Chapter 3: The Morning After

The world fazed in to smudgy cognizance in time with the pulsing throb behind Dawn's eyes. Light lanced at the corner of her eyelids, eliciting a broken moan and a squinty, narrow-eyed peep at the surrounding room. Her tongue tasted dry, bitter, and coated with bile, as if she'd spent most of the night licking sandpaper and motor oil. The secretary tried to shift herself, but her head rolled sideways on the pillow, causing the room to tilt wildly in a flux of nausea that nearly left her retching on the fine floral coverlet.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Mocked a low and feminine voice, as a wet rag plastered itself on her forehead with a sodden 'thwap'.

"You're gonna want to take it easy…You had quite a night."

Dawn's blue eyes rolled up, pupils sorely straining to bring the bleary world into focus. A garbage can was placed near to the bed, she noted, and based on the tang of bitter bile in her nostrils and throat, she wagered it had been gratuitously used during the night.

"Urgh…what happened?" the secretary mumbled thickly, screwing her face up in regards to the appalling assault of the sun. Her memories of last night's endeavors were foggy swirls of impressions and colors.

"You were inebriated and vomiting on the sidewalk. I carried you home and you slept here for the night." Shrugged the Asian woman sitting by the bedside on a small stool. She wore a red plaid shirt, and dark jeans, with a fastidiously polished police badge hanging proudly from a belt loop at her hip. Dark hair, black as pitch, was pulled up and swept into a high ponytail and held tightly in place by a metallic clasp. Her eyes were dark as onyx, controlled and unreadable. Everything about the woman seemed orderly. Not a single hair out of place.

"Everything hurts." Dawn wrinkled up her nose and massaged her temples, trying to alleviate the throbbing in her skull. It felt like someone had smacked her over the head with a brick.

"Here. Try this." The woman handed her a glass. She took it, cautiously sniffing at the liquid within.

"It's just water and some Alka-seltzer." The dark-haired woman explained, observing her visitor's trepidation. "It'll make you feel better. There's some aspirin downstairs. I can get it if you'd like."

Dawn steeled her nerves, and let the fizzing liquid slide down her throat. It tasted foul mixed with the memories of the whiskey and vomit. She shuddered, and handed the empty glass back to the woman. The secretary shifted on the bed, desperately fighting her body's desire to upend her still roiling stomach.

She wrestled herself into a sitting position, tensing her muscles and clenching her jaw to ignore the wild tilting of her vision. She focused on her breathing, counting slowly in her head to center herself. When the sense of vertigo passed, she glanced up to study the implacable face of her protector.

"Thank you for helping me, Miss…uh…" Dawn realized she had no inkling of the identity of the woman who had saved her. She flushed with embarrassment.

"Most people call me Li."

"Is that Chinese?" Dawn cocked her head curiously to the side.

"No. It's short. For… Magnolia." The officer's voice hitched low as her full name slid past her lips. "My parents named me after the white flowers that grow on the trees back home… they wanted me to be their perfect little delicate flower. I guess they had a stupid sense of humor." Dark eyes glanced down to the floor as she shifted awkwardly with the explanation.

"Oh..." Dawn replied, considering for a moment. " It's pretty…but it doesn't fit you very well."

Li chuckled "Glad to see someone else agrees. I hate it. 'Li' holds more of my heritage, anyways. And it just sounds better."

"My name's Dawn. Dawn Briarton. It's French, I think." the secretary yammered aimlessly, hoping that the small talk would take her mind off the pounding in her head.

"Pretty." Li mumbled. Far better than 'Magnolia' the officer thought cynically to herself.

"Know what the French word for 'Dawn' is?"

"No."

"Aurora."

The word rang in the still air of the room, and seemed to jangle, bell-like, in the young officer's skull. Repeating and repeating with an odd familiarity.

AuroraAuroraAuroraAuroraAuro ra

Distant memories of things she didn't understand seemed to stir; but Li could not grasp at them. They whispered like tendrils of smoke through her thoughts… intangible and just out of reach, but ever-present.

She shook her head to clear it.

"Interesting." She mused "Know what the Chinese word for 'Magnolia' is?"

"No."

"It's Mulan."

"Mulan." Dawn rolled the name on her tongue, thoughtfully. It felt good in her mouth. Soft, and warm, as if the name inherently belonged on her lips. "I like that…It fits you better than Magnolia. Would you mind if I called you Mulan?"

A rare smile graced the Asian woman's features. Her lips pulled up crookedly, and genuine happiness danced in her dark eyes. A smile of sharing. A smile between new friends.

"Sure. But I'll have to find a nickname for you too, now." The officer replied, playful teasing mischief sparked brightly in the depths of her dark eyes. "How about 'princess'?"