Okay, I know he's my boss, but I can't help it. The fact that I get tongue-tied when I talk to him, or blush when someone mentions that me and him have been talking. I'd never really had a boyfriend and if this was what having a crush was like, then I was glad this was my first one. As Olivia had pointed out, I had it bad. Not that I had forgotton about Nicholas, he haunted my time alone and I began distracting myself with anything, mainly the gym. I was figuring that unless someone actually came up and told me how he died, I wasn't going to figure it out, but I couldn't help that my mind kept drifting to it.
So the dark circles under my eyes, must of tipped Olivia that was something was off. I had been working at the base for eight months now, and was diffentely hoping another promotion was coming. So I didn't want to do anything that might ruin my chances, however Olivia had other plans.
"Guess what?", she pounced on me, as I walked through the door, tired.
"What", I moaned.
"You, me, China, my parents brought as both tickets. They visting my Uncle in Shang Simla and they thought a trip might do us good", she said, I knew the us really meant you.
"I don't know with work", I started.
"It's only five days so you can just take four days off we leave on Friday night. Thats a good week to prepare", she interrupted.
"Why do I feel, I'm not being given a choice?", I asked.
"Your not, unless you want to call mum and dad and explain why you aren't using their non-refundable ticket", she said rather to innocently.
"Fine I'll asked for the time off. Thanks Livvy", I said hugging her.
I knew underneath it all she was worried about me, and maybe what I needed was a break.
I put through a request for day off on Monday and was told Alexander would let me know later on that day. He said it was fine and that I was due some time off anyway, so thats how I ended up in China. We had to stay in a base camp as Olivia's Uncle's house was getting renovated.
It was really nice and it was a relief to see Aunt Jade and Uncle Santoz again.
They both completly fussed over me telling me it was my holiday to relax, and I shot Olivia dirty looks knowing she had been sprouting off to them. Doing nothing was fine for about a day but the next day I decided to visit an old tomb.
I loved the feeling of being in a place so old and well remembered. I found some old coins, but I'm pretty sure they were just put in their so tourists would feel special about finding something.
When I got back to the camp, Olivia's Uncle Andy started telling me about other places I might be interested in.
"Then there's one in the city, you can have a look at bits of the Terracouta Army, oh and theirs the tomb I've nicknamed the Treachrous Truth", he told me.
"Why is called the Treachrous Truth", I asked, interested.
"Oh no, now you've got him started", Livvy wailed walking away.
"Don't worry about her, I'll tell you the short version. It's about a man and the choice he made. There was a terrible sickness spreading through the village. One day the man found out that a wealthy family had found the cure, but would only sell medicines that weren't the cure as it would give them more money. The man confronted him about it, but the men repeatedly said he had no proof. Afraid of been ridculed and being called a fool, losing his standing the man left it. Many died of the sickness even members of the man's own family. On the tomb wall he said, "The truth is always treachrous and death follows closely behind it, who would want to know it? But if you do what will you chose, your life, or many others?"
"He must of felt horrible", I exclaimed.
"Of course but he made a choice to refuse to do the right thing and he had to live with the consequences of his actions", he said sadly.
"I would never do that", I said.
"How would you know?", he asked.
My last day in China I decided to take a trip to the market, I decided not to take a trip to the tomb of the Treachrous Truth as maybe Andy was right maybe I would make the other choice. For my job, for my friends, for everything, isn't that what the mans standing was. The market was pretty empty and I took my time looking through the shops.
"I can't go back there now", I heard a man complain.
"Stop fussing its not that far", another person replied.
"Yes but I have a meeting and then my plane leaves", he cried.
"Well, ain't nothing I can do about that", the other man said shrugging.
"Can I help?", I asked walking up.
I don't know why I did, but the man's innocent looks made me feel kind of bad for him.
"Oh yes, I left something somewhere could you get it for me?", he asked.
I nodded and he gave me the directions to were he had left his package, I promised to met him back here in a few hours. I was totally aware I could be walking into a trap, but the man seemed completly trustworthy.
I used Andy's bike to get half way there and then hiked the rest of the way. I searched the spot for what seemed like ages, under bushes in dirt piles, but nothing. I was sure by now that I had the wrong spot. Voices came up to where I was standing and something about the sound of them, made me hide behind some bushes. One man came up, waiting around for a bit, obviously waitng for someone.
When they second person did come up, I had to do a double take, because I'm sure I had seen that face before.
Except that face was meant to be buried beneath the ground dead. It looked exactly like the pictures I had seen of Nicholas Graham, but I had to be worng, he just looked alot alike him thats all, I thought.
"Nicholas Graham, back from the dead", the man said as he came up. Maybe I wasn't crazy then.
He smiled, saying, "Ha, you should of seen my funeral. It was worth it just to see them cry over me like they actually cared." Okay maybe this person was Nicholas Graham.....so what did it mean?
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