Chapter 3

"Don't cry Tiff. I'm here. I'll protect you no matter what. I love you" That.. voice. There's only one person that calls me Tiff, Jessi. My Jessi. 

"Jessi!"Tiffany opened her eyes and her body shot up. Tiffany looked around the room and saw that she was in a bed.
This wasn't her house though. Was it... just a dream? Tiffany asked herself. Jessi. I can't stop thinking about you no matter what. My mind is telling me you're gone, but my heart is telling me you're still here. Tiffany smiled bitterly as tears flowed from her face. Wait.. I thought I was in that alley. What happened? 

Suddenly the door opened and Tiffany heard someone calling her. "Fany. You're awake! Are you feeling better?" Yuri asked her friend.

"I'm feeling better, yeah Uhm.. Yuri, what happened? I thought i was in that alley and there were three guys that tried to do something to me." Tiffany asked the black pearl. The younger girl stared at the eye smiling girl, debating whether she should tell Tiffany about what happened. Finally the tanned girl sighed and sat on the bed next to the older girl.

"Yes, you were in the alley and you were attacked by those three guys. I don't really know what happened, but I think someone saved you. When i got there I saw you and those three erts unconscious. I called the police and had those b*stards arrested. Then i carried you to my house, which is why you're in my bed right now" Yuri explained.

"Yuri" Tiffany said in a low voice.

"Yeah Fany?"

"I know this may sound like I'm crazy, but I- I.. I think it was Jessi that saved me" Tiffany said seriously and looked at the younger girl's eyes intensely, as if she was really telling the truth. Yuri's eyes widened. The black pearl swallowed her saliva, wondering if she should tell Tiffany that she also felt the presence of Jessica. Yuri decided it would be better if she didn't give Tiffany any false hope right now. The younger girl forced a confused look.

"Fany.. i know you miss Sica. We all do, but she's gone. I thought you knew that. There's no way it was Sica that's impo-..."

"Yuri!! I know it was Jessi!! Even though I didn't see her,.. I heard her. And I know it was her because I only feel safe when I'm around her! I can feel her presence." Tiffany screamed.

Yuri sighed.

"Okay. So let's say it was Sica. Why do you think she is here? She should have moved on by now" Yuri asked.

"I don't know. I just know she is here." Tiffany stubbornly argued, but stopped when she felt a sharp pain on her chest.

"Fany, you're not completely healed yet. You should rest. Go sleep and when you wake up go downstairs and get some food. I had my maids prepare you some rice porridge. I have something to do so I'll see you when I get home" Yuri gave her friend a hug and left.

Tiffany got a drink of water and laid down on the bed and pulled up the covers. Staring at the ceiling she was recalling today's events.

~~

Jessica walked around the streets of Seoul with no destination. She had just saved Tiffany from three erts, but she is not yet ready to face her girlfriend yet. What if her girlfriend can't see or sense her? Jessica feared. She stared at her watch and noticed a red light and beeping. The bright light flashed an a holographic projector appeared, revealing the angel helping the Ice Princess on her journey.

"Hi Jessica!!" The angel said excitedly.

"What?" Jessica responded with her usual cold expression.

"I have great news. You just completed 3 of you one thousand quota" The angel said and clapped for Jessica.

"What? How?" Jessica asked.

"Easy. You saved Tiffany Hwang. That's one good deed. And according to the people in the fate department, by beating those thugs unconscious, they were arrested and charged with crimes they committed to two other people. So good job. Three good deeds in one go! Keep it up. Jessica Hwaiting!" The dorky angel goofily remarked.

Jessica chuckled "Thank you.. uh.. sorry I realized I never asked for your name" Jessica replied shyly and scratching the back of her head.

"Oh right.. I'm Sunny." The aegyo filled angel said.

"Thank you Sunny" Jessica said.

"You're welcome... you know maybe it's time you go and talk to Tiffany. You obviously can't complete this alone you
know."

"I know... do you think she'll be able to see me?" Jessica asked. her biggest fear was not failing the quest, but Tiffany not being able to see her or even worse, Jessica was afraid that she would scare Tiffany away. Meeting a ghost isn't exactly an everyday thing.

"Don't worry.. If Tiffany seriously did or, most likely still, loves you, she will have no trouble seeing you. And don't worry. I'm sure she would be more thrilled being able to see you, rather than being afraid. Right now she's in Kwon Yuri's house. Do you want to go meet her?" Sunny asked the ice princess who hesitated a moment before sighing..

"Yes"

~~

"Ms. Yuri.. we have arrived" The driver informed the black pearl, who took off her headphones and put it back in her bag. "Thank you. Mr. Park" Yuri replied and stepped out of the black car. Yuri walked into an old fashioned building and were greeted by the maids there.

"Hello Ms. Yuri" The maids bowed.

Yuri smiled and continued walking until she reached the last room in the hallway. She knocked on the door and waited for a reply before entering. After hearing a man instructing her to open the door, she slowly opened the door and closed it.

"What is it Yuri?" The man asked.

"Grandfather... I need some help." Yuri replied.

"And what would that be Yuri?" Her grandfather asked.

"I know I've always had a pretty strong sixth sense, so I'm rarely wrong when I sense ghosts, but just this morning I sensed the presence of my friend Jessica that died recently in a car accident. Her girlfriend Tiffany even told me she sensed her too. What could be keep Sica in this world?" Yuri asked.

The elderly man scratched his balding head and slowly got up to his bookshelf. He took out 3 gigantic books that were collecting dust on the top shelf and handed them to Yuri.

"Here" The elder Kwon said and dropped the books onto his granddaughter's hands.

"Oof!! Oh my gosh these books are heavy! What are these??" Yuri complained.

"Records of every ghost sighting the Kwon family has ever encountered. This dates back to even the 15th century with Kwon Sejoon, our family's founder and the first exorcist. From then on it has been our family's tradition to record spirits, whether they were ones that passed on by themselves or were exorcized by us. Use these books to study and learn more about your friend" The elderly man explained.

"Read... THIS??? Come on grandpa there has got to be like 8000 pages per volume!!" Yuri whined.

"Aww.. you're going to take over our family soon. You were going to have to read this eventually. For some reason your older brother wasn't born with our family's powerful sixth sense. He can somewhat feel a ghost's presence, but Yuri you can actually see them and physically touch them. You have the gift, you will be inheriting the Kwon family when your father wants you to. Understand?" The man said and patted his beloved granddaughter's head.

"Yes grandpa. Fine I'll read these. Not like I was looking forward to sleeping or studying anyway" Yuri replied sarcastically and whining.

"That's my black pearl. Now go home. I have some business to take care of with my pupils. We were called to Hokkaido to get rid of an evil spirit. Bye sweetheart."

"Bye grandpa." Yuri waved goodbye and carried the 50 pound books to her car to drive her back to her estate. She put the books into the empty space next to her and stared at it.

"Sigh.... Sica, Fany.. you two owe me so much for this. I should've never decided to investigate."

~~

Tiffany woke up from her nap, feeling hungry she walked downstairs and saw the food on the dinner table that was prepared for her by her friend. She took a seat and started eating, although the food wasn't bad, Tiffany was not really paying attention to the flavors because her mind was thinking about her girlfriend.

Jessi, if you're really here, please give me a sign. I really miss you. Tiffany thought and sighed. After she finished her food she put the dirty dishes in the sink and saw Yuri's maids cleaning for up after her. Although she insisted she would clean up herself, the maids told her it was okay.

Tiffany walked outside to Yuri's garden and laid down on the grass. She always loved going to Yuri's house when she was young. Along with Jessica, Seohyun, Sooyoung, Taeyeon and Yuri, they would all lie down on the grass and watch the clouds. Tiffany and Jessica had a special place, they would hide behind a huge tree and talk with each other until they got caught. Tiffany walked over to the tree and saw that their engraving was still there on the tree. She placed her hand on it and read it out loud.

"JeTi.... Best Friends Forever N Always" A lone tear fell from Tiffany's eye and she closed them both to recall the memories she had with Jessica.

~~

"I'm bored!" 12 year old Yuri complained.

"Me too" Sooyoung replied.

"Kids you want to play something?" The short leader asked.

"Hide N Seek?" 13 year old Tiffany replied, while the blonde 13 year old Jessica was resting on Tiffany's lap. Sooyoung was busy stuffing her face with Yuri's food. 11 year old Seohyun was reading her book while Taeyeon was staring at Yuri who was on the soil doing something mischievous.

"Sure Fany.. wake up Sica so we can play" Taeyeon ordered.

"Okay... " Tiffany turned her attention to the older girl that was sleeping soundly on her lap. Tiffany gently touched the outline of Jessica's jaw and admired her perfect facial features.

"Jessi... wake up" Tiffany gently tapped Jessica's shoulder. The latter stirred and shifted her body so now all the weight was on Tiffany's left lap.

"Aish... Jessi you sleep too much" Tiffany muttered. She tried to wake up the older girl again, but stopped when she saw Yuri in front of her hiding something behind her back. Yuri had a playful grin on her face, and that was never good news for Tiffany.

"Fany- Ah... guess what I have?" Yuri asked.

"W- What?" Tiffany stuttered.

"Look! Aren't these worms cute?" Yuri asked while showing Tiffany a bucket of worms in soil that she dug up with her shovel.

"Kyaaaa!!! Beolle Beolle Beolle Beolle!!!!" Tiffany started her usual bug rap. The others noticed Tiffany's screams and realized it was Yuri playing a joke on her again. Yuri started laughing like a maniac, but stopped and turned pale when she saw Jessica wake up.

Oh crap.. I am so dead. Mom, Dad.. I love you! Argh!! Sica looks like evil personified!! Yuri mentally screamed inside her head.

"Kwon. Yuri. How dare you wake me up and how dare you scare Tiff!" HellSica growled.

"Ah!!! Seohyun! Save me!!" Yuri ran and hid behind the maknae.

Tiffany calmed down the cranky ice princess and the group proceeded with their game of Hide N Seek. Tiffany dragged Jessica and the two hid behind their favorite tree, trying to avoid Sooyoung, who was it. Feeling bored the two girls started having a conversation.

"Jessi list three things you like about me" Tiffany said out of the blue.

"Why?" Jessica replied with a confused expression.

"Just because I want to hear it" Tiffany explained.

"Okay.. your smile especially your eye smile that everyone loves, your kindness and bubbly personality to everyone, even people you barely know or just met and finally ..." Jessica started and hesitated to think about what to say for the third one.

The way you make my heart stop and how you make me think about you every second of every day.. Listing just three things about your perfection doesn't do you justice ... What am I saying? I can't say that? Jessica thought.

"The way you can always be optimistic" Jessica replied.

"Aww.... I love you Jessi!" Tiffany hugged her best friend.

"I love you too Tiff" More than you think.

" Okay Tiffany now you list three things you like about me" Jessica said.

"Alright! First is your smile because it is very beautiful. Second is your voice because it amazing... third is the way you can always cheer me up when I'm sad" Tiffany replied with an eye smile, making Jessica's heart beat faster and start blushing. Jessica noticed Tiffany got up from her hiding place and took out a pocket knife... who knows why she is is carrying one. Tiffany began to carve words into the tree.

"JeTi.. Best Friend Forever N Always" Tiffany said out loud.

"JeTi?" Jessica asked bewilderedly.

"Jessica + Tiffany, Cute right?" Tiffany said ecstatically.

"Yeah.." Jessica muttered.

"You don't like it Jessi?" Tiffany asked with a pout and puppy eyes.

"No No!! I love it!!" Damn it.. so hard to resist. It's cute, but it sounds like some pairing name.

"I was just teasing you Jessi! Heh.. You're so cute" Tiffany smiled and pinched her best friend's cheek.

"Hmph" It was Jessica's turn to pout.

~~

Tiffany recalled this memory and smiled bitterly. She sat down on the grass next to the tree and closed her eyes to smell the fresh air.

"Jessi... I miss you so much" Tiffany muttered.

Suddenly Tiffany heart footsteps from behind her coming slowly. She didn't feel afraid at all. Just the presence of this person warms her up. It felt nostalgic. She thought it was probably just her mind playing tricks on her again, but those thoughts disappeared when she heard a person call her name.

"Tiff" Tiffany got off the ground and turned around. When she saw who called her she felt time stop, her heart was beating faster.

"J- Jessi???"

TBC