“Cover your ears. It’s loud.”

~~~~

Sooyoung and Yoona covered their ears and closed their eyes at the last second. The ringing of a bullet being fired stung their ears, and the gun smoke s into their noses. Sooyoung opened her eyes just enough to see a bloody scene. “Taeyeon…?” Sooyoung’s eyes shot wide open. She pawed at Yoona to get her to end her cowering.

Yoona was scared, but she opened her eyes. “Jessica!”

Taeyeon was on the floor, and Jessica was laying on top of her. Jessica had grabbed Taeyeon’s hand and redirected the gun towards the far wall. There was a small hole in the wall and pieces of debris were scattered the floor.

“Jessica, are you okay?” Yoona and Sooyoung dove to the ground to check if their friend was okay. They turned their attention to a very shocked Taeyeon. “What in the world is wrong with you?!”

Taeyeon was never so confused. And she had been very confused in the last 48 hours. “Wh-why…did you…”

“I remember."

Sooyoung and Yoona both looked at each other. “She remembers? Since when?”

Jessica continued. “I was standing outside the room. I heard some noise, and wanted to make sure that you guys weren’t being too hard on Taeyeon. I overheard everything.” Jessica got up. She extended a slender arm out to Taeyeon, but she didn’t take it. Not right away. “I started to remember things in the past few months, but I just didn’t know what it all meant, or how to fit I all together.” Jessica pulled hard to lift Taeyeon from the ground. “When I heard the story, it felt like everything – all the memories and events – came back to me. Now it all makes sense. I’m still confused, but I’m okay.”

“Jessica,” Taeyeon started. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you all.”

“Here. Take it back.” Jessica held out Taeyeon’s phone. “I think you should leave right now.”

“Jessica, please, you have to listen to me.” Taeyeon tried to plead and make the girls understand.

“I’ll drive you home. Let’s go.” Jessica took Taeyeon by the arm, grabbed Taeyeon’s bag, and walked out of the house before Sooyoung could stop them.

When they got to Jessica’s car, she opened a door and threw Taeyeon’s bag into the back seats. Jessica stepped into the drivers seat and opened the passenger door from the inside. “Get in.”

~~~~

“Sooyoung, what do you think?” Yoona and Sooyoung went back to the kitchen to think over what they should do.

“Well, we need to figure out a way to patch up the hole without letting our manager know that it was caused by a gun.” Sooyoung took a sip of coffee.

“No, I mean what do you think about Taeyeon.”

“I don’t know. She seemed pretty sincere about shooting herself in the leg.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Sooyoung’s voice.

“So…” Yoona started, unaware of Sooyoung’s displeasure. “Should we trus-“

“Don’t.”

“Sooyoung…”

Sooyoung stirred her coffee. “We can’t trust someone who is trained with a gun unless we actually have them as body guard or…approved by the company!”

Yoona was too unsure of herself to be able to say anything back.

“Let’s just call the company and tell them something fell into the wall. They can fix it easily enough.”

~~~~

The drive back to Taeyeon’s house was agonizingly long. Taeyeon wanted to explain herself better, but she couldn’t build up the confidence to say anything. Jessica wanted to get an explanation out of Taeyeon, but she was unsure about how to approach the topic.

“Can we talk?”

“Okay.”

“This picture. Where did you get it?” Jessica reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture she took from Taeyeon’s wallet.

Taeyeon ripped it from Jessica’s hand. She just stared at the other girl – at Krystal. “Why do you have this?”

Jessica kept looking at the road, but her ears were all on Taeyeon. “I was looking for an identification. You passed out, and I wanted to know if there was someone I could call, or some sort of way to identify you if someone came looking.”

“Why did you keep it, though?”

“I didn’t mean to. I just never put it back.” Jessica pulled over to the side of the road. “Lets talk here.”

“I thought I was supposed to go home.”

“Either sit here and talk, or shut up and walk.”

Taeyeon looked out the window. She had no idea where she was, or how to get home.

“That’s what I thought. Now talk. Tell me everything.”

“Seems like a one sided talk here.”

“Do you want me to drive you home or not?”

“Now I wonder why I like you so much.” Taeyeon sighed heavily before starting. “Krystal and I met about a year before ZoNE debuted. We got to be really good friends. Eventually, I started to fall for her.

“Wait, if you liked her, why did she try to kill me?” Jessica recalled the incident at the zoo. “She said that she wanted you.”

Taeyeon shook her head. “One day, she took off. We had a fight the night before. I said something, and she exploded…something about how I didn’t really like her, but I liked her because she looked like someone else.”

“When did that happen?”

“I dunno…maybe a year after you guys debuted? No. More like a year and a half after the debut.”

“Did she saw why she left?” Jessica tried to turn in her seat to face Taeyeon more comfortably. “Or do you remember why you two fought?”

Taeyeon thought. “She asked me why I liked her. For some reason, I couldn’t give her an answer that was satisfactory enough for her.” Taeyeon thought more before continuing. “She said that I only liked her because “I look like her”…or that’s what she said.”

“Well, that would explain why she came after me.” Jessica pouted. All that pain and annoyance just because Krystal was a little too crazy about love.

“What do you mean?”

Jessica looked at Taeyeon. “Huh? You really can’t see it?” Jessica took back the picture and held it close to her face. “Now do you see it?”

Taeyeon leaned in to get a better look. “Uh…”

“I’m that “her” Krystal was talking about. We look exactly alike.”

“Wow. I guess I didn’t realize it.” Taeyeon was a little dumbfounded.

Jessica turned the picture over. “See here?”

“Oh! It’s a message Krystal wrote to me. She gave it to me after she disappeared…she came back about two years ago. Then she…well…you know.”

Jessica pointed to the scribble at the bottom of the paper. “This is my old signature. And if you look closer, the message isn’t in all the same handwriting. I wrote “Too Taeyeon”. Your sister must have changed it before giving it to you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why did she try to-“

“Are you really that slow?” Jessica handed the picture back to Taeyeon. “Krystal wanted you to love her. She probably thought you really loved me and only liked her because she looks like me.”

Taeyeon looked at the picture. Then at Jessica. Then at the picture again. “I didn’t realize she felt that way.”

“Clearly.”

“Do you know what happened after the whole zoo thing?”

“Nope. But I never saw Krystal again. But you have, haven’t you?”

“She came back. She was just suddenly at my door. We talked all night, but she didn’t tell me everything. She gave me the picture, and said it was an apology for what had happened. “

“So she just ran away? Didn’t her parents worry about her?”

“Nope.” Taeyeon put the picture into her wallet. “She was an orphan. She was adopted at the age of 10, but her family didn’t really care what she did. They knew she ran off, but they didn’t bother looking for her.”

Jessica was wide-eyed. “That’s kind of scary.”

“She was abused. I didn’t realize it at first, but then I saw the bruises.”

“I see.” Jessica fiddled with her hair. “Anywho, tell me more about the people who took Krystal away from you. Or, the people who kidnapped her.”

“It’s like I said before. They took her, and blackmailed me. They trained me with various weapons so that I could kill someone.”

“And you didn’t know it was me until the other day?”

Taeyeon shook her head again. “Not at all.”

“Well, would you have killed me if you knew before hand?”

“Never!”

“So you would let Krystal stay kidnapped, and probably die?”

“No way, she’s like my sister!”

“Well then, if you had to pick one of us to save, who would it be?”

~~~~

The car ride consisted of blasting music over the radio and getting Taeyeon’s story straight so that her friends wouldn’t suspect anything. Jessica pulled into Taeyeon’s driveway. They both sat in the car, neither making any sort of effort to get out of the vehicle.

“You don’t need to give me answer. Just think about it, will ya?” Jessica said, in reference to her earlier question.

Taeyeon nodded. She was good at just nodding and shaking her head, but for some reason she at using actual words these days.

“Come on, I’ll walk you in.” Jessica decided sitting in the car was not getting them anywhere.

The two girls walked out of the car and to the front door of Taeyeon’s house. It wasn’t a big house – probably large enough for two people – and it seemed to be well kept.

“Evening, Taeyeon, Jessica. ”

Taeyeon turned around. Sitting on a large rock in her yard was a girl. She had very light hair and a distinct voice that had a bit of a squeak to it. “You!”

“Taeyeon, who is she?” Jessica asked.

“I’m sorry,” the girl said as she hoped off the rock. “I guess I shouldn’t expect you to know me, Jessica. But don’t worry. My name isn’t a very important.” The girl walked towards Taeyeon and Jessica. Jessica instinctively stepped in front of Taeyeon.

“What do you want?” Jessica asked.

The girl ignored Jessica and went straight for Taeyeon.

Taeyeon stepped out from behind Jessica. “Hyoyeon, why are you here?”

“The Boss wanted me to make sure you were getting the job done.” Hyoyeon glared at Jessica. “I see you still have work to do."

“I’ll get to it! Get out of here!”

Hyoyeon smirked before turning to leave. “You better hurry before the Boss gets mad~!” she said over her shoulder. Hyoyeon disappeared around the curb.

Taeyeon unlocked the front door and motioned for Jessica to enter.

“Taeyeon…”

“Come inside. We need to talk more.”

The girls sat in the kitchen. Taeyeon brought out a few glasses for water. “Hyoyeon works for them. The people who told me to kill you.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Jessica, I know this seems like a lot to ask, but let me be your bodyguard. I know what those people are capable of. I can hold them off, I know I can.”

Jessica looked at Taeyeon. She tried to read Taeyeon’s face.

“Please, Jessica. I’ll think of a way to save you and Krystal. They don’t know that you know everything now. We have that as an advantage.”

“…Well…” Jessica thought for a minute. Can I really trust her? “If I say yes, how do I know you wont trick me? How can you protect me?”

“I know what those people look like. I know what they are capable of. I know that if you try to call the police it won’t work because they seem to have connections or something. I can help. I’ll think of something.”

Jessica and Taeyeon went back and forth for a little while longer. Somehow, Taeyeon got Jessica to agree. After a little more time had passed, Jessica decided it was time to leave. Taeyeon walked her to the door.

“I’ll see you next tomorrow, okay?” Jessica said.

“Why?” Taeyeon didn’t think she needed to see Jessica that soon – she didn’t think she could figure out a plan in that amount of time, really.

“A date. We are dating, aren’t we?”

Taeyeon was surprised. “You still…you still want to?”

“Use it to buy time. Make up some story and tell them that we’re dating for now. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Jessica walked away and drove off in her car.

Taeyeon went back in. She looked around her house – it was clean. Not much of a mess could be found anywhere. She sat back at the kitchen table just as she got a message on her phone.

Besides, I’m still going to win that bet. - Jessica

“This girl…” Taeyeon chuckled to herself before setting down her phone and getting lost in thought. “We look exactly alike.” They did suddenly look so much alike. Taeyeon didn’t know how she could possible miss it. But she did.

 “Well then, if you had to pick one of us to save, who would it be?”

It was an interesting question. Who did Taeyeon want to save more? She only knew Jessica for a short while, and she was starting to question why, but Taeyeon found herself so drawn and captivated by the Ice Princess. And Taeyeon had known Krystal for so long, but her newfound knowledge made her scared of her.

 “Who would it be?”

The question kept nagging her.

“Who?”

“No duh…”

~~~~

Taeyeon called Tiffany and Sunny and told them she was home. She didn’t actually know what to tell them if they questioned her, but Taeyeon luckily didn’t have to face too many questions. Her friends checked up on her during the week.

Eventually a week had passed since Taeyeon and Jessica’s meeting. They had very little contact over the phone; just enough to know when are where to meet. It was during those meetings when they would talk and have contact.

Sooyoung and Yoona both disagreed with Jessica’s logic, but they agreed to not let the managers or anyone know what was happening. And if the press caught on? Taeyeon was just a really good friend.

Jessica and Taeyeon continued to “date” – the public eye watched them so they acted as friends when outside. In the privacy of their (Jessica’s) home, they actually looked like they were dating. They would sit with each other and playfully flirt to no end. And at the end of the day, Jessica would always give Taeyeon a kiss on the cheek. But they had yet to kiss on the lips again.

Besides being her date, Taeyeon was also Jessica’s bodyguard against the people who tried to kill her. Taeyeon didn’t have much in the way of guns, but she could take a kitchen knife and hit a moving target 10 feet away. Give her a pen and a chance to get close to you, and Taeyeon could knock you out cold.

During the week, Hyoyeon didn’t make any more appearances. Taeyeon was still wary of her possible presence, however. Hyoyeon was a sneaky one.

Still, Taeyeon and Jessica made the most of the time they had together. Jessica had come to trust Taeyeon, and Sooyoung and Yoona were getting more accepting of Taeyeon.

Things were just fine.

~~~~

“Welcome back, Hyoyeon.”

Hyoyeon took a seat at a table. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked. “Good to be back, Boss number one, two and three.”

Three cloaked figures sat across from Hyoyeon. “What have you figured out?”

“Looks like Taeyeon got all buddy-buddy with Jessica.” Hyoyeon took out a camera. “Would you like to see?” On the display screen, was Taeyeon and Jessica kissing. The picture was taken through a window. “This was from the day you sent me out.”

“That wretch!” said the first cloaked figure. “I told you she would betray us!”

The boss of the cloaked figures – the third person – sat silently.

“Have you any other info?” asked the second figure.

Hyoyeon took back the camera. “I saw Jessica bringing Taeyeon to her home. Jessica seems to trust Taeyeon, so my guess is Taeyeon is trying to gain her trust. I don’t know what happened, but it didn’t seem like Taeyeon had betrayed us yet.”

“Very well.” Said the second figure. “You may go. Keep an eye on her.”

Hyoyeon stood and bowed before stepping out of the room. The second figure followed Hyoyeon out into the hallway.

When the door was shut, the first cloak figure spoke up. “It’s been a week. You said we’d only wait a week.”

The leader of the cloaked beings turned to her addresser. “I did.”

“Are you not going to do something about that girl?!”

“No. You are.”

The first cloaked figured gasped. “Why me?”

“You are the most impatient of all of us. You want her gone? Then you go and do it.” Said her leader.

“Hmph” the first cloaked figure turned to leave. When she arrived at her room, she removed her cloak. Her long, straight hair fell over her shoulder, and her innocent face masked the fact that she strongly wanted Jessica dead.

The girl grabbed a handful of darts from a table and started to throw them at a target. After missing the first two darts, the girl took one and threw it at a picture of 

“I’ll get my revenge. Just you wait.”

------------

Happy october~

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