“Taeyeon! Taeyeon!” Hearing her name called, a small head popped out from behind a giant wreath, “Oh there you are. I need order number 22 from the back.”

Upon haring her mother’s request, the smaller girl hurried into the back of the store. Since her family owned a flower shop and book store, the flowers on order had to be kept in a humidified greenhouse in the back away from the books that would be destroyed due to the intense humidity. Taeyeon always thought that it was a strange combination of stores but her father was an avid bookworm while her mother liked taking care of pretty things such as flowers; this was the ideal compromise. The bookstore didn’t need much assistance because her father could manage that section well on his own, but the flower shop required constant work, therefore, Taeyeon was usually helping her mother fetch orders and caring for the flowers.

Lugging a huge congratulatory wreath, the smaller girl struggled to make her way back up to the front where her mother and the customer was waiting, “Order 22.”

“Thank you dear.” Her mother said as she finished the order for the customer.

Seeing the store practically empty because it was nearing the end of the day, Taeyeon decided to seek solace in the bookstore, away from the intense humidity of the greenhouse she was in all day. Since she was young, Taeyeon knew she took after her father. Every night he would bring new books home and shared with her the intense plots of stories packed with action, adventure, and romance. When she got older, she would find herself seeking out books and reading them until the sun came up.

As the girl was grazing the bookshelves near the back, a particular book with a blue cover caught her attention, “Humm...I haven’t seen this before?” Taeyeon took the book out of the slot before taking a seat in an empty corner between the bookshelves, “I wonder if dad will let me borrow this...looks interesting.” Deciding to read the book a little before dinner, Taeyeon hunched in the corner and began reading. She was so engrossed in the book that she practically had a heart attack when she noticed someone in a dark hoodie near her section, “I thought we were closing...” she whispered.

Taeyeon was about to get up and tell the person that the store was closing but she chose to stay seated and watch the person. It was hard to tell if the person was a boy or girl since the hood was up and their back was facing Taeyeon, but while she was watching, Taeyeon witnessed something unbelievable. The person took the book and stuffed it under their hoodie.

“Hey you!” Taeyeon yelled out. The person looked back startled and took off running, “stop! You can’t take that!”

Taeyeon was a bit slow getting up but she attempted to chase after the person although she was pretty sure the thief was long gone by now, however to her surprise she saw her father holding the criminal, “What is under your sweater?”

Taeyeon watched from a distance as her father took matters into his own hands. The person tried to struggle out of his strong grasp but all it did was throw the hood off her head. Taeyeon was a bit surprised to see dark brown locks released from the hood and the flash of a very beautiful face came into view, “I didn’t steal!”

Mr. Kim reached under the sweater taking out three books, “Were you going to pay for these?”

The girl looked down, “Borrow.”

“I saw you running out. I am going to have to call the police.”

Suddenly the girl threw herself down on the ground to plea, “Please! Don’t call the cops.”

Taeyeon knew her dad was a very sympathetic man and would probably not call the police, “Miss you were caught stealing...”

“Please! I can’t...I can’t...go back...” The girl said as tears started streaming down her face.

Mr. Kim bent down to look the girl in the eyes and that was when he saw the bruise on her shoulder and a recovering bruise on her eye and lip, “Where are you from?”

The girl quickly threw her hood back on, “Nowhere.”

Mr. Kim sighed, thinking that this girl, who was close to his daughter’s age, might have run away from home. She looked a bit skinny so he asked the first thing that came to mind, “We are about to have dinner...want to join us?” The man saw the girl’s hesitance, “I won’t call the police. I am just asking you to have a meal with us...that is if you have nowhere else to be.”

Just then, Taeyeon’s mother came behind her grasping her shoulder, “Taeyeon dear. Start preparing the rice for four tonight.” Mrs. Kim released her daughter as she went over to join her husband with the girl as Taeyeon left for the kitchen.

Taeyeon sluggishly went up the stairs and unlocked the door to their home that was situated above their store. In her 17 years of life, she had never actually seen someone try to steal before but she was relieved for some reason that the girl chose their store to steal from. Her parent’s compassion was probably something the girl needed.

It was a little while longer until Taeyeon’s mother joined her in the kitchen, “Mom...what happened to that girl?”

Mrs. Kim took out a few dishes from the refrigerator to heat up, “What do you mean Taeyeon?”

“I saw she had a cut on her face.”

Sighing, Mrs. Kim stopped cooking to face her daughter, “I don’t know Taeyeon but sometimes there are bad things that happen without us truly understanding why that person deserved to be treated that way. If that girl wants to tell us what happened and why she is running away, then she would have to face her demons first. Facing cruelty for a second time is not easy...we may never know why she ran away or why she has those marks on her face.”

“So she did run away?”

“It seems that way.”

“So we will feed her and then let her go? Where will she go?”

“Maybe the streets?”

Taeyeon creased her eyebrows, “Why can’t she stay here?”

“Do you want her to stay with us Taeyeon? She tried taking your parent’s money?”

“But...she can’t live on the streets.”

Mrs. Kim smiled as the innocence glowing from Taeyeon’s eyes, “If you want her to stay, why don’t you ask her after dinner?”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course dear.”

Taeyeon gave a shy smile as she continued to help her mother prepare dinner for four that night.

With the dishes filling the table, Taeyeon went out to get her father and the girl. When she entered the living area, she noticed the girl hugging her backpack tight as her father read the newspaper, “D-dinner...is ready.”

Putting down the paper, Mr. Kim stood up followed by the girl who kept her head down low.

With all the people situated at the dinner table, Mr. Kim started by holding folding his hands, “Let’s say grace.” Being a religious family, the Kims started each meal by saying grace and sharing good things they saw throughout the day, “Miss...do you have something to say?”

All eyes landed on the girl who kept mum most of dinner. Taeyeon was anticipating the girl to say something but she continued her silence as she shook her head.

Seeing as most of the dishes were finished, Mrs. Kim smiled at her daughter, “Taeyeon do you have something to ask?”

Taeyeon looked straight at the girl and gulped, “Umm...do you have a name?”

The girl looked up from her hood to meet Taeyeon’s eyes, “J-Jessica.”

Smiling, Taeyeon continued, “Jessica...do you want to stay the night with us?” Confused, the girl looked around the table, “My room is big...more than enough room for two people.”

Mrs. Kim saw the girl’s eyes shift from side to side, “Jessica do you want to stay with Taeyeon for the night? It seems like she wants you to stay with us a bit longer.”

“Can I?” Jessica said as her voice shook.

Mrs. Kim stood up from the table, “Of course. Taeyeon, why don’t you fetch the spare bedding in our room?”

Taeyeon didn’t notice that she was smiling happily as she got up from the table to prepare an extra bed in her room. While she was getting the bedding, she also grabbed a spare towel before entering her room. Upon reentering her room, Taeyeon jumped back a little when she noticed the black figure standing in the middle of the room clutching her backpack, “J-jessica...I brought you a towel. You can take a shower while I prepare the bedding?”

Jessica looked down at the towel before looking back up at Taeyeon without saying a word.

Taeyeon noticed the girl’s constant hesitance, “Why does she look at me like I am going to poison her?” Taeyeon thought as she placed the towel on her dresser, “Do you want some spare clothes from me too?”

Finally the girl moved and took the towel before heading straight into the bathroom and locking the door.

Scratching the back of her head, Taeyeon looked at the closed door confused, “Strange...” Since she was waiting for her turn in the bathroom, Taeyeon laid out the bedding for Jessica before making up her own bedding on the floor next to her. Another smile appeared on the girl’s face as she heard the shower start, “I guess she figured out how to use the shower.” Although Jessica never agreed to the fact that she needed spare clothing, Taeyeon dug out some old sweats and a T-shirt in case Jessica wanted a change of clothes for the night.

A little while later with her hair dripping wet, Jessica emerged from the shower. This was the first time that Taeyeon got a clear view of the girl’s face since she was void of that hoddie she hid behind. Taeyeon traced the marks on the girl’s face. Some were more prominent than others but Taeyeon could see that despite the markings, Jessica was beautiful. Jessica slowly entered the room looking at the bedding wondering which one was hers.

Taeyeon cleared to get the girl’s attention, “I left some clothes there on your bedding. You can change if you want while I wash up.” Seeing as the girl wasn’t moving, Taeyeon guessed she wanted some privacy so Taeyeon entered the bathroom to ready for bed. After finishing her shower and brushing her teeth, Taeyeon opened the door slightly to see if the girl was dressed or not. As she peaked through the door crack, she saw Jessica sitting on the bed while she looked at something hidden in her backpack, but the girl was dressed in the clothes Taeyeon proved.

Seeing as it was safe to go out, Taeyeon opened the door fully but as she did so, Jessica quickly closed her backpack and hid under the covers. Not wanting to disturb the girl any more tonight, Taeyeon just shut off the lights and went under her covers, “Good night Jessica.”

Taeyeon wasn’t surprised that she didn’t hear a response so she closed her eyes and lulled herself to dreamland, but right before she succumbed to a deep slumber, Taeyeon thought she heard someone say Good Night back to her.

------------------------

It was a school day. Taeyeon had exactly one week of school before her two week holiday started. With the idea that holiday was going to come soon, Taeyeon found it difficult to awaken in the morning. Her mind was already telling her to sleep in although the holiday didn’t even start yet. However, the pesky alarm near her head buzzed and buzzed causing a very groggy Taeyeon to sit up. However, in her tiredness, she forgot that last night she had another guest in her room and Taeyeon fell flat on her face after tripping over a body.

Now being very awake, Taeyeon opened her eyes widely at the person who was also looking at her alarmed, “I am so sorry!” Hurrying to get up, Taeyeon stumbled around until she kneed beside Jessica, “Did I hurt you? I really forgot you were here...”

Jessica sat up and pulled her knees to her chest before shaking her head no.

Taeyeon rubbed her bed head a bit, “You can go back to sleep. I have some morning chores before school to do right now.” About to get up again, Taeyeon quickly turned back around to face Jessica, “Unless you want to help me?”

Jessica looked at the girl in amazement until she shook her head yes.

Taeyeon smiled happily as she helped the girl up and they both got changed. Taeyeon quickly went into her school uniform while Jessica reverted back to her ripped jeans and black hoodie. As they went down the stairs, they were greeted by Mrs. Kim who was busy preparing breakfast for the girls, “Oh Jessica…you are up too? Did you sleep well? Taeyeon can be a noisy sleeper sometimes.”

Taeyeon ducked away bashfully knowing her sleeptalking habits, “It was fine.”

Taeyeon smiled a bit thinking the girl didn’t seem to mind her strange habits, “Umm mom Jessica and I will take care of the greenhouse.”

Mrs. Kim was surprised Jessica was following Taeyeon to do actual work but she smiled at the fact that Taeyeon was looking after the girl.

The two girls entered the greenhouse and Taeyeon showed her how to turn on the sprinklers while she looked for weeds in the flower beds. Jessica was silent but she followed Taeyeon’s instructions carefully until Mrs. Kim instructed the girls to go back into the kitchen for breakfast. Although Taeyeon didn’t want to leave Jessica behind, she had to eat quickly so she could go to school.

-----------------------------------

During the last hour of her class, Taeyeon couldn’t focus on anything other than going home to see if Jessica would still be there. She had a strange feeling that the girl would run off and she wouldn’t be able to see the girl ever again. A strange feeling because Taeyeon only knew the girl for 24 hours but there was no doubt that Taeyeon had an attraction to curiosity surrounding the girl. She wanted to know why she ran off, what were those scars and why did she need to steal? Maybe because Jessica was unique…Taeyeon was attracted.

*beep beep beep*

With the sound of the bell, Taeyeon shot up from her seat to go home quickly. She even passed by her friends without acknowledging them causing several messages on her phone to appear shortly after but Taeyeon didn’t care. She wanted to get home and see if Jessica was still there.

Like usual, Taeyeon was greeted by her mother, “mom is she still here?”

Mrs. Kim looked at her daughter confused, “You mean Jessica?”

Taeyeon nodded anxiously, “Yea.”

“She is with your father.”

A flood of relief spread through Taeyeon as she found out Jessica didn’t run for a second time. Having an overwhelming feeling to see the girl, Taeyeon rushed to the bookstore to find her. She didn’t see Jessica or her father, so Taeyeon started going through the bookshelves until she found Jessica being taught the codes to put the books in the correct order by her father, “Oh Taeyeon you are back from school?”

Taeyeon smiled at her father and Jessica who immediately turned around to see her, “Yea appa…umm you need help?”

“Oh no dear. Jessica has been a big help all day. Why don’t you go rest and wash up before dinner.”

Seeing that her father went back to teaching Jessica, Taeyeon decided to go upstairs and wash up before dinner. Once she changed her clothes, Mrs. Kim greeted her daughter in the kitchen, “mom has dad been with Jessica all day?”

“Of course sweetie. After you left for school, Jessica helped me a bit until your father came down and took her away. She listens well…just a bit quiet.” Mrs. Kim said as she peeled the vegetables.

“Why did she stay?” Taeyeon said rather absentmindedly while she helped cut up the peeled vegetables.

Mrs. Kim smiled as she saw her daughter in deep thought, “Do you want her to leave Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon stopped cutting so she could look up at her mother, “Of course not…it is just that I thought she wouldn’t want to stay in an unfamiliar place.”

“Unless she has somewhere to be, I don’t think she would be leaving.”

“No where to go? Doesn’t everyone have a home?”

“Maybe her home was not a home…not everyone is so fortunate like us.”

“A home that isn’t a home…” Taeyeon thought that was a strange concept.

“Hello ladies…the food almost done?” Mr. Kim said as he and Jessica entered the house.

“Everything locked up downstairs honey?”

Mr. Kim nodded, “of course.”

“Dinner will be done soon.” Mrs. Kim said as she finished making the meal.

Once again the family had dinner that was full of happy stories and daily gossip. Taeyeon wanted to laugh more but she was constantly distracted by the girl next to her that was rather quiet. She didn’t smile much and didn’t say any words while her parents talked about a few interesting customers of the day. Taeyeon wanted to know what was going on in her head. She wanted to know everything Jessica wasn’t saying.

After preparing for bed, Taeyeon laid in her bed wide awake. She knew she should sleep because she had school the next day but she couldn’t get herself to feel tired as she thought about the girl next to her. Turning to her side, Taeyeon watched Jessica’s slow breathing wondering what the girl might be dreaming about. After a few minutes of staring at the sleeping girl, Taeyeon returned to looking up at the ceiling hoping to erase the thoughts of what Jessica could be struggling with. However, just as Taeyeon was about to sleep, she heard a soft whimper next to her.

Opening her eyes, Taeyeon looked over to see tears streaming down Jessica’s face. Without thinking, Taeyeon lifted from her covers so she could hug Jessica.

Feeling the warmth of another surrounding her body, Jessica turned to be fully engulfed in it. It was a new feeling of someone wanting to hold her so gently, as if they didn’t hold on, that she would break and shatter. Although she was breaking, Jessica didn’t feel broken in Taeyeon’s arms.

Author's Note

Well I thought about rewriting this story for about a month causing such a long wait. Sorry about that. 

Again this will be a short story but please give me some comments ^^