A staircase? Taeyeon let her eyes move up the stairs step by step until she couldn’t see where the top of the stairs went. Was there something up there? Up…the…stairs…

She suddenly recalled the third floor. Could this…actually lead to the third floor? If it did, why had it been hidden so secretively?

With no more thoughts Taeyeon headed up the dusty staircase, which must have never been polished in the past few years. Had no one gone up to the third floor…ever?

Stopping at the top Taeyeon glanced at the large room she’d reacheds. It could have been as big as an open stadium for gaming sports. Wooden floor planks extended from wall to wall with rows and rows of large wooden bookshelves, which filled up on half of the hall. Seeing that the room did not fill up the whole of the mansion Taeyeon was sure that there were other rooms up there on the third floor. She just didn’t know how to get there…yet.

Still glancing around she spotted the large square windows, each one a few feet apart from each other, draped with white curtains. The rays from the sun helped filter the room with incoming light. Taeyeon found herself glad that she’d stumbled up on the third floor during the day instead of at night or else she wouldn’t be able to search for the light switch and be walking through the dark.

Walking to the right she saw nothing else but chairs stacked together and tables nicely lined up as if meetings were once held up here. Turning back to head down the other way an overwhelming feeling of anxiety began to make her feel nervous about what she’d find. Continuing down the other side at a slow pace Taeyeon glanced at the bookshelves wondering if while walking she might see someone standing in between the rows of the shelves staring at her. Shaking her head telling herself to snap out of it Taeyeon came to a stop when she knew she’d reached the other end of the room. And what she did see…left her feeling shocked with hanging open.

;;;;;

Leeteuk paced back and forth on the patch of green grass he was standing on. He’d gone back to that place. The place Kang Shin Ae had re-introduced him to. This was it. He was pretty sure he’d been here just before becoming drenched. But what had he been doing? Everything that had happened afterward was so clear. That dream that had mysteriously reached him when he’d out felt as fresh as the cool air he was breathing in. The girl he’d seen in his dream, the girl he and Changmin had often played with…who was she? Or was it all but just a dream? Did that girl exist at all? Was Kang Shin Ae…a part of reality?

Now that he thought about it…he wondered…where was she?

Spinning around from where his feet were planted Leeteuk saw nothing. She’d walked away from him here…where was her home? Where had she come from? Why didn’t she tell him of her identity?

Then he remembered a conversation he’d had with her the first time they’d met. 

“Do you live around here?”

She stood still in her spot with her back to him for a long time before she finally answered him. “No. I’m not from around here but I feel like I belong here.”

“Where are you from?”

She paused. “I don’t remember.”

Leeteuk almost frowned. “You…don’t remember? How can’t you remember?”

She turned her gaze to the ground before she turned around, “It feels like…I’ve been here so long that I don’t recall my home. But you…can be my home…can’t you?”

What did that mean? A harsh thudding from inside his head somewhere made him crouch down. Both his hands immediately moved up to the sides of his head as if it’d help lessen the pain somehow. Why…was his head aching like this?

;;;;;

The exact poster sized picture she’d seen hanging in Changmin’s home hung before her. Except…it was complete. The picture of Changmin, his parents, Leeteuk and his parents, and another pair of parents she’d seen in Changmin’s home…the picture that had been tucked into the frame hanging in Changmin’s house looking complete was just a delusion. This other version of that same picture in the mansion with the girl standing at the end left her wondering many things. The little girl, who couldn’t have been any older or any younger than the two 7 year old boys standing alongside her. What was actually going on?  

How many truths were hidden in this town? Was this the girl that came here every summer to be with Leeteuk and Changmin? The same girl that had chosen Leetuek over Changmin? The one that had tragically died while crying for Leeteuk to be saved first? The girl Changmin still thought about?

The way she smiled so sweetly like a child who’d just eaten a piece of chocolate let Taeyeon’s instincts know that her assumption was right. She was the girl Changmin had told her about.

However, what did this have to do with the strange things happening around the mansion? And of all why wasn’t this girl mentioned before Leeteuk? Why wasn’t Changmin allowed to clear his name, to make Leeteuk understand no one caused the accident? Why would Chagmin’s mother label him as a scapegoat voluntarily? How come none of the adults came forward to stand up for Changmin? Or were they all blinded by something more than just this accident?

Taeyeon felt something click at the back of her mind, but wasn’t able to think it out clearly before a thick book seemed to fall somewhere from the shelves. Turning around quickly Taeyeon scanned the room to find that she was still alone. Her eyes scanned the windows and the aisles between the shelves. No shadows were dancing. She was alone.

Pivoting herself around Taeyeon back tracked her steps searching the floor for anything that might have fallen. Through the first few aisles she wasn’t able to spot anything, but she did find a book on the ground. Making her way through the wooden shelves she stopped before the book and felt almost afraid to pick it up.  

Instead of a book she discovered it to be a very, very thick photo album. Imagining how many pictures could be inside Taeyeon immediately grabbed the album and from where she was began looking through it.

Family pictures. Not of Leeteuk’s family but of Leeteuk’s grandmother as a young mother and her son, Leeteuk’s father. Leeteuk looked like an exact replicate of him, but Leeteuk’s father’s face was longer. Taeyeon saw baby pictures, childhood pictures, saw a man who she guessed must be Leeteuk’s grandfather, and recognized high school graduation pictures taken outside of the school. In that particular picture she recognized familiar faces. Leeteuk’s mother, Changmin’s parents, and the father of the girl, who’d pass away.

What was this? So, they’d all known each other from so long ago? But why was it…that even the adults, now, seemed so distant from each other? Leeteuk’s mother…and Changmin’s mother…looked like they haven’t associated with one another for a while. And even if they have talked to one another it must have been no more then just small talks. Even Leeteuk’s grandmother didn’t seem to be such a big fan of her next door neighbors except for Leeteuk’s mother who had encouraged them to visit the monk nearby must still have some positive feelings toward them.

Had their relationships been that of something that had turned sour?

Taeyeon felt like she had more than enough to ponder over for the time being. For sure, she knew the adults must have had something going on between them. Had they had an affair going on behind their spouse’s backs? And who was it that had had an affair?

Flipping through the next few pages Taeyeon was able to guess who. Pictures of Leeteuk’s father and Changmin’s mother suggested anything…something between the two of them.  

Still holding the photo album in her hands Taeyeon glanced around once more. One more question…maybe the most important question appeared in her mind. Why had the third floor been off limits?

Back in her room Taeyeon carefully stored the photo album away in one of the drawers underneath her clothes. After turning around Taeyeon found her eyes immediately set on the photo album Changmin had allowed her to take back with her. She stared at it momentarily debating if it would be alright to head back.

;;;;;

Leeteuk found himself laying on his side on the earth heaving for each breath. In the end he wasn’t able to recall why he’d been there with Shin Ae. Nor was he able to find a reason for why she felt so familiar. He just lied there feeling angry…and waiting for what? For someone to come find him?

;;;;;

Junsu headed back down the hallway and glanced in to see that Gyuri was still working on dishes. Crossing his arms he leaned against the interior of the doorway.

“Do you want help?” he offered.

Gyuri dropped some dishes in the sink surprised and turned to find Junsu standing there.

“Damnit! You scared me!” Gyuri screamed.

“Didn’t mean to,” Junsu shrugged.

She shot him another glare before returning to the dishes. He watched as she washed them almost angrily before drying her hands against the apron she was wearing when she finished. When she turned and spotted him again she looked surprised.

“Why haven’t you left yet?” she questioned.

Junsu shrugged, “I thought I’d be of help to you but I guess you can work like you have 5 arms.”

Gyuri locked her eyes on him then said, “Is there something else you want?”

Junsu smiled cheekily, “No.”

With nothing more to say Gyuri placed her apron on the chair and walked out of the room. Even though it was clearly morning and sunny outside no rays of light shone through the windows into the hallway. It sort of felt as if she were walking through a dark mist. With what seemed like millions of doorways on both her left and right Gyuri couldn’t help but feel a little afraid. Why did the hallway have to be so long? And why did it feel like she’d walked down another hallway?

She came to a direct stop when she heard something tumble inside the room to her left. No…she was sure she was alone, and no one should be going through the millions of rooms in the mansion. Clutching onto the amulet she had stuck in her jeans pocket that morning Gyuri made a quick prayer without closing her eyes. While she prayed her eyes wondered the hallway just in case…

When she finished her prayer her heart literally jumped out of her chest when the door creaked open. All that was visible to her during that moment was the dark window staring back at her through the creak. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t will her body to move. The white eyes she had seen the other night and the memory of someone lying next to her made her swallow her own throat. Where was her voice when she needed it most?

A black shadow finally appeared from behind the door and Gyuri felt her eyes go wide. And in seconds she found Zhoumi standing before her looking down at her as if she were the size of an ant. His eyes looked strangely lost. As if he was there…but not really there.

“You…” Gyuri stammered.

“What are you doing?” Zhoumi questioned in a tone she hadn’t recognized from him before. “Why are you walking around here? You should be out with the others!”

Gyuri could only feel her body be overtaken by shock. In that moment she couldn’t move. The door slowly closed behind Zhoumi without him touching it. No one, at all, had touched that door. Gyuri opened to speak but only felt them shake and no words traveled from it. Zhoumi stared down at her as if she’d interrupted him from doing something he needed to do.

“Yo!” Junsu’s voice cleared the silence.

Gyuri suddenly turned to see Junsu waving his hand up in the air. A wave of relief flushed over her and the hallway suddenly became less dark.

“What’s going on here?” Junsu questioned slowly walking toward them.

Gyuri turned to look at Zhoumi and still found him glaring down at her angrily. With just that he walked away from her and in just a couple of seconds he was gone down the long hallway.

“What happened?” Junsu turned toward her confused.

Gyuri didn’t know how to explain it. She felt frightened and confused herself. Her hand unconsciously reached up to grab her shirt and she clutched it tightly. During that moment it was difficult to breathe. Her eyes drifted toward the door on her left and she could imagine a young girl staring back at her. A crooked smile hanging from the corner of her lips.

“Yah…” Junsu tenderly called putting a hand on her shoulder.

Gyuri jumped back to reality and knew for once that she’d have to face it. There really was something in the mansion…and there was something wrong with Zhoumi. And she would have to look everything with a clear head in order to find out what was the cause of it all.

;;;;;

Taeyeon turned around the corner making her way down the stairs. The photo book in her grasp as she made her way down onto the empty street. If Changmin was home she planned to just give it to him and immediately leave. If he wanted to talk she’d tell him to wait for another time when she did feel better. For now…she just wanted to get rid of the photo book. She didn’t want to have to wait until next time to give it to him…until when she would make more excuses to avoid him.

Dark was no where to be heard when she stepped onto the empty yard. She stared at the shed before her and walked pass it without much thought. Glancing around she could recall walking alongside Changmin when she’d first met him. Down the small trail underneath the trees with the flowers waving beside them. How long ago had that been? Just a couple of weeks back.

The white house appeared before her almost as soon as she began walking down the trail. The white house. White, Changmin had emphasized, projects cleanliness, purity, and neutrality. Those three things were important around the area. For what reason, Taeyeon wondered? Why were those three so important? Had someone committed a sin, had one of the adults done something worse than a sin?

The door above the steps opened as soon as Taeyeon reached the stairs and Changmin’s short mother stared down at her.

A frowned mocked the woman’s old face before she rudely questioned without curiosity, “What are you here for?”

Before Taeyeon replied the woman interrupted, “Changmin’s not home.”

Taeyeon had no reason nor did she have the energy within her to summon up an argument with the old woman.

“Then…I just wanted to return this,” Taeyeon said climbing up the stairs one by one awfully slowly.

Once she was at the top Taeyeon held out the photo book to her and watched as the old woman just stared down at it. For a moment Taeyeon thought the old woman would say something offensive to her but instead she just grabbed the photo album from her without anything coming out of . And without a farewell the old woman turned around walking inside her house closing the door behind her. However, before she closed the door Taeyeon found herself bouncing forward grabbing onto the door to stop it from closing.

“What are you doing?” Taeyeon questioned herself.

“What are you doing?” Changmin’s mother asked at the same time.

“Uh…I…” Taeyeon found herself suddenly letting go of the door feeling clueless.

The old woman didn’t stop frowning even when she turned around to close the door.

“Wait!” Taeyeon bounded forward again grabbing hold of the door. “I want to talk to you.”

Taeyeon found herself standing inside the house without being offered a seat. But luckily she was led into the living room where the portrait of the three families hung sadly above the couches. It wasn’t a proud picture, Taeyeon realized. It just solely hung there…as a memory.

“What is it you want to say?” the old woman asked sitting down on the couch before her. “Young woman, you have no right to walk into this house.”

Taeyeon slowly removed her gaze from the portrait. “The picture’s not complete.”

“What?”

Taeyeon felt her eyes lock with the old woman. And now that she observed her again Taeyeon decided that Changmin’s mother was an overly stubborn woman. She held a grudge, she was still angry, she hadn’t gotten over an event that had taken place in her past. And it made her wonder about what kind of mother she’d been to Changmin while he was growing up. Had she cared? Or had she cared more about someone else’s son?

“I don’t feel like I can ask your son about these things I’ve been wondering,” Taeyeon started, “so can I ask you?”

“Hurry and say whatever you want. I want you out of here before Changmin and his father returns.”

“Will you answer me truthfully?”

The woman eyed her. No sound of trust appeared from her eyes.

“Ok, shall I begin then?” Taeyeon asked. “Why is she removed from the picture?”

“Who?”

Taeyeon moved her eyes to the picture above Changmin’s mother’s head.

“The little girl, where is she? Who is she?” Taeyeon questioned.

***Happy Holidays!!! Merry Christmas!!