Hyomin sat back down by the river, knowing she should act now, but feeling briefly frozen. She shut her eyes and on her mind on home -- the voice in her head began to chant it over and over again. But she was still aware of the pure air of Nissilum and heard the rustle of the leaves in the cool breeze. Hyomin tried again, but willing herself not to panic interfered with her greater wish. To be back in her home, to see her mother there, safe. It was all she wanted. Yet somehow, nothing was happening. Her body was tensing, frustrated. So when she felt cool hands grabbing hold of hers', Hyomin's eyes flew open.

"Narsha?"

"Shhh," she said. "Mortal girl. I can help you home. No need for all this telekinetic rubbish." She screwed up her nose. "It is so unreliable ... The more you force it, the harder it becomes."

"I don't need your help," Hyomin said abruptly, adding more nicely, "Thank you," in case she cast some kind of spell on her then and there.

She pouted. "Don't be tiresome, girl."

Warily, Hyomin realised she needed to keep her on side.

"Another time," she said quickly. "There'll be another time."

"I doubt that," Narsha purred, brushing her brown mane out of her eyes. Her face was almost blue it was so pale. And in the daylight she looked older, her face creasing in places it hadn't before.

"Let's get out of this grim light," she said, pulling at Hyomin.

Her energy was draining out of her. It was not just the events of the past couple of hours here, it was Narsha's presence. Jaejoong had warned Hyomin about her. She struggled not to succumb.

"I have to go," Hyomin said vaguely. "There's something i have to do."

"I want to apologise," she said in a syrupy tone. "Staying a little longer won't harm, surely? Come, let me take you home and we can think of a plan to thwart those insufferably self-righteous wolves." She winced. "Soon, though. I don't fare well with the sun."

Hyomin squinted into the shard of light coming through the trees, her head was fuzzy.

"They are a bit self-righteous," Hyomin found herself saying. "And they've taken him somewhere. They'll lock him up to punish him."

Narsha cocked her head. "Who darling? Who have they taken?"

"No one. Nothing. I must go now."

Narsha moved swiftly to her. One manicured hand just touching her arm.

"We got off rather on the wrong foot at the ball ..." she flashed a smile, "as your people would put it. I apologise. It is hard to shed certain innate needs ..." She examined her face almost kindly. "It was an aberration. A moment of weakness. I hope you understand."

Hyomin stared at her. "Weakness is human. I understand weakness. I just don't understand evil."

Narsha's eyes widened innocently. "Oh, but I'm not evil. I would not be allowed to reside here in this hell-forsaken world if I were evil." She pulled back her shoulders and seemed to tower above Hyomin imposingly. "And I would like to help you."

"You can't help." Hyomin shook her head. "This needs to be dealt with without tricks and .. and bloodshed."

"Oh," she said, in exaggerated disappointment. "How boring."

The sun went behind the trees and Hyomin realised how vulnerable she was, standing alone with a vampire.

"Sweet girl," she said. "once upon a time I was innocent. Untainted." She looked sorrowfully down at the water. "But one can't turn back time ... One just has to get by ... somehow."

She took a step closer and Hyomin moved back.

"Just think," she said, holding eye contact. "If, hypothetically speaking of course, I were to turn you, then your troubles would be over. You would be free to stay here ... you would be one of us."

It was true. Hyomin could be here. Everything would be all right. She would belong. It would only take a minute.

"Narsha," Hyomin said, shivering with temptation but forcing herself to think straight, "I have a home."

"Ah. Home," she said wistfully. "Surely home is where you feel you belong?"

Oh, she was good.

"And leaving that poor smitten boy to pine and wither away. Can you really live with that?"

"I'll have to." She seemed to glide coser. "I don't want to be one of you."

"But what have you got to return to? Betrayel and loneliness."

The truth of her words stung, but Hyomin knew she was trying to lull her with her lilting, sympathetic voice. She had to battle the tears that threatened. Hyomin felt suddenly drained of strength, her thoughts growing fuzzier by the minute.

"Here you can live forever." Her voice was distant. "Just think of that."

Clouds in her head obscured her thoughts and Hyomin tried to clear them. Tried to think. There was something she had to do. Someone she had to stop.

"Changsun," She said abruptly. "He betrayed me. My mother is in danger. I have to stop him."

She felt Narsha's mouth agianst her ear. "It is too late for that ... There is nothing you can do. Wait here, and Changsun will return ... eventually."

Hyomin came to her senses then. "You know what he did?"

"Not exactly." She said. "But it doesn't surprise me in the least. He's unhinged .... Of course the angels see no harm in the boy. But he's a pyschopath. You mark my words." She gripped Hyomin around the waist. "And you need me on your side ... now that Jaejoong is indisposed."

The gallop of hooves startled them both and hope flared inside Hyomin.

"Leave her," said the rider, glring at Narsha as she dismounted her horse. "Just let her go."

Narsha pulled away from her as Hyomin felt the sky, the trees, everything blurring.

"Thank God," Hyomin said, and felt herself falling.

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"You really are as green as a goose," said Sunkyu, shaking her head as she looked down on Hyomin. "But that woman is powerful. Even us immortals need to be on our guard."

Hyomin sat up on her elbows and realised that the river had gone, and the canopy of leaves. They weren't at the Water Path. They were back on Earth.

Sunkyu had brought her back home.

She Hyomin's plimsolls at her, wrinkling her nose. "You nearly left these behind."

"Thank you for helping me." She took the funny little slippers off her feet and replaced them with her trusty plimsolls.

Sunkyu sighed, sinking down into the grass. "Jaejoong is my dearest brother. And his wish is my command." she said solemnly, though there was a flash of humour in her eyes. "And if he wishes you well ... then so do I."

What else did Jaejoong wish? She felt sadness tugging at her. Did he wish he'd never found me in the first place?

"So here you are, and I must be away," she said lightly, getting back up on her feet. "Seungah and Jonghun may be getting suspicious. It is the early hours of the morning by now." She puffed out her cheeks. "Dratted mortal time."

It was hard to imagine she would never see Sunkyu again either. And horrible.

"Tell Jaejoong I'm sorry," Hyomin said. "For everything. And that i will never forget him."

Sunkyu gave her an uncharacteristic tender look in return.

"The feeling will be mutual," she reassured Hyomin, and she could have hugged Sunkyu, had either of them been that kind of girl. "And be strong. You have the power to outcome Changsun. Just gather it to you and hold it there."

Hyomin nodded, hoping, but not really believing she was right.

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And so the drama begins~

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