One. 

The immensity of it was unreal. The desert stretched far as if the world was only made of the odd, murky brown sand underneath her feet; it was swarming with buzzing, hidden life, so many she could only hear the ringing in her ears of the quiet sounds they made that when combined, were as loud as the neighbour's heavy metal music booming through the speakers. No trees for miles. No source of water anywhere to be found. All that existed was a small structure made of worn and yellowed bricks about seven hundred meters to her right.

Caustiously walking towards it, she could feel the sun's rays her burning skin while crystalline spheres of sweat rolled down the sides of her temples. The heat was intense, making her desperate for even a minuscule drop of water to satisfy her thirst.

Picking up the pace, she ran. She ran towards the intreaging building, hoping to find something, anything that could prevent her from dying in this burning inferno. A bullet-like entity shot out of the eerie ruins. She paused and watched with attention.

As she came closer, the same figure shot back into the building. What was once a desert filled with a multitude of hidden creatures was now as silent as death itself. Reaching the structure, she touched its walls which were - to her surprise - cold. Slowly pacing into the ruins, she inspected every inch until her sharp eyes found a tall, dark figure in the corner.

Dressed from head to toe in black, he leaned against the wall with a soft expression on his face. His midnight black hair had grown, covering his forehead. It was scruffy- which was unlike him- but this new look suited him better. His stormy grey eyes which were once filled with concern and pain, were now locked on to hers with a hint of joy in them.

She scoffed at the smirk that materialised on his lips. Never had she been so glad to see her guardian with whom she had shared so many memories. She stepped toward his using the remainder or her energy. Her knees buckled beneath her from the lack of water. He raced to her side holding her to his chest, like so many times before, his heart rate steady as she recalled the tragic events that had pushed them back together several months back.

***

12:57am; February 29th, 2016

That's the time that read on Yoojin's alarm clock. She could feel her warm bed and soft pillow calling her name from the other side of her bedroom as she forced the words of her essay onto the page. School had begun three months ago but her teachers were already pilling work onto the senior students.

"Finally done." She breathed out and streched her sore back which had been hunched over the pages and pages of paper that were sprawled out on the desk. She stood and waddled to the comfort of