Taeyeon found it hard to sleep that night. She doesn't know what time it is as she lies here on her bed, clutching one of her many green peas shaped doll tightly against her chest, with her eyes locked on the door only five steps away from her, shaking. She cannot stop replaying the scene in her head, no matter how much she forces herself to stop thinking about it. She can feel her body get colder as her insides turn to every directions. Not able to handle it anymore, she tries to make everything stop spinning by shutting her eyes tight.

 

She was fine until now though. The whole day went alright thanks to her eight sisters, as they like to call themselves. They all made sure not to stay too far away from her after the incident, comforting her with hugs and smiles, surrounding her in the same manner as a fortress no one could break into. But as sleep was taking her, a light sensation on her right arm just set everything on fire again. It wasn't the sheets she felt brushing lightly against her arm, it was that hand, that stranger's hand wrapping itself around her fragile wrist and pulling her into the darkness.

 

Panicking and dry, she shoots her eyes open and stares at her own arm as if it wasn't hers for what seemed an eternity. She slowly sits up, just when a ray of moonlight makes its way inside the room, ending its course crashing on the walls and revealing the familiar colours she fails to recognise.  She is in danger. The soft wind of paranoia blows lightly on her pale skin making the hair on her arms rise in fear. Her feet immediately leads her to the only exit she knew, the only place where she could feel safe.

 

Without a sound, she sneaks into another bed, successfully not waking up the petite girl already sleeping in it. She stares at her face, eyes taking in every single line of it. And it suddenly hits her. The beauty of the woman in front of her, dazzling her in the darkness. Was it because everything around seemed to be so alive, colourful and noisy making the world crazy when the night was dark and quiet ? Was it because her heart was beating so fast and loudly in her chest she felt she was living her last seconds ? She honestly doesn't know.

 

The alarms go off again. She had forgotten their existence for everything else had stopped the short moment she stared at the other girl. She gets closer to her, wanting to feel her. No, needing to feel her in order to stop this unbearable noise.

 

The sleeping girl frowns and squirms lightly, sensing something odd moving very close to her body even in her sleep. Soon she opens her eyes and sees another pair of brown eyes staring right back at her. She furrows her brows and is about to ask why she's here in her bed when she feels that the usually cheerful girl's body is trembling, even though they're not even touching and then spots the fear hidden in her begging eyes. She immediately understands, the same way she immediately understood when she saw her best friend and leader being taken away by that stranger earlier that day, right in the middle of a performance before an audience as witnesses. She didn't think when she went after her and reached for her arm, pulling her into her, fighting the man's grip. Just like she doesn't think now and without a single word her body instinctly moves to welcome the scared girl in her small arms, pulling her as close as possible.

 

Even though Taeyeon's eyes are closed, she can see this tiny ray of light shining far away creep through the unseeping darkness she was trapped in and feel it pull her back to what she remembers is the warmth, growing stronger and bigger every second. The hand closed around her wrist slowly unwraps itself and lets the burnt skin underneath disappear in the dark before reappearing and healing in the soft yet strong light.

 

Arms securely wrapped around her waist and legs tangled together, Taeyeon can feel the warmth slowly but surely taking her over, turning the uncountable loud sirens into a simple soothing breathing murmur in her ear. Her heartbeat finds its normal pace and she opens her eyes again only to wonder how she never saw how beautiful Soonkyu was.

 

Nuzzling their noses together lightly, she lets out a relieved sigh. Gentle hands rub her back, easing her fears and silently putting her to sleep. Eyelids closing on a beautiful show, she feels herself being taken away to a sunny place.

 

"I'll never let you go." Soonkyu whispers as they both fall asleep, leaving a green doll on the floor sleep alone for the first time.