Nichkhun bit his lip, swallowing the tears that threatened to spill. No. He won't cry. He doesn't need to show how weak he was.

Then he frowned. Those were his father's words. 

"Don't you cry. Don't show the world how weak you are. I don't want a weakling for my son."

He turned his head away and started to walk back down the sandy strip. He stopped when he felt a hand on his arm.

"I'll take you back to you're friends," Victoria said. "I know where they are. They're not that far from here, but you'll never be able to get there without my help. Plus, you've injured you're arm."

I don't need to show how weak I am ...

Nichkhun mentally batted away the voice of his father in his head and sighed. "So what?"

"In ... in one condition."

Nichkhun scowled. "What?"

Victoria stepped forwards, slipping her fingers into his own. Instinctively, he tightned his hand around her's. 

"Tell me truthfully that you are what you were before I left."

Nichkhun closed his eyes. He wanted to say so. He really did. 

But that would mean he was lying.

He wasn't the same person. 

He was different now. Harsher. Heartless. Cold. 

He was like his father now, a feat which, seven years ago, he thought impossible. And yet his nightmare came true.

"I ... I ..."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taecyeon leaned back against the rock, closing his eyes. A sharp pang of hunger stabbed through his stomach, and he winced.

He wondered where Nichkhun was right now.

He wondered why he was taking so long.

Tiffany was on the tall rock at the head of the island, staring out to sea. Her hair, damp and tangled slightly, was rippling in the sea breeze and she squinted out to sea, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I swear that that's a ship ..." she muttered. 

Taecyeon popped up besides her almost instantly. "What?"

"I think that that's a ship," she repeated slowly, poiting out to sea near the horizon.

Taecyeon bit his lip. "It's ... it's a bit small for a ship don't you think?"

The shape was flat, a grey-ish blue patch of colour steadily gowing larger. They both frowned as the shapr drew closer.

"I ... don't think that that's a ship." Taecyeon said uncertainly. Tiffany snorted.

"Of course it's not a ship. I can see it now ... look, they're dolphins!" she started to squeal. Taecyeon grinned.

"Nice, but it's not going to help us get outta here is it?" he sighed.

"Oh, you're such a killjoy-" Tiffany broke off abruptly. She gasped. Taecyeon swiftly turned around, staring at the sea.

"Oh my god ..." his eyes widened. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that. In a good way."

A clean white yacht was sailing behind the dolphins, heading straight for the island. Taecyeon grinned, and started to wave at them. A small figure on the prow of the ship waved back, signalling that they were coming. Taecyeon and Tiffany rushed down to the beach as the dolphins started to circle around the ship. A man stepped off, waving them over.

"Oh my god, thank you, thank you so much - how did you find us?" cired Tiffany, as the man led them onto the yacht.

"Dolphins. They led us here. Started ot click and squeak at us until we followed them. Nice filming anyways."

Taecyeon frowned. Dolhpins ... Victoria had been seen with a pod of dolphins. Did that mean ... she was here too? Did she send the dolphins? And was Nichkhun with her?

"Sir - can I ask you something?" he asked quickly as they drew away from the island. The man nodded, not taking his eyes off the wheel.

"Have you ... by any chance ... seen another oerson around here? Around my age? Blakc hair? Tall?"

The man hesitated, and Taecyeon bit his lip. "Have you?"

"Well ... there's a rumor going round that a young man who fits your description had disappeared off the coast in a shipwreck. Haven't been seen since, so they think that he's drowned. But I could swear that ... that ..."

"What?" Taecyeon pleaded. Tiffany listened in too, her eyes wide is anticipation. "Tell us ... please, we need to know anything that can help us."

"I saw the dolphins near another island near here. It's quite wild, and I wouldn't risk my yacht trying to sail into there. But there were dolphins, and I could swear for a moment that I had seen two people. A girl in a white dress and a boy in black. They were far away, but I still belive that I saw them No-one believed me ..." he said wryly,  then continued, "So I put it down as a mirage. The sea was quite hot. But I know that I defineately saw them."

Taecyeon was silent. 

"Why, did you know them?"

Tiffany nodded mutely, then grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him down to the lower deck. "Please excuse us for a moment," she muttered hastily.

Taecyeon started ot speak first. "Nichkhun is alive. He saw him."

Tiffany nodded. A part of her told her it was too early to hope, but at this moment she would grasp for anything, anything that would help her save her friend. "And the girl. It was Vic, she was wearing a white dress in the photo and sketch too."

"So ... they were both at the island? I need to go -" Taecyeon started to stand, but was pulled down again by Tiffany. "We need to make a plan first. The man said that it was really rocky and not even he would risk trying to go in there. If he can't, we can't."

"We could fly in by helicopter or something ..."

"And where would we get one? None of us know how to fly one ..."

The two fell back into a thoughtful silence. Taecyeon finally said, "Nichkhun will find a way to get out. I know he will. He's got Vic as well. We just have to wait."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nichkhun hesistated, biting his lip. 

"I ... I ..."

"Just say it." Victoria looked at him pleadingly. "I know you can."

Nichkhun finally shook his head. "I ... I'm sorry. I can't."

Victoria frowned. She shook her head. "You are," she insisted. "I know you are."

"No. I'm not. I'm sorry, Tori. I'm not the same person I was."

Nichkhun felt as if his heart was breaking when he saw Victoria's eyes, shining with unspilled tears. "How?" she said. "You can't just have changed like that. You act the same way. Just ... something is holding you back."

"You don't know what I've done. What I did. What I've become."

"I might not know but l know that l love you, Nichkhun. Just ... try, for me. Please?"

Nichkhun held his breath uncertainly. He wanted to go back. He wanted to be the old Nichkhun, Victoria's lover, Taecyeon and Tiffany's best friend.

Not this monster.

He stood still for what felt like hours, before he slowly shook his head.