Second heartbeat
Heart of the Ocean
" You should be able to tell by now that I'm not going to hurt you. " Kris repeated patiently, noticing Ara's conflicting emotions.
A shadow passed the girl's face but she nodded grimly and stepped bravely into the trail, with Kris following easily behind.
" What are the Guardians of the Stars all about? " Ara winced as she tried to manoeuvre the uneven ground.
" Later. There will be time for all your questions when we reach. " The tall man replied, without wavering.
The girl sighed and continued to hike through the dense jungle road. The path ahead was murky and Ara stiffled a scream as she caught her foot in a vine. She fell hard on the ground and yelped as pain shot through her right ankle. Kris who was deep in his own thoughts snapped alert as the girl before him landed on the floor. He stridded forward anxiously and bent down to face her.
" What hurts? " he demanded harshly. Ara pointed to her ankle, taken aback at his sudden change in behaviour.
He examined her ankle without saying a word and shook his head.
" I'm fine, we can continue walking. " Ara ignored the pain and stood up, hobbling on one foot. A hand shot out to support her before she could collapse again.
" Will you stop being stupid, it's obvious you can't walk. " Kris pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, looking down at the girl. Ara sniffed, she was a little irritated at the harsh comments and cold treatment that Kris was giving.
Before she could reply, Kris crouched down with his back towards her. " Get on "
When Ara didn't reply, Kris frowned. " I'm doing this because I don't think they will be happy if you lost your ability to walk. So don't be ignorant and just do what I say. "
She rolled her eyes and got on Kris's back unwillingly. He stood up easily and continued walking up the trail. She was as light as a feather. An hour passed before they finally reached a huge mansion hidden in the shadows of a forest. It was a faded white color with dark red tiles lining the massive balcony overlooking a fountain. There was a certain mystiqe about the whole place. Advancing further, Ara realised that there were several smaller buildings nestled beind the mansion. It was like a little village in the heart of the forest. There were birds chirping and the leaves rustled in the wind, playing a melody that made Ara smile.
" Welcome to the family house, as we like to call it. " Kris introduced, his lips curved up in a hint of a smile watching Ara admire the beauty of the place from the corner of his eye.
Ara couldn't see his expression as she was still on his back, but she could hear the grin in his voice.
" Kris, you're back. Did you bring her along? " A melodic voice called out from behind them and spinning around, Ara noticed 4 figures strolling in their direction. Kris gently set Ara on her feet, holding a protective stance around her to prevent her from falling again.
Ara stared wonderingly at the image in front of her. They were all so good looking that they seemed ethereal, almost.
" Hello, I'm Park Ara " She bowed slightly. Granted, their looks was normally enough to make a girl stutter and lose her train of thought. Not Ara though.
One of the 4 looked at her and raised his eyebrow. She was far prettier than he ever expected but that was not what attracted him to her. She was staring back at them without shyness. This was refreshing to him.
" I'm Kai. This is Se Hun, Tao and Chen. " He gestured towards the others beside him, watching Ara smile at them in recognition. They nodded back at her, except for Se hun. He turned his eyes away. Se Hun was always cold towards people he did not know. Kris was cold, bu Se Hun was even colder.
Just before Ara could react, Kris turned to Tao. " Fetch Lay " he commanded while Tao nodded and sprinted towards the mansion.
The awkward silence was broken when Tao returned a minute later with Lay by his side.
" Sit down " Kris ordered Ara.
She looked up at him questioningly but did as she was told. Lay came closer, not taking any notice when Ara flinched away. He placed his hands over the girl's ankle and shut his eyes in concentration. Ara winced from the unfamiliar touch but stayed still. She watched in wonder as a warm glow emitted from his palm and felt the pain in her ankle slowly fade away.
" Lay can heal the sick or injured " Kris explained stiffly, seeing the shocked look on Ara's face.
" Thanks " She smiled hesitantly towards her healer as he ignored her, watching her face fall.
" Now that you can walk, you better go and change into more appropriate clothing before you meet anyone else. " Chen looked at Ara. Ara tilted her head at Chen's words. Now that he mentioned, the guys were all dressed immaculately in expensive looking clothing that fitted their muscular and defined bodies perfectly. She looked down at her school uniform and shrugged. It was obvious that she looked out of place but for once, Ara couldn't be bothered. She was too wrapped up in everything that was happening now to care about her appearance. Apparantly, Kris didn't think so. He took her arm gingerly while carefully maintaining a distance between them and led her towards the house.
" Dress her well " Ara heard Kris instruct the maids after he brought her to the hallway. They nodded and led Ara into a beautifully crafted room. For the next half an hour, they hovered around her face applying makeup gently with nimble hands. Finally, they dressed her in a beautiful lilac dress made of satin which hugged her upper body and flowed down from the waist onwards. A maid tied a sash around her waist, before leading Ara to the mirror.
Ara gasped in amazement. She practically looked like a different person. Even though Ara wore makeup normally, it was nothing compared to the makeup she had on now. It still looked natural, yet made her features stand out in a way that had an unforgettable beauty. Her flawless skin seemed fairer than usual and her lips was tinted in a way which made it look like a petal of a flower.
" You look absolutely beautiful " Ara turned around at the sound of a man's voice.
He was undeniably handsome as well, and his huge doed eyes were crinkled up in a warm smile. It was welcoming, so different from the unfriendliness everyone showed her so far. " I'm Luhan. Kris told me to bring you to the main room. "
Ara smiled back but secretely, she felt disappointed. Kris was the very first link she had to this new world and despite his coldness, she wanted him to be by her side.
Luhan gently took her by the waist and led her to a room located on the fourth floor. He pushed opened the rusty door and pulled her inside. The mutterings stopped when Ara entered. She surveyed her surroundings. There were 12 men inside, including Kris and Luhan. Sitting by the window was a beautiful girl. Moving closer, Ara noticed that she was probably around the same age as everyone in the room. She had silky black hair that was tied up in an elegant bun. Her pink dress which showed off her long slender legs ruffled as she moved forward to smile at Ara while everyone remained silent.
" I'm Nae Yong. Welcome to the family. "
Ara bowed at her and smiled. Her beauty was so amazing to look at. Kris turned to look at Nae Yong interacting with Ara. Nae Yong, as usual, looked so pretty that Kris couldn't help smiling to himself. He then reluctantly turned to Ara. Ara looked different, Kris noticed in shock. Now that she was in proper attire, she looked kind of pretty too. Kris had to admit, her beauty was almost on the same level as Nae Yong's. However, she was still a naive little child, Kris thought, nothing like Nae Yong.
Nae Yong told Ara to sit beside her and she crossed her legs.
" Alright, who wants to explain to Ara here? "
Ara glanced at Kris, who looked away indifferently. Instead, it was Kai who spoke up.
" I'll say it. Right from the beginning. " Kai noticed Ara's discomfort when no one volunteered to explain. He knew that everyone here wasn't accustomed to being friendly with strangers. He wasn't too, but for some reason, he couldn't help but take pity on Ara who was suddenly thrown into their world. Kai understood how she felt. To be suddenly brought here and have her life disrrupted wasn't easy. Also, everyone's coldness towards her didn't make matters better for Ara.
Ara turned her gaze towards Kai thankfully.
" We're the Guardians of the Stars, and you are too. " Kai began.
2 hours later, Ara finally understood. Everything from her adopted parents to the reasons for everything. Most importantly, the reason for her love of water.
" You carry the heart of the ocean, Ara. Le Coeur de la Mer. This means that you have control over water and that is a pretty impressive gift to have, considering the abundance of water in our world. " Ara remembered Kai's words.
The room was silent as they watched Ara absorb everything. Even though everyone knew that she was part of them, it did not warm them to her. In their eyes, she was just someone they had been forced to accept in their close family. Nothing of significance.
" Now that you know, we will be starting on your training. You need to learn how to control your powers. We will start tomorrow. For now, just do whatever you want. " Kris stated, without looking at Ara. He got up to leave the room, followed by Nae Yong. The rest of the guys filed out without sparing Ara a second glance. Just before Kai left, he turned towards her. The look on her face plainly stated that she was hurt by the unwelcomess in everyone's actions. His heart soften a little but he strode out of the room as well. Her feelings wasn't his concern, Kai reminded himself.
Ara looked up to see an empty room. She didn't understand why was everyone being like this to her. As much as she felt like crying, she forced herself not to. Ara didn't like feeling weak. She stood up determinely and left the room, exploring the beautiful house. She could hear sounds of laughter when she passed by the huge kitchen and she peeked in through the side window. All the 12 guys were sitting at the table laughing and teasing each other. Ara noticed that they were especially caring and gentle towards Nae Yong. It was a huge contrast to the way they treated Ara. She's beautiful and elegant and easy to love, something I'm not, Ara thought as she felt her heart sink. She made her way towards the garden.
" Ruff Ruff! " A huge white dog scampered towards Ara. She laughed at the adorable furball and petted it. Ara loved animals and wasn't intimidated by the huge dog as most people would have been.
" What's your name? Do you have a friend? " Ara said softly, while the dog stared up at her with comprehending eyes.
" Are you alone here? Just like me? " Ara continued, sadly. The dog snuggled closer to her.
" I'm afraid, everyone here seem to dislike me. I don't understand why they are being like that. After all, they were the ones who brought me here in the first place. Suddenly, my parents are not my parents. My normal life does not belong to me. It's like I have nothing now. " Ara whispered, trying to hold back her tears and failing. She let it all out, feeling the strain of the day get to her.
Unknown to Ara, Kris was watching her from afar. He noticed her peeking in at them in the kitchen and followed Ara. As much as he wasn't interested in her, he felt a need to ensure her well-being. He was responsible for fetching her here anyway. His heart clenched with unwelcomed guilt as he listened to the girl's sobbing. It was true, everyone was honestly being cold towards her, him included. It wasn't in his nature to be caring towards an unknown and foolish girl like her though, so he pushed the matter aside. Turning his back to Ara's cries, he strode away to rejoin Nae Yong and his brothers.
Cliche, but awww. A girl like Ara slowly melting Kris's heart of stone hahaha ;)
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