Day Two. I slept back at home yesterday. Lunch wasn't that much of a pain to get through. Damien's parents came by and we had a big chat about the changes in the town. It was true, everyone believed that it was all because of me. I really hated taking all of the credit. His father didn't seem to act as if I knew about the truth; you know vampires, vampire hunters, the same old thing. That means Damien never told him, which was best for everyone. I wish I knew why he never told his father. It is a big burden to bear; so I believe that he didn't want to put pressure on him. When dinner rolled around, we moved the 'party' to Damien's place. The kids enjoyed the entire atmosphere, which I thought was good. Things were still awkward around Damien. I mean, why wouldn't it be? I could barely look him in the eyes and be in the same room with him, so I was usually attached to a sibling or two. It was a good plan, good enough to last me through the night at least.

I got up pretty early that morning, so early that no one else in the house was awake. I could hear the light snoring of the kids from downstairs as I went to go freshen up. Good thing I left behind some dresses or else I'd be wearing the same white dress over again. I picked out a dark blue ensemble with a white belt around the waist. I crept downstairs as quietly as I could and searched for something to drink.

 "Awake already?" my father stepped into the kitchen as he rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, running on work time," I smiled while filling up a glass cup with clean water.

He walked up to me and patted me on the head, messing up my hair slightly, with a grin on his face. "Hard to believe all these years have already escaped me. Feels like just yesterday—"

"You found me on your doorstep," I completed his sentence.

"And all that was left with you was a simple piece of paper with the named 'Sophia' written on it," he smiled. "Ever since that moment when you looked us in the eyes, we knew we had to take care of you."

"And I thank you for that."

"Oh, we know you are thankful," he took out a glass also and filled it with some milk. "All of this is because of you. You've repaid us just by growing up so wonderfully and amazingly. That's enough for Cathy and I to know that we did our job."

"It's still not enough in my eyes, father," I told him. "I feel like repaying you tenfold for all the sacrifices you made for me."

He walked up to me and kissed me on the forehead. "As a parent, it's our job to sacrifice for our children. It's the child's job to take those sacrifices and apply them to their lives to benefit them as much as possible. And you're doing that right now...Just as long as you're doing it alone, without a suitor, boyfriend, significant other, lover."

"Oh man!" I smacked my hand with my forehead. We were having such a meaningful conversation too. "Father..."

"What? It's about that time when guys start noticing you. And it's not like you're an unattractive young woman."

"Father... You're starting to sound like Mother..."

"That woman, bless her heart, has had a wedding planned for you since you were ten. She even told me yesterday that boys were fighting for your affection, can you believe that?!"

My throat started to clog up and I coughed as soon as he finished his sentence. "Oh yeah Ican't believe that." I tried not to lengthen any words to draw suspicion to me, but that didn't work in my mind. I wondered if he noticed it.

He turned his back to me as he finished his glass of milk. "Precisely! Can you believe her? You're still so young. It's not the time for marriages, or children, or even falling in love. It's the part of your life where you are permitted to being selfish."

If only he knew the dilemma that was presented to me. Selfishness. In his words, it was in terms of love. I had to be selfish when it came to choosing someone I'd spend the rest of my life with. The one that I wanted by my side forever. That special someone.

"Calm down, father," I giggled to cover up the worry in my tone. "No need to stress about my love life. It's nonexistent."

"Oh that's a relief!" he exclaimed. "I mean... Oh no, that's a bit... depressing..."

"I'm going to grow up some day, you know. Fall in love. Have a family of my own."

"Someday doesn't mean today, kiddo."

Mother walked into the kitchen with her robes on and her hair in a big bun over her head. She wasn't the most attractive person in the morning, especially when she was as drunk as she was last night. Father had a high alcohol tolerance, but Mother was as drunk as they came. She was talking to the lightbulbs and thought she could fly if she stood on the kitchen table.

"Morning..." she said dazedly.

"How are you honey?" asked Father.

"Grrrrrrreat~" she giggled under her breath. She still smelled like alcohol.

"I don't think it's smart for you to be up and about right now," Jun took a hold of her and carried her over his shoulders. Father was really strong from all the building and woodwork he deals with for work. And Mother is just a really small and fragile lady.  "She's going to be in pain later on today if she isn't taken care of this morning. Soph, go out and we'll find you at the festival, okay?"

"The festival?" I asked as he walked back into their bedroom with Mother in his arms.

I poked my head out of the house, just to see if anyone else was out and about. There were banners put up everywhere to bring even greater lengths of colour and brightness into the village. Flowers were pulled and formed into large bouquets to add some freshness. Their aroma was enough to brighten anyone's day. I stared at each and every decoration. Ribbons flowed from the windows of houses to each other, creating an elaborate yet beautiful art piece.

"Holy..." I was in a large amount of awe.

"Morning, sunshine!" someone's voice surprised me from behind.

I jumped slightly. They placed their hands over my eyes. "Who is this?"

"Can't recognize my voice, that just breaks my heart!" The voice told me. "Remember when we were little, and I used to always say that I'd marry you."

"Seobbie?"

"Got that right, Princess," he whispered into my ear sweetly.

He released his grip on my face. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed the same old smile I loved from years ago. "Where did you guys sleep?"

"Damien's place. The boys and I were upset we missed lunch and dinner. As soon as you guys left, we got back from our adventures. So many people recognized us! I couldn't believe it."

"Nothing much about you guys changed anyways. It's easy to recognize all six of you."

He leaned forward, drawing me in with his bright blue eyes. His childish grin didn't disappear at all or falter. "Not much huh?"

"Except for the muscles and height and eyes part," I rolled my eyes in response.

"So that means my insides haven't changed either?"

"Meaning?"

"My feelings, Princess. My feelings," he whispered as silently as the wind around us.

"I wouldn't know. We haven't had a chance to catch up," I whispered just as lightly.

He took a hold of my hand, intertwining our fingers tightly. "Then let's go do that!"

Yoseob started to pull me deeper into town. I guessed we were heading for the newly built fountain, which was the center of the entire place. It was a huge area where people could just meet up. There were the bigger shops around them, while the homes grazed by the outer perimeters of the entire lineup.

Yoseob started to slow down. As we got closer and closer to the fountain. The giggles of children echoed all around us. The smells of fresh food, especially sweet bread and other baked goods, filled my senses. The flowers were no match in scent. Everyone looked so happy, so refreshed. It was like they were all given a new life.

"To just tell you truthfully," Yoseob raised his free hand to scratch the back of his head. He stared at the blue sky above us, squinting as he focused closer on more and more clouds. I looked at him with a puzzled face. He was always very to the point and assertive. That was what I liked about him. That and his smile. His smile was what always captured me, "I do still like you. You were probably the one thing that kept me going while in captivity."

"You still want to marry me?" I smiled.

"Yeah, after what? Six years of being gone? Seven? See, I don't even know. I still want to marry that cute little girl I befriended years ago. She was the main focus in my mind through all my troubles. Even though I had my best friends, my brothers, by my side; I wanted someone else. I didn't go through that hell just to make sure they lived too. I did it because I knew I had to return to her and tell her that I didn't mean to leave."

"And now that you're back?"

"I realize that I don't hold her heart anymore. Maybe I never did. Maybe I just thought I had it," his smile didn't die out at all.

I pulled him back, causing us to stop in the middle of the festival. I took a hold of his other hand and just stood there staring back at him. "You were serious about marrying me? I was seven when you brought that up."

"Something about you intrigued me. The competition with Damien was fun," he happily chuckled in reply upon reminiscing about our childhood. "And I think you're the only girl who will accept me now that I'm a BEAST."

"That's not true, Seobbie."

"I know, I'm no different from you; is that what you are going to say?" He started to swing our arms. I sensed the sadness, but it wasn't prominent. He wasn't look at our conversation with sadness. But more of a confession. "I don't even age anymore. The Professor messed up our genes so much that we're frozen in place now. We are like the Princes in a way, yet like Damien in another. Immortal and mortal. Killers. Hunters. BEASTs. It's weird to think about." Another pause. "I don't plan on falling in love. I can't just love someone and watch them die. I can't watch them age while I don't. That's more painful than anything and—"

"Who wants to love a BEAST like you?" I finished his sentence for him.

"No," I was surprised by his response. "Not that. I'm okay with just the five other idiots for the rest of eternity. We have experienced a meeting with death thousands of times over the years. I really appreciate life now. I appreciate breathing, smiling, hugging... just living. Since I have the glorious miracle of being around for you know—forever—then I'll do something good with it. I'll take my talents and spread them out to the world. Something like that. I'll make a difference. Like you did with the village."

"Same old optimistic Yoseob."

"Same old Sophia that has no clue what she's going to do."

"Actually," I pulled him in for a hug. It took him a few seconds to fully respond as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and back. "I know what I'm going to do. And you'll be the first to know. I'm going to—"

"SOPHIA!!" a group of voices screamed my name from a distance.

Yoseob let me go as I turned around to see the other BEAST boys walked towards us. They were waving and smiling as they normally would. Junhyung has his arm around Hyunseung's neck, walking coolly with his other hand is in his pocket. Kikwang and Dongwoon were lightly hitting each other after the opposite lost a game of rock-paper-scissors. Doojoon carried a ball in his arms.

"Hi boys!" I yelled back at them.

"We'll continue this later, alright?" Yoseob leaned over to reach my ear. I nodded in response.

Kikwang started running to me. As Dongwoon realized what he was doing, he sprinted after. Doojoon stopped in his tracks and dropped the ball to his right foot. He began to shuffle them between his feet and the top of his head effortlessly, before launching it at the two unknowing victims. Dongwoon was too preoccupied to notice his attack until the very last second, when he dodged it faster than humanly possible, centimeters away from his back. Kikwang turned around for a brief moment to catch the ball as it reached his chest area. He didn't seem to be phased from the amount of pain that should have been felt from that sort of force. Without wasting another second, he shuffled back to turn to me and kept his focus on where I was.

Kikwang ran up to me, dropping the ball at his side as he wrapped his big biceps around me for an embrace. He effortlessly picked me up. Yoseob stood back with a grin on his face. Dongwoon, still focused on Kikwang, poked his sides—which are his ticklish spots. Kikwang let me go abruptly as the laughter caught up to him. Dongwoon then quickly held his arms out to catch me and held me as I found my place back on the flat, level stone path. Junhyung unhooked his arm from Hyunseung's neck and started laughing. Hyunseung pointed at them and started cheering.

"Missed you so much!" Dongwoon pretended to cry.

"Hey, I missed her more," Kikwang protested.

"No you didn't."

"Yeah I did."

"Not."

"Did."

"Not."

"Did."

"Yah!" Doojoon patted me on the head before kicked the bottom of the ball to his grip. "Don't fight in front of Sophia."

"We did this all the time when we were younger, didn't seem to bother her a bit," Kikwang replied to the oldest.

"Did so. She'd tell us to stop." Dongwoon contradicted Kiwkang's statement.

"No she didn't."

"Yeah she did."

"Not."

"Did."

"Not."

"Did."

"Don't mind them, Princess," Doojoon rolled his eyes at his two younger friends as he gave me a very tight hug.

Junhyung and Hyunseung caught up to us in a few seconds. Hyunseung hugged me lightly as Junhyung forced me to the side. His expression seemed cold and hard, but as he embraced me, it all went away.

"Calm down you two," Junhyung nagged like a mother would.

Obviously, the two hyper BEASTs didn't seem to notice Junhyung's words. Hyunseung hit both of them in the back of the head lightly before turning to me. "What's the plan?"

"Have fun at the festival!" I exclaimed. "Today is the day to unwind."

The rest of the day was filled with joyous laughs. It had to be one of the highlights of my entire life. The boys and I ran around the entire town, meeting up with so many people. Most of the time though, we were eating something. There wasn't a dull moment. Kikwang and Dongwoon were competing with each other for every game. Then the rest of the boys got just as competitive. They fought for who could hold my hand as we walked around. I couldn't believe they still acted to childish and as heartwarmingly fun as they did when we were younger. Each of them won something, so they all intertwined hands with me at some point. There were stares and glares coming from all directions, mostly from suitors who found all six of them attractive and thought that I was a menace. I just shrugged them off. It wasn't worth my time trying to come up with some sort of lie as to why we were so close. I couldn't use the whole 'we've been best friends since forever' excuse, look at where that got me with Damien.

Doojoon, Yoseob, and Kikwang rushed off to play a bit of football with some kids. They just kicked the ball around and tried to teach them some tricks. Glad to see they didn't lose any of their athleticism and enthusiasm for the sport. Hyunseung and Junhyung ate everything in sight, but never seemed to get anywhere near full. Dongwoon played with the children in every game he could.

I ran into my family in the midst of it all. The kids were enjoying every moment of the festival, while my parents got the break they deserved. My Mother was extremely sober compared to her attitude this morning. I don't know what Father did, but he sure knew how to fix her right up. I braided all the girls' hairs and wiped clean all of the dirt from the boys' faces. It was impossible to face the fact that they were growing up.

It was hard to believe that only a few months had passed since I moved into the castle. All sorts of events have shaped me into the person I am now. It's hard to just face the fact that not too long ago, I was as naive as most of the world. I have learned so much about myself just from meeting a single family. I heard good and bad news. But does the positive outweigh the negative in this situation? That's up for debate. It all is.

But I know one thing for sure, my future isn't. And so, my decision has been made.

The sun was already setting, so the beautiful purples, reds, oranges, and pinks of the sky invaded the darkening atmosphere. The clouds began to disappear and were replaced by twinkling stars. A cooler breeze broke through the atmosphere. I turned to face the fountain as the artificial light bulbs illuminated the night. That was when I saw Damien. He was talking to the guys, smiling and laughing together. He nodded at each question, chuckled at each joke. It was pleasing for my heart to see him smile like he used to. The lightness of his hazel eyes returned. Just seeing all of them together brought back all of the memories from those years ago. I wondered if it would stay like this. I wondered if he'd finally, finally, finally seen the truth, the reality of things. I wondered if his words were true.

"Is he the one who holds your heart?" Yoseob's voice interrupted my thoughts.

My eyes enlarged at his question. Damien? Impossible. "No," I replied honestly. "I'm just... I'm just worried about him."

"So you do love him?"

"No again," I turned my gaze to his blue eyes. They were brighter in the darkness for some reason. You couldn't help but be mesmerized and stare at their neverending beauty and mystery. "It's just hard to watch someone you've known for so long destroy themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"He's obsessed. Too obsessed with destroying everything that is a vampire. Yet, he won't admit that I am the monster he hates. He keeps saying that he wants to save me from what I already am. It's... saddening."

"But, do you see it from his point of view?" he asked me. Little old Yoseob, always acting like the middle man who has to come in and fix our fights.

"I... I'm trying."

"Well, okay," he focused in on his best friends conversing from the distance. "This is from the point of view of a person out of the situation, remember. Damien has been by your side for your entire life. He's matured just as you have. He's seen you stand up for yourself. He's seen you fight for that first job and only excel from there on. He's been that guy that was just always there for you. Overtime, his love for you grew naturally. His job is to protect people like you from the dangers of the world. Now, here rolls in seven Princes. Seven perfect Princes. Seven perfect vampire Princes. Damien grew up in this environment where vampires are the enemy. Yet he works for them. He doesn't fully understand that vampires aren't all bad, but there is a possibility for darkness to creep into them. That's what he knows. That's what he follows. How can he easily turn his back to his teachings? Yeah, he follows their orders. He had no general problem with them because there was no reason to hate the Woo family in particular. Yes, they are vampires. Yes, they have the potential of ruining lives. Yet they don't. And he acknowledges that. That's why he stuck around for so long, that's why he was able to keep working. It isn't to pay back the debt his father laid out, but it was because it was his honor to contribute to something so great in his eyes. He began to realize that not all vampires were bad. And that if they really wanted to, they could make a difference just like the Woo family with supporting the Vampire Hunter Headquarters. Now, the girl of his dreams becomes intertwined with his complicated life. And she is exposed to the darkness that lies with his job and the supernatural. His first priority shifts to protect her and her alone from what could harm her. But he finds out that she's open to everything. She's not quick to judge. She's not quick to try to escape. She's just open to accept every detail, fact, history, just all of it. And how does he react? With bitterness.  Why you ask? Because he doesn't understand why she would be so open to it all. He wanted to be the Prince Charming of her life. And he realized that he couldn't, not with the seven real Princes around. No matter what, in his eyes, the girl he loves is a victim. Every assassination attempt placed on her life makes him angrier. Every time her well being was put in a dangerous area, his thirst of revenge grew. Every moment she spends with a Prince, his jealousy manifests his heart even deeper. No matter what you may tell him, he won't see it from your point of view. It just doesn't work that way. Words aren't going to change his teachings, his morals, his life. Words aren't enough. You may say that he is foolish, that he is being overprotective, that he has no real foundation for the hate. He doesn't care about that. He cares about your safety. And you're always in danger in his eyes. Always. The only thing, in my personal eyes as a confidante and outside source, that will convince him to finally accept it is a physical event that involves him. This entire time, all of the trouble, all of the drama, all of the blood that's been shed is because of you. It's all been against you, involving you, affected you. And he doesn't like it. He really doesn't.

"So Soph, cut the guy some slack. He's trying the best he can. He's trying for you and you alone."

"How silly for someone who hasn't been a part of our lives for years can come in and tell me what's really going on," a simple sigh escaped me. And his words were true. No matter what I may try to do to turn my head away from it, he was right.

"I know that Damien's execution on showing how much he cares is extremely flawed, but at least he's trying, right?"

"You're right, you're always right."

I stared at Damien from the distance. I hadn't seen him smile like that in a while. His light pink lips seemed to extend from ear to ear. The way his eyes were shaped proved he wasn't faking it at all. He was actually enjoying himself and having a good time. There was a piece of me that is working to keep it that way. I don't want to be the cause of any sadness in him. I may not fully understand what's going on in his head. But maybe that's for the best.

"Soph?" Yoseob's voice interrupted my chain of thought.

"Yeah?" my eyes shifted from the boys in the distance to the tall, blonde haired boy in front of me.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure about what?"

"Your decision."

The way his eyes twinkled broke through my heart. He knew. He really did. I don't know how. I don't know if it was because I gave it away. Maybe he'd known all along. Maybe I wasn't secretive enough about it. Maybe it was an obvious choice from the start.

Yet this person in front of me can penetrate even the strongest of barriers around me. Is that what made me love him in the first place? Is that what drew me to his charm? His ability to just know, know it all. Someone who wasn't there when I first found out about vampires. Someone who wasn't there when I was first attacked. Someone who wasn't there when I got into a devastating fight with Damien. All of it. Someone who disappeared from my life because of the same man who destroyed my family and in turn is destroying me. He just stepped back into my world. He hasn't even pushed his entire body through the doorway, yet he knows it all.

I lingered, lingered simply in my own mind. How do I respond? How do I... How...

The light that surrounded us began to fade and the darkness crept up on our backs. I didn't utter to move. I couldn't. I was frozen in place, thinking, wondering, questioning. A burst of colour penetrated the dark sky above us. Roaring booms from all directions quieted as I focused on my mind. Staring into his light blue eyes kept me focused. The area around us shifted gradients from red to blue to yellow to every colour in between. Flash of red. Flash of purple. Flash of blue. Flash of green. Flash of yellow.

"Yes." A simple reply. All that I could utter. I couldn't lie. I didn't want to. He didn't deserve a lie.

A light smile formed around his lips. He lowered his head slightly, staring at his feet before bringing them back up to my eyesight. "For some reason, I had known you'd choose that."

"I was that predictable?"

"You're that loving," he lifted his hand to touch my right cheek lightly. I felt his thumb graze against the apples of my cheeks. "Even when so many people around you remind you to be selfish, here you are making a decision that's the exact opposite."

"It's for the best," I told him. "It's what I'm meant to be."

Rose petals began to rain from the rooftops of houses. Women and children threw handfulls to all directions, spreading the array of red charm to the entire village. Giggles erupted as citizens of all ages realized what was going on. It was a magnificent sight. The colours and the roses just added such a romantic and youthful touch to the atmosphere.

Yoseob lowered his left hand from my cheek and took a step back. His light hearted grin returned as he bowed to me. "Then I—as Yoseob, a certified BEAST and best friend extraordinaire—pledge allegiance to the Princess of Akore. I will serve her until the end, protecting all that she cares for and spreading all that she believes. If I may, I speak for all members of BEAST when I say that we'll stand by you, no matter what, and will never leave your side."

And he was right. All of them protect me. All of them are beside me. All of them support my decision. I'm so thankful for their love. I'm so thankful for their trust in me. For all of it. Thank you, BEAST boys, for keeping to Yoseob's words. Thank you for standing by me. 

Until the end. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Been packed with work lately so I couldn't update. This has been lingering in my word file for SO long, never got to revise and add onto it until now. I hope you guys enjoy it! This s the second day so it called for a personal agenda with none other than the resident BEASTs! lol. :D I feel like you guys know who she's going to be spending the last and final day before the island with! Give you a hint; they don't sparkle. hehehehehe. 

There isn't too much going on in this chapter. I wanted to show that Yoseob would have been the one she'd end up with, had none of the extra supernatural stuff been a part of their world. You know? The kidnapping boys because the Professor needs them for an experience. blah blah. All that. If it was just that vampires were around, then fate would have crept on both of their doors and chained them together. yoseob and sophia. And Yoseob accepts the fact that the seven Princes have thoroughly effed up their love connection. He lingers on the past for abit before recognizing that the future is so much more important. Oh! And he also serves as the middle man for the Damien/Sophia clash that's been going on. He sees it from a non biased view and tries to help out as much as he can. Which was definitely needed!

And the BEAST boys as a whole are so fun and energetic! don't you think lol. XD The whole Dongwoon/Kikwang childishness. And then Hyunseung and Junhyun oh hoho. You know my OTPs in BEAST now. hahaha. Doojoon is by himself since Yoseob was attached to Sophia. kk. :D

Like the ending? OH MAN I WONDER WHAT HER DECISION IS. SHE WAS SO CLOSE TO TELLING HIM UNTIL DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN THE REST OF THE CREW CAME ALONG.. ugh don't you hate that? I do too but it's so fun. It's so fun. And the fact that Yoseob knew. HE KNEW AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN TELL HIM. Damn. He gets points. major points. tell me what you think her decision is!