II.

Several hours passed and the moon soon replaced the setting American sun. The clouds rolled aimlessly across the gloomy skies with no particular destination in mind. A soft hum filled the air as a small bug struggled to pump its wings, trying to push itself against the air currents. As it exhaustedly rested on top of a dew covered leaf, lights flashed on one by one until tiny balls of light illuminated the midnight forest. Astounded at the beautiful sight, the little bug nervously stumbled around on the surface of the leaf until an additional weight caused the leaf to dip. The newcomer lifted up a thin, black leg and beckoned the nervous bug forward, using another leg to point at the thousands of brothers and sisters that surrounded them. As nervousness soon turned into newfound confidence, the little bug hovered next to the latter and together, they fluttered toward their family who patiently flitted among the trees. Producing the fluorescent light that earned them the name "lightning bugs", the thousands of fireflies disappeared into the night as a beacon of light.

MiYoung awoke to the lights flashing behind her closed eyelids.

Instantly afraid of the unfamiliar surroundings, she thrashed around until two arms tightened their hold around her waist. 

"Ngh..."

A low whine caused her to look down at Sooyeon's face which was contorted in an unreadable expression. The sleeping girl's forehead had deep creases in it, her nose scrunched up as if she smelled something repulsive, and the corners of her lips dropped in a grimace.

MiYoung's eyebrows scrunched together in concern when Sooyeon let out pitiful whimpers through her gritted teeth. She reached out for Sooyeon's cheek but immediately flinched when her fingers touched the freezing skin.

"Sooyeon.. Sooyeon wake up!"

MiYoung placed her hands on the brunette's shoulders and tried to shake her awake.

Beads of sweat had formed on Sooyeon's forehead and lips, occasionally sliding down the side of her face. Her lips were starting to lose color and the blood began to disappear from her usually flushed cheeks. Her whole body was trembling under MiYoung's hands, causing the younger girl to go into a state of panic.

MiYoung whipped her head back and forth in desperation trying to yell for help, only to have her voice fade away in the bitter winds. Clenching her teeth tightly together, she hastily wiped her watering eyes with the back of her hands.

Crouching down until she hovered over Sooyeon, MiYoung gingerly wrapped her arms around the brunette, bringing her shivering body up into a sitting position. Turning around until her back was facing Sooyeon, MiYoung wrapped the older girl's arms around her neck and curled her own beneath Sooyeon's thighs.

MiYoung had no idea how long she had been walking. Minutes? Maybe even hours. She silently scolded herself for aimlessly wandering around in the forest until she found the abandoned playground even though the caretaker had warned her of the possibilities of getting lost in the vast area. She had just been so confused and frustrated at everything that all her pent up emotions had just exploded the minute the caretaker had explained to her what had happened to her family. Ignoring the continuous yells from the caretaker, she had took off into forest, running away from everything. The last thing she remembered seeing was the other kids who had immediately swarmed the caretaker, begging for her attention.

A cold shiver ran up MiYoung's spine when Sooyeon's shaking arms accidentally brushed against her neck, bringing her back from her reveries.

MiYoung hopped a step, using the momentum to push Sooyeon's falling body up until it was securely positioned against her back.

Combined with the cold temperature, MiYoung's arms were trembling under the strain of Sooyeon's weight even though she looked so fragile that even a single touch could break her.

Please... Let me help Sooyeon...

MiYoung didn't know who or what she was hoping for to answer her pleas nor did she care, all she wanted was for Sooyeon to be alright. She didn't know why, but after seeing the hatred in Sooyeon's eyes when they first met, she knew that Sooyeon's presence was something she could never let go of. And it was as if they had heard her because she came upon a broken twig she recognized as the one that had left a crimson scratch along her forearm when she rushed into the forest. Following the voids in the fallen leaves on the ground, she retraced her steps until a moderate sized building came into view.

A new sense of determination and strength flowed within her veins at the sight of the aged building and MiYoung quickened her pace while balancing the unconscious Sooyeon on her back.

She could feel how cold Sooyeon's skin was through her thin shirt and she knew that Sooyeon's temperature had dropped down to a dangerous level.

Impatiently, MiYoung began kicking the front door with her right foot while unsteadily balancing all her weight onto her left. Maybe it was only seconds but to MiYoung, it felt like hours until someone finally answered the door.

"What-"

MiYoung didn't even bother to listen to the older girl's question before she brushed past her through the doorway. Ignoring the offended look of the stunned girl by the door and the quizzical gazes from the other children, MiYoung frantically stormed through the hallways until she reached a door that had a paper with the name "Sooyeon" messily sprawled across it with crayons.

Taking a deep breath, MiYoung released her right hand from underneath Sooyeon's thigh and turned the brass doorknob quickly before capturing Sooyeon's thigh again before she fell. Dashing through the open door, she kicked the door shut behind her loudly, hoping the sound would be a silent warning to the other children that she wanted to be left alone, if they didn't already know.

She wondered how she looked right now, eyes wide in panic while frantically searching for a place to put Sooyeon down. Out of the corner of her eyes, she mentally thanked whatever higher power was above her as she cautiously lowered Sooyeon down onto her bed.

Remembering how her umma would always scold her to remove her clothes when she came home from walking in the rain unless she wanted to catch a cold, she began to pull off articles of Sooyeon's wet clothing. Once Sooyeon was left only with a damp tank top and undergarments, MiYoung dumped the soaked clothing into the hamper before removing her own.

In the midst of removing her shirt, she remembered how her umma would always wrap her arms around her trembling figure as the heater began to slowly warm the house. The heat radiating of her umma's skin would always cause her to tremble less until the effect of the heater began to kick in. She shook her head to get rid of the painful memory, gently patting both of her cheeks in finality.

Taking off her shirt and dumping it into the hamper along with Sooyeon's clothes, she climbed under the covers next to Sooyeon.

The whole bed shook with every tremble of Sooyeon's body. The abnormal, faint, bluish color that was Sooyeon's skin scared MiYoung who had never seen such a color on a human before.

Crawling closer to Sooyeon, she wrapped her left arm around the brunette's waist while curling her other arm under Sooyeon's head. And as if Sooyeon knew it was her, she instinctively snuggled closer to the source of warmth.

MiYoung scooted up a little bit against the headboard while using her right arm to bring the blankets directly under Sooyeon's chin before returning it to its previous position under Sooyeon's head. Sooyeon responded by nuzzling closer against the side of MiYoung's neck while resting her head on the crook of MiYoung's right arm.

Although she had done it so many times in one day, MiYoung couldn't help but trace every angelic feature again on Sooyeon's sleeping face. She didn't know why the sight of Sooyeon's face made her pulse quicken or why Sooyeon's smile made her unknowingly smile along but it was a feeling she never wanted to disappear.

She never stopped admiring Sooyeon's face and closed her eyes to sleep until Sooyeon stopped trembling about an hour later.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A blanket of darkness covered the room and nothing could be made out except the outline of two lumps under the bedspread. Moonlight seeped through the slightly parted curtains, revealing the angelic faces of the two exhausted girls. The day's activities had worn them out, one fatigued by the endless trembling and tears and the other exhausted from carrying the former out of the neglected playground. Violent winds from outside caused a shaking tree branch to tap against the window at an irregular tempo as if it was someone trying to break in.

Warm puffs of air were exhaled at a slow and constant rate against the side of her neck, causing a certain brunette to stir from her restless slumber.

She awoke to the relentless tapping against the window.

Sensing that she was not alone in the room, she turned her head to the side to see the sleeping face of MiYoung beside her.

The corners of her lips twitched and a small smile adorned her face as she MiYoung's pale cheek with the back of her hand, admiring how peaceful the younger girl looked.

She felt suffocated by the overwhelming emotions pooling inside of her with just a glance at the raven haired girl.

Too entranced by the radiating beauty and foreign feelings, Sooyeon never noticed the pair of brown eyes fixed on her until she heard a meek whisper.

"Sooyeon..?"

Sooyeon lifted her eyes until they were gazing directly into MiYoung's half lidded eyes.

No words were exchanged between them in fear of breaking the indescribable atmosphere that surrounded them like a veil.

"You're awake.." the older girl merely stated.

MiYoung furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion, desperately trying to figure out the abrupt anxiousness she was feeling. Her eyes suddenly grew wide in realization that Sooyeon had finally awoken. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she buried her face against Sooyeon's neck in embarrassment, too shy to look at the baffled brunette.

Flushed by the unexpectedly skin ship, Sooyeon tried to keep her cold composure by asking in a melancholy tone the same question she first asked MiYoung.

"What are you doing here?"

MiYoung, already immune to Sooyeon's abrasive personality, merely whined and moved closer against Sooyeon until their bodies were molded perfectly against each other.

Unable to hear Miyoung's voice that was muffled against her skin, she experimentally placed her finger against the young girl's side and jumped at a sudden shriek.

"Yah! Don't do that!"

MiYoung pushed Sooyeon's offending finger away before wrapping her arms around her sides.

The brunette flushed at how adorable MiYoung was acting and she couldn't help but want more.

Trailing her fingers on either side of MiYoung's sides, she initiated a tickle war that brought of them close to tears from the painful laughter.

"S- Soo- Sooyeon.. S-Stop!!"

Their bodies dropped beside each other on the bed covers exhausted. Their chest heaved up and down heavily as they tried to sooth their burning lungs.

Sooyeon's cheeks burned from the embarrassment of their strenuous activity and she laid her arm across her eyes. Behind her closed eyes, she could recall the way the younger girl's eyes curved into crescent moons and the sound of her musical laughter. Warm fingers placed themselves over her contrasting cold hand and pushed her arm away from her eyes. When she opened her eyes, the sight of MiYoung hovering over her caused her to gulp a mouthful of air.

"Sooyeon..?"

"How'd you find out?"

MiYoung tilted her head to the side at Sooyeon's questioning gaze.

"Find out what?"

"I don't remember ever telling you my name."

The younger girl stayed mum as she lifted Sooyeon's arm off of her stomach before lowering herself into the brunette's embrace.

MiYoung had always been a very touchy person but her need for attention had grown ever since the abandonment by her parents.

She gingerly wrapped the brunette's arm around her own abdomen before lacing her fingers through the latter's. Sensing the brunette's discomfort, Sooyeon discreetly rubbed her thumb over the back of MiYoung's pale hand, hoping to lighten some of her uneasiness. Seconds passed and when Sooyeon thought the raven haired girl had fallen asleep, an almost inaudible voice had her leaning closer to MiYoung.

"When someone brought me here today, I heard these people talking about a brown haired girl named Sooyeon who had disappeared for a few hours. They didn't seem to care though because they weren't doing anything," MiYoung confessed while she glanced

at their intertwined fingers.

Sooyeon stayed silent as MiYoung continued with her story because she didn't believe any words could explain even a bit of the pain and emotions the younger girl felt.

"Seeing you sitting there all alone on the swings, it was the first time I've seen someone so angry at the world."

Sooyeon was shocked that someone whom she's only known for a day could see past all the walls she's built around her glass heart. 

The seconds ticked by and with her lips against Sooyeon's ear, MiYoung whispered, "Sooyeon.."

The brunette closed her eyes and selfishly indulgenced in the feeling of MiYoung's lips teasing the outer shell of her ear. She pulled the younger girl closer, lusting for the feeling of MiYoung's hot breath against her cheek and lazily murmured.

"Hmm..?"

Looking up at Sooyeon while the latter gazed back down at her, MiYoung whispered, afraid of waking the caretakers and other children.

"Have you ever heard of a carnival? I heard it was every child's dream."

Sooyeon forced herself to break away from MiYoung's hopeful eyes to look outside the window beside the bed, tracing and connecting the stars with her eyes until they formed a picture.

"MiYoung.. You know better than to hope for things we can never have.."

She couldn't bring herself to look at how MiYoung's expression fell.

Dejected from the answer she herself knew was true, she buried her crestfallen face against the crook of Sooyeon's neck until the crown of her head was under Sooyeon's chin.

"I know.." came a weak reply.

Sooyeon couldn't decide between having a good night's sleep or seeing MiYoung's beautiful eye smile but, seeing the younger girl smile.. was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time and she just couldn't resist.

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she leaned halfway over the younger girl. Her brunette hair created a curtain around them that made it seem like they were the only two people in the world.

"The carnival.. Where is it?"

Lifting her head from Sooyeon's neck, MiYoung's eyes gleamed through the forming tears at the sight of the older girl's soft smile and she threw her arms around Sooyeon's neck. The elbows supporting Sooyeon's weight crumbled under the unexpected weight and she fell with her back pressed against the bed. Instinctively, Sooyeon encircled her arms around the younger girl's slim waist and sighed at the answer murmured against her chest through curved lips.

"In the middle of the city."

And Sooyeon would do anything to see MiYoung's smile never falter.