2040.

"Yoon!" A nineteen-year-old Hwang Miyoung called out to the girl in front of her.

"Yes, Tiff?" the doe eyed girl said absentmindedly, looking down from the branch she was on. Her attention was on coaxing the bird.

"I think I see someone," Miyoung muttered grimly. She had been with Yoona for years. Eight actually. They trusted each other a lot, really. Their friendship was constructed on that little alley they had been in. Yoona now called her "Tiff", a short form of her name "Tiffany", or sometimes when they were feeling hyper, "Tiffy". "Yoon" or "Yoong" was always returned.

"Wait... Let me -- umf!" Yoona cried as she brushed her skin on the rough branch. The bird immediately flew away, shocked, crooning into the inky sky.

"Well, there goes our dinner," she grumbled, pouting.

Miyoung laughed lightly. "We can survive. We always did, remember?"

The grumblng girl nodded. "That's true, ung. C'mon, let's find somewhere else for shelter,"

"Ung". Short for "Unnie", invented by the ever boyish Im Yoona.

Miyoung laughed lightly, again. She brushed down her clothes, and set off walking behind Yoona. She had to thank Yoona for their clothes. If she hadn't barged into an abandoned house to get new clothes (With Miyoung cowering in fear outside), she was pretty sure she would still be wearing the princess dress from 8 years ago. She was positive she was.

"Tiff...?TIFF?" Yoona shouted into her face. Miyoung blinked, she was thinking about her clothes. Her clothes? She scoffed at herself, gosh, she was shallow.

"You're right. There's someone. C'mon, let's check," she shuffled on. Miyoung shook her head and raced up. She was thinking about clothes in this situation. How nice she was.

They crept silently, not making a peep, alert. Their eyes moved sharply, their movements swift.  Miyoung caught something out of her eye: Movement. She nudged Yoona immediately, and the latter shifted her eyes towards where Miyoung was looking. They don't point. It would be obvious. Miyoung tilted her head: A sign that Yoona was to go first; she was afraid. Yoona huffed but went forward still the same.

It was a big street, nothing much to hide behind. They found a figure, huddled in the shadows, shivering. She was a girl, a young one, with brown hair and long limbs.

She was beautiful too. They couldn't see her physique, as it was covered under scraps of clothes, but her face was beautiful.

"Found you," Miyoung whispered.

Yoona and Miyoung weren't sure if they could really talk to her girl in front of them. Surely she wouldn't be a soldier, but she could always be under the wing of The Leader. You never know, do you? But they had a way to prove it. The Leader saw himself as God; people were to worship him. If people did the Sign of the Cross, that meant that they weren't under The Leader.

"Do it," Yoona murmured. 

"Do....what?" the girl scoffed back.

"It. The Sign of the Cross. Do it. Now!" Miyoung practically shouted. She was nervous, the girl could whip out a gun any second.

The girl rolled her eyes, before raising her hand. Forhead, sternum, left shoulder, right. It was correct. Yoona and Miyoung breathed a sigh of relief. Yoona walked up to the girl, reaching out a hand.

"Come."

The girl's face darkened. "So you're one of his? I did the Sign, and now you're bringing me to them. Perfect!" she snarled snarkily. Yoona's face dropped, and she too, immediately did the sign. Miyoung did it as she saw the girl's eyes go over her.

The girl's feautures softened, and it was visible she was very pretty. She got up, dusting herself. "You thought I was one of his? I'm insulted," she said, but there was no trace of anger on her face. She was smiling.

The other two smiled back. "Im Yoona," Yoona stuck out her hand. "Hwang Miyoung," Tiffany nodded. The girl smiled back at them. "Shaking hands. I haven't seen this polite courtsey in a long time," she grinned. Sticking out her hand, she, too, murmured her name.

"Choi Sooyoung."

***

2041.

Three shadows walked on the "Main" Street. It wasn't main anymore. Leaveless trees bowing to the sun, horribly thin cats crawling on the street. The three were dressed in a grey suit. People, all in grey, sometimes walked past them, their eyes not focusing on anything, just walking robotically.

"I hate them. They are living, but they're living like robots," the tallest out of the three whispered.

"Shut UP, Sooyoung," the shortest one whispered back. "If they hear you and report us we're dead!"

"Fine, fine, FINE! I was just voicing my opinion. Is that wrong, Tiff?" Sooyoung frowned. Sooyoung had also earned Miyoung's trust -- Miyoung let Sooyoung know her English name.

"No, it's just that --" Miyoung started.

"Why don't we all shut up and walk along till we get out of this area?" the one who had been quiet all along quipped up.

"Yes, Yoong," Sooyoung grumbled. She didn't like the New Yoona. She liked the old one, the boyish, fun one. Not the girly, quiet and serious one. But it wasn't a wonder that she was so different now. The incident that happened two weeks after they let her join the two, Yoona had met something horrible.

Or, seen something horrible.

"Just go," Yoona hissed. The three lowered their heads and scurried through, trying to blend in with the bland streets and people. Grey. Grey. Grey. Everywhere. They hated it. The very few population that The Leader let live were required to be grey. BE grey. Dull, lifeless and robotic. They were just clinging onto their lives, but their lives weren't really theirs anymore. They had to wear grey, live on Grigio Street. Everything was grey there, and everything had to be in order. Mothers wore the same grey dresses with different patterns, children all played at the exact same time, they had to go back to their houses at the same time.

Everything was the same. And it was horrible. Life already had no meaning.

"Hurry," Miyoung hissed.

"OKAY," Sooyoung loudly yelled in a flat voice. The robotic passerbys swiveled their head to stare at her and Yoona swore she heard mechanical whirring. Cameras, probably.

"Move IT!" Yoona whispered frantically. All three of them broke into a ran. "Were you out of your mind? They saw us!" Yoona panted.

"Well, I'm sorry if I was annoyed," Sooyoung huffed. "But--" "LET'S NOT ARGUE AND JUST RUN AWAY FROM THAT SOLDIER!" Miyoung screamed. She saw a corner up ahead and turned into it.

"We're--oh ..." Miyoung murmured. It was a dead end. The soldiers' boots clomped against the bricks and he advanced forward. The girls huddled together. 

The male pulled out a gun and held it up. His finger moved slightly -- and he fell onto the ground, fainted. Behind him a girl in ragged clothes was standing there holding something like a metal bucket (which the girls later learned it was just a rubbish bin) high above her head, panting. There was a dent in it.

"Will you look at that dent? The soldier's a knucklehead, that's why he made a dent," the girl chuckled. The three othe girls nodded in unison.

"You're not going to say thanks to your saviour?" the girl tilted her head and smirked. Miyoung shook her head and stepped forward.

"My name is Hwang Miyoung. She's Choi Sooyoung and she's Im Yoona," she said politely. The girl nodded, grinned and stuck a terribly filthy hand. Miyoung stepped back.

"Seo Joohyun, nice to meet you all!" the girl cheered.

She was cheering.

Author's Note:

OMG I am so so so so so so so sorry for the lack of updates! I hoped you like this chapter~ Subscribe, comment and upvote!  Advertise if possible xD /kicked/

Youl

02.01.14