightning lit up the room and Wenhao flinched again. He hated the way the darkness made everything feel bigger and more dangerous.
Zhenlong picked up the flashlight and turned it off. And lit a lantern.
"What are you doing?" Wenhao asked, his voice rising. "Why did you do that?"
"Because you're scared of the dark. And I'm trying to help you."
"I'm not scared of the dark. I'm just—"
"Wenhao."
Zhenlong's voice was quiet but firm. Wenhao stopped talking.
"Come here," Zhenlong said. "Sit on the floor with me."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because I'm going to teach you how to play chess. And you can't play chess from all the way over there."
Wenhao looked at Zhenlong. Then at the floor. Then back at Zhenlong.
"I don't know how to play chess."
"Good. I'll teach you."
Wenhao hesitated for a long moment. Then he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and hobbled over to the floor. He sat across from Zhenlong and wrapped his arms around his knees.
Zhenlong set up the chess board on the small table between them. The lantern flickered softly and cast warm shadows on their faces.
"This is the king," Zhenlong said, holding up the piece. "If you lose this, you lose the game."
Wenhao nodded.
"This is the queen. She's the most powerful piece. She can move in any direction."
"Why females in make dominated field"
Zhenlong looked at him. "Do you want to learn chess or do you want to have a political debate?"
"Both."
"Focus."
Zhenlong explained the rules slowly and patiently. He didn't rush. He didn't get annoyed when Wenhao asked the same question three times. He just answered each time like it was the first.
"Why do you care about chess?" Wenhao asked after a while. "It's just a board game."
"It's not just a board game," Zhenlong said. "It's strategy. It's patience. It's about seeing the moves before they happen. It's about understanding your enemy."
Wenhao looked at him for a long moment. "You think of everything as a battle, don't you?"
"Everything is a battle."
"That's sad."
"It's practical."
"It's sad and practical."
Zhenlong looked at Wenhao and his expression was unreadable. "You're a strange kid."
"I'm not a kid. I'm nineteen. That makes me an adult."
"The fact that you had to say that proves my point."
Wenhao glared at him but there was no heat behind it. He was too tired and too cold and too grateful for the distraction to really be angry.
They played chess for a while. Wenhao lost badly. Over and over. But he didn't complain.
Then Zhenlong put away the chess board and pulled out a deck of cards.
"Ever played poker?"
"I've played Go Fish."
"That's not poker."
"Then teach me."
Zhenlong taught him how to play poker. How to bluff. How to read faces. How to hide your tells.
"You have a tell," Zhenlong said.
"I do not."
"You do. You bite your lip when you have a good hand."
Wenhao immediately stopped biting his lip.
"Too late," Zhenlong said with a smirk. "I've already seen it."
"You're cheating."
"I'm observing. There's a difference."
They played until Wenhao got bored of losing and started dealing the cards in ridiculous ways. He made up new rules. He declared himself the winner even when he lost. He tried to steal Zhenlong's chips when he wasn't looking.
Zhenlong caught him every time.
"Impressive," Zhenlong said. "You're persistent."
"I'm determined. There's a difference."
They stopped playing after a while and just sat there in the lantern light. The thunder had faded and the rain had softened to a gentle patter against the windows.
Wenhao looked at Zhenlong's face. The shadows made him look older and softer at the same time.
"By The Way" Wenhao asked quietly. "Is kidnapping necessary like for your work"
Zhenlong was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "Because I had nothing once. And I promised myself I would never feel that way again."
"So you take from people who have things."
"Something like that."
"That's not right."
"No. But neither is the world."
Wenhao looked down at his hands. "You could have asked. You could have made a deal. A real deal. Instead of threatening people."
Zhenlong's eyes flashed. "I did ask. I asked your father three times. Politely. Professionally. And he refused each time. What would you have me do?"
"I don't know. Try harder? Be better? Do something that doesn't involve hurting innocent people?"
Zhenlong leaned forward and his voice was low and dangerous. "I have never hurt an innocent person in my life."
"Shen Wei was innocent. He didn't do anything. And you threatened to cut off his fingers."
Zhenlong didn't look away. "I was bluffing. I would never have done it."
"How do I know you're not bluffing right now?"
"Because I don't bluff. Not about things like that."
They stared at each other for a long moment. The air between them was thick and heavy.
Then Wenhao looked away first. "And...amm.... don't tell anyone that I'm scared of darkness"
"Who would I tell?"
Wenhao shrugged. "I don't know. Your scary friends. The servants. The guards. I have a reputation to maintain."
"You have a reputation as a bratty rich kid who throws tantrums."
"That's a great reputation."
"It's certainly something."
Zhenlong got up and walked to the window. The storm had passed and the rain had stopped and a faint light was beginning to creep over the horizon.
"The sun will be up soon," he said. "The power should be back by morning."
Wenhao nodded. "Good."
Zhenlong turned back to look at him. Wenhao was still sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees and his eyes half closed.
He looked tired. And young. And not like a threat at all.
"You should try to sleep," Zhenlong said.
"I can't. Not in the dark."
"Don't worry I'll be here you should sleep"
Wenhao looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
Zhenlong shrugged. "Why not?"
Wenhao studied him for a long moment. Then he nodded and lay down on bed
Zhenlong sat back down in the chair and watched the lantern light flicker.
"Zhenlong?" Wenhao's voice was quiet and sleepy.
"What?"
"Thank you."
Zhenlong didn't respond.