Action Required

bb!Mǐn and bb!Sīqì! (well, they're 12.)
==Meta==
Date/TiMǐng: 2010
Setting: Hong Kong
==Text==
「/Godzilla's totally getting a remake, my uncle said so!」 
You are twelve and you are bored. 
「Your uncle's all talk. It's never going to happen.」 
Sunlight's streaming in the classroom windows and Sīqì's staring right back. 
「He is not, and it will too!」
The back of your neck prickles. 
「Good afternoon, children,」 calls your teacher. 
You and your classmates scramble to your feet and bow. 「Good afternoon, Teacher.」
「Please be seated.」 
You plunk back down and tug Sīqì's skirt for good measure. 
She jumps and drops; not the last one standing but pretty close. 
Your teacher starts roll call. 
「Ali?」
「Present.」
Sīqì returns to studying the sunlight.
The boy in front raises his hand. 「Here.」
「Xiùyīng?」
「Haven't left yet!」
Your classmates giggle. 
You don't.
「Yáng?」 
「Here.」 
「Tang Mǐn?」
You wave. 「Present!」
「Sīqì?」
She stares at the window. 
「Sīqì!」 you hiss. 
She jumps. 「Here!」
「Thank you for joining us,」 says Teacher. 
「You okay?」 you whisper. 
「Just a feeling,」 murmurs Sīqì. 
「Action required?」
「Don't know yet.」
You can work with that. 「Do we have choir today?」
「So far as I know.」
「Girls?」
You and Sīqì flinch. 「Sorry, Teacher!」 
Your teacher shakes her head. 「Guìyīng?」
「Here!」
The rest of class passes uneventfully. Sīqì manages to stay in the 'now' all period, and you and the Mǐn in 4-E only get yourselves mixed up twice. 
Math becomes Literature and then Thursday is finally over and you can spend the evening throwing bits of paper at Wen. 
You don't have anyone to wait for at the gate—Jié's coMǐng with her mom from the doctor's and 4-E Mǐn has gym so you usually just meet at the train—so you wave at the attendant and head off down the street. 
You, being you, trip over your own feet; you stay upright but the rip of fabric makes you want to cry. 
「「That wasn't it.」」
「The feeling?」 you reply, inspecting your skirt. 
「Yea. It's bad,」 says Sīqì. 
You can't cry but the seam's torn past your hip. 「Action required?」 
「I don't know yet.」
You throw down your skirt in frustration: the knot from your last patch job tore right through the fabric and now that part's useless. 「That's the third time this month!」
Sīqì offers her arm. 「I've got extra thread. We can fix it on the train.」 
You take her arm and blink back tears. 「Mom's gonna kill me.」
「No, she's not.」
「Experience, calling my bluff, or have the Heavens spoken?」
「Mmm ....」 Sīqì mulls it over. 「First and last. Your mom was your age once, and they're serving green jello in the cafeteria tomorrow and I get two servings.」 She gives you a knowing look. 「No one else would give me their green jello except you.」 
You sniff—Sīqì hands you a tissue—and sneeze. 
「Thanks.」
「You're welcome.」 
At the platform, a guard spies the two of you and ushers you through the crowd to [a] car cleared out for children. 
You and Sīqì thank him and bow in unison. 
He smiles and ruffles your hair. 
There are still seats and Sīqì threads you a needle. Usually your stitches are tidier than hers but the angle's so awkward they look sloppy and unskilled. 
「D'you wanna call Wen?」 she asks. 
「How?」 you sniff. 
Sīqì smiles and addresses a fourteen-year-old across the aisle. 「Excuse me, could my friend borrow your mobile? She needs a change of clothes.」
「Sure.」 The boy hands you his mobile. 
「Ello ello?」 answers Wen. 
「Hey, it's Tang Mǐn.」
「The Untuneable! What's what, kiddo?」
「I tore my skirt and need something to wear,」 you explain, loathing how pathetic you sound. 
「Aww, chin up, Untuneable! I will have a suitable garment available upon your arrival. I can't guarantee it'll be Mǐn-sized, but you'll be able to wear it home.」
「Thank you very much, Wen.」
「Not a problem! Anything for my tiny manager.」
「You can stop with the short jokes.」
「But you're so tiny and cute! I want to put you all in my pocket—it would probably save on transportation costs actually—」
「I'm hanging up now. Bye, Wen.」
「Pfft, kids these days, no respect—!」
You snap the mobile closed and hand it back. 「Thank you very much.」
「No problem,」 says the boy. 「I'm glad you're unstuck.」
「I am, too, thank you.」
You're on the train for another fifteen Mǐnutes. The arts' center is right there and it's great—
「Oh no.」 Sīqì stops dead. 「It's here.」
「Should we leave?」 
「Heavens no!」 
「So we're knowingly putting ourselves in danger.」
「I think 'danger' is a bit too specific, but, I suppose, yes.」
「I can work with that.」 
You and Sīqì walk up the steps extra slowly. Whether it's dread or an unwillingness to tear open your skirt again, you don't know. 
The blast of cold air is heavenly and you're engulfed in grey silk and yellow plastic—wait, no, grey plastic and yellow silk. You wave your arms and bat at the swirling material until it's finally under control and there's Wen, grinning and—
「You're purple.」
「And you're yellow.」 He presents the dry cleaning bag. 「The Yellow Emperor. I found clothes for you!」 
「I just wrecked my uniform and you want me to wear a priceless costume?」
「It's not priceless,」 Wen scoffs. 「But, it's adjustable~」 he sings. 「And you'll look adorable.」
「You already said I look adorable!」
「Yes, I did, but now you'll be the cutest thing ever without showing off your underwear.」
「Isn't there anything else?」
「You're going to wear it, okay? Just put it on.」
You make it very clear to Wen that you not happy, but you drag yourself to the bathroom anyway. 
「Hey, Googoo, can you give Untuneable a hand?"」 Wen calls, trailing after you with Sīqì. 
And by 'giving Mǐn a hand' he probably means getting changed, not kicking him out because you and Sīqì don't know how. 
「Absolutely perfect,」 says Googoo, admiring her handiwork. 
The costume smells kind of funny but you don't think you should say that. 
「Is there something going on?」 you ask instead. 
Googoo smiles and taps your nose. 「You'll find out soon enough. Have either of you had tea yet?」
You and Sīqì shake your heads. 
.
The play Wen's putting on has the Yellow Emperor in all but two scenes and, thank heavens, it's a silent role. 
The Mǐnute you shuffle off stage, Sīqì, pale and twitchy, grabs your hand and marches the both of you up to your favourite perch above the stage. 
「I'm not going to fall, am I?」 you ask, eyeballing the crisscross of metal beams. 
Sīqì frowns, almost over the stage. 「Green jello?」 
You sigh. 
Sīqì, surefooted as ever, continues to your spot. 
You get on [with] navigating the lighting rig. It's a bit trickier in formal clothes, but you're never more sure of your feet than up here and have hardly any trouble. 
Sīqì's still standing when you catch up. 
「What's up?」 you ask, gathering your robes and easing down. 
Sīqì sits, too.「I've got a bad feeling about this.」] 
「Action required?」
Sīqì tests the joist. 「I can't tell yet.」 
「Something wrong, ladies?」 asks Mr Ng, squatting down beside you. 
「General creepiness,」 you explain. 
「Person, place, or thing?」 
「We don't know.」
「Well,」 Mr Ng stands, holds onto another beam, and stomps. 
The joist vibrates so much you and Sīqì end up riding it a quarter-meter to the left. 
「Seems sturdy enough.」
Category:Ficlet
Category:Siqi
Category:Siqi (ficlet)
Category:Tang Min
Category:Tang Min (ficlet)
Category:Ficlets in need of language stuff
Category:Siqi is (almost) psychic
Category:Wen
Category:Wen (ficlet)
Category:Googoo
Category:Googoo (ficlet)
Category:Pages in need of tags
Category:Mr Ng
Category:Mr Ng (ficlet)
Category:Tang Min's POV
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Work in Progress