“Once upon a time…” A middle-aged woman started as she opened up the story book to the first page. Vibrant colors filled the page as the bold title stood out in the center, another typical fairy tale along with many other ones on the bookshelf.

     the little girl’s head as the woman continued with her comforting voice, “there was a handsome prince and…”

There is no fairytale, at least not for me. Once again another wave of shooting pain went through my brain as I watch the transparent pictures in front of me slowly fades away. Most of them were dark, just the plain wall and bar of the cell. I don’t mind them being taken away, I hated them anyways. One by one, they slowly faded away… I don’t remember them anymore. Another wave of shooting pain went through my brain as more are brought up.

Stars… they are pretty. I remember drawing them on the walls in my cell. I covered them up with a blanket so the guards won’t wash them away. I stole a piece of white chalk from the “nerds” as they me back. White stars… that’s the first thing I drew. I never got a chance to see real ones in the sky.

“The prince was very brave and courageous, but he was also friendly.” The woman read as she flips to the next page also filled with numerous colors. The little girl laying on her pillow sat up a little to see the prince, despite having seen him many times before. Touching the pictures and giggling a little before she lied back down.

He is one of them, he was always one of them. Why did I think that he would ever be on my side? I thought he was different, I was wrong. He is new here, that’s why he helped me. Everyday he brought me food and water into my cell, and treated me nicely. That day when he accidentally stumbled upon my drawing, he didn’t wash it away. The next day, he brought back more chalks, colorful ones, and he drew with me. This slowly became our routine, each day he would bring me food and a new color to fill up the gray wall. Soon, that blank wall turned into something more-- hope and anticipation. When I’m alone, I would draw his figure into the scene, it looked so much more beautiful.

“Where are you?” He would ask me as we continue with the mural.

“I’ll draw myself in next time.” I would answer, but I kept on forgetting.

I believed that he was my prince charming, but I keep on forgetting that fairy tales doesn’t exist. Binded to this chair and trapped inside the glass room, I now realize why I didn’t draw myself in-- I don’t fit in, and I never will.

Another shooting went through my brain as I struggle to remember the stars, one by one, they started to disappear. A picture with us working on the mural floats in front me, not that one please, I struggle to remember every detail of it. It didn’t float away, it stayed… but that didn’t last long either. An electro shock went through my system as I cried out in pain, making me lose my concentration on remembering that picture. I gasp for breath as I feel my tears rolled down my cheek. It’s gone.

Why did I believe? Because that’s hope, hope in this cruel and ugly world. I stare into those brown, hazel eyes behind the glass wall, the ones that I loved so much. He stands there emotionlessly staring back at me. I still believed till that moment that he will be on my side, I still believed that there was hope.

“Help me, Sehun.” I tried to yell, but it barely came out as a whisper.

“‘Help me,’ the princess yelled as the ugly monster held her in its palm.