Everyone tried to stop Baekhyun before he could do any damage to the petite girl in front of them; Natalia just smirked at them in victory knowing that they could not lay a finger on her.

“Please, we really need those shoes back. What can we do for a trade?” Zaft asks and Natalia taps her chin pretending to think.

“Hmm...If you people want it so much then it must be worth a lot, then why should I give it away?” Natalia grins and Baekhyun just scoffed.

“You wouldn’t want another eye patch on your other eye, would you?” Baekhyun warns but Natalia just looked at him sternly.

“You do not scare me, runaway prince and those two thieves with you as well. I can report your companions and you would not be so happy about it. You have wasted my time and disturbed my peace here; tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t have the guards around to throw you out of this town?” Natalia huffs and Sumi lays a hand on her shoulder.

“I know you would not tell about my companions, there must be a way for us to settle this...” Sumi looked at Natalia’s eyes begging for her to calm down and the petite girl sighed.

“Bread! Everyone, come get your daily bread here!” some deep voice announced and the ringing of bells was heard as it caught everyone’s attention. The people around soon gathered  and lined up to the man selling bread on the streets, the scent of the freshly baked bread roamed and  this made Natalia look to the direction of the baker she sees every day.

Sumi followed her gaze and her eyes landed on a gentle looking tall man, whose grin plastered happiness all over his face as he sold the bread he made himself. Sumi immediately recognized the gentle giant, he was Chanyeol.  Another thing caught Sumi’s eyes though, on top of the container of bread that Chanyeol was holding, is a little gingerbread man who was helping to get everyone’s attention by ringing the bell in his hands.

Sumi could not miss the blush that crept on Natalia’s cheeks as the petite girl looked at Chanyeol, but her blushing state turned into a grim expression and her fists balled tightly.

“If you want to have those glass shoes back so badly, you must give me that gingerbread man in return!” Natalia suddenly grits her teeth, surprising everyone but Sumi.

“Are you sure you want the bread and not the baker?” Sumi teased looking at her with a sly smiled and Natalia just raised an eyebrow at her.

“I want the gingerbread; you know how I like collecting rare things. If you can give me the gingerbread man then I will give you back the glass shoes.” Natalia proposed and quickly turn her heels around and slammed the door behind her, leaving the others on her doorstep wonder why she got so angry all of a sudden.

Her heart thumped faster and she tried hard not to recall such memories whenever she sees Chanyeol. Their history together happened so long ago but she could not forget him as much as she wanted to.

The gingerbread man that she wanted back so much was the very sign of her friendship with him, yet it was also the reason why she was neglected. Natalia is different, different from the other girls in town and from everyone else, she had the gift to give life to anything inanimate, but it will cost her a few years of her life in return.

The only person who knew about her gift was Chanyeol, they were good friends when they were young and her bright eyes showed happiness when she was with him. Chanyeol longed to be a baker even when he was young; he had the skills and made the most delicious bread Natalia ever tasted. She wanted him to achieve his dream, she adored Chanyeol truthfully and may have liked him too much, she was not aware that love existed in her own little heart right then and there.

Thus, the gingerbread man was created. Chanyeol was baking gingerbread one day and gave Natalia one of the biggest pieces he baked. He always needed a helper and since Natalia is clumsy in the kitchen, she decided to create a helper for him.

Chanyeol knew about her gift that day when Natalia’s small hands emitted light and gave life to the gingerbread man, it was as if a piece of her soul was placed on the little pastry and it jumped and danced as it came into life.

Chanyeol was the happiest kid in the world when that happened, he still is as the gingerbread man is still with him, helping him in his work and spread smiles to the people who ate Chanyeol’s bread.

However, what he did not know was that it had a very risky effect on Natalia’s part. When she went home that day her right eye started to hurt and her visi