The sun was hurting his frosted eyelids as they fluttered open and closed.

His arms were neatly tucked into his side as the male sat up in confusion and observed his new surroundings - what had happened? all he remembered was running back into camp with Tiffany before he began dreaming and after imagining the same scenario over and over again, he awoke alone and drenched. The male didn't know this, but Jessica and the others were unable to explain his dream due to the fact they were all separated - so Kai was basically completely left in the dark.

He was in a forest and lying on a dirt path leading to places he didn't recognize, however the fact his stomach and throat were so deprived of nutrients and water, he couldn't concentrate on his safety. After struggling to rise and take a few deep breaths, Kai trudged forward and simply hoped that the strangers he would come across wouldn't inflict harm on him. A lucky sign that civilization was nearby would be the fact that in a short amount of time the bender weakly stumbled across wagon and footprints embedded in the mud of the path. That signalled he was close by a town or village of some sorts.

The first and last building the male ended up reaching was a pastel pink color with cutesy decorations coating the walls and windows residing on the outskirts of town. If he wasn't so desperate, the bender definitely would have picked a different destination but in his weak condition he had no choice. The door opened and a female's voice could be heard chatting excitedly with someone else, however his ears were unable to pick up what she was saying. His vision had gone blurry and it was difficult to pick up details about her appearance, however her hair was long, brown, and the tips were pink. He wanted to call out, but the only wisps of conversation slipping through his lips were cut short because before he could comprehend what was happening, the boy collapsed and he heard a scream. 

-

He woke up hot and relaxed.

The strained muscles, dry throat, and empty stomach ceased to exist, his body felt warm and definitely at ease. When he opened his eyes and awakened from a deep slumber for the second time that day, Kai found himself smothered in blankets sleeping in front of a fireplace on a mattress. The fire and ashses were crackling as his sleepy eyes scanned the room he was in and attempted to decipher what was going on. The only source of light was coming from the fire which made the entire room dim and cloaked in shadows. It was late into the night judging from the color of the sky outside the window and how quiet the building and town seemed to be. Hesitantly rising from the floor, the male stretched and was immediately on guard as he decided to inspect his location.

The male seemed to be in some kind of study due to the fact his mattress had been surrounded by bookcases, a desk and a chair, as well as fancy paintings plastered on the walls of the room. His slender fingers danced across the spines of the old books and he inhaled the sweet scent of the aged paper as well as the crackling flames behind him. Suho was the one in the group who read the most and was extremely interested in studying, however every once in a while the tan boy would pick up a fairytale or a good thriller and thumb through it. His eyes skimmed the titles and he removed a certain book that looked familiar and triggered the strangest feeling of nostalgia. After through it and skimming the material, a slow yet wide smile decorated his face at the memories running through his mind.

Sunny used to have the same book, in fact, she used to contain all of the books in the series back at the academy. They were about the human body and each individual non-fiction book focused on a certain thing - for example, the skeleton, cells, joints, nerves etc. The particular one in his posession was all about organs and it brought back a flood of memories in which Sehun and him would steal the books and giggle at the pictures while doodling all over them. Sunny would normally get pretty angry and find it extremely difficult to focus when there were drawings of the other benders as well as instructors all over the pages. A certain moment he would never forget was when a teacher they despised opened up one of the healer's books and found a very unflattering doodle of her by Sehun. He could distinctly remember the days of detention Sunny was given and how she made his life a living hell afterwards for revenge.

His smile slowly faded as he returned the book to it's original position and slipped away from the bright days of training in the past. He was taken back to reality as the male realized he didn't know where he was and who tucked him in for bed, the bender was in quite a dangerous position. He was alone and honestly afraid, the bender had absolutely no clue as to where the others happened to wash up and that scared him. It had been such a long time since Kai had been abandoned and cast away to live on his own - he had become so accustomed to joking and fooling around with the members that he forgot the hollow feeling of loneliness that rocked his skull and left an aching headache. His facial expression was grim as his arm reached out to cup the door knob and slowly twist it until the door gave way and allowed a few beams of dim lighting to dance across the floor of the room. There seemed to be a lit room down the hallway where someone must be located.

As his bare foot was about to take a step forward, his entire body froze as a distant and soft voice hummed foreign lyrics. It definitely belonged to a female, however he didn't recognize it as one of the girls with a special ability. The strength manipulater inched forward and clenched his teeth as he only hoped that the house he was situated in wasn't old enough so that the wooden planks wouldn't creak and whine underneath his weight. His nimble limbs hopped up upon the carpet, and if he was alone he would've sighed in relief - one of the hardest parts was over. 

With a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek and a fast beating heart, Kai stalked forward with hesitant and silent movements. The humming only got closer and closer and the ignited doorway only teased his curiosity and anxiety. The bender could smell a distinct sweet aroma that he had never gotten to experience as a children, one that would have kids running towards the open arms of their mothers. A bitter taste invaded his senses as a frown developed upon his features and he focused more on the mission at hand.He honestly had no idea what to expect, however, when he peeked his head in for a split second, the scene that awaited him took him off guard.

A girl with long silky orange hair was prancing around the kitchen with an apron decorating her front and oven mitts adorning her hands. A broad smile was tugging at her cherry red lips as she continued with her singing and dancing, her energetic appearance immediately reminded him of Chanyeol. His gaze flickered to the clock on the wall which read that it was 2:24 in the morning and before he could slip away to the room he had awoken in, a loud beeping interrupted the frolicing female. Kai realized that it must have been the oven alerting her that whatever was baking was finished, and much to his dismay it seemed as though the machine was right next to the doorway. Due to the fact he had only woken up recently, the boy was a little delayed in his movement which sealed his fate.

The stranger spun around and gasped when she laid her eyes on Kai, but her smile only grew as she beckoned him in with one finger and a few soft giggles.

It was late, he was confused and slightly hungry, he assumed that he had been saved by this girl or one of her friends so the male entered the kitchen and approached the female. She waited for him to reach her before she guided him to a wooden table and motioned for him to sit down. After properly seating her guest, the girl then waltzed to the oven and pulled out a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies waiting to be devoured by the bender. She quickly and expertly whisked them to a cooling rack before pouring out a couple glasses of milk and finally taking her place next to Kai at the table.

"My name is Joy, my friend named Irene found you earlier today, you passed out so we took you in. Welcome to The Red Velvet Bakery!"