As it was her daily routine to try and escape from the world around her, it wasn't long until the girl found her usual spot in the woods behind her house. It was a patch of grass beside a diminutive stream and the trees seemed to surround her in a protective semi-circle. She loved the sound of the trickling water which had been the reason she found this place many years ago. Even to this day, she found it soothing to her ears.

    Sprawling her arms, she leaned back from her sitting position and let herself fall backwards into the cushion-like field. Staring at the blue sky, Boram smiled at the feeling of freedom. She outstretched her hands in front of her and pretended that for a moment, she was  able to grasp the clouds in her palms.

    When she closed her hands, however, she didn't feel anything in her hands except for the warmth of her skin. Boram brought her hand back down and instead chose to turn to her side to watch the current of the water. Even though she was extremely close to the stream, she herself couldn't really tell if the water was moving. The only proof was the floating leaves and twigs that were slowly but surely moving away from her.

    Suddenly, Boram heard a rustle in the bushes on the other side of the brook. Thousands of thoughts began rushing through her head. Was it harmful? Should she scream for help? No, nobody would be able to hear her. Should she run away right now? That wouldn't be much help because she wasn't a very good runner. So Boram did the only thing she could do: pray that the creature wouldn't see her and leave.

    It seemed as if life was pulling a prank on her because that was exactly the opposite of what happened. There was another movement in the grove and before she could process it, a figure trudged out of the shadows.

    In front of her was the most beautiful animal she'd ever set her eyes on. It was a wolf with thick, golden fur and it seemed to glow under the sunlight. Even from far away, Boram could tell that it was huge; nearly three times her size. With each step that it took, it left a mark into the ground and Boram could only imagine how easily it could crush her. But she was the least bit afraid. Instead, she actually felt honored to be able to see such a beauty.

    In no time, the wolf was on the opposite side of the stream facing her. It's eyes were focused on her and it felt as if its stare was holding her in place. The two stayed like that for a minute without making a noise. It seemed as if the two were in a trance and if one moved, the spell would be broken.

    Much to her surprise, the wolf suddenly grinned. No, it wasn't the I'm-going-to-eat-you kinda of smile, but an actual heartwarming grin. She let out her breath that she didn't know she was holding. Its round eyes became little crescents and its tongue lolled out of its mouth, reminding Boram of a puppy excited to see its master. An unknown force took over her and Boram found her feet slowly leading her to the wolf.

    "Yah, Shin Boram!" the voice was like an alarm and Boram tore her eyes away from the wolf for a second. She wasn't expecting them to find her so quickly.

    "I'm over here!" she replied. "I'm just--" when she looked back at the wolf, she stopped. She was looking at an empty spot and a she strangely felt a wave of emptiness wash over her. She questioned herself if she had been hallucinating after all.

    "I told you we'd find her here!" Chen was the first to step out of the trees followed by the rest of the group.

    Xiumin, the worrier, immediately went up to Boram and searched for any injuries. He even rested a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Kris ran a hand through his hair, "How many times do I have to tell you not to keep running off? You're going to get me in trouble!"

    "Wow, you actually care more about your safety than mine? Some bodyguard you are." she scoffed.

    "Not me, noona! I would gladly die protecting you, unlike Kris hyung." Tao showed off his teeth in a convincing smile. Whether he fully understood what he was saying or not, you were glad for the support.

    "Aww, at least there's someone who cares for me here." Boram chuckled before quickly glancing backwards, hoping that she would see a glimpse of the wolf again. She only saw the green of the forest.

    "Kris is right though. You gave us quite a scare this time because you were gone for so long!" Lay spoke up. Was I really gone for a long time? She had been so caught up in the moment with the wolf that she hadn't even noticed the time flying.

    "Uhh. I was just, y'know, enjoying this place one last time before I head on to the city. You know I love coming here." she sheepishly rubbed her wrist, hoping they wouldn't catch on to her white lie. Boram figured it was best not to bring up the wolf. It would only cause a ruckus.

    Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice. "Speaking of which, you should start packing. We're going to leave soon." Kris looked at his watch.

    "Wow. You actually convinced the King to let his precious little Princess to attend a public school? Away from home?" Lay laughed and you mirrored his actions. After being bottled up for seventeen years, her father, the King, had finally granted permission for her to go live in the city while attending a public school.

    "No one's going to know my identity anyways." she shrugged. Her father forbid her to tell anyone of her identity because she would immediately become a target to the society. "Besides, you guys are going to keep me safe, right?" There was only a weak chorus of agreement except for young Tao.

    "I swear, I need to get new bodyguards." Boram muttered.

Author's Note;

yaay! first chapter! I'm sorry if it seems kinda rushed because I'm actually writing this before I leave for my flight to Korea u_u I didn't want to leave you all hanging...

anyways, thanks for subscribing!! really appreciate it! I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to update when I'm in Korea so please bear with me ^^