The Things They Learned - 24
The Things They Learned Without even turning her head April shoved Sungmin’s hand off of her. The doctor had said she would be really weak but at this moment that didn’t seem to be the case. Sungmin had great balance but she pushed him with such force that had it been anyone else they would have toppled over. He moved back quickly alarmed that he had scared her. She seemed alert, her eyes darted around the room as if surveying for danger.
“She doesn’t remember where she is,” Yesung said.
Sungmin, keeping his distance, calmly interceded.
“April, you’re at our dorm, you arrived yesterday, do you remember?”
Her shoulders relaxed and she exhaled.
“Were you having a bad dream?”
April held the blanket tight up to her chest.
“It was just a dream, nothing is going to hurt you here.”
Her eyes looked misty but then she noticed the blanket she was holding and furrowed her brow.
“It wasn’t me,” Sungmin said.
“I didn’t want you to get cold,” Ryeowook said from behind.
April looked up at him with her trademark wide eyes and blank expression. Then to his surprise she leaned a bit forward before sitting up and looking at him.
“Uh-you’re welcome?”
The girls did a good job rotating and the first three days went smoother than expected. April slept a lot and read a little and the boys often noticed her sleep was restless.
“I really wish I knew what was giving her nightmares,” Donghae said exasperatedly.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Eunhyuk replied. “I had nightmares for months after the accident and she’s much worse off.”
“I don’t know, I get the feeling she doesn’t remember that part. I think this is something else, like from her past.”
“Perhaps you should open a psychic café if you’re so good at reading minds.”
“Ouch, I was just sayin’.”
“I know, and I wish I knew too, but until she starts talking we’re hopelessly in the dark.”
A few days later Leeteuk came home early, filming had finished ahead of schedule and he had a rare few hours of free time. He went into the eleventh floor dorm. There was an English movie playing on the TV and April was lying on the couch, asleep again. Donghae was sitting on the floor in front of the couch like a loyal puppy hugging his knees. He was clearly drifting, trying really hard to stay awake.
“Did you get to sleep at all last night?” Leeteuk whispered trying not to wake up April.
Donghae looked up confused having not heard Leeteuk come in but then accepted quickly and answered, “Hyung, no we recorded through the night and into morning. Eunhyuk had another schedule and I told Sungmin to sleep so – ”
“You go lie down too, you’re exhausted, I’ll sit here.”
Leeteuk sat down in Donghae’s place but soon after April started to stir with another nightmare. She was sweating and tossing and turning but Leeteuk didn’t want to wake and startle her. Without thinking he started to hum, the tune was a lullaby his grandmother used to sing for him when he was a young child and had bad dreams. April stopped tossing and turning and began to sleep peacefully. A while passed like this, Leeteuk humming softly while April slept until Kyuhyun crept out of his room.
“Hyung what are you doing down here?” Kyuhyun asked Leeteuk.
“Sshhh…”
“What? It’s my dorm; I can talk if I want to.”
“You’ll wake her.” April started to stir. “See?”
“So?”
“Kyuhyun do me a favor. Hyung has to pee so bad, just sit with her for a minute,” Leeteuk pleaded.
“No way, not a chance.”
“Come on, she’s sleeping, all you have to do is sit there.”
“Hyung!” Kyuhyun complained.
“Just sit there, oh, and hum.”
“Hum? Hum what?”
“A lullaby, one of your solos, anything.”
“But – ”
Leeteuk was already gone.
Kyuhyun sat on the floor with his legs tucked in a distance away and started begrudgingly humming a random melody. It didn’t take long for the melody to turn to a crude rendition of Puff the Magic Dragon. Leeteuk was taking too long, Kyu was getting angry. His humming got louder and grittier.
Kyu hadn’t been looking at April but when he did glance over he got a huge shock seeing her staring back at him. She didn’t seem frightened but Kyuhyun couldn’t really tell what she was feeling by her facial expression. She was just watching him. Intently.
Kyuhyun wasn’t pleased. He stared back at April just as she was staring at him.
So this was the guy the others had talked about, what was he staring at, has he never seen a girl before?”
April raised her eyebrows at him inviting comment. Kyuhyun continued to stare at her, he stood up and continued to stare. “Kyuhyun what are you doing?” April heard Leeteuk’s voice from behind her.
“Nothing Hyung.” Kyuhyun ran back into his bedroom.
Leeteuk had emerged a few seconds before he spoke and watching Kyuhyun and April was like watching Heechul’s cats stare each other down before fighting.
Kyuhyun heaved a sigh against his door, the girl gave him the creeps. Kyuhyun shook his head and made a creeped out sound.
“What are you doing?”
Kyuhyun jumped. “Hyung! I thought you were sleeping.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Worse.”
Sungmin laughed, “So you finally met April.”
“Hyung, don’t laugh, she’s scary.”
“Oh, get over it already, she’s really coming around.”
“If that’s coming around I don’t want to know what she was like before.”
Leeteuk sat down with April. “So it seems you’ve finally met our evil maknae. He’s really not that evil, I promise.”
April looked up at Leeteuk as if she only just realized he was there, she seemed to have been lost in thought.
Sungmin sleepily emerged from his room, his hair had gone from coolly styled to Bedhead Special Level 11.
“You should be sleeping while you can.” Leeteuk scolded him.
“And you should be on your own floor, Kyuhyun woke me up.”
“That’s rare.”
“Mmm…”
April sighed.
Leeteuk mused under his breath, “I really wish we could communicate.”
April huffed sarcastically. I really wish I could do a lot of things….
Hey guys! Back again, gearing up for some changes in the story. Please comment so I know your reading, haha. I'm trying to get back on top of this...I think I need to do a 'hwaiting!' for myself lol. Anyway, hopefully next chapter coming soon.
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