Hiding Pandora by Mercy Amare Read Free Book Online Page A

after listening to 2NE1’s dubstep beat.
    Everybody claps, so I give a bow.
    “That was awesome ,” Winston tells me as the crowd clears.
    “Thanks,” I say.
    “Where did you learn to dance like that ?” he asks.
    “I took a dance class every day after school. I taught myself a lot, too,” I tell him. “I would practice dancing when I had a study break at school or before bed. I mean, it’s just for fun. Something to get my mind off studies for a bit.”
    “You studied a lot. What do you want to do?” he asks. “You should be a professional dancer.”
    I laugh. “I actually think that I’ll join the CIA, like my appa . I hope that I’m able to attend college in South Korea. Though, being a dancer would be fun. My dream job, though, is to be a Mukbang .”
    “What’s a Mukbang ?”
    “I was kidding,” I say, laughing. “But a Mukbang is somebody who gets paid to eat food in front of the camera and talk. Basically, the person on camera eats a lot of food in as little time as they can. They take requests from the audience. ”
    “I can’t believe that’s a job.”
    “Me, either,” I say. “But it is. One girl got paid eighteen thousand US dollars in five minutes.”
    “That’s completely nuts,” he says.
    “A little. But, I admit, I watched a couple of Makbangs pretty regularly when I lived there,” I say. “So, you ready to dance?”
    “There is no way I can move my body like that,” he says. “I’m not that flexible.”
    “You’re just thinking too much. Your control your body, not the other way around,” I say. “Just feel the music.”
    I move my hips.
    He tries to mimic, but he ends up moving his whole body in an awkward way.
    I really try not to laugh, but I can’t help myself.
    “See, I’m hopeless,” he says.
    “You’re not hopeless. You just need practice.” Lots and lots of practice.
    “If you’re my teacher, I’m totally willing to learn,” he says. “Really, I’d use any excuse to spend time with you.”
    His words make my heart flutter. “I think I’d like that, too.”

    11 p.m.
    We have a problem.

    There is another party in the fields tonight. I’m worried about walking through the woods again, but Winston wants to go hang out, so I suck it up decide to go with him. Certainly, there won’t be a wild animal on campus, right?
    When I open my dorm room window, Winston is standing there waiting for me. I jump gracefully down beside him.
    “Are you a ninja?” he asks.
    “Are you asking that because I’m Asian?” I joke.
    He laughs. “From the way you talk, your dad is pretty badass. And he’s white.”
    I nod. “True. I don’t remember much about my mom, but what I do remember is that she was a girly girl. She loved shopping, having her hair and nails done, and she loved to keep the house clean. Every night she would have dinner cooked for my dad. She loved to bake and do laundry. From what I understand about American culture, women here don’t really do that.”
    “Yeah. Most women like to get jobs and help support their families,” he says.
    “I guess I can understand that,” I say. “I want to join the CIA like my appa .”
    “Does your dad know that?”
    I laugh. “No. My appa would freak out. He doesn’t want me to have a lifestyle like his. But I find it fascinating. I mean, mostly I wish I had been raised normally, but I haven’t been. I’ve been hiding my whole life. Why not help take down the terrorist group that has been trying to kill me for the past twelve years?”
    “I think it’s good that you want to do that,” he says. “You’re not afraid to fight.”
    “Definitely not,” I agree.
    We reach the edge of the woods, and suddenly I feel nervous. But I’m not worried about a wild animal attacking. I just have a really bad feeling. I reach into my purse and put a hand on my gun, ready to use it if I need to.
    I shake my head at myself.
    I’m just being paranoid. Nobody is in the woods. It’s just a bunch of teenagers