15 years ago

Earth

"Sunyoung! Don't go off to far! Sunyoung!"

"Yes mama!"

A little girl, no younger than 6, carelessly strolled through a green meadow, swatting at the short cropped grass with a long thin branch in her small hand. Sunyoung and her family were on vacation, having travelled many miles away from home to the vast and lush country side. As her parents were preparing for a picnic while her siblings played together, Sunyoung decided to take the chance to explore.

The little girl looked up to the large mountains in the far distance, swinging around the branch in her hand.  She continued walking until she reached a narrow shallow stream. She sat down in front of the stream, plunging her stick into the water and poking at the small pebbles at the bottom. Sunyoung raised her head up to the sky, intriguingly watching the birds above her fly into the horizon. Though she was far from home, Sunyoung was left awed by all the new sites she wouldn't find back home in the city.

Sunyoung looked back into the stream, twirling the branch around the flowing water. She started poking her stick at large rock, it moved ever so slightly but would not budge, seemingly jammed amidst the other rocks around it. Through innocent persistence, Sunyoung continued poking at rock, jabbing at the corners around it. It eventually began to loosen and she continued with her probing. She pushed at the bottom edge of the rock and levered it of its hold, successfully pushing it aside. Sunyoung then spotted a glint where the heavy rock once laid.

She leaned forward to get a closer look at the mysterious object. Through the moss it was covered underneath, she was able to see a transparent item. She was unable to tell what it was but it's striking features caught her curiosity. With the branch, she scrapped off some of the moss from a top of the object, now able to have a better view it. She was still unable to determine what is was yet her inquisitiveness remained. Sunyoung took a glance back at her parents in the distance who were still preoccupied and had not noticed her by the stream.  She turned back to the stream, scooting closer to the edge and rolled up the right sleeve of her shirt.

Sunyoung laid her body onto the ground and submerged her right arm into the stream, reaching down to the peculiar object. The stream was small enough for her to reach her arm all the way to the bottom. She tried to grip the object in her hand but there was not enough space around it, the rocks having entrapped it. She dug her fingers into the corners, applying as much force as she could to wrap her hands around the object. Sunyoung winced as her fingers were beginning to ache from scrapping against the rocks but she did not give up. Through her perseverance, she was able to finally pick the object into her palm and proceeded to tug on it. She twisted and turned it until it slowly began to detach from its spot. With one last bit of force, she successfully pulled the object out from between the rocks. She gasped as she realized what the mysterious item was.

Sunyoung pulled her arm out of the stream along with a rusted crystal, falling open in surprise at its long length. She marveled over the clear stone with wide, fascinated eyes. Though its edges were rough, the prism still maintained a sparkle. A large smile broke out onto the young girls face, overjoyed by the discovery of the treasure in her hand. Suddenly, a warm feeling began to spread out in her hand that held the crystal. Sunyoung smile vanished, eyeing the crystal cautiously as the tingling feeling grew in her hand.

"Sunyoung!"

Sunyoung spun her head around to see her father waving at her.

"Come eat, Sunyoung!" her father shouted out to her.

"I'm coming!" She responded to her father. Sunyoung hoisted herself off the ground but immediately froze when she looked back at her hand. Where did the crystal go?

Sunyoung frantically looked around her, searching for her missing treasure but it was nowhere in sight. Did she accidently drop it back into the water? She leaned over the stream but could not spot her crystal. She held it tightly in her hands, how could she have lost it? Sunyoung frowned, despaired by the loss of her treasure but continued to look about.

"Sunyoung!"

Sunyoung wasn't given much time to search as her father continued to call for her. She returned to her family's side for now. Later on, after they were done with their picnic and before they were set to leave, Sunyoung returned to the stream to look for the crystal once more, but could not find it anywhere.

Where did it go?

-

Present

"Whoa."

Taeyeon cautiously took a step forth after passing through the teleportation gate. She lifted her head up and looked around each side of her; she had stepped into a complete white abyss. There was no ground, no ceiling, no walls; just endless dimensions of white. This was the bridge of their world to others.

Looking further into the white gulf, Taeyeon squinted her eyes when she took notice of two small floating objects many feet away from her.

"I've been through this once before, but it's still pretty amazing," a voice from behind Taeyeon spoke. She turned around to see Tiffany behind her, looking about her at the white abyss in wonder.

"Is this what it was like when you came from Earth?" Taeyeon asked, roaming her eyes around the void space.

"Yep. Still pretty freaky," Tiffany commented. Suddenly a force from behind pushed into her causing her to bump into Taeyeon who stumbled but quickly caught herself. A second force hit them and this time Taeyeon would've fell had Tiffany not grabbed her. The two girls looked over their shoulders to see Hyoyeon and Jessica stacked up behind them.

"Whoa," Hyoyeon said, holding onto Tiffany's shoulders as she beheld the sight, or lack thereof, before her.

"I remember this," Jessica said, "still pretty freaky."

"I know, right?" Tiffany said back to Jessica. The fours moved forward as the remaining girls walked into the abyss as well. They shared the same stunned looks as the others.

"Wow." Sunny commented.

"What are those up there?" Sooyoung asked pointing to the two floating specks Taeyeon had spotted before in the distance. Taeyeon took the lead and walked closer to the small objects, the others following behind. Upon closer inspection, Taeyeon realized they were the same green gems from the teleportation gate they had stepped through, however there was no gate in place that held these gems as they freely floated in the air. Looking closely, Taeyeon noticed the air between the gems had a ripple to it, just like the space the previously passed through.

"I think that's the gate," Yuri stated.

Taeyeon looked over her shoulder at the other girls, whom were all lined up behind her, looking over each other shoulders. "Should we go through?"

"Go ahead," Tiffany smiled. "Earth's on the other side."

"I won't lie," Sooyoung said, "I'm kind of worried."

"We have nothing to be worried about," Seohyun assured her, "Shinyoung will be waiting for us on the other side."

"But what if we land over the ocean or something instead?" Yoona nonchalantly asked. Her eyes were intently inspecting the portal when she then took notice of eight pairs of irritated eyes on her. Before she knew it, she pushed to the front of the line.

-

"Ya! Park Sunyoung!"

Hyomin tilted her head backwards over the back of her chair, spotting the older girl who called for her.

"Yes, Jeon Boram unnie?" Hyomin answered, teasingly making use of the girl's full name as she did her own real name.

"Help me clear those tables," Boram requested, pointing towards the tables across the room where empty mugs and plats laid.

"Isn't Soyeon supposed to be helping you?" Hyomin asked.

Boram then pointed across the other side of the room where the girl in question sat at one of the tables, chatting away on her cell phone. Judging by the manner in which she was talking and the smile on her face, Hyomin had a clear idea whom Soyeon was speaking with on the phone. Hyomin pouted but stood up and saw to the elder girl's request. She had dropped by the café after being done with an exam earlier in the day to have a moment of relaxation. Though she was not an employee of the café, she and the others often lent a hand as it was run by their very own Boram, her father being the one who owned the café.

After dealing with the dishes, Hyomin took a seat at the counter and buried her head in her arms over the counter.

"Tired?" Qri asked, seated beside Hyomin.

"No," Hyomin's muffled voice denied.

Sitting at Qri's other side, Eunjung giggled at the worn out girl. "Maybe you'll think twice before pulling consecutive all-nighters again," she said.

"I'm just glad I have one more exam left," Hyomin said lifting her head from her arms and rubbing her eyes. "I plan to spend the rest of my life sleeping."

"Didn't you say you wanted to travel for the summer?" Qri asked as she lifted her mug to take a sip of her coffee.

"I do actually," Hyomin said, propping up her elbows and resting her head in her hands. "We should all go on a road trip."

"Where would we go?" Eunjung asked, taking her sips from her own coffee.

"Mmm," Hyomin pondered for a moment, "China," she answered lazily.

"You want to road trip to China?" Eunjung asked.

"Don't worry, I won't drive," Hyomin smirked.

"Good, at least we won't get lost or die on the way," Qri said causing Eunjung and Hyomin as well to laugh. The girls seized their laughter when Soyeon made her way behind the counter, her cell phone still in hand.

"Ok then, I'll call you later," Soyeon spoke sweetly into the phone, "love you too" she shyly said before she removed the cell phone from her ear and ended the call. With a smile on her face, she placed her phone away and busied herself behind the counter. Sensing an odd feeling, Soyeon looked up to see Eunjung, Qri and Hyomin giving her a sly look. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Was that Jong Hyuk oppa?" Eunjung asked, a cunning smirk gracing her lips.

"Maybe," Soyeon smiled, feigning innocence from their coy stares. Hyomin puckered her lips and began smacking them in Soyeon’s direction.

"Oh stop it!" Soyeon retaliated and hit Hyomin over the top of her head.

"Ah, that hurt!" Hyomin whined, rubbing the top of her head. "When we go to China, I'm leaving you there!" she pouted.

"China?" Soeyon asked, looking confused while Eunjung and Qri laughed.

-

Yoona stumbled forward, quickly catching herself before she fell on her knees. Ever so cautiously, she inspected her surroundings, her eyes shifting left and right. There were many different things stacked and scattered about; boxes, a table, a large trunk and various other items. She as well spotted a staircase at the end of the room that went downwards.

Yoona gulped and slowly stood up straight on the wooden floor, sensing no hostile factor in the room, other than the eerie silence.

"Yoona," a silent echo called for her. Yoona spun around to find the two floating green gems behind her. From the space between them, Taeyeon's head popped through. "Did a shark eat you?"

Yoona chuckled. "No! Come on, it seems safe."

Taeyeon walked through the portal, followed closely behind by the others. They all took a moment to recognize themselves with the odd setting, all except Tiffany and Jessica who seemed familiar with their surroundings.

"Looks like an attic," Jessica said looking around her.

"Where's Shinyoung?" Yuri asked.

Suddenly, the girls heard footsteps coming from the staircase at the end of the room and became tense. Having stepped into a new world, light-years away from their own, they were not sure what to expect in this new dominion. Not even Jessica and Tiffany were so confident, having been many years since they were last on Earth.

Soon, a figure showed itself from the staircase, a short, plump figure.

"Shinyoung?" Sunny called out, a smile breaking out onto her face.

"Sunny! Girls!" Shinyoung exclaimed as she jogged up the remaining steps and to the girls.

"Shinyoung!" the girls exclaimed together as they all enveloped the short woman into a hug. Shinyoung, a woman of short height and hair, was a merchant from Essinia with a close relation to the nobilities. She had especially maintained a close friendship with the nine mages before her for a long time. She often traveled around Kaia but when her business brought her to Earth, she found herself attached to the foreign world and has been residing here for the past couple of years. She would return to Kaia every now and then but her home for the time being was Earth.

"It's been so long!" Shinyoung said as she took a step back to look at all the girls. "You kids are all so grown up now! Except for you two shorties," she said pointing at Sunny and Taeyeon.

"Hey!" the two girls whined.

"And you," Shinyoung said turning to look up to Sooyoung, "are still freakishly tall and making me feel insecure about my weight."

"Aw, but it looks like you lost some weight, Shinyoung," Yuri said, playfully patting the stout woman's stomach.

"Actually I gained some more," Shinyoung said rubbing her stomach while the other girls laughed.

"Shinyoung," Seohyun spoke up, "where is this place?"

"You're in my home," Shinyoung said holding up her hands to her sides.

"Are all homes on Earth so run down?" Hyoyeon asked, eyeing her surroundings.

"This is just the attic you brat," Shinyoung said. "Come on downstairs," she said, proceeding to lead the girls to the staircase. She then came to an abrupt halt and snapped her fingers. "Almost forgot," Shinyoung turned around and walked past the girl to the floating gems. She grabbed them into her hands and they instantly lost their magic, the portal immediately closing. The nine mages could not help but feel anxious, their only way home having been temporarily ceased.  This would officially mark the beginning to their mission on Earth.

Shinyoung placed the gems in small chest nearby and carried the chest to the other end of the room. She knelt down and picked up a small panel from the floor board, underneath which was a narrow hole. Shinyoung carefully placed the chest into its hiding place and replaced the panel over it.

"Come on girls," Shinyoung said as she stood back up and lead the girls down the staircase.

-

Jessica and Tiffany comfortably walked forward into Shinyoung's home, a smile gracing their faces over the familiar semblance. While the house did not seem so dissimilar from homes on Kaia, the other girls still walked more guardedly, curiously eyeing each corner of the house.

"I've already received a message from the Palace on what's happening in Essinia," Shinyoung said as she led the girls into her living room. "I think it would best to not waste any time and get a move on immediately."

"Yes, we should," Taeyeon said.

"First of all, you girls will need a change of clothes," Shinyoung said, addressing the girls' long dresses. "I already prepared some clothes for you. Wait here for a moment," Shinyoung said as she walked out the living room leaving the girls to themselves.

The foreign girls began inspecting the room; thus far nothing seemed so out of ordinary. They were expecting to see new and outlandish things but the sofa, lamps, table and books were all too familiar to them. One thing in particular caught their attention.

"Hey," Yuri said, "what is that?" she asked pointing to a large black, squared shaped object placed on top of a rack against the wall opposite to them.

Tiffany sighed nostalgically. "That, Yuri, once use to be the love of my life."

"It looks nothing like me," Taeyeon jested from beside Tiffany.

"No!" Tiffany playfully smacked the older girl's shoulder. "That is a television."

-

After Shinyoung brought each one of them a fresh pair of clothes, they one by one began to change their attire.

Sunny pulled the t-shirt over her head and slipped her arms into the short sleeves. She felt odd in these clothes, a white t-shirt and blue denim jeans, as they were much different from what she was accustomed to, but it was necessary for them to adjust. She threw on the brown jacket she was given as well and took note of the pockets inside and outside the jacket. Sunny picked up the compass she left by the sink corner and slipped it into one of the inside pockets. After taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she walked out the bathroom to join the others.

Walking back into the living room, she found most of her companions huddled in front of what Tiffany earlier describe as the television. Sunny did a double take when she realized there was some sort of visualization appearing on the television.

"What is this?" Sunny asked stepping up behind the couch.

"They're called cartoons," Taeyeon answered, her eyes glazed over the screen, mouth slightly open. She along with Sooyoung and Hyoyeon sat over the coffee table in front of the TV, intently watching the colorful illustrations they had never seen the likes of before. Jessica and Tiffany watched comfortably from the couch, wide smiles on their faces.

Sunny tilted her head at the TV.  She was reminded her of the telespheres on their world but this television did not seem like a communication device. "What are cartoons?"

"Some form of children's entertainment. This television shows many things that people watch for enjoyment," Sooyoung answered, not removing her eyes from the TV.

"Oh Hyoyeon," Sunny addressed the girl who was still in her original attire, "you should get changed."
 

"Wait," Hyoyeon insisted, "the talking duck just got his beak blown off."

"This is violent for children," Taeyeon commented.

"We loved this stuff," Jessica said with smile.

"Hyoyeon," Sunny called.

"Ok, ok," Hyoyeon said getting up from her seat, grabbing the clothes Shinyoung given her. She walked out of the room but with her eyes still fixated on the television screen, attempting to stretch out her neck as much as possible when she had to turn a corner.

Sunny chuckled at her friend's behavior. Her eyes trailed over the room before landing at the window across the room where Seohyun stood. Sunny walked over to Seohyun's side and took a look outside. There was a road in front of the house across which were other houses over green lawns with trees and bushes. It seemed like a pleasant sight.

"It does not seem all that different from Essinia," Seohyun commented, observing the scene outside.

"Well we haven't even gone so far yet. I imagine we'll be seeing some different sites soon," Sunny commented.

Seohyun turned to look at Sunny, "how do you feel to be on Earth?"

Sunny offered the young girl a smile. The niece of the King of Essinia was in fact Earth born, just like Jessica and Tiffany. However her time was on Earth was very short as her family returned to Kaia soon after her birth. She remembered nothing other than being told she was born on this foreign planet. This was the technically the first time she was seeing her birth place.

"I am a bit excited to see the rest of Earth but we have a job to focus on for now," Sunny said.

"Of course," Seohyun nodded her head.

"Girls come here."

Seohyun and Sunny turned their attention to Shinyoung who walked into the living with a plastic bag in her hand. The joined her by the coffee table as she placed the contents of the bag onto the table.

"Cell phones?" Jessica asked as she leaned forward on the couch.

"We may need to split up at some point, in which we'll need to stay in contact at all times," Shinyoung explained. She looked over to Taeyeon and Sooyoung and realized they were still distracted by the television. "Turn that off," she said bopping Taeyeon on the head and switching off the TV with the remote. Once they were joined by Hyoyeon, Yoona and Yuri, now all properly attired, Shinyoung explained how the cell phones were to be utilized.

"There are only five though," Yuri said.

"Speaking of which, we also only have five compasses," Taeyeon stated, bringing out the compass she was given from her pant pocket. Sunny, Jessica, Seohyun and Yoona, who received a compass each as well, produced their own while Yuri, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and Tiffany were with none.

"We can pair up then and share," Seohyun suggested, "however as there are nine of us, one would be without a partner."

The girls exchanged glances amongst each other, waiting for a volunteer to go solo. Yoona took the initiative and brought her fist out forward. Understanding her action, the rest of the girls did the same and proceeded to play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The girls battled each other in their little game, a winner being expelled each round until it came down to the final two; Sunny and Jessica. The two shook their fists and held out their hands, Jessica's in the shape of a rock and Sunny's of that of scissors.

"Sunny's going solo then," Yuri smiled sympathetically at the short girl whose shoulders drooped.

"I'll go with Sunny then," Shinyoung said. The girls then decided their partners for each other; Taeyeon and Tiffany, Jessica and Yuri, Seohyun and Yoona, and Hyoyeon and Sooyoung. Each pair kept a compass for themselves.

"So do we have a plan or anything?" Yoona asked.

"Not really," Taeyeon answered, "all we have to do is follow the compass. It's better we all stick together but we'll split up wherever needed."

"We're likely to be on a non-stop search, so I already prepared some necessary supplies," Shinyoung said.

"Well then," Sunny spoke, "no point stalling for time. Let's get a move on."

"Follow me then," Shinyoung said as she walked out of the living rooms. The girls exchanged nervous glances with each other, feeling jittery now that they were ready to step out into this new world. Taeyeon smiled at her companions and took the lead, the others instinctively following behind her.

Shinyoung led the girls through her house to the garage. Entering the dark room, she reached out to the wall beside her and flicked on the lights, revealing a black van.

"What is that?" Yuri asked, observing the large machine as they all stepped into the room.

"It's a car!" Jessica said as she walked over to the black minivan.

"A cart?" Taeyeon asked.

"No, a car," Jessica emphasized, "think of it better than a cart and you don't even need a horse to pull it."

"We can just have Jessica pull it," Yoona giggled.

"Shut up Yoong and get in the car."