It was the morning of day seven, and there she was again. Cowering in a bathroom stall as her two roommates stood guard. One minute with the piranhas had been more than enough to realise that she was not welcome. Swallowing hard, she wrapped her damp hair in one of the itchy white towels and began tugging her clothes on. Though there were a couple girls from America in the locker room as well, she always ended up becoming the main target for ridicule. Just because her skin was paler, her eyes were blue, her hair was brown, her accent was different, she would not, could not fit in. It was almost as if she was that one rice ball in a fruit basket.

“Are you almost done?” Frida’s voice called quietly through the cracks in the door.

“Yeah,” Rose straightened up, flattening the many creases in her shirt down.

“Almost everyone has left,” Eunnie whispered, “There’ll probably be time to finish up, right? My hair is so plain when it’s not curled, and I seriously need some make up or else I-”

“Eunnie,” Frida drawled, “Shut up.”

Grumbling, the slight shifting of Eunnie’s weight against the stall echoed quietly throughout the locker room, “I’m just saying…”

“Okay, I’m done,” Rose tapped against the door in hushed silence, “Is everyone gone?”

“Almost… okay now!” Eunnie swung the door open.

“We don’t have all day, so hurry up,” Frida flicked on her regular makeup in such haste that Eunnie hadn’t even began curling her hair when she was already done.

“You know, I really wish they would give up teaching us Calculus. I mean, nobody cares,” Eunnie sighed, watching the curling iron in her hands carefully, “I wish we could learn about oceanography. Now that would actually be cool. I used to collect seashells at my old house and make necklaces out of them. Oh! And sand castles! Those were so much fun! It was always so hot though… I’ve lost all the tan I had from before… Not that I’m complaining, but getting outside once in awhile would be nice, you know? I mean sure, we have gym outside, but that’s only for an hour and that’s barely enough sunlight. For goodness sakes, we’re in the middle of a forest, of course there’s not going to be much sunlight getting through the trees to begin with and-”

“Eunnie,” Frida rolled her eyes, “Shut up.”

Sighing, Eunnie set the curling iron back onto the counter and began her makeup, “Okay, okay…”

“Rose, come here,” Frida beckoned her forward, holding various makeup tools that she still had yet to learn.

Biting her lip, Rose nodded, “Thank you… for everything.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Frida shook her head slightly.

Eunnie placed the makeup down, examining her face in the mirror, “You don’t have to thank us for anything. You didn’t do anything to deserve this treatment… I just wish there was more that we could do for you.”

A tiny smile formed across Rose’s lips, “No, you’ve done more than enough.”

“Does Jimin know?” Frida asked quietly.

Averting her gaze, Rose hesitated, “No. I don’t want him to find out.”

“Why?” Eunnie frowned, “Maybe he could help stop-”

“I don’t want him to feel responsible for this… mess,” Rose shook her head, “It’s my fight, not his.”

Eunnie pursed her lips, “You don’t have to fight it alone though.”

Frida tossed the makeup on the counter and stood back, “It’s not your fault either.”

Lacing her arm through Rose’s, Eunnie leaned her head on her roommate’s shoulder, “And no matter what, don’t listen to them. They say some pretty awful things, but none of them have any meaning, okay?”

Holding the door open, Frida cast a sympathetic smile at her, “We’ll be by your side no matter what.”

“So don’t worry.”

***

    The cafeteria was in utter chaos by the time the three girls slipped through the doors. Almost all the female population of the camp had flocked over to one table, and the squabbling between the group erupted in glass shattering squeals. Most of the boys stared wistfully at the table, either watching the girls in disdain or rolling their eyes in annoyance. It was the last day of the week, so of course this was normal. Completely and utterly normal.

    “Are you fu-” Frida marched up to the girls, glaring, “Out. Get out.”

    The group of girls groaned, parting a pathway to the table as Eunnie, Frida, and Rose took their places at the table.

    “Jimine,” one girl called desperately, clinging to the orange haired boy’s arm, “Please-”

    “RAPMON!” a second girl screamed and the entire mob erupted in squeals once more.

    “I’m so done,” Frida muttered, rubbing her temples.

    “JHope, pick me tonight!” another girl tugged on the poor boy’s hair.

    “Chim Chim, you’re still free, right? You promised me last week-”

    “Rapmon, I still need a partner-”

    “Jiminie, why are you-”

    “JHope, I promise I’ll be good-”

    “Rapmon-”

    Eunnie shot glares at the girl, “That’s enough!” she rose to her feet suddenly, “Go back to your own tables, or we’ll call the officials in.”

    Sighing in defeat, the majority of the crowd dispersed only to leave a few stragglers. “Jimin,” a girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders, “Please pick me-”

    Rose stared at the girl curiously, “What’s your name?”

    The girl’s attention snapped up to meet her gaze, “Oh. It’s you,” her face became distorted with disgust, “How did a white snake like you end up here-”

    Jimin disentangled himself from the girl’s grasp, “Leave,” he replied coldly.

    The girl pouted, “But you said-”

    “I said leave.”

    “But you don’t have a partner yet!” the girl attempted to grab hold of him again.

    His eyes became cold and void of any emotion or warmth, “Actually, I do.”

    The girl’s mouth parted in surprise before she spun on her heel in fury. Her stomps could be heard throughout the room, echoing off the pale walls in such anger that volume of chatter between the residents decreased several notches.

    “Are you okay?” Jimin turned to Rose sheepishly.

    She nodded hastily, blinking in surprise, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

    Jungkook, sitting to the right of her, stared at her suspiciously, “Are you sure?”

    “Of course,” she swallowed hard, smiling at the two of them, “Besides, it doesn’t have to mean anything, right?”

    “Yes, but-”

    Rose cut him off, “So what are the plans for tonight?”

    “Tonight?” Jimin bit his lip anxiously, glancing the rest of the table in worry.

    “You don’t know what’s happening tonight?” Jungkook asked cautiously.

    Her brow furrowed in confusment, “What do you mean? We’re still meeting at the roof, right?”

    “Um…” Jimin pursed his lips, staring at his hands.

    “Rose…” Eunnie chewed her bottom lip, taking Rose’s hands in her own, “You know this is a Breeding Camp, right?”

    “Yes, of course,” she nodded slowly.

    “So… once a week we have to… uh… spend a night out of our beds with someone else and um… you know…” the blonde’s cheeks tinted light pink as she averted her gaze.

    Rose’s breath hitched in , “A-and?”

    “That’s tonight…”

    Every piece of the whole distorted puzzle seemed to fall right into place just then. Of course. How could she have been so stupid? From the very first night she spent there, she was warned. Yet, it didn’t seem to make sense then. Not until now. Her hands shook as she rose to her feet. ‘No…’ she shook her head, ‘I can’t… I can’t do that, right? It’s just a joke… sick joke , right?’ As much as she wanted to believe the thoughts her mind was feeding her, somewhere deep down she knew all that was being said was true. So bitterly true that it stung.

Avoiding her friends’ gazes, she spun on her heel and rushed out of the cafeteria. Her legs broke into a sprint as she flew down the hallway, and the tears that had once clung to the corners of her eyes spilled onto her cheeks. A strangled cough escaped through her lips as she rounded the corner and slid into an empty room. She sunk to the floor, shaking from the contained sobs clogging . Curling into a tight ball, she leaned back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut so hard that the salt from her tears burned against her eyelids. She took a deep breath, erasing the tracks masking her cheeks with the back of her hand and swallowed hard. ‘I have to be strong…’ her heart clenched at the thought, ‘For them… I can’t be weak.’ Shaking her head, she inhaled sharply and shuddered against the sudden, cool breeze emitted from the air vents. ‘I have to be strong…’ the thought imprinted itself into the sides of her mind, yet she had lost the strength to lift herself up. Her chest twinged so painfully as her limbs became limp and lifeless. She had no energy, no will to pick herself up and move on. There was no light at the end of the tunnel just as there was no light in the room she huddled in. She was alone.

In a spur of the moment, her gaze hardened and tears no longer had the courage to leak onto her cheeks once more. Rising to her feet on shaking knees, she crossed the room to her violin case in the corner. She no longer felt pain or sadness, joy or happiness. Just the numbing reality of her fate in such a hell-like prison. Tearing the case open, she slipped her violin upon her shoulder and set her bow against the strings. A bitter melody escaped her heart, echoing through the hollow wood of her instrument. She could not- would not give in to the likes of the officials, nor would she fall prey to tight box society had created around her. It was so suffocating watching those she had come to love suffer under the tight grip of the government, and yet there was little she could do. ‘Weak…’ the thought clawed at the sides of mind, ‘I’m so weak…’ She pressed her bow against the strings even harder, forcing a strangled sound to warble into existence. Faster and faster she played, stronger and angrier the melody became, and yet all the tension she had held in the pit of her stomach slowly unraveled into a mess of chaos. At the brink of destruction, the melody ended abruptly, and her toes were hanging off the edge of the cliff dangerously. Beads of sweat lined her forehead as she placed her instrument back into its case. “I will not break,” she breathed quietly, “I cannot…”

The door of the practice room creaked open, and the bouncing of blonde curls and sweeping of black hair crossed the threshold as Frida and Eun Sung peaked cautiously inside. Eunnie stared at Rose, worry written across her face, “R-Rose?”

Frowning, Frida swung the door open and slipped inside, “Are you okay?”

A sigh escaped her lips as she nodded, “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Ennie bit her lip nervously, “I know it’s a lot to take in, and I’m sorry we didn’t make it clear before so-”

Rose shook her head, “Don’t apologize. I was stupid to not realise that this would happen. It’s not your fault- it’s mine.”

Pursing her lips, Frida, crossed her arms, “How is it your fault? You didn’t ask for this, did you?”

She shrugged, “It doesn’t matter.”

Eunnie rested a hand on her roommate’s shoulder, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Forcing a smile, Rose nodded, “I have to be.”

Frida opened in retort, but a quick glance at the clock on the wall sent a curse issuing out of , “We’re late…”

Cringing, Eunnie pulled the two of them out the door, “They’re going to be so angry!”

“Sorry,” Rose mumbled.

“Not your fault either,” Frida stuffed her fists in her pockets, “Believe me.”

“You know,” Eunnie tilted her head thoughtfully, “I think they actually want to punish us sometimes.”

“You’re not wrong on that,” Frida grumbled, “Goddamn a-”

“Language,” Eunnie hissed, grinning playfully.

“Oh shut up,” Frida rolled her eyes.

“You sound like Yoongi and Jin,” Rose laughed lightly.

“Ugh,” wrinkling her nose, Frida turned away, “Gross.”

“I don’t know,” Eunnie’s expression became dazed and relaxed, “He’s quite sweet, so I must be sweet too, right?”

“Eunnie,” Frida stopped, staring pointedly at the blonde, “Shut up.”

“Tch,” snapping her gaze back on her roommate, Eunnie became shuffling forward once again, “You’re definitely Yoongi.”

“Hey!” Frida hurried after her, glaring.

Shaking her head, Rose laughed quietly as the pair continued bickering down the corridor. “You don’t-” she stopped abruptly behind the two girls, staring at the strict woman in a white lab stationed before them.

“What are you three doing out of class?” the woman raised an eyebrow, sweeping her icy gaze over the three in such a thorough manner that they could almost feel the daggers of her glare digging into their skin.

“U-um-” Eunnie glanced at Frida and Rose anxiously, “We…. uh-”

“Follow me,” the woman her heel, marching down the hallway back to the classroom.

“Aish…” Eunnie’s shoulders slumped considerably as she dragged her feet after the official.

“What’s going to happen?” Rose whispered harshly.

Frida’s expression hardened, “Punishment.”

Flinging the classroom door open, the official in the curt lab coat marched inside, “In the front,” she order the three girls, then turned to a boy near the front, “You. Get three chairs. Now.”

Nodding, the boy’s blue eyes flitted fearfully from the girls to the woman beside them as he handed three chairs to the official.

Kicking the chairs in front of the girls, she pulled out three, leather straps before snapping at them once again, “On the chairs. Now.”

Climbing atop the chairs, the girls glanced nervously at each other.

“You three,” the woman barked at three boys sitting in the far back corner of the room, “Up here. Now.”

Rose dared not look at the boys as their footsteps shuffled forward as the took hold of the whips, yet she recognized their shallow breaths without even stealing a peek at them. Swallowing hard, she squeezed her eyes shut. ‘Don’t give in,’ she pressed her lips shut, ‘It’s going to be okay… don’t give in…’

“Count,” the woman barked as the lashing of leather stung their calves.

Eunnie let out a whimper and Frida cursed, yet Rose remained silent. “One,” the three of them muttered in unison. Another crack of the whips against the their skin, “Two.” Crack. “Three.” Crack. “Four.” Crack. “Five.” Crack. “Six.” Crack. “Seven.” Crack. “Eight-”

Rose bit her tongue, ignoring the burning of her raw flesh against the leather strap. ‘I won’t give in,’ her legs trembled slightly from exhaustion and pain, ‘I won’t… Think of something else,’ she inhaled sharply as a particular sharp slap of the whip against her legs seared in blinding pain, ‘The ice cream cart on Pike Street,’ she ground her teeth, forcing the memory’s image against her eyelids, ‘Mom and Dad always got chocolate, Mr. Bell always got black cherry, Yvette got caramel, Jenny got cotton candy, Mrs. Anderson got green tea-’ the image wavered against the constant slapping of the whip, and the dripping of a warm substance down her ankles irritated her skin, ‘Marv and Nancy either got sugar free banana or peach,’ her brows furrowed in concentration, ‘Gus got chocolate. Evan got huckleberry. Mike got vanilla. Izzy got lemon. Ms. Davis got coffee-’

“Fifty,” Eunnie whispered breathlessly, swaying on her feet.

“Enough,” the woman ordered suddenly, holding a hand up.

The boys sighed in relief, handing the woman the whip in return before hurrying back to their seats.

“Back to your seats,” the official shot the three a glare, stowing the whips back into the pocket of her lab coat, and exited through the door once more.

Sighing in relief, Eunnie plopped down into her seat, “I hate it when she does that…”

Frida rested her head in her arms, “I’m surprised I still have legs.”

Sniffling, Eunnie prodded her raw flesh gingerly only to wince sharply in pain, “Every week…”

“Are you guys late that much?” Rose’s eyes widened in surprise, ignoring the blood trailed down the backs of her shins.

“No,” Frida muttered, “She just hates us.”

“I’ll never have pretty skin,” Eunnie sighed sadly, “Only scars.”

Turning her attention back to the teacher before the whiteboard, Rose shook her head. “Everyone has scars,” she muttered.

“True,” Eunnie rested her head upon her hand, yawning widely, “But not everyone’s are permanent.”

Rose smiled weakly, “Nothing lasts forever.”

***

    It was 9:00 PM. The tension clinging to the atmosphere clawed at , and almost every breath burned as if fire had been forced down . Swallowing hard, Rose burned holes into the blank wall. “Um…” was dry, and a sour substance clung to her gums, “Will you be okay?”

    Frida looked up blankly, and Eunnie offered a sad smile. Averting her gaze, Eunnie studied the door in anticipation, “Of course.”

    “I- I’m sorry I can’t do anything,” Rose mumbled, fiddling with her hands, “I know I’m new… and I have a lot to learn, but I promise I won’t be weak. I’m not the strongest, but-” she shook her head, shutting her eyes and breathing carefully, “I’ll find a way out of here. It may take a day or maybe fifty years, but I promise- God, I promise we won’t stay here forever.”

    Frida looked up, just as the door swung open, and two guards marched inside. “I’ll hold you to that, Rose,” leaving her bed, Frida exited the room with her guard.

    “You know,” Eunnie rested her hands behind her head as she crossed her room to the last guard, “You’re quite peculiar.” With that last statement, she slipped through the door after Frida.

    The guard nodded curtly at Rose, “You’re off the hook tonight, Ms. Winters,” and he swung the door shut behind him.

    Exhaling in relief, Rose stared out the tiny window reveal the ground shrouded in the shadows of night. Though she knew very little of her new home, and she could barely stand up for herself against the backlashes of jealous girls, she was certain on aspect. As horrible and hellish this prison was, she would find a way out for even the tightest knit sweater could unravel if one pulled the right thread. The more she examined the camp, the more she noticed stray thread hanging dangerously just waiting to be pulled. All she had to do was conjure enough courage to pull one. Staring up at the night sky, she grit her teeth, “What have I got myself into…”