Various colors of flowers dotted the ground, alive and vibrant in the autumn air. ViVi stretched her arms out, as if to collect the sunshine. Lip followed suit soon after; they both looked forward to their beds and their blankets, where they planned to be in half an hour.

             "Where do we go from here?" Lip asked. The two of them stood in a ring of woods, trees around them jutting out and dipping back in. Ahead to their right, there was a break in the trees, an opening into more fields.

             ViVi started walking, "Forward."

             They made for the nearest edge, following it to the opening. Though directly ahead, the trek took up generous portions of their allotted time. At some point, Lip took off her jacket and tied it around her waist, showing off a rather simple red and yellow checkerboard t-shirt. As they approached, more and more patches of grass gave way to rough dirt, pebbles, gravel, and sand. In anticipation, they quickened their step until the sun shone upon their faces once again.

             They reached a jumble of trailers, buildings, and metal storage containers, all atop black rocks and thin, mint-colored grass. The buildings were either one or two-story structures, designed appropriately for a café, a motel, and others hidden away. Potted plants and ornamental stone walkways gave the settlement a charm, but it sat alone in the middle of a field. Save for a low breeze and water from a pond, a stillness and silence stole their breath from them. In the midst of it all, something caught Lip's eye in the distance; when she turned to look, nothing looked out of the ordinary.

             "I suppose I'll look in one place while you look in another?"

             ViVi scanned the area. "I guess so. No matter what you find, meet back in ten minutes. I'm… starting with the café," ViVi stated before setting off. As Lip left in her direction towards the motel, the crunch of rocks underneath her feet caused a foolish smirk to appear on her face. She arrived at the location, a cozy house with long windows, especially upstairs, with various wooden elements and a balcony. Displaying deep shades of red and maroon, the wood framing was the color of maple, enveloping the home with a light accent. The front door stood in the middle while a staircase to the left climbed up to the balcony, all under the shade of the roof. Stepping forward, she stood in front of the handle, plain but glistening silver. After grabbing hold and twisting, it didn't budge. The windows had dark curtains drawn across them, so seeing inside wasn't an option. She knocked many times, but no response. Looking up, she left for the staircase.

             Upstairs, the windows were the size of the wall, sliding panels that reflected the glare of the rising sun. Lip raised her hand to cover her yawn, remembering that her body had been up for an entire day so far. She knocked again, then looked for a handle. She found a plastic indent in the side, and pushed the window across. Inside, the room was organized to be a bedroom, complete with a closet, mini-tv set, a desk, and cardboard boxes. Ahead sat the bed, pushed against the right wall facing opposite. The covers were tossed about, grey and yellow patterns across the sheets. Because of the sunlight, small particles of dust floated in its rays. Lip looked up from the floor and startled herself awake, frightened by a sight.

             Jinsoul sat with the door at her back, legs crossed and hands together at her lap. She wore a gray shirt with an old skateboard graphic design patched across the front. Her blonde hair stood out as much as she remembered, even in the shade of the room. Below the waist, she wore blue jeans, a black leather belt, and some red sneakers, with laces that must have been used on and off for years.

             "Long time no see," Jinsoul started, pushing against the floor to get onto her feet.

             "I… don't know what you mean," Lip forced out. "But what I do know is that you may have gone through some stuff recently, and maybe I can help-"

             "No, you're the one that'll suffer more," she cut in, "if we don't come up with something. Do you even know what you're running from?"

             Lip was silent for a moment. Jinsoul didn't relent, a cold patience waiting for an answer. "I can help you. What do you know?" Jinsoul moved towards her, but Lip kept her cool. As she approached the bed, though, Jinsoul collapsed face-first into it, a few squeaks from the springs screeching out. Rolling over, she faced the ceiling.

             "There's too many loose ends to tie up before we all start over again. Do you know how many times I've met you?"

             Lip clenched her fists, her time running out. "Look, do you want out or not? How many others are there?"

             "I don't know! I know they're trapped out there, though, and going back to your little group won't get them out. That's why I need you here… with me. Let's do it ourselves. You can tell that you're different, right?"

             Lip thought about the classroom with Haseul, that strange influence she was under. Whether Jinsoul could have found out, she was right.

             "What could we do that couldn't be done with everyone else?"

             "We're in charge, that's what matters. I don't want you waking up again, only to end up following Heejin and her club around and leaving us behind. I was in a basement, for crying out loud! Hyunjin and ViVi were the only ones that did anything for me, everyone else is lost in a fantasy. We need to do something about it. Look at you: we're here because you gave them courage that they were actually making progress. I have actual people I care about back there, and I'm not going to sit here and let you take me away from them."

             Lip climbed onto the bed next to her, kneeling down but cautious. A part of her wanted to reach out, asking for answers after hearing her talk, wishing they could run away together. The other half held her back, wary at how simple and calculated it all seemed. Considering that the one girl she felt strongly towards reached out to her, something had to be wrong.

             "Who am I?" Lip pressed, watching her expression.

             Jinsoul looked up, her eyes narrowed. "What? You're Kim Lip, who finally broke the pattern, the only one who can do something about this. Kim Lip, running around without a purpose."

             Lip fell down onto the pillow next to her, tempted by her growing drowsiness. "Who am I to you?"

             At this, Jinsoul turned to face her, reading her expression for any hint or gimmick. "What, that worked? What are you trying to pull?"

             Lip grinned, revitalized by a chilling discovery of affection and defiance. The sun on her neck only locked her further into her dreamy state of mind. "I'm trying to pull you towards me."

             Jinsoul moved her face across her pillow towards her, holding back before their noses could touch. Lip brushed back the hair on her cheek before advancing further, pressing their lips together. Immediately, a warmth began to fill her face, a mixture of curiosity and simple joy. Jinsoul found a rhythm of breath as they pulled apart and touched again. Lip felt Jinsoul's nose against her own, soft as they rubbed against each other before finding a position. One of her hands found Jinsoul's and held onto it, both closing around each other. Jinsoul rubbed her thumb against Lip's hand then leaned her head back, breaking the contact. She motioned with her head towards the window, and Lip rolled over to look.

             ViVi was running off towards the field, joined by someone who Lip realized had uncanny similarities, if not… a mirror image.

             "Nobody will have to know until we can actually save them," Jinsoul's voice explained from behind her. "It's a shame you both didn't meet yet; it's a powerful experience, finding your mirror. That's how we could pull this whole thing off: get you here, trade off, and she's able to talk to Haseul, about that one girl in the forest they talk about sometimes. Apparently, nobody but Haseul is crazy enough to go back there." She took a deep breath then scanned Lip's outfit. "Of course, that isn't the only reason you ended up here, but that's for us to know, right?"

             Lip smiled. "As long as you don't go off without me."

             "No, I wouldn't dare. We have some work to take care of."

             Lip slowly nodded before undoing her jacket and pulling the blanket over her head. While the clouds began to block the sun from the sky, Lip fell asleep.