"Hey." She heard a distant voice calling her as she fell in and out of sleep.

"Hey." The same hushed voice resonated through her consciousness again and this time, a hand landed on her arm and shook her lightly. Her eyelids fluttered opened drowsily and somewhere at the back of her mind wanted to swat that intruding hand away and scream at the top of her lungs. Her vision focused and a pair of brown eyes greeted her.

Seeing the Hwang so close to her face made her remember her situation and she recoiled back in alarm.

"I need to sleep. It's your turn to keep watch."

"W-what? Oh alright." She nodded, blundered. She got up and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the sleepiness enveloping her. Her eyes looked around the tiny cave that she was situated in and her mind went through the events that happened to her and how ed up she was. How long had she been sleeping? How long had Tiffany been up?

"How-" She paused when she saw the girl lying on the ground her eyes already shut. Someone's really exhausted, huh? She lingered for a few seconds and flicked her eyes away instantly. She couldn't believe she was warming up to someone like that. She just has to bear for now until they get out of this place, if they ever will anyways. She would like to believe they will. If you believe enough, it might come true. When they get out, she can never have to face nor talk to the certain Hwang again.

Running her fingers through her hair, she found herself staring at the fire that was still going strong. It seemed like a new set of wood was being added and she watched the sleeping girl.

"You seriously went to get more wood? With that ankle of yours?" She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. Tiffany had a sharp nose, high cheek bones and long eyelashes that casted shadows against her face. Her white soft skin reflected her life growing up showered with care. As much as Taeyeon hate to admit, Tiffany was kind of attractive. At least much better looking than her photos floating around the media and newspaper. She had always thought Tiffany was normal and didn't understand why people pay so much attention to her beauty. Maybe the blinding hatred she had had obscured her ability to rate the girl's look fairly. She saw how Tiffany was sleeping on her arm and half of her wanted to offer her bag for a makeshift pillow.

"That's too generous." She muttered under her breath.

But she might hurt her hand when she wakes up. Oh well. Who cares? 

She shrugged and hugged her bag to her chest instead. She put a medium sized wood into the blazing fire and took out her gun. She rolled the remaining bullets to and fro in her puny palm and counted them. She had strictly seven more chances of making a fire and that doesn't count the fact that she needs it to protect herself.

"My gosh." She exhaled and put the bullets back into their original place. The sky was beginning to light up into a faded dark shade of blue as she continued to sit in silence. She wondered how would it be if she had never bolted out of her house. Maybe Tiffany would be here alone? That thought dreaded her.

Her line of sight landed on her marred shoes and she just waved it off, no longer giving much thought. That surprised her greatly. But there were more to care about at the moment.

When the sky lighted up further and the sun appeared, it just showed she had survived the first night in the wild. She got out to the water and took a sip. She could hear the chirping of birds far away and she squat down to the water. Maybe it was dark last night that she had failed to see the school of fish darting around the clear body of water, not afraid of her presence at all. She touched the water and the fish didn't even flinch. And hell they were quite big, a little tinier than her wrist. Her stomach did a full flip thinking about touching the fish. But she had to right?

She stepped in the water, the edge of her pants rolled up. Water rose halfway up her calves. The pebbles poked at her bare feet but she managed to endure the slight pain. The coldness of the water stabbed at her nerves. Her toes and fingers curled and she suddenly felt something touching her foot. She looked down to see a silver fish nipping at her skin. Her eyes widened and goosebumps arose.

"AHHH!" She yelled and trotted towards land again. She ran her hand through her feet and arms to defeat the goosebumps and she sat down. She needs to catch those fish if she wants food. They're just fish, they don't bite, right?

Giving a long look at the water, she shook her head at her comical reaction just now. What would Tiffany think of her if she saw that? Probably throw a set of y comments, because that's what she's good at.

Making up her mind, she ruffled through her bag and had gotten out a shirt. She didn't know if it will work or not but its worth a shot. After many failed attempts and many wails and retreats, Taeyeon found herself slouching at the middle of the creek with her shirt underneath the water.

"Come on, come on." She urged the fish to swim over her shirt. Never in her life had she ever imagined herself doing this.

Just as soon as a dumb fish made it way above her submerged shirt, she snatched her shirt up trapping the animal and she literally, like literally hurled the fish and her shirt onto land. She repeated her actions again and again and soon, she was used to the feeling of touching the fish (although it did require another set of funny dancing and disgusted expressions). It was slimy and strong, just like holding a live struggling muscle in her hand.

"What are you doing?" She whipped her head back to see Tiffany walking out, her hair a slight mess.

"Fishing." Taeyeon replied as she continued to stay still in the water. After debating, she asked, "Want to try?"

"No, no thanks." She saw how Tiffany was eyeing the few dead fish on the ground and Taeyeon felt a sense of pride fill her.

Acknowledge I'm cool.

"You're gross."

What?

"How can you stand touching that?" Tiffany asked and poked one of the fish with the stick.

"Well if you think I am gross then don't touch the fish when it's cooked." She snapped and glared at Tiffany. Can she ever just make Taeyeon feel happy once?

"Don't worry, I won't touch whatever the Kim has made." Taeyeon just gave her the are-you-serious look and huffed a word of displeasure loudly. When will she drop the attitude? Here she thought they were on better terms since last night but guess who's bipolar as heck? Taeyeon was so tempted to hurl one of the fish at the presumptuous Hwang and so she did. She pulled up her shirt and walked to one of the dead fish. She picked it up, mentally disgusted at the texture of the scales but she held it in.

"Hey." When Tiffany twirled around, she threw the fish right at her. The face and reaction that came afterwards could be the new top meme of the year.

"Oh my gosh! AHHH!" Tiffany ran a few meters away from the fish and cleaned her dress and arms.

"What the hell?!"

Taeyeon let out a snicker, a real laugh she had ever since she got lost here.

"You deserve it." She picked up the fish and collected the others so she can cook them with the fire; which she later figured out had died out. Really? Her heart sunk at the thought of using up another bullet for a fire.

She cooked all four of the fish she caught and ate two. It tasted sweet, somehow and although the meat wasn't much, she learned to live with it. The Hwang indeed kept her words and never came near those fish. Taeyeon wouldn't have given her if she asked anyways. Maybe she would if the girl would beg. But Tiffany had spent the rest of the morning outside of the cave, going through her things which Taeyeon was too preoccupied to care.

When she was done, she had taken her gun and walked out to see Tiffany sitting outside doing naught. She looked up as Taeyeon stepped out.

"I am going to go find more wood for the fire tonight and maybe find some fruits. If you want to stay, stay." She wanted to ask how's the ankle but if the girl's smart mouth worked perfectly fine, then her ankle should as well.

"I'll go." She retorted simply and they walked into the woods although not afraid to go too far off.

"Are you seriously still walking on those?" She gestured to the heels and raised her leg up to step over a rock.

"Well yea duh? It's better than walking barefoot, next time ask wiser questions." Her figure wiggled unsteadily and she held onto a tree for support. Taeyeon eyed her disapprovingly and grunted.

"Does it kill you to talk nicely?"

"I usually talk nice but with a corrupted coward like you, no."

"Corrupted coward?"

"That's you isn't it?"

"No."

"I'm pretty sure you are. You look like one as well."

"Look, I am the one with the gun here. If I were you, I would choose my words carefully."

"You wouldn't waste a bullet on me, plus, you're too afraid to be without me in this forest. See? A coward."

"I'd like it if you would kindly shut your trap." Taeyeon gritted her teeth and snapped a branch off its tree.

"You're not the boss of me." At that point she wanted to fire a shot at the ground just to frighten the girl but she knew better than to cause loud noises. Who knew if those people were still out there?

"Ha. Speechless now?"

Before she could think, she had pushed Tiffany against a tree, her eyes flaring with rage. She glared at the girl which, instead of cowering with fear was looking defiantly at her.

"Only a coward would use violence to win."

Not knowing how to reply, Taeyeon just growled and pushed herself off, not failing to see Tiffany's triumphant smirk. Why was she full of witty replies?

"Maybe you should use your witty mouth to start a fire or find some food and do some good for once, that would be very pleasant." Taeyeon spat sarcastically. Tiffany said something but Taeyeon chose to ignore her. She looked up around her and inspected the green leaves above her head.

"Well I'll just go back to the creek. Have fun, I can't stand seeing your face." Taeyeon gave Tiffany a look as the girl took tiny steps backwards, aiming for a log.

She's going to trip, whatever.

But Taeyeon's face turned white when she spotted a green tube-like animal on the decaying log. With her heart lurching, she went for Tiffany and despite the girl's puzzled look, she hurriedly tugged the girl forward and the force made Tifanny tumble back, the edge of her heel stepping right on Taeyeon's foot. Her neck turned red from the pain and she lost her balance, falling down to the ground.

"There's a s-snake." She pointed out, her mind scattered everywhere. Tiffany saw what she was talking about and gasped.

She stepped back further away and she must be thinking how things would've happened if Taeyeon didn't stop her.

An awkward silence.

"Erm thanks a lot." The guilty Hwang refused to connect eyes with Taeyeon.

"Hey your hand!" She shrieked and Taeyeon felt a pang in her chest. Why? Is there a snake there as well? She turned her head to her hand and almost fainted. Her left palm had pressed onto a jagged rock and was smeared with red bright blood. The next events happened like a fast forward tape as her 'rival' took her back to their shelter and cleaned her wound with water. She had ripped a piece of her dress and wrapped it around the ugly gash. All Taeyeon knew was how worried Tiffany was, which she didn't really comprehend why is that.

"I didn't know you can actually be helpful." She tried to make a clever remark.

"My mom used to be a doctor." She replied shortly and sat silently next to Taeyeon.

How can she manage to still smell nice after not showering this long?

"Well thanks for you know." She lifted her hand up. It stung immensely.

"Right, nevermind, thanks as well for what happened in the woods."

"So do you think I'm still a corrupted coward?" Taeyeon daringly piped up and Tiffany just remained quiet. However, Taeyeon continued. She voiced out what she had always asked her dad but never got answers.

"Say, what caused the feud between our families?" She whispered and that question caught Tiffany off gaurd.

"...I don't know."

"We do nothing but obey our parents and believe what they say. They tell me you Hwangs are evil, your parents say we're cowards. But for real, they just listen to what their parents told them. I've never really thought about it until now. I mean it's wrong to generalize people like that. What if not all Hwangs are evil and not all Kims are cowards? Those are just mere words to fuel the hatred that runs among us." She paused.

She waited for the girl to say something while fiddling the tied fabric around her palm.

"I don't know what to say." She finally uttered softly. And that was the end of their conversation until night falls.

"I think you should change. It's uncomfortable wearing that short dress." She threw a hoodie and pants to the other girl.

"Why do you have clothes? If I haven't known better, I'd think you're completely prepared for this."

"It's a long story."

"Fine. Can you get out? I need to change." Taeyeon rolled her eyes and exited the cave into the night. It's a miracle how she had managed to survive the day eating tiny fruits and fish from the wild. She waited until Tiffany was done changing then walked in, feeling weird at the sight of her clothes on someone else's.

"You can sleep first tonight." And that night, as Taeyeon sat alone and eventually found herself strangely staring at Tiffany, she unknowingly slid her bag under Tiffany's head and draped a layer of shirt over her sleeping body.

She allowed a smile to grace her lips.

It's not too generous now, I guess.