Page 92 of Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)

“You are human trafficking victim. No. You are human trafficking survivor.”

It still seems surreal to think of herself with that label. Even after talking to Selena and hearing those words from her. “Human traffickers” was what Selena had called Mother and Father. Penxi knows it’s true, but she never thought of herself as a victim of human trafficking.

Selena had assured her that the authorities would be reviewing her case with a sympathetic eye, given the circumstances, but still, Tilly had assigned one of his colleagues to represent Penxi anyway. He is unable to represent her himself due to a conflict of interest, but Vera says she will nag him into overseeing Penxi’s case and making sure they have the best people on it. It has been a very strange, very wild few days, and through it all, Vera has refused to leave her side, flapping fiercely at anyone she thinks might cause Penxi any distress.

“How is Channary settling in?” Penxi says.

“So-so. Has many nightmares. Julia say Emma start sleeping with Channary so she won’t be so scared.”

Penxi smiles at the thought of little Emma soothing Channary back to sleep after a nightmare.

“They are trying to find her parents back in Cambodia.”

“That’s good.”

“Adi and Robin have find your real parents, by the way.”

Penxi sits up. “What? How?”

“These teenagers with their phones, how do I know? I have their phone number right here. You want to give them call?”

Penxi’s mouth turns into a desert. It’s been so long. What would she say? “Do they know what happened to me?”

“Yes, I think police already talk to them.”

Penxi starts shaking. “I don’t know what to say to them. It’s been so long. What if they’re angry or upset or—”

Vera squeezes her hand. “Penxi, look at me.”

She does so, and lets the strength in Vera’s eyes wash across her whole body.

“You don’t have to say anything. They are your parents, they been so worried about you. They will only be happy to see you. I know this because I am a mother. Trust me.”

Somehow, Penxi manages a nod. She watches wordlessly, her thoughts a complete scramble, as Vera makes the call, then passes the phone to her.

Though she hasn’t heard their voices in over a decade, the moment they say, “Penxi? Is that you?” everything comes flooding back. Their smiling faces. The love in their eyes. The concern. She has forgotten what it was like to have real parents. Not Mother or Father.

Tears stream down Penxi’s face as she says, “Mama, Baba.”

Thirty-One

XANDER

The Night Before His Last

Xander isn’t his real name, but neither is Thomas, so Xander doesn’t think it matters what people call him. And anyway, he likes the name Xander. Xander sounds like someone who’s got his crap together. Xander sounds like someone who wears the latest Nike sneakers and drives a cool sports car. And, most importantly, Xander definitely does not sound like the kind of person who would spend all of his time scamming people out of their hard-earned money.

Xander is who he wants to be. But in the end, maybe he just can’t help being a scam artist, because what started out as a little escapism has ended up being yet another huge lie.

He created this entire life because he needed an escape. Something to dream about, no matter how unrealistic. Xander knows it will never come true, but then he got carried away by the online world. By all of the beautiful people in it, and Aimes, so sweet and kind. When she asked him out, he had to turn her down. Hecouldn’t date her, he didn’t know how to keep up the ruse in person. He was so scared of losing her, so he turned around and offered her one thing he could: a fake relationship.

Those stolen hours at Aimes’s place, making videos, are probably some of the best times Xander has experienced. He makes sure to keep them short, leaving her apartment as soon as they are done, but he wishes he could stay on. It was after one of these sessions, as Xander walked through Chinatown, that he found Qiang Wen’s dumpling shop. He hadn’t expected to make a connection with Qiang Wen, but Xander was lonely, and it was obvious that Qiang Wen was as well. And so, just for a few hours each week, Xander had someone to talk to. Someone who reminded him of his grandfather back home. And could he be blamed for wanting to add that to Xander’s online life?

Then TJ had reached out to offer representation, and Xander was amazed. He now had not just a girlfriend and a grandfather, but also a career manager. The American Dream come true.

Except, as time went on, the dream turned into a nightmare. Mother and Father found out. Of course they did. He should’ve known they would. They were angry at first, then they saw an opportunity in it. They saw opportunities in everything; that was their problem, really. And they wanted Xander to use his online profile to scam more people.

Xander Lin was his own creation, his one escape from this hell he had somehow landed himself in, and he couldn’t let Mother and Father dirty it. He’d had enough. He knew the risks. He’d seen what happened to siblings who stepped out of line. He’d experienced Father and Mother’s violence himself. And Mother and Father were always so proud about having a contact within the police force, someone who would help them get out of troubleshould anything come out. They’d convinced Thomas for so many years that if he ever went to the police, all that would happen is that he’d get charged as a scammer, but nothing would ever touch Mother and Father. But enough was enough. He was going to come clean online. Skip the police to circumvent the possibility of a dirty cop cleaning things up, and just reveal everything on social media. Burn this whole stinking operation to the ground. He’d end up in prison himself, but it was what he deserved.

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