Kris paced the room, glancing at the windows, the wall, the floor, looking anywhere but at us. Tao was motionless beside me.

He sighed and sat down at the seat across from us. “I don’t know what to say.”

I kept my mouth shut. What could I say? That all I did was bring trouble? It was true, but I wouldn’t be the one saying it.

“I need to talk to the Tree about this. There’s something wrong about what’s going on, but I don’t know what it is.” He brought his hands together, as if he was praying. “All I can think is how glad I am that you two are safe.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes as Kris stared at the coffee table in deep thought.

“Kalyn?”

I looked up into Kris’s somber eyes. “I know you may want to get involved with afterschool activities, but for now I cannot allow it. I need to know why you are always are getting into danger. Please understand why for now I must restrict your activity.”

I bowed my head. “I respect your decision, cousin.”

He turned to Tao. “I know it’s a lot of ask to you, since you’re busier than any of us, but keep an eye on Kalyn for me when I cannot. I’ll try to take over when you have schedules. I’ll have to work everything out with the manager and the rest of EXO.”

“Yes, Duizhang,” Tao replied in a steady voice. He glanced over at me. Suddenly I remember how he froze time, kept Hua Shang from hitting me.

When I went to sleep that night, I kept replaying his gaze over and over in the still darkness. Why did he look me that way? His eyes seemed to tell me that he could look in my soul, know me inside and out.

The thought made me frozen in fear. What if he did know everything? When I just thought about what happened to me before, I wanted to roll into a ball and die. The judgment of the dead seemed less daunting than the judgment of the living. I shivered as I imagined everyone’s eyes turning cold, chillier than they were now.

Kris probably knew. Maybe he didn’t. I didn’t know who my parents told.

I hugged Yin Yang close to me. I would be alone once again. An outcast with no hope.

Alone.

“Sleep, Kalyn,” I whispered to myself. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, to become still.

“NO! NO! WAKE UP!” I shook his still body. “I TOLD YOU I WOULD COME! WAKE UP!”

I shot out from my lying position straight up, my breathing shallow. I grabbed Yin Yang, trying to calm down, but it was no use. The never-ending darkness seemed to be thick, choking me. I pushed the covers away in flash and got up, pushing Yin Yang aside. I had to get out before I went crazy.

I opened the door to find light coming from the kitchen. I blinked. Someone else was up? But the light brought me back to reality. I wasn’t in the past. I was at here, now, Beijing, a place where ghosts shouldn’t haunt me.

I found Tao sitting at the counter, staring in space. His hands were in front of him, neatly folded, as if a teacher was in front of him, delivering lecture. Or that he was waiting for something with a patience of a thousand year boulder. His eyes were sad, the effect emphasized by the bags underneath his eyes. He looked like he didn’t sleep for days.

“Hey.”

He jumped a little and turned. “Hey. Why are you up?”

“Nightmare. You?” I rummaged the cabinets for tea.

“Couldn’t fall asleep.”

“Do you want tea too?” I paused, my hand ready to reach for a second mug.

“Sure. Is it oolong?”

I nodded and poured boiling water from the kettle. “Here.”

“Thanks.” His hands curled around the porcelain cup, but he didn’t bring it up to his mouth to sip.

“No problem.” I slid my cup so that in sat in front of the chair next to me. I walked over and pulled up the chair so now I was sitting next to him. As always, I felt dwarfed. I wrapped my hands around my mug, imitating his position.

“Kalyn?”                                                                                      

“Yeah?”

“Are you afraid…of ghosts?”

I would have burst out laughing if it wouldn’t for the solemn ambiance and the image of my nightmare, still fresh in mind. “What kind of ghosts?”

Tao shrugged. “Not the ones in white sheets…but wisps of smoke taking hideous forms of spirits. They always seem to want something from me…something I can’t give away. I keep running, but eventually they catch me. Their white hands are always outstretched, reaching for me-” he shuddered.

“What do they want?”

He was silent for a long time. “My life. Me. They want me.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “They plague me most of the time when I dream. Kris is often there for me, but he’s out with the other members researching tonight.”

“How often does he conduct research?”

“Usually only once a week, but this time he’s been out with the other a whole lot. I think it has to do with your awakening of power.”

“I’m sorry. For taking away your sleep.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” He looked at me. “Do you usually get nightmares?”

I shook my head. “This is the first one since…first one in a long time,” I finished.

“What was your nightmare about?”

I looked down in my cup. The reddish leaves swirled in the bottom. “I dream…about my past.”

“What happened?”

I shook my head. “I can’t… I’m sorry, but I can’t. Talk about it. At least not yet.” I closed my eyes. “But it’s about a fear too. But my fear is not about losing myself. It’s about losing others.”

“I see.”

We sat in silence after that. Sometimes I sipped from my cup, the oolong taste warming up my throat. Yet, the thought of going back into my room terrified me. What if the nightmare came back? I didn’t want to experience it twice. Once was scarring enough.

Tao cleared his throat. “We should get some sleep now.” He downed his cup and set it on the counter. I watched him walk into the family room. He pressed a button on the sofa, and it slowly unfolded into a bed. There were already blankets and a pillow on it.

He looked over at me and smiled. I blinked and shut my mouth, which had opened without my consent. “Whoah!”

“It’s cool, isn’t it? You can sleep here if you want.” He rubbed his neck. “It usually works for me when I have nightmares.”

I hesitated. A couch? It was better than the sleeping bag I had. But I wasn’t the only one who had trouble sleeping. “No, you take it. I’ll bring out my sleeping bag here.”

“You sure?” But by then, I had already gone into my room. I dragged out the bag with me and set it next to the couch.

“Who is this?” I turned to see Tao pick up Yin Yang. His eyes beamed as he held him gently in his hands. I blinked, almost startled. It was my first time seeing Tao smile, and his serious, invulnerable face had morphed into one of joy, innocence. Was this the same guy who looked everyone with cold eyes, not willing to show any weakness about him?

“He’s Yin Yang.” I turned back, focusing on the task of smoothing out the sleeping bag. “I’ve had him forever.”

He handed him back to me. “He’s adorable. I love pandas.”

“Thanks.” I filed away that fact in the back of my mind. Pandas. Maybe Sherry would be impressed.

“You should go to sleep now.”

“Okay.” I obediently slipped myself into the sleeping bag, Yin Yang carefully tucked in my right arm. Tao turned off the light.

“Good night Kalyn.”

“Good night Tao.”

[A/N] “TAO FREQUENTLY WAKES ME UP BECAUSE HE’S SCARED OF GHOSTS” –KRIS [CR:吴凡@WEIBO]

Poor Tao, scared of ghosts. XD Although I like to think Tao as more manly than he actually is, so his ghosts are a little bit more creepy than how I imagine them. I mean, when I think of ghosts I think of Casper the ghost, and he’s just cute. Although spirits that haunt you are kinda freaky. Don’t even get me started on zombies. I don’t really believe them but how makeup artists just make them so realistic… >.<

Anyway, so I wrote this during a power outage (thanks Hurricane Sandy >.<) and I don’t feel like proofreading and all that good stuff since I want to save my laptop batter. Sorry if there are any typos, if you catch them feel free to tell me it.

I’m trying to work on making chapters more of the relationship between Kalyn and Tao because let’s face it, they’re kinda stuck with each other due to Kris. But it’s not only going to be them, you people who want just a fluffy story. Kalyn does have a life :P

But aww they’re both scared. Lol I have no idea how I’m going to write the chapter that goes after this. If I woke up next to a guy I barely knew, the morning is bound to be awkward.

Then again Kalyn’s not me. So I guess we won’t know until I write it! YAY!

Yeah not tonight. Typing in my room while the wind and the rain are pounding against my windows while writing about nightmares has already taken my toll on me. Although by the time you read this, I’ve probably recovered and my power would be back on since without power, I have no internet, which means no uploading! Gasp, mindblown by logic!

That was sarcastic btw if you couldn’t tell.

Talking about mindblown, I love the youtube ad for the Samsung Galaxy 3 or whatever the cell phone is. It makes fun of the Iphone 5 and there’s a guy that goes “The headphone jack is going to be on the top instead of the bottom. MINDBLOWN.” BEST. AD. SCENE. EVER. XD

It’s almost begging for Super Junior to come up and say “BLOW YOUR MIND.”

Anyway I should go before I can’t stop myself from rambling since I’m sitting in the dark and I’m lonely without my facebook and AFF. But isn’t it nice to have me rambling again? My good mood is definitely back. Probably because I went through tumblr because I had no school. I should do my tumblr spazzes again. You guys like that right?

<3 See ya soon!

UPDATE: AHHH POWER MUST UPLOAD WITH THE FEW PRECIOUS MINUTES I HAVE -crosses fingers-

Also not writing anymore since it's about 20 minutes till my usual bedtime and the power is probably going to go out >.< GAH BYE