Li spent a long night in the basement of Grady’s house. He sat in the quiet and went over and over the events leading up to the fight. After some time his thoughts ranged wider and she started going through every interaction he and Simon had ever had.

Things had never been good between them.

Even from an early age Simon had always tried to turn everyone else against Li. Li wasn't sure why. He couldn't remember ever doing or saying anything to him to provoke such behaviour. Simon had always stayed well away from Li, often leaving groups when Li joined. But sometimes he didn't leave. And that is when the taunting and the name calling would begin.

It started small. Snickering with his group when Li came nearby. Or boisterous laughter if Li did something stupid where they could see. But then it got uglier. Name calling and taunts about his family. Always his family, again and again Simon would attack Li’s dead parents. And Li would leap to defend them. And sometimes Li didn't even wait for Simon to attack. In the early hours this cycle of attack and attack became clear to Li. And the inevitability of what had happened.

And then those memories began cycling through his head. The sickening noise when the branch hit Simon's face. The initial violent surge of elation as his enemy fell. And then the dawning horror over what he had done. The whimpering from Simon - still only very young when you stood back and looked at him. The blood streaming down Simons face. And the looks from all the others. The revulsion. And finally sitting in the basement and realising the little spots all over his arms and face were the blood of his victim.

Simon’s stomach turned and he heaved up his last meal when he realised that last.

Sitting on the edge of the cot Li shook his head with his face in his hands. He hadn't meant it. Or maybe he had. But he really wished he hadn’t now. And not just because of what would happen in the morning. Li hoped Grady might be lenient but he was realistic enough to realise the punishment was going to be severe. Months of back breaking work. Loss of trips to the market. There was going to be a lot of unpleasantness in Li’s future. He knew it. But that didn't matter. What he had done was wrong. Very wrong. And he would pay the price. He just didn't ever want to feel like this again.

And then his thoughts cir led back to the fight. The rush of blood, the exhilaration and then the horror. If only he had just gotten up and kept walking home. Or had hit a little less hard. He could have come out of this the wronged party.

Alternating between guilt at what he had done and day dreams of what could have been Li finally slept as dawn was approaching.

Two hours later there was a knock on his door and Grady came in.

“Its time”, he said.