One More Time

AN: Hey guys, sorry for the super long wait! I’ve been super busy with my temp job recently and couldn't find the time to complete the chapter. I'm so so so sorry *bows*. THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO WAITED!

Note: Italicized speech is in English

Chapter 5

Darkness.

It entraps me.

I can’t breathe.

Oh wait a minute, I can breathe again. Must have been a blocked nose.

I sit up and take a look around. I have absolutely no idea where I am. It seems to be a  in a makeshift bedroom of sorts. Paint was peeling off the walls and cracks were running through the concrete floor. I try getting up but find myself being held down by restraints, chained by my wrists to a metallic bed frame. I struggle to break free and the restraints surprisingly come off with ease. I quickly slip off the bed and sit up in a daze. The queasy feeling in my gut tells me that I need to escape from this strange place, immediately. A sudden loud knock came from the door and a figure steps into the room.

“Going somewhere baby?”

“F-Fany? What are you doing here?”

“Here to show you our baby of course!”

“Baby? We have a baby? You’re pregnant? How?” I hollered in surprise.

“Was. Stop shouting, you’ll scare her. Don’t you remember Tae Tae? How could you forget our sweet angel? ”

“S-sorry dear. Can I see her?”

“Aww, look at her. She’s so happy to see you” Tiffany cooed as she handed the bundle in her arms to me. I looked down at the face of my supposed newborn and almost threw her to the ground.

“Sunny? You’re my child?” I exclaimed in shock. Her reply confused me even further.

“Tae Yeon, wake up!”

“Wake up? What are you talking about? Babies aren’t supposed to be able to talk!”

“Wake up blondie! Time to go shopping!”

“Shopping? You’re too young to go shopping!”

“Tae Yeon! Wake Up!”

I immediately shot up and stared at the front door. Everything was just a hideous dream. I clasped my hands together and let out a huge sigh of relief, none of it was real. I wrapped my blanket around myself and opened the front door to come face to face with the

source of my nightmare.

“You will never become my child. Ever.”

“What are you talking about? I’m too old to be your child!”

“Never.”

“Yeesh, someone must have forgotten to take their crazy pills today. Why are you still wrapped up like a baby? Go get dressed! We have a city to explore!”

“Wait, we’re travel buddies now?”

“Might as well. I don’t understand the language that well and you seem to be decent enough. Plus travelling together will be safer than travelling alone.”

“Then I’ll be the one doing all the work?”

“Um… well about that. I have a map and a list of places that we can visit. It’s always better to have a plan right?”

Sunny handed over a to-do list she had prepared beforehand. I studied it for awhile and gave a noncommittal grunt of approval. This entire trip was pretty last minute so I had overlooked the planning of my itinerary; having a map on hand would be definitely be a better option than wondering around the city aimlessly. The two of us ending up in some random back alley would be the absolute worst.

“Take a seat on the couch, give me 10 minutes to freshen up and change.”  I motioned with my head towards the couch. I changed into a pair of jeans along with a plain white v-neck tee after running through my usual morning routine. I threw on a blue, plaid, long-sleeved shirt at the last minute, just in case the wind picked up.

Sunny was totally engrossed with the game on her phone, wanting to have a bit of fun, I decided to sneak up on her. I slowly crept up behind her and slowly raised my arms above her head ready to grab her by the shoulders.

“Kim Tae Yeon!” She suddenly shouted as she turned around. I let out a yelp of surprise as I stumbled backwards while flailing my arms about like a distressed chicken.

“You’re 10 years too early to be sneaking up on me blondie. Let’s head out now!” I snapped out of my daze as Sunny began to pull me towards the door. I grabbed my backpack off the couch as I was dragged along. This was going to be a long day.

We hailed a taxi and made our way towards the very first stop on Sunny’s list. The most prominent and outstanding landmark of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. Sunny and I weaved through the masses loitering on the bridge in an attempt to find a good spot for sightseeing or photo-taking. I finally emerged from the crowd and leaned against the railing and let out a sigh. Never was a huge fan of crowds.

My annoyance was soon dispelled as I looked up and took in the grand view. The surface of the ocean glimmered as the currents rolled along, the vastness bridge accentuated the feeling of awe I felt. I took in a deep breath of fresh ocean air when realisation struck, Sunny was nowhere to be found. Panic rose in my chest when I realised that we had no way of contacting one another. I took another deep breath in an effort to calm myself. The entire point of this trip was for relaxation, not to give myself more worries. I juggled between the thought of staying where I was or leaving to look for Sunny. I decided that it was best if I searched for her back where we came from. As I was about to turn and walk off, a voice called out to me.

“Excuse me, could you describe the view to me?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around, so yes I’m talking to you.”

I was extremely puzzled by her strange request. I studied her for a while, she had delicate yet defined features. I couldn’t see her eyes as they were obscured by a pair of sunglasses. I then noted that she was holding onto a white cane, the kind that was used by those who were visually-impaired.

“The rest of the bridge is a little to the left. The sea is right in front of us, the water is pretty calm today.”

“Can you describe the water to me please?”  

“It’s really bright so the surface of the water looks really shiny, as if there were millions of diamonds floating in the water. The water has a deep shade of blue, it’s really calming.”

“Hmm, it must be quite a view. Thank you for your help…”

“Tae Yeon.”

“Thank you for your help Tae Yeon, my name is Jessica. You aren’t from around here are you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Your accent. It was nice meeting you, I hope you have a pleasant trip.”

“Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Hmm, call out to me if you do because I sure won’t be able to.”

Jessica turned away and left without another word.

Somewhere in a highly-secured “I Enterprises” top secret research facility…

A warning siren went off as a trio of burly men dressed in bodysuits burst out into the corridors of the research facility in an attempt to find an escape route. They were soon surrounded by a large group of security personnel.

“You’re surrounded, you can’t escape. Return the blueprints right now!” The trio wordlessly looked at one another and reached into their pockets.

“Stop moving or we’ll shoot!”

“Too late.” The tallest of the trio said with a victorious smirk on his face as they vanished into thin air.

“Darn it, they took the teleportation devices! Search the compound! They couldn’t have travelled more than 2 kilometres since it’s just a prototype. Avoid one-on-one confrontations, we’re not sure what they’re capable of. Move out!”

Chaos erupted throughout the compound as security scurried all over in an attempt to locate the perpetrators. They would soon realise that it was much too late as the trio had already escaped onto a plane and were on their way to meet a special employer.

“The new boss better pay well. That was one heck of a tough mission.”

“Don't worry, I’ve negotiated a good price for us. These blueprints are for that new project. This information will be valuable for its competitors.”

“I hope so, I ain’t risking years of my life for a few pennies. Let's go meet the boss.”

The trio disembarked from the plane and waited for the arrival of their mysterious new employer. A feminine-looking figure stepped out of the shadows. Her features were hidden by a intricate gold mask with silver ts, exposing only .

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance Song Brothers.”

The trio immediately got down onto one knee and placed a fist on the ground with their heads bowed. They dared not to look up when they realised who she was.

“The pleasure is ours. We are honoured to at be at your service. Long live the Empress.”

Till Next Time :)