“Gross.” Kyuhyun muttered under his breath. He stood shirtless, starring at his reflection in the mirror. 

 

No one will ever love you!

 

Kyuhyun shook his head, trying to get the voice out of his head. He ran his finger over one of the  countless scars on his torso. He scrunched his nose at a specific scar that had been there for as long as he could remember—that one would never go away, none of them would. 

 

You're ing disgusting! A disgrace!

 

“I'm disgusting...” Kyuhyun muttered, eying the freshest bruise that was slightly yellow as it was just beginning to heal. He finally turned away, nose crinkled in disgust, to get into the shower he had allowed to run cold. 

 

~

 

Kyuhyun left his house and headed to school; however, he walked straight passed the school gate, not even looking back. Kyuhyun often skipped school, but he was smart about it—the previous day, he had feigned sick and made sure the nurse knew about it. It would almost be expected that he wouldn't attend school today. 

 

Most kids who bragged about skipping school spent the day lounging in their empty house playing video games. But not Kyuhyun. He skipped school and stayed away from home, in order to avoid all contact with people. His home was not the place of refuge and comfort as others had. His home contained his mother, the closest thing to the devil himself in Kyuhyun's eyes, although he wasn't a religious person. 

 

If he was religious, he would believe that God was good and would always protect him. However, if there was a god, how could he put one of his children in a situation such as Kyuhyun's? 

 

Kyuhyun wasn't religious, but he did believe in the devil—she slept in the room next to his. 

 

~

 

Kyuhyun stepped precariously through the woods. He had been here so many times that he didn't even really need to look; however, it was still a tricky walk—he had purposely found this place as he was looking for somewhere no one else would dare to come. 

 

Finally, after about 10 minutes of walking through thick woods and avoiding thorns reaching for his feet, he emerged to an open field. It wasn't a large opened field, but large enough where Kyuhyun could run around if he so chose. 

 

He dropped his book bag and took a few more steps before dropping to his knees and falling to his side. Kyuhyun rolled to his back, splaying his arms out beside him as he stared at the slowly moving clouds. 

 

This was his peace—the only time he ever found it. 

 

~

 

Kyuhyun was a just a few more breaths away from falling asleep when he heard movement to his right. 

 

He opened his eyes, but moved nothing else. 

 

After a moment, he heard nothing. With a light sigh, he stretched his limbs slightly before closing his eyes and attempting to nap, once again. 

 

His eyes snapped open when he heard movement again, this time closer. 

 

There was a moment when he feared sitting up, feared what he would see. Had someone found his peace? Someone he didn't want to see? Was there a giant wild animal just waiting for him to move before it would attack?

 

These thoughts lasted only a moment before he thought, it, and sat up, looking to his right. 

 

At fist, he noticed nothing. Had he imagined the noise? 

 

But after a second of looking closer, he noticed an indentation in the grass about 11 feet to his right. Before he could think of what it could be, he got to his feet and took two swift steps before stopping short and crossing his arms at the sight. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Kyuhyun asked sternly. 

 

“Uh...Excuse me?” 

 

A boy had been lying in the grass, much like Kyuhyun had been, his eyes closed, much like Kyuhyun's had been. His eyes had shot opened at Kyuhyun voice. 

 

“I asked what you were doing.” 

 

“I'm...lying down?” It was more of a question than a statement. 

 

“Why are you here?” Kyuhyun didn't care if he sounded horribly rude. This had always been his spot; the only spot he could find solitude and peace. 

 

“I wanted to lie down?” Again, it was a question. 

 

Kyuhyun's eyes narrowed. The boy looked about his age; however, he wasn't wearing a school uniform. Even if he was skipping, he would have to be in his school uniform still, right? In fact, it wasn't just what he wasn't wearing, but also what he was wearing. It was almost strange to see the contrast of the boy's ivory skin against all of the black he was wearing. 

 

“Who are you?” Kyuhyun asked, uncrossing his arms.

 

“Hmm...I'm not supposed to tell you like this. Actually, you weren't supposed to see me.” The boy answered. 

 

Kyuhyun just stared. The boy only stared back, nothing in his eyes to give any clues to the meaning of his strange words. 

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Kyuhyun finally asked. 

 

“You weren't supposed to meet me, yet. I thought you were asleep, so I lied down.” The boy made no face and gave no sign that he was joking. 

 

“Really? When was I supposed to meet you then?” Kyuhyun challenged the boy, choosing to play along for the moment. 

 

“About a week from now. You're mother is supposed to beat you and then kick you out. It's going to be late and you aren't going to know what to do or where to go. You're supposed to go into the city and wander around until some drunk guy stumbles into you and pulls you into an empty ally. I won't tell you what's going to happen then, but you don't really have to worry, because I will find you before anything truly horrible happens.” The boy said with a completely straight face, his eyes never leaving Kyuhyun's. 

 

“Who the are you?” Kyuhyun gritted out, stepping closer to the boy who had yet to even sit up. 

 

“Urgh, fine. My name is Sungmin. But I can't tell you anymore. I wasn't even supposed to tell you your future, but you sounded like a smug brat when you challenged me.” The boy, Sungmin said as he finally pulled himself up from the grass. 

 

When standing, Sungmin looked to be slightly older than Kyuhyun; however, Kyuhyun noticed that he stood a good few inches shorter. 

 

“What do you mean you can't tell me anymore? Who the hell are you?” Kyuhyun almost yelled. He was getting horribly frustrated with the way this stranger was acting. 

 

“I mean I can't tell you anymore. You will find everything out eventually, just not today. I think in about two weeks, give or take a few days, I can't really remember.” Sungmin said nonchalantly as he brushed off the loose grass from his backside. 

 

“Where do you think you're going?” Kyuhyun asked harshly, as he saw Sungmin take a step away.

 

“Away. You weren't supposed to see me, yet. Go back to sleep, or whatever.” Sungmin said casually, not even faltering in his steps away from the other. 

 

Kyuhyun was about to yell something else back to the boy, but sighed as he chose to just ignore him. Doing as he was told, Kyuhyun went back to his old patch of grass and laid himself down in his old position. 

 

He had his eyes closed for just a moment before he snapped them open. Who the hell was that boy and why the did he say his mother would beat him? Kyuhyun had never seen the boy before in his life, and even his teachers didn't notice the bruises; how had he known? And what was with the whole “you weren't supposed to meet me, yet?”

 

Kyuhyun stared into the sky, ignoring the sting from the sunlight against his pupils, as his mind attempted to make sense of his recent encounter. It took about 10 minutes for him to get frustrated to the point of wanting to leave. 

 

~One Week Later~

 

Kyuhyun vomited only bile for the fourth time in an hour. He clutched at the grass of his front lawn as his back arched with each retch. 

 

He looked up through watery eyes to see his mother had already turned off all of the lights in the house, already settled in the fact that she had beat her child and kicked him to the curb, literally. 

 

With no where else to turn, Kyuhyun walked away through the night—destination unknown.

 

He hadn't even realized he had stumbled into the city. His stomach hurt, his ribs felts as if at least one was broken, his throat was raw from vomiting, and his eyes were watery, something he had tried but failed to control. 

 

He barely felt it when someone slammed into his shoulder. But he did feel when the same man gripped his already bruised arm and dragged him into an alleyway. 

 

Kyuhyun cried out as his was shoved ungracefully face-first into a shaded brick wall. 

 

This was similar to how his mother beat him, but she never pressed herself against him like this. Kyuhyun began to panic when the man began to pull his pants down, something his mother had only ever done once, but that had only led to a scalding shower—and there was no shower in this alleyway. 

 

“What the do you think you're doing?” Someone screamed from Kyuhyun's left. He didn't look to see who it was, but in a moment of clarity, he thought he had seen that this alleyway was a dead end, and the street was to his right. 

 

“Where the hell did you come from?” The man slurred as he froze in trying to lift Kyuhyun's shirt, exposing his bare bottom. 

 

“Get the away from him!” The person screamed. Kyuhyun's vision was beginning to gray, but he realized the voice had come closer. 

 

With his vision almost black, Kyuhyun sighed  in relief as the stranger's weight was pulled away from him and he fell to his knees, leaning against the brick wall for support. He rested his forehead against the wall, trying to right his spinning head, completely ignoring the fact that his pants and underwear were at his ankles. Kyuhyun was trying to take deep and steady breaths, trying to fight the panic attack, but with his vision blackening and his head still spinning, he knew it was inevitable.

 

He was still struggling to control his breathing when a pair of hands wrapped around his waist and pulled him back. Kyuhyun wanted to fight against whoever it was, but he had no control of his limps anymore. His head fell against a sturdy shoulder as he rested against the person's chest. 

 

“Just relax, you're going to pass out now, but you are going to be okay.” The person spoke gently to him. 

 

Although his vision was blackening, he could make two things out—white, so white. Lights? No, they  weren't glowing. Whatever they were, even in Kyuhyun's limited vision, he knew they was beautiful. 

 

“Calm down, Kyuhyun.” The person spoke again, as he lightly ran his hand up and down Kyuhyun's chest. 

 

Just before Kyuhyun lost control of everything, he realized he had heard that voice before. 

 

~

 

“Wake up. It's okay, you're safe.” 

 

Kyuhyun could hear a voice in the distance. He tried focusing on it, but he felt too weak.

 

“Please, wake up.”

 

The voice, again. It was closer and more solid this time. Kyuhyun scrunched his eyebrows, trying to gain the energy to respond. 

 

“I can see you are okay. Open your eyes, it will be okay.”

 

Kyuhyun sighed, again. The voice spoke as if everything was as easy as pie, but Kyuhyun didn't have the energy to open his eyes. 

 

“I have water for you. Please, wake up. You're safe.” 

 

At the prospect of water, Kyuhyun inhaled sharply as it caused him to realize just how dry his throat felt. If only he could open his eyes. 

 

“Kyuhyun?”

 

Kyuhyun groaned. Apparently groaning took less energy than opening eyes. 

 

“So, you are sort of awake? Please open your eyes for me.”

 

Kyuhyun groaned but finally attempted to open his eyes. They were open a mere crack before he snapped them shut against the bright, searing light. 

 

“Ah, sorry; one second.” The voice said. It sounded to have moved away for a second before returning. “Okay, open your eyes, now.”

 

Kyuhyun was a bit wary at this point, but tried nonetheless. When his eyes opened, he still couldn't see anything. But after a moment, his vision adjusted and cleared to see a dark cramped room, and a boy sitting on the bed next to him. Kyuhyun stared as he recognized the boy. 

 

“You're awake.” Sungmin said, as if it wasn't obvious. 

 

“How did you know my name?” Kyuhyun's memory was fighting to return; however, he remembered his meeting with this boy, and he remembered he had never given his name. 

 

Sungmin's eyes widened for a moment, before they settled again. 

 

“Well, don't you just want to jump right into things.” Sungmin said, it was clear he had no intention of answering the question just then. 

 

Kyuhyun still stared in expectation.

 

“Drink water.” Sungmin said, changing the subject as he grabbed a water bottle from the side table. Kyuhyun's eyes lit up at the re-acknowledgment of water for his throat. Sungmin placed a hand behind Kyuhyun's head, lifting slightly as he used his other hand to hold the water bottle at Kyuhyun's lips. 

 

“How do you know my name?” Kyuhyun asked, again as soon as the water bottle was taken away. 

 

“I suppose this is when you are supposed to find out. I was off by a few days I think. When we met, I had said about two weeks until you find out everything, right?” Sungmin rambled as if he was speaking to a longtime friend. 

 

Kyuhyun just stared, his eyebrows slowly scrunching. 

 

“Kyuhyun, I know a lot more than you think I do. And I've been with you for a lot longer than you can even imagine.”