“What do you have there?”
Jessica went over to Taeyeon, who was sitting on the floor intently looking at the old fallen book.
“It’s a book.” Taeyeon stated the obvious.
Jessica kicked Taeyeon. “Ya! I know it’s a book, but why are you looking at it like that? You seriously look constipated.”
Taeyeon just ignored the last part and answered her question. “I can’t understand this book. It’s weird.” Taeyeon held the book for Jessica to see.
“Maybe you’re just too stupid.” Jessica stated matter of factly.
Taeyeon glared at Jessica.
“Are you really my best friend?”
Jessica giggled. “Of course!”
Jessica then sat down next to Taeyeon and took the book in her hand to examine it. She turned the page that showed a line drawing of a map.
“It looks like a book about Ancient China.” Jessica inferred.
“Make sense since it's written in Chinese and all.” Taeyeon flipped the next page.
“Hey! That’s the bird I saw in the hallway!” Taeyeon exclaimed pointing at the painting of a bird in the left page. It showed a majestic bird with a long flowing tail and elegant beak. There were 7 points surrounding the bird that were connected with lines.
Jessica looked doubtfully at Taeyeon. “If you say so...”
Jessica looked to the right page. There were words written in old chinese characters. To Taeyeon everything looked foreign and confusing. She couldn’t decipher any of the words. Jessica however read the characters one by one effortlessly.

"Herein contains the tale of a young lady and her quest to gather the seven Constellations of Suzaku together.”

“You’re amazing Jessica! Didn’t know you can read Chinese!” Taeyeon clapped her hand excitedly.
“I actually pay attention in class! Unlike you Pabo!” Jessica friend. She then kept reading out loud.

And if you, the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell contained within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the heroine, and grant you your wish. For indeed the moment the page is turned, the story will become reality."

The two girls looked at each other questionably.
“What the heck does that mean?” Jessica ask her friend.
“I don’t know! You’re the smart one.” Taeyeon replied, stumped as well.

That very moment the book let out a bright reddish light. The  girls had to look away and close their eyes from the sheer brightness. The brightness engulfed the girls’ body transporting them to a new and foreign place. The two girls felt their body being lifted and dropped back down to new ground.

Taeyeon felt the warm rays of the sun. She opened her eyes first. She had no idea what the heck just happened. She was even more confuse as she took in their surrounding.
Taeyeon nudge Jessica besides her, who was busy groaning from the weird experience. Jessica lifted her eyelids open, becoming as shock as Taeyeon.
It looked like they were in the middle of a dessert. The ground was dry and ashy and the few trees that were around them, showed no leaves and were in badly need of water. A tumbleweed moved with the hot breeze.
“Wha-what is this place?” Taeyeon stuttered in shock.

Jessica turned to her friend. "Hey! Does this hurt?"
Jessica elbowed Taeyeon on the top of her head. Knocking the older girl down.
Taeyeon got right back up and gave Jessica an uppercut to the gut. "I don’t know you tell me?"
The two stood there rubbing their pain away.
"Clearly this isn't a dream...where are we then?"

In the same moment three guys showed up. They approached the two girls quietly making sure to stay unnoticed. They all smirked as they were right behind the girls.
Taeyeon who felt a presence behind her, turned around. She came faced with  someone’s chest. She looks up and sees a masked face.
"Oh hi..." Taeyeon backed off a little from the near proximity.
From behind Taeyeon, Jessica yelled out loud as a guy grabbed her from behind restraining her.
Taeyeon averted her gaze from the guy and turn around to see Jessica in need of help.
"Get off me!" Jessica screamed, trying her best to kick the guy off her.
"Hey!" Taeyeon went towards Jessica ready to rip the guy off of her friend, when a hand tugged on her hand from behind and pulled her down.
The other guy, also pushed Jessica down on the floor, near Taeyeon. The two teenaged girls sat huddled together, scared of what might happen to them.
"They look like they're not from here!" An older man said. He was short and stumpy.
"Look at their strange clothes. Must be foreigners." A tall and very skinny guy said, tugging on Taeyeon’s school uniform. Taeyeon slapped his hand away.
“That’s alright with me..the exotic ones bring more money.” A older male, with a beard stubble told the other two guys.
"Who are you guys and what do you want?" Jessica exclaimed aloud, interrupting them.
"Are you some sort of performing chinese acrobats?” Taeyeon asked seeing how the guys were dressed in old chinese clothing. She imagined them jumping and balancing on top of each other.
"What?! You little- We're human slave traders. And just so happened you girls are my next item!” Stubbled man exclaimed annoyed.

“Not if I can help it!”
Taeyeon stood up and tackled the guy nearest to her. The tall guy fell down unexpectedly.
“Come on Jessica!” Taeyeon reached for her friend’s hand and pulled her up. They were about to leave when one of the other guys pulled out a knife and held it towards the two girls.
“You guys are making me mad! Stay still and no one gets hurt.” The short and stumpy guy exclaimed.

“Too late for that.” A voiced called out from behind the man. Jessica and Taeyeon looked towards the voice. There stood a young man with fair complexion and dark hair. He wore a slight smirk as the angry man turned his attention away from the girls and faced him instead. The wind blew his bangs away from his face, revealing a glowing red chinese symbol.
“Ogre...” Jessica read the symbol in a quiet tone.
Taeyeon and Jessica watched on as the young man’s fist landed squarely on the stumpy guy’s face, making him fall back on the ground with a thud. The other guys took out their knife and tried to fight him off, though the young man effortlessly fought them down. Sensing that they were defeated they stood up and ran away as fast as they could. Two of them hopped into a cart, while one rode in front whipping a horse to go off in the distance. They left Taeyeon and Jessica alone with their rescuer.

Taeyeon looks at the young man, it didn’t seem like he was that much older than them.
"Thanks for saving us!" Jessica walked up to him.
The young man gave a slight grin.
"I rather receive money than a simple thank you.” The young man grinned wider and put his open palmed out to them.
"Money?..." Taeyeon and Jessica repeated confusedly.
"Yes money! Money is what makes this world go round! And what I want in return of my services!" The young man laughed out loud, showing his greed.
The two girls just looked at each other.
The young man, hearing no movement from the girls, snapped his palm shut and brought it down to his side lifelessly.
"Don’t tell me I rescued a couple of losers!" The young man frowned disappointedly.
He started to walked away with both his hands at the back of his head, his beautiful fingers intertwined.
"Next time I'll make sure to first ask for money! Less likely of being ripped off that way!" He grumbled loudly under his breath.
Jessica who heard his complaints ran after him shouting angrily, while Taeyeon searched herself for her wallet.

"Hey! No one asked you to save us-" Jessica stopped herself as the same previous glowing red light emerge in front of her. It surrounded her body, making her fade into the background.
What’s going on. Jessica thought in her head.
"Taeyeon.." Jessica tried to look back at her friend for answers, but she disappeared completely from sight before Taeyeon noticed.

Taeyeon finding what she had been looking for, holds up her wallet straight up in the air happily, with a big smile on her face.
"Here you go! I found some money!"
But her smile quickly disappears as she sees no one around her. Both Jessica and the young man were gone.
"Jessica..."
Taeyeon looked around for her friend, who was nowhere to be seen. Taeyeon mentally freaked out. She started to panick.
She was left abandoned in this strange place with no clues as what to do next.

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