Fugacious portraits 

Taemin led the way out through the back door. Sora couldn’t contain her excitement as she followed him into the garden like a happy puppy with big, shining eyes, and eager footsteps. She passed the small fountain and ignored the black symbols that were seemingly the only things warning her of stepping through the small gate up ahead of her. Sora frowned and balled her fists. She was going to break free! She was going home! The second I’m out of this garden, I’m running home! He can’t catch me anyway, he has business to do. And maybe he won’t even notice I’m gone. Sora nodded to herself. Taemin wasn’t keeping an eye on her; his red eyes were focused on the iron gate covered with light green plants, truly a gate straight out of a fairy tale. Sora lifted her head and enjoyed the warm sun rays on her skin. Her eyes followed a yellow bird that quickly flew past her face, while happily chirping. It felt like a nice summer day, the clear-blue sky, the colourful plants and grass, the soft breeze - all gave the illusion of everything being okay and safe. The alarming writings on the fountain stood out against the bright scenery– however the human was completely oblivious to it.

Taemin opened the gate and walked through it; he stopped on the other side and showed Sora a handsome smile. He extended his arm and motioned her to come. Sora grinned back and was about to step through the gate when she felt her blood run cold. Her stomach turned as she realised something.

It was a trap.

Sora couldn’t control her feet as they kept walking. She felt like a prisoner in her own body! Sora’s eyes saw how the sunrays mercilessly disappeared, the grass turned to mud, how the breeze turned into a cold wind, and the dark night returned. It had all been an illusion! How could she be so stupid?! She looked at Taemin, who didn’t have a handsome smile anymore – on the contrary, he was evilly smirking at her.

‘’Welcome into our world, human. Brace yourself, you might see frightening things.’’

Taemin grabbed her arm and harshly pulled her through. Sora wanted to scream and wiggle her body out of his tight – and hurtful – grasp. But she hadn’t regained control over her muscles. ‘’Don’t worry, Sora. You won’t die, at least not yet. We’re going to pay the witches of these woods a visit. Perhaps, I’ll be able to trade you for something nice, like a dragon egg.’’

Sora wanted to cry. Her neck started to itch but she couldn’t lift her arm to do anything about it. Her knees stung with every step she took. Her heart felt troubled, she felt so stupid. How could she ever agree to come with this monster? He was an unpredictable and evil creature. He probably is a devil; he must have lied to me!

What about Jongin?

Sora blinked a tear out of the water canals of her eyes. She didn’t want to think about the stupid grayhead. He didn’t even warn her! Or protect her! What kind of friend was he anyways?!

Taemin didn’t waste a second as he continued to pull Sora through the dark woods. The tree trunks were black, and the leaves had an even darker shade, the soil was hard and covered with fallen leaves and sharp branches, Sora didn’t feel safe. The further she walked, the less she could see. The air turned darker, she didn’t even know how that was possible. Also, the sky was completely covered by the large trees. Sora was vulnerable. She felt like monsters could pop out any given second. Sora wondered if Taemin would protect her from harm until they reached the witches. He probably won’t. She concluded.

Suddenly, a monstrous roar echoed through the woods. Sora tripped out of shock and harshly scraped her – already hurting – knees against the stuffy soil as she crashed with her shoulder into the out-sticking, thick roots of a nearby tree. Taemin had stopped walking as well. He looked alarmed; his arms were spread and his knees were slightly bent. His glowing, red eyes scanned every direction he could look in. Sora winced; she cautiously lifted her body while pressing the palms of her hands into the dirt. She didn’t even realise she could control her muscles again. The human slowly sat on her heels as she leaned part of her weight on the trunk of the tree with one of her hand palms. Her collarbone hurt like crazy and so did the muscles in her back. She eyed Taemin, who seemed to be in a trance of some sort. He didn’t pay any attention to her as he kept turning his head, probably trying to locate the source of the roar.

The human got to her feet and quickly stepped behind the tree trunk. She couldn’t see Taemin anymore; she rested her back against the tree with her eyes shut tightly. Sora didn’t know what to do next. It definitely wasn’t a bad idea to get away from Taemin. For all she knew, the roar was from a random animal that wouldn’t do her harm. Perhaps, it was a mother calling for her cubs. Perhaps, the animal had caught a prey.

She didn’t know.

However, the human was well aware that Taemin would end up hurting her. He was not trustworthy, he even admitted to selling – or trading her – or whatever, to witches! I don’t want to find out what those witches will do with me. Sora shivered as images of blood sacrifices flashed through her mind. No, I should definitely stay away from Taemin.

Sora opened her eyes; she didn’t see anything but darkness. The human bit her lip. If only Jongin was here so he could take her home. Even though, he kind of abandoned her in the house, she still hoped for him to come and help her. Maybe, he wasn’t even aware that Taemin had kidnapped her.

The human took a deep breath; she carefully turned her body around and peeked behind the tree. She didn’t see much except for big shadows, which were probably trees; fortunately there was no trace of Taemin.

Oh no, what if he is behind me? Sora felt a shiver run up her spine, she imagined Taemin standing behind her with a wicked grin and a bloody knife – or worse, a chainsaw!

The human turned around in a flash and felt relieved when her eyes didn’t meet a scary Taemin. Okay, Taemin isn’t here anymore. I don’t think the animal is around either. I do know that there is a possibility that witches are close by. Sora leaned against the tree, her body was tired, and she didn’t feel like searching for a way out. She didn’t even know into which direction she had to walk.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

I can walk the same path back and maybe I’ll end up in the garden again?

The human looked both ways before leaving the trunk of the tree. The only reliable choice for now was to go back the same way she came. Sora slightly feared that she wouldn’t be able to find the gate on her own. It had only taken her one step through the iron passage to end up in a completely unknown area. She wasn’t even sure if she was in her hometown. There were no woods nearby her neighbourhood. Not that she knew off. An uneasy feeling settled down on her shoulders. Where had Taemin taken her, and how did he manage to do that in such a short span of time? Sora wondered if he was following her right now. He had powers she couldn’t even dream off, and he surely wasn’t stupid. For all she knew he was playing around with her – giving her the illusion that she was free to go and stand where she wanted to, while in fact she wasn’t.

The human focused on the path ahead, she was barely able to make out where the trees were so she wouldn’t bump into them. Sora couldn’t resist looking back every few seconds, the worst thing about looking back was probably the fear of seeing Taemin, and the scary part of looking forward again was…the fear of seeing Taemin. The human couldn’t stop thinking about the possible outcomes if he were to show up suddenly. Maybe, he would end up murdering her? He was a killer. She knew that. She had no doubts about it. He was merciless. Somehow it reminded her of Jongin. She wondered how Taemin and Jongin were related. They didn’t look like each other, Sora frowned. She didn’t know if Jinn resembled each other if they were related to one another in general. The human shivered and pulled her shoulders up. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, which wasn’t strange considering she was all alone in unknown territory, everything seemed creepy to her. On one hand Sora was glad she couldn’t make out much besides the big shadows, a little more visual sight and she would start to see monsters in every corner. She was sure of it. On the other hand, the dark night scared her senseless. Sora stepped on a twig and jumped up in fear when her ears registered the noise she caused. I need to find a safe place or I’ll die of a heart attack.

Sora picked up her pace, she lightly jogged. The human felt her heart beat against her rib cage, the only thing she heard were her own heavy pants. I rather hear myself than something else at the moment. Unless, it is Jongin.

Up ahead was a clearing. Sora stopped in her tracks and slightly bent forward as she tried to catch her breath. The human rubbed both her eyes. Was it real? A clearing meant safety! It must be so! She only had to reach the clearing, and then she’d be okay! She could go home! Sora’s eyes widened and a smile formed on her face. The human started walking again with an uneasy feeling in her stomach, she had to reach it. It certainly looked like a clearing, for starters there weren’t big shadows, that meant no trees or bushes. And Sora could almost swear she saw something twinkling in the sky.

Are those stars?

The human felt determined and started to run with all her might. She was so close! She could make it! Sora ignored the tweaking of the twigs, her own pants, and the sound of her footsteps as she reached the clearing. The human dropped her exhausted body on the soft grass and started rolling, she laughed like a mad man. It indeed had been a clearing! She watched the sparkling dots in the sky as she came to a halt; she spread her arms and felt the cool grass underneath her bare skin. She didn’t care who could hear her hysterical laughter or see her vulnerable human body. She had reached the sky! She made it! She could see the beautiful night sky with her own eyes! She had escaped Taemin! Sora’s laughter soon turned into tears. She cried her heart out. Who was she kidding?! There was no hope for her! Reaching a clearing meant safety? How? She was still in the same situation! The tears streamed down her face, Sora couldn’t control it. Her body heavily shook as her choked sobs exited her body. The human wrapped her arms around herself, she was all alone. No one to comfort her. No one to talk to. No one who could help her. She didn’t know who to trust and who to loathe. Sora turned her body and lay in the fetus position. She felt pathetic and worthless; the soil beneath her had turned sticky. Sora didn’t care; it stuck to her body and made her feel dirty. Tiny rain drops fell onto her body. Sora didn’t bother opening her eyes; she wanted this all to end. She wanted to go home. She missed the warmth and affection of her loved ones. The human slowly stopped crying and her body gradually stopped shaking- she felt empty.

Sora shivered as she slowly awoke from her slumber. The human girl felt an ice-cold wind blow against her wet skin. She whined with furrowed brows, her skin stuck to the soil beneath her- almost as if she lay in a puddle of mud. Sora shot up at once, first thing she noticed was an unbelievable strong odour. The human covered her nose and mouth with a grimace. It smelled horrible! Then, the human noticed the annoying flies zoom above her head. Sora glared and tried to swat them away with her free hand.

Sora was indeed lying in a puddle of mud. The human pulled a sour face at the sight of her dirty clothes. The situation at hand almost made her break out in tears again.

‘’Even my hair…’’ the human wiped her face with the back of her hand. Sora bit her lip and stood up. The sticky mud pulled her spirits down as she stepped onto a cleaner area. Sora turned around while scanning the clearing, there was nothing besides green grass, bushes, and large trees at the edge of it. Also, besides the flies she didn’t see nor hear any animals.

Sora felt hopeless. How was she ever going to find her way back? Navigating through the woods was nearly impossible for her. The moment she stepped back into the wood, she wouldn’t be able to see the sun, (and stars at night) because of the top canopy which consisted of dense tree tops, adding to that, visibility would be poor because of the undergrowth and the greenery. Not to mention, Sora probably wouldn’t be able to walk freely into any direction. From where she was standing, it was apparent that there was no path. She’d have to step over the bushes, which was hard in itself, and avoid being stuck between the branches that grew closely together and hung adjacent to the ground. Sora narrowed her eyes.

Wait, a minute…Come to think of it, how did I run through the woods past night without hurting myself? And, how did I manage to navigate blindly?

Sora slightly trembled, she remembered stepping on twigs and the like, but in theory it shouldn’t have been so easy for her to reach the clearing, especially by running. Running through a dense place like this asked for injuries, she was lucky she didn’t break her ankle or anything.

Now what?

Sora took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She should focus on the matter at hand. She needed to do something; she couldn’t stay in the middle of the clearing without anything to protect herself with. If she wasn’t going to look for a way out, the least she could do was find a weapon, or a place she could hide in. The human decided to spin around and the direction she’d end up facing, would be the direction she was going to walk in.

Sora took the first step, after spinning, and was interrupted by her growling stomach. She was hungry, to the extent that it gave her cramps. By instinct, she put both her arms over her abdomen.

Before finding weapons, I’ll find food…hopefully.

Sora glared and took determined steps towards the wood again. Her previous sense of hopelessness was completely replaced with grumpiness. She didn’t feel weak, luckily. Sora breathed in, she felt a headache rising. Taemin had the nerve to kidnap her and leave her behind at first sign of danger. He’s quite the coward. Sora shook her head while nearing the first line of trees. The nerve these Jinn have… Sora lifted an eyebrow when she noticed an unexpected, bright, blue colour. She stepped closer to the bushy plant and noticed these cute flower heads that were either blue or white. They look edible. Sora contemplated on eating them. She had never eaten flower heads but her mother had told her they could be delicious. Why not?

The human plucked as many flower heads as she could hold in one hand. I’ll eat them at once so it feels like an actual meal.

That was the first, and last time Sora ate chicory flower heads.

The human completely lost her appetite; she spat the remaining, mushed, bitter flowers out of . Sora couldn’t control her grimace. That’s gross. The human continued to walk into the wood. It looked less scary than the previous night, probably because Sora could actually see what was around her now- the sunrays being responsible for that, seeing that it wasn’t even noon yet, thankfully. She had a couple of hours before it would turn dark, again. Sora wondered if there were any people living nearby as she swatted another swarm of flies out of her face.

The witches!

Sora shivered, she forgot about the witches. And Taemin, there is a big possibility he’s around. Maybe, he’s watching me as I walk, right now.

Sora paused, she fixed her sleeves as she looked up. The trees were huge. Perhaps, she could climb into one and sleep there for the night. But then again, snakes sometimes climb into trees to eat chicks out of birds’ nests…and oh my, what if there are tarantulas up there?

The human shook her head. No, I’ll find a hut or something. Or if I have to- build something myself.

The sound of a distant howl caused the human to literally jump in her place. Sora’s body tensed, were those wolfs? The human shivered. Wolves were bad news. I know they live in packs, and they are merciless. Especially, if they have cubs that need to be fed…

Sora didn’t waste another second. She walked through the wood as fast as she could- which was relatively slow, it was hard to walk through the dense bushes. Sora hissed as another branch- or whatever it was, scraped her calves. Her eyebrow twitched. Why did I ever agree to go into that stupid house with Jongin? If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been lost in the middle of nowhere…

Sora didn’t want to think about Jongin, she felt betrayed and left alone by him. Why didn’t he help her? Or warn her? He shouldn’t have left her alone with Taemin. Jongin obviously knew what Taemin was like.

Sora gasped, didn’t Jongin even warn Taemin to stay away from her? Before they had the fight in the house? He knew! Jongin knew what Taemin was up to! And he still left me alone with him…

Sora didn’t understand it. Why would Jongin warn Taemin, and threaten him to stay away from her, but at the same time leave the two of them alone?

Sora didn’t have time to ponder on it as she noticed something in the distance. The human stepped on a layer of leaves, and let out a yelp. Sora frowned as she stepped on the same place again. Is this metal? The human swiped a few leaves away with her feet. It is! It’s a train road! Sora was about to jump around in glee when she remembered to keep a ‘low profile’. Anyway, a train road meant human interference!! Even though nature had, as they call, reclaimed the whole train road, it was still something. I’ll follow the road; it’ll lead me to civilization at some point. I’m sure of it.

Sora followed the tracks with a huge grin on her face. Take that, Taemin! I'm escaping out of here on my own! It didn’t go unnoticed by the human that the wood seemed to clear up. The tree trunks were huge, and thick, but less in numbers now. Even the bushes seemed to decrease in amount. Sora concluded this was a good thing.

It was not long after finding the rails that Sora spotted another clearing. The hu