With nowhere to sit, Goldilocks climbed up the stairs to find somewhere to sleep. She was still very tired.

First, she tried Papa Bear’s great big bed. “TOO HIGH!” she yelled.

Then, she tried Mama Bear’s medium-sized bed. “TOO LOW!” she screamed.

Finally, she tried Baby Bear’s tiny little bed. “JUST RIGHT!” she sighed. Then Goldilocks fell asleep and dreamed dreams of flowers and warm cookies.

Rima mumbled as she turned a few times. The sleep still kept her eyes shut until a small squeaking interrupted her dreams every time she moved. Mumbling a few words, she tossed around one last time before sitting up, rubbing her still closed eyes.

“What happened….” Rima questioned aloud, letting her head hang to the side. “Last thing I remember is running home and…”

Rima stopped as the last few hours replayed in her head. Everything seemed to blur into one.

“What are you doing here?! You can’t have them! None of them! Leave my wolves alone!”

“He needs medical attention now!”

“You’re helping them?”

“I’m sorry, D.O. I couldn’t protect you when you needed me most. Please be okay.”

Rima’s head shot up and her eyes finally opened. She froze in her spot as she tried to process what she just remembered.

“Puppy...” she whispered. Hopping up from her seat, Rima stood up and paced back and forth around the small room. “D.O. I didn’t get to stay long enough to make sure he was okay. What if he didn’t make it? What if I don’t get to see him at the end of this?”

Rima stopped and leaned against a nearby wall before slowly sliding down it. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in them.

“Do Kyungsoo…”

Rima’s thoughts were interrupted once more by a howl coming from somewhere far off. Looking up, her mind cleared just long enough for her to start taking in her surroundings. Rima tilted her head as she stood up with her back against the wall.

“Where am I?!” she questioned when she realized she was in a room filled with three beds.

One bed was large, one was medium sized, and the last looked to be around the perfect size for Rima, herself. It also looked like someone had been sleeping in it. Rima’s best guess was that it was the one she had woken up in. A night table joined every bedside and a small window hung between the medium and small bed with a flower standing in the windowsill. Picking up her bag from the side of the smaller bed, Rima smiled as her eyes fell towards her wrist. Three wolf charms could be found hanging from the bracelet. Suho…

Making her way through the room, Rima slowly walked down a set of steps, each one creaking beneath her feet. Her head shot up when she heard a howl in the distance. She smiled.

“Guess it won’t be hard to find them if they keep that up,” she snickered at the thought of her next three companions.

Walking down the rest of the stairs, Rima found herself in a room filled with a recliner, a couch, and a bean bag. Each piece of furniture faced the TV over the fireplace. To her right was the kitchen. Three plates sat on the island. One was empty, one was half full with only vegetables, and the last had barely been touched.

“Why does this story seem familiar? To a certain extent that is.” Rima poked the last plate with the fork that lay beside it. “Wonder if this is their house….”

She walked around the house, looking over things until the front door caught her eye. Curiosity filled her with wonder. Smiling, Rima stepped over to it. She slowly cracked it open, just in case something was outside, before finally opening the door all the way.

Outside looked almost exactly the same as the other fairy tales. A forest with trees standing miles high surrounded the house. A small river could be heard splashing nearby. The sun was shining through the leaves leaving little specks of light on every surface.

“I am so tired of seeing forest,” Rima complained, puffing her cheeks.

She tilted her head to the side, standing absolutely still when she heard growling. Rima knew who it was, but something wasn’t right. She knew it was the wolves, the ones she was supposed to be protecting..but the growl...Rima also knew it all to well. It sounded angry, mad, filled with rage. Something like that was only heard if the wolves faced a threat.

Moving her eyes left and right, Rima noticed three sets of eyes watching her closely. Three sets of bloodshot red eyes were fixated on her. She could feel them staring her down. She could hear them growling at her. Surely the wolves knew who she was. Everyone did as soon as she stepped foot in a new fairy tale. So...what was wrong with these three?

Rima looked down at the ground and walked straight ahead, making sure not to make any false moves. Not wanting to take any chances, she walked further and further until she was right in the middle of the wolves’ sight. One gray wolf was to her right, one tan wolf was to her left, and one black wolf, just a little smaller than Xiumin, was ahead of her.

“All right. I can see you. Hear you. Smell you, even. I know you’re there, and I know you’re watching me. The only thing I don't know is why you three are about to attack me when I’m the one that's supposed to be saving you. So, come out and explain yourselves,” Rima said, knowing they could hear her.

The black wolf was the first to slowly change back. He stepped out in front of her. The other two quickly followed suit, eyes never changing color.

“We don’t need your help. We have her to take care of us.” the one in front of her stated plainly.

The other two boys nodded in agreement with the one speaking. Rima furrowed her brows at the boy before her.

“I’m gonna guess you’re the oldest out of this bunch. Who do you mean by ‘her’?”

The boy nodded. “I am the oldest, and don’t concern yourself with those things. I do think she would love to meet you, though. It would make the end a lot easier,” he smirked as he started towards Rima.

Rima’s eyes widened as the three boys began closing in on her. Slowly stepping back, she tried her best to get away from them, still not quite understanding the situation.

A gunshot going off startled the bunch. They all turned into the direction of the sudden noise. By time the boys turned back around, Rima had disappeared.

“Where did she go?” one of the boys questioned the other two. They shrugged in response.

“Split up. We have to find the girl. She’ll get mad again if we lose Red,” the eldest commanded, pointing in different directions, splitting them up. The others nodded and took off.

“Thank you so much….” Rima began turning around to thank her rescuer. Her eyes widened when she found a small boy standing by her side.

“No problem. They can be a real pain and we can’t have you dead just yet,” the boy smiled brightly.

“‘Dead just yet’? I can’t die now, anyway...it’s not time yet. By the way, do you know what’s wrong with the wolves? I mean...I’m supposed to save them...and they’re trying to kill me! They’re attitudes are worse than Kris on a bad day.”

The smaller boy smiled and shook his head as he grabbed Rima’s hand to pull her up.

“Come on. I know a place we can go where you’ll be safe for now. I’ll explain everything there but for now, you’ll just have to trust me, okay?” he asked looking back at the older girl.

Rima nodded at him, “You just saved my life. I have no reason not to trust you. By the way, My name’s Rima.”

The small boy smiled as he walked a little further. The pair was soon soon joined by a girl that seemed to be a few years younger than he was.

“My name is Hansel, and this is my little sister Gretel. It’s really nice to meet you, Red, and I’ll warn you now. The other three fairy tales you’ve come across so far will be a walk in the park compared to this one. We’re glad to have you on our side, though, Red. And I promise you this. We are in no way trying to harm the wolves. We’re trying to help them. Just like you, Red.”