The drive home was almost silent. Yoona still felt uncomfortable with an unconscious stranger in the back of their car, so she mumbled to herself almost the entire time. Sooyoung just drove. After being told to shut up, Yoona put on the radio and started to sing along to every ZoNE song that came on.

Jessica had to call up their manager and tell her they were having a friend over for a while. It was a total lie, but there was no way the strict Lee Hwi Jae would let his girl’s bring home a stranger. He almost said no, but Jessica’s hardheaded-ness won over Hwi Jae’s sternness. She was the company’s princess after all, and a princess deserves whatever she wants. At least, that’s what Jessica liked to believe.

Sooyoung parked Jessica’s car in the back of their dorm. It was really more of a house since no one else occupied any of the space. Yoona ran into their home before Jessica could stop her.

“When did she get so fast…”

“The moment you decided to bring a half-dead girl home with you.” Sooyoung replied. “Let’s just bring her inside. The girl stays in your room, got it?”

“Yes, mother. And her name is Taeyeon.” Jessica and Sooyoung took about five minutes getting Taeyeon into the house. Once inside, Sooyoung went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Jessica took Taeyeon to her bedroom and laid her on the bed. She then put Taeyeon’s bag on the dresser top in the corner of her room.

Six o’clock…I wonder if anyone even knows that Taeyeon is gone? Jessica sat on the bed near Taeyeon’s feet. If I was a guy…no! No, no Jessica, now is not the time for those kinds of thoughts…why did this girl have to be so damn hot? Jessica continued staring at the lifeless girl. Had her phone not gone off, Jessica would have sat their all day.

“Hello?”

Nothing. The phone continued to ring.

“What the hell! Did that drop really mess up my phone?” Jessica pushed some buttons, but the phone seemed to function properly. “Time out.” Jessica listened carefully to the ringtone. It wasn’t Jessica’s – her ringtone was just a default sound that came with the phone. The ringtone was a clip from ZoNE’s recent single.  She rushed to her dresser and found Taeyeon’s phone. She and Taeyeon had the same exact phone.

“Hello?” Jessica said.

“Tae? Tae! Where are you?”

“Uh...who is this?” Jessica knew it was weird, but it’s not like she could pull off being Taeyeon for the day. Or could she?

“Tae! Stop messing around. Sunny and I have been looking all over for you. Where did you go?”

Sunny…I should remember that name. “Um, sorry. Right. I uh, I felt really sick. I think I have a fever, so I asked my sister to pick me up.” Jessica tried not to give away her identity. Thinking about it, Jessica really should have ignored the call, but it was too late. Besides, she started to feel bad about making Taeyeon’s friends worry.

“Sister? Your “sister” went missing two years ago. Are you sure got home okay?” The voice on the other line showed concern, but Jessica couldn’t tell if the concern was because Taeyeon was sick, or because Taeyeon was missing for so long.

“Did I say sister? I meant...I meant I called a cab.” Jessica had to think lightly on her feet. It wasn’t her best skill, but she had to get out of the sticky situation. “Sorry I didn’t call sooner. I kind of passed out as soon as I got home.” Jessica looked at Taeyeon. There really was something interesting about this girl.

The voice on the other side seemed to buy Jessica’s excuses and acting. “We called you so many times…don’t scare us like that. Sunny and I will come check up on you in a couple hours, okay?”

“Okay then. Wait, no! Don’t come to my house.”

“What? Why not?”

Oh crap. Um…Jessica blurted out something without thinking and needed to correct herself. “I don’t want you guys to get sick. I might go stay at my cousin’s house. Just call me if you need something.”

“Your cousin? Who in the world is-“

“Oh I gotta go. By the way, do you know my phone’s passcode? I can’t remember it at the moment.”

“It’s your birthday, dummy. You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah! Thanks, bye. I’ll talk to you later!” Jessica hung up the phone. Did I really just do that? Jessica broke out laughing. She was sure Taeyeon would have woken up under normal circumstances.

Jessica grabbed Taeyeon’s ID. March 9, 1989. That was her birthday. The phone needed a 4 number passcode.  1989? Nope. 3989? Nope. 9389? Nope. Damnit, one more wrong code and the phone will lock. Then I won’t be able to get into it without calling the phone company. Even then I can’t get in without knowing the account number the phone is under.

Jessica tried her luck with the last code she could think of. “0…3…0…9…yes!” The phone opened itself up to Jessica. She looked through to phone to see if there was anything about Taeyeon or the girl who called. “So the girl who just called was…Tiff? What kind of name is that? If I keep taking these phone calls, I’m going to have to remember these names.”

There were 9 calls listed as missed.  Some were from Tiff and others from Sunny. The 10^th number caught Jessica’s eye. It was listed in the address book as “Poop Heads”. How pleasant…

The phone didn’t have much else on it. In fact, Jessica was surprised at how little was on the phone. No pictures, only a handful of contacts, and no notes or memos that could give Jessica a glimpse into who Taeyeon really is. There wasn’t even a house number or a parent’s number listed. As Jessica went through the contacts, “Sister” showed up. Who is this “sister” that keeps showing up? Jessica thought about calling the number, but she remembered what Tiffany said: Taeyeon’s “sister” disappeared two years ago. Taeyeon would have tried that number already.

“I’m getting no where!” Jessica nearly screamed. She didn’t know what to do.

“Jessica! Come eat!” called Sooyoung.

A break couldn’t hurt anyone. Jessica thought. “Coming!”

~~~~

“Taeng-unni can’t catch me!” Said a girl. She had such long black hair. It was gorgeous.

“That’s what you think, silly!” Taeyeon kept running towards the girl. “Gotcha’!”

The girl smiled at Taeyeon. “Aww, you always catch me so quickly. No fair!”

Taeyeon returned the smile. The girl before her was Taeyeon’s first love. There was a four-year difference between the two girls, but Taeyeon couldn’t suppress her attraction to her friend. “I told you. I’m attracted to you like a magnet. I’ll always come for you, and I’ll take down anyone who tries to stop me.”

The girl blushed. “Taeng-unni…I told you that I can’t return your feelings…”

“I know. I can’t help it, though. I didn’t think I would fall for you, but I just did.”

“Taeng-unni, can you tell me one thing? Is it okay to ask you something?”

“Of course. It’s not like I can say no without knowing your question. What do you want to know?”

“Umm…” The girl took Taeyeon’s hands and looked her in the eye. “What is it that you like about me?”

Taeyeon paused. What did she like about the girl in front of her eyes? What made the girl who Taeyeon felt so many feelings for so special?

“You don’t know, do you?”

“I do! I do know. There are just…so many reasons I can’t list them all.” Taeyeon needed to buy some time. The girl knew Taeyeon too well.

The girl dropped Taeyeon’s hands. “You at lying.” She turned her back to Taeyeon. “Maybe I should just go.”

Taeyeon reached out to the girl, but suddenly the girl was out of reach. It was as if she was already a mile away. “No! Please, come back!” Taeyeon started to run after the girl, but no matter how fast or how far Taeyeon ran, the girl was still out of reach.

“Do you want to know why you can’t think of a reason why you love me?” Screamed the girl. “Do you?!”

Taeyeon just ran. She wanted to get the girl back to her side. What was she going to do without her “sister”…without her first love?

“It’s because I look like her!”

“Like who? Whom do you look like?” Taeyeon ran, but her legs were slowing down. She couldn’t keep up. As the distance grew, Taeyeon began to cry.

The girl was crying, too. “Just go away, or I’ll never forgive you! I’ll get rid of her and then you can try to love me for me, and not just because we look alike!”

“Whom are you talking about?” Taeyeon was confused. “I do love you. Please! Believe me!”

The girl disappeared into the shadows. “Yah! Where did you go?” It was silent. “Anyone? Somebody!! Please!” Taeyeon’s cries for help were lost in the darkness. A sudden shriek came from around Taeyeon. Her sister was in trouble.

“Sister! Where are you?”

A voice entered Taeyeon’s head. “Do you want to get your friend back? We can help you.”

Taeyeon staggered. The voice in her head seemed to take shape in the form of a cloaked person. But instead of one mysterious person, there were two. “Who…who are you people. And where’s my sister?”

“Yes. You’re…”sister” is currently in our hands. She seems important to you.” Said the first voice. Though the face was covered, Taeyeon was sure she could see a cruel smile in the stranger’s expression.

Taeyeon tried to speak, but nothing would come from . She was too scared to make a sound. As if all the strength was out of her body, her legs gave way and she fell to her knees.

“If you help us, we will give you back your sister.” Said a different voice. “You want her back, don’t you?”

The first figure reached out a hand towards Taeyeon. Taeyeon was too scared to take the hand. “Do you need more of an incentive?” The figure stepped aside.

“Sister!” The girl Taeyeon had been searching for was tied up and gagged. She seemed to be asleep, but Taeyeon wasn’t sure. “Let her go!” Taeyeon leapt to her feet and ran towards her “sister”. The two mysterious strangers caught Taeyeon before she could reach the girl. “What did you do to her?!”

“Calm down.” Said the first voice. “Come with us and you can have her back. If you don’t listen, your “sister” might just…” The second stranger snapped his (her?) fingers and Taeyeon’s sister disappeared.

“No!” Taeyeon felt weak once again. “Please…I’ll do anything. Just give her back to me…” Taeyeon’s tears continued to fall.

The strangers let go of Taeyeon and let her hit the floor with a thud. “Very well. Wait for further instructions. And to be clear, if you try to call for help your sister will be gotten rid of.” The strangers suddenly faded into the darkness.

Taeyeon unexpectedly felt something cold on her forehead. Soon, the feeling engulfed her whole body. It was a nice feeling, but she was still scared. “Sister!” She yelled.

“Krystal!”

~~~~

Jessica and Yoona arrived to a full table. “Yay!” They both gave Sooyoung a hug before sitting down to eat.

“Yah! There are cucumbers in this!” Jessica poked at a cucumber sticking out of a dish in front of her.

Sooyoung grabbed a plate from the counter and put it in front of Jessica. “Don’t worry, I spooned some out for you before adding cucumbers.” Sooyoung was always a step ahead.

The trio sat down and ate their food with smiles. They talked and laughed at the days events as they enjoyed Sooyoung’s home cooked meal. Of course, there was a bit of tension when Taeyeon came up. It couldn’t be helped when the silence settled in on them.

Yoona was the first to break it. “How long is she staying?”

“As long as she needs to. She’s sick.” Jessica looked towards Sooyoung, knowing that Yoona can’t win against both of them. “We can’t just let her go off on her own. What if she passes out again?”

Yoona stared at Jessica. The ice princess was being kind to a stranger who bumped into her? What in the world was happening? “We can’t let her stay though! What if the manager finds out? What if we all get sick? What if bad things happen because she’s around?” Jessica returned the stare.

Now Sooyoung wasn’t really the type to let strangers into her house, let alone a sick one. “Look,” She started, “I agree with Yoona. She can’t stay long.” Sooyoung looked down at the table. She didn’t want to make eye contact with either girl just yet.

“Sooyoung! You’re not serious, are you?” Jessica jerked her head back to Sooyoung and nearly gave herself whiplash. “We have to help her.” Jessica tried to make a pouty face, but it didn’t work as well as she hoped.

Sooyoung looked at Jessica. “I want to help her, too, but what can we do? We don’t know anything about her. She can stay for a week, but I don’t trust her enough to stay longer.” Sooyoung went back to eating.

Jessica nearly flipped the table. “Come on, guys! What are we supposed to do in a week if she still isn’t better?”

Yoona coldly retorted, “Why don’t you call her friend back?”

Damnit…”Do you want them to know she’s with us?” Jessica said. It was all she could think of on a moment’s notice. “We can’t let her friends know that we’re ZoNE.” Jessica and Yoona continued this back and forth, getting louder and louder.

“That’s it!” Sooyoung was getting irritated. “Both of you be quiet and just eat. We can talk about this more later.” She grabbed a fork and stabbed the food on her plate. Jessica and Yoona quietly obeyed.

Jessica finished her meal first. “Sooyoung, can you make some porridge or something for me? Taeyeon should eat when she wakes up.”

“Fine, I will. But you owe me for anything I have to do for the girl.” Sooyoung replied, half joking and half serious.

“Thank you.” Jessica put her dishes in the sink. She opened the cabinet and pulled out a fairly large bowl and filled it with cold water and ice. “Where do we keep the spare towels? I want to use one for Taeyeon.”

“Bottom left drawer. Under the paper plates. Don’t use the kitchen towels. There should be thinner rags underneath them.” Sooyoung just ate nonchalantly now that the arguing subsided. Yoona sneaked out of the kitchen and walked to her room without making much of a sound.

After finding the rags, Jessica took the bowl up to her room. Taeyeon was still asleep, but she was sweeting a lot. She tossed and turned and mumbled something Jessica couldn’t quite understand. Something about the “sister” Jessica kept hearing about.

Jessica set the bowl down on the nightstand and dipped the rag in the ice water. She folded it and rung out the spare water. “Here we go…” Jessica brushed the hair off of Taeyeon’s forehead and carefully laid the rag on her.

Taeyeon tossed around more after the rag touched her skin. While waiting for Taeyeon to wake up, Jessica pulled a spare set of clothes out for Taeyeon to change into. They looked a little big, but Jessica didn’t want to bother Sooyoung or Yoona about it. After, Jessica pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed. She hovered over Taeyeon’s face. Something about the blush made Taeyeon look ridiculously cute.

“Krystal!” Taeyeon shot up from bed.

“Gah!” Jessica backed off and almost fell out of her chair. “Uh…good evening?”

Taeyeon continued to stare at Jessica. “Krystal!” She screamed. “Krystal, you’re okay!” Taeyeon suddenly leaned over and grabbed Jessica around the waist. “You’re okay…you’re back…”

“Yah! Get off me!” Jessica tried to gently push Taeyeon off. She felt the sweat being absorbed into her clothing. Jessica felt something wet fall onto her legs. Tears. Taeyeon was crying.

“Krystal. You’re back…” Taeyeon wouldn’t let go no matter how much Jessica yelled.

Eventually, Jessica used her hands to forcibly pry Taeyeon off her. “Let go! And I’m not Krystal.” Jessica was able to get Taeyeon mostly off herself. But Taeyeon refused to stop calling Jessica “Krystal”. She’s delusional…the fever must really be getting to her. Jessica resorted to slapping Taeyeon across the face in an effort to snap Taeyeon out of her trance. “Yah! What’s wrong with you?”

The impact of Jessica’s hand on Taeyeon’s face was more than enough to fully wake her up. “Ow!” Taeyeon cradled her cheek in her hands. There was a red hand mark from where Jessica hit her. “Huh? What…where am I?” Taeyeon looked around the room. Then she looked down at the bed of fluffy comfort she was sitting on. After, she looked at the girl sitting next to her. “Waah! Ohmaigod! Do you mmf-!!”

Jessica covered Taeyeon’s mouth with her hands. Here goes the spaz…”Yes, I’m Jessica. Listen to me. You passed out at SM Park, so we took you home.” Jessica moved her hands from Taeyeon’s mouth. “Do you think you can keep quiet for a little while?”

Taeyeon nodded her head. was still open and her eyes were still big from excitement. Her idol…her biggest crush was right in front of her. Taeyeon squealed on the inside.

“Good. Your stuff is over there. You can stay here for a little while, but I can’t guarantee that the others will like having you more than a week.” Jessica stood up and walked towards the door. “Go ahead and change. The clothes might be a bit baggy, but I don’t have anything smaller.”

Taeyeon continued to stare at Jessica. “Thank…you?”

“I’ll be outside. Come out when you’re done changing so you can eat. We can talk in the kitchen, too.” Jessica took a step out the door.

“Wait!” Taeyeon managed to regain the ability to speak. “Where…where is this? Who is the “we” you keep referring to?”

“This is the ZoNE dorm. Sooyoung and Yoona are somewhere here.” Jessica left the room and closed the door behind her.

Taeyeon stared at the door again. “Oh. My. God.”