She woke up and kept her eyes closed. She moaned and turned to the side. Then it occurred to her. Her bed was soft. Super soft. There was no alarm going off. Something was wrong. She jumped up in fright and didn't fall off the bed. She attempted to fall off but the edge seemed nowhere in sight. What the hell was going on? She rolled around and what seemed to be eternity she fell off bum first. With a cry of pain, she rubbed her bum and got up. She freaked out and decided to dive back into the bed and hide under the covers hoping to wake up when a pain in her head started to build up. The events of yesterday- (or was it today?)- built up in her mind. She was utterly confused. This had to be a dream. Ha! Dream. Of course, when you know you’re aware of your dreams, you can control it and it could become the best thing in the world.

She kicked off the light, fluffy duvet and marched out of the bed; she felt like a boss. She could do whatever she liked in this mysterious dream. She walked forward with a squeal and studied the room. She was stood in front of the bed and could see double doors far ahead of her, like, really far ahead of her. She turned to her right and could see a walk in wardrobe and further down she could see a sitting area fit with luxurious sofas standing gloriously with golden frames and white cushions. She could see from a mile off that they seemed to be worth more than the stupid Jerk's house. She let out a deep sigh as she remembered that the Jerk had dragged her and pulled her hair out. The pain in her head intensified. She rubbed her head hoping that it would get better. 

She looked to the left and saw an elegant rosewood desk with a laptop sitting on top of it. She curiously decided to walk up to it. She reached out her fingers and slid down the smooth cover of it. This dream was way too realistic. She had never seen a laptop like this; something so elegant. She read the label to it and read that it was a ''HP ENVY17''. HP? They were American weren't they? She thought of the laptop she always wanted; it was a TG Sambo computer; something rather old in comparison to this new, shiny machine. She looked across the desk and realised that every single school book available in Korea seemed to be on her desk in neat, well-structured piles. She blinked. Was this really a dream? It was way too vivid.

She walked away from the mysterious desk and gazed upon a huge book shelf covered with every single book she had ever desired to read. It was all there. It was really all there. Every damn book she ever wished for. Right there. She was a child in a candy store when she ran to the shelves. She beamed at every single book and took some out taking in their scent and weight as she tried to remember everything. This dream was too good to forget. Then it occurred to her. Was this the kind of life that she could have had if she had chosen to live with her Dad? Was this some evil twisted way of karma slapping her across her face? She bit her lip and tears started to well up, that damned lump in started to build up. Damn, she thought. It was such a good dream as well.

"Appa! I'm so sorry." She collapsed on the floor. It was way too harsh to let this be a dream. The idea of having everything she ever wished for and knowing it would slip through her fingers. Maybe this was what she deserved. She put her hands flat on the floor letting her hair fall past her face. Her tears dropped on the floor one by one. She could taste the salty water on her lips. She was filled with a deep sense of regret and sorrow; she wished she stayed with her father. Maybe then she wouldn’t have suffered Jungshin- the ing and his annoying son, her own half-brother. Her life could’ve been so much better. All she wanted was her father to hug her tightly as he did when she was little. For him to come and tell her everything was okay. She wanted to be whisked into his warm arms, to feel secure and happy. This was her ideal fairytale. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, sorry! Appa!" She finally exploded, pounding the floor with her fists. She hated reality more than anything else. She wished she was never born into such a messed-up life with her pathetic excuse of a mother.

"Why are you sorry for?" A voice came from behind her. She froze assuming it was Jungshin. No. It couldn’t be. There was no smelly breath, no monotone voice. She realised the voice was familiar. She half wished this was her father who’d come out and hug her tightly. Pah. This wasn’t a fairy-tale. With courage, she turned around and glared upwards only to see her actual father standing in a happy beam through her teary vision. If this was a dream, it was a sick one in comparison to her damned reality.

"APPA!" She wrapped her arms around him in seconds, regardless of it being a dream or not. She didn’t care. She had to cherish the moment. Holding him tighter, she buried her head into his chest and breathed in his scent, something she hadn't done in years. More tears spilled out and she tried to stop them, but they just didn’t want to stop. With more gladness, she held her father tighter. She took a deep breath, even if it was a dream. She had to tell him the truth. "I know it’s a silly dream, but I love you so much Appa. I love you so much, and I’m so sorry for leaving you…" She mumbled through her tears and sobs. Her Dad hugged her back tightly and warmly. It felt way too real, way too secure. They were both there for a few minutes just embracing each other. No words could explain how happy she was just to see him. This couldn’t be a dream. Her dad was truly here.

“Dream, eh?” Her father questioned her playfully, pulling back away from her. He wore an Armani blue blazer with a silky, white shirt and black tie. His trousers were a shade darker than his blazer. He seemed so smart and handsome. Nara almost couldn’t comprehend how handsome her father was. Was her mother actually stupid? Was her brain screwed on properly? Nevertheless, he smiled at her warmly as he gently raised her chin. He used his other hand to wipe away her tears. He stopped and searched his own pockets. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears properly, gleaming at her, almost demising her.

“…” Nara had no answer. Everything was real. He was real. They both were silent for the moment, studying each other. She couldn’t understand the situation. He was so jolly and beautiful, standing boldly in front of her. She felt like a weak presence in comparison. She just wanted the moment to last and never end.

“Okay, anyway, this is your bedroom. I’ll answer all your questions afterwards.” He smiled out of the blue, surprising Nara. She raised her eyebrow in confusion and stared around at the beautiful room. It was so dreamy and lovable. Her old room looked like a pile of rubbish in comparison. “You need to get ready for school. You’re attending Gyocho High now. I’m sure you’ll have a pleasant experience my dear.” He beamed at her once again. He turned and clicked his fingers. Instantly, 4 maids came running in. They seemed like quadruplets which were highly odd and creepy yet at the same time it was cute and adorable. Nara suddenly had the desire to join them.

“Okay, Hwajin and Meijin, you can both help her with the uniform. Minjin and Hwojin, you can both help with the makeup and hair. I expect the best and nothing less.” Nara’s father smiled and walked away speedily. Nara was dumbstruck. What was going on? She wasn’t seriously going there, was she? To Gyocho? With maids to help her get ready? Seriously? Something had to be wrong, yet she knew it was reality.

In the next minute, two of the quadruplets pulled her to a door near her bed, where she entered a beautifully decorated on-suite. It was based on the colour gold; like royalty. She felt mesmerised by the sheer beauty. The next second of her day-dreaming, she was instantly stripped from her pyjamas. She realised they weren’t her original ones; they were pink silky ones that were so comfortable and soft. She was stood their super awkwardly, trying not to make eye contact with the maids.

“Nara-ssi, please step into the shower.” One of the maids bowed to her respectfully. Nara’s eyes widened in shock. She was dismayed at how the older lady was talking to her. Nara realised she wasn’t in a good place to counter the unneeded respect she was given. She was apart from her underwear. She ran into the shower at a fast pace and stared at it. It was… a pool-sized bath with a shower-rack hanging over head. Inside the bath were rose petals floating elegantly. Uncertainly, she dipped her toes into the water and was surprised to feel it at a perfect temperature. She exclaimed quietly with happiness.

She got out after 10 minutes and had swam to the other side of the bath to fetch a golden-coloured towel with her name on. She wrapped it around her and walked into the main room where the maids had left her new underwear. She was gawping at the beauty of the underwear, laughing at her old, cute ones she had worn.

After putting them on, the maids appeared with a clothes-rack. It contained many pretty dresses, but more importantly, it contained her new uniform. She stared at it. It was so pretty and far too elegant for her to dream of wearing. The maids took it off the rack and lay it on her bed for her to wear.

“Erm, what are your names?” Nara asked abruptly. She looked at the two lovely maids with her fresh, happy face. The maids grinned back cheerfully and bowed.

“I am Oh Hwajin” the maid with the purple ribbon in her hair smiled at her. The other wore a pink ribbon in her hair. Thinking about it, she realised they all wore the same clothes (cute dresses with a white apron and little caps on), with different coloured ribbons in their hair.

“I am Oh Meijin.” The maid with the pink-ribbon smiled. They both bowed and took their leave. Nara smiled and thought of them as adorable maids she could easily trust and love. Perhaps they could become best of friends? She realised she had to get ready for school and stopped her thoughts. She got dressed in minutes and walked back into her main bedroom where two more maids, one with an orange ribbon and one with a yellow ribbon, stood waiting at a mirrored desk with stands of makeup lying on the desks. Nara gasped.

“Please, I do not take much comfort in wearing makeup!” Nara exclaimed, worried over how much makeup was there. She tried to leave the room when the two maids literally dragged her to the chair and simply put on some eyeliner, concealer and lip gloss perfectly. Nara was shocked at how it changed her appearance. With a sigh, she stood up to finally leave when one nurse handed her an Armani bag. She took it graciously and attempted to leave. The moment she stepped outside, a man wearing a suit took her down the corridor… and then a thousand more, before appearing above some curved, marbled stairs. Then she finally saw the front doors. They were made of glass.

Finally outside, she saw the biggest fountain ever fit with flowered gardens sitting around it. She had no idea how to react to such beauty that she thought she’d never, ever see in her whole lifetime. The flowers were so bright and bold and well-kept. She could see from a distance that there were gardeners cleansing them all. She was speechless.

***

Just like that she was in the back of a Mercedes Benz C-Class on the way to Gyocho High. She felt like the car was a massive neon sign shouting: "Hey! Look at me! New girl coming to school! Remember to look!" How could her Dad afford such things? Was he crazy? Acting like some rich man. Her bedroom must cost a fortune itself. So this car? And the house. And those quadruple maids. And this upcoming school? What the actual fishy hell? She had so many questions she simply had to ask but her Dad disappeared without telling her where he was going. She looked down at her shiny new shoes whilst being sat on the thick leather, and like a lightning bolt, the nervousness hit her. She felt weak and really didn't want the journey to end. Her stomach twisted and she felt a cold chill go down her back. Just that moment the car stopped at a light, she looked outside the window and she read the words 'no entry' literally screaming in her face. It disappeared as the car drove away. Maybe it was a sign from God telling her not to go. Maybe it was telling her that if she went in there it would be the end of her. Yet she gripped her teeth and thought ‘NO. That won't happen. It’s just a new school. What could be the worst thing that could happen? Honestly, come on!’ She laughed at herself, cleared and sat up straight and strong.

And that was when the car pulled up to a long pathway… the pathway to Gyocho High.

***

“Take your leave, Nara-ssi, we shall be here at 6.30pm sharp. Enjoy your first day at school.” The driver smiled. Nara was stood at the side of the Mercedes, her legs were shaking endlessly without any control. She was staring at the driver with disbelief. She looked at her watch (one of the maids placed it on her, a Pandora watch) and noticed it was 8.30am. She turned back to the driver who had already sat inside the car and was beginning to move. Nara’s eyes widened.

“Yah, ajhusshi! Ajhusshi! W-where do I g-g--” She began, chasing the car. It sped off, leaving her on the golden-like curb, speechless and confused out her wits. She stared at the horizon and wished she was back at home. She closed her eyes and felt like weeping. Whilst her eyes were closed, she heard a car whoosh over speedily and park near her. With shock, she opened her eyes to see a bright yellow Lamborghini slide into its awaited place. She stepped back as two handsome twins stepped out and walked across. They were so feminine looking yet so masculine and perfect. There were two identical handsome men that seemed so dreamy and beautiful. She literally felt like a beggar in comparison to their grace.

“Ano… Ano…” She began, walking slowly, trembling with every footstep. She had reached their area and the both of them were talking amongst themselves quietly. She was about to tap one of their shoulders when they both simultaneously backed away and walked off ignoring her entire presence in the rudest way possible. Nara just gawped after them, unable to think of anything to say or how to react. She was dumbstruck.

She decided not to bother them. Curiously she stared at their car. She edged towards it and ensured they were away so they wouldn’t see her. She twisted around to see the both had already disappeared. She smiled to herself as she finally reached the yellow shining foreign car that made her want to drive it. As she stepped one more time, an alarm went off instantly, deafening her to silence. She was still, unable to move in horror, staring at the car that was now blaring at her. Fighting the scream that sat in , she waved at the car and told it to ‘sh.’. As her panic exploded to unprecedented levels, the two twins reappeared with straight, mono-faces.

“I-I… I’M SORRY!” She bowed down over 90 degrees as far down as she could, stepping back, feeling guilty and ashamed. The twins walked past her and ignored her.

“Told you not to park by a beggar.” One said to the other with an agitated voice. They both briefly turned to look at her bowed body. “Oh, my God. There’s a new student.” He continued. Nara stood straight and stared them in the eyes as if they were going to acknowledge her and talk to her. In her mind, rainbows were forming. She imagined hanging around with the twins forever, eating ice cream together, driving in the Lamborghini together, speeding into the sunset…

“She won’t last two hours.” The second laughed. They marched up to her after using their key to shut the alarm. Nara stared at them, with twinkling, confused eyes, hoping they’d be like: “Oh we’re joking!” or something lovely and cuddly and happy…

“Two minutes.” The first grinned.

They walked off and left her standing there gawping like a dog in a bacon shop. She slowly turned to see them disappear down a path towards the golden building that shone in the morning sun. She took out a deep breath. Right. School. Scratch that. Monday. Bad mood. New start. Ready? Memory deleted. Go, NARA, GO!

***

It was already their break time and Nara was sitting alone on a bench, staring at the clouds as they drifted over her head slowly and gracefully. She had eaten rice and finished it. She placed the box back into her bag. She was bored already. She had had her maths class and this boy called ‘Hongki’ (but everyone called him Jeremy for some reason, apparently it was his American name) had spoken to her and sat next to her, helping her with sums and algebraic terms even though she really didn’t need it. He was impressed and even cuddled her because she seemed so cute and clever. He walked off and left her the moment the bell rang. She was all alone.

She grabbed at her bag and pulled out her phone and headphones. Luckily her dad didn’t replace her phone at all which she was very thankful for. She went through her list until she found Super Junior’s song ‘Sorry, Sorry’ and put it on. She felt like getting up and dancing in the heavenly music. With her great joy, she began laughing to herself wondering if anyone was looking- not that she particularly  cared.

“You…” A familiar voice called out to her, making her jump. She took out her headphones and looked from left to right, scanning the area and found nothing. She turned behind and jumped so far backwards, she fell off the bench. The twins were stood over her with big, curious grins on their handsome, angelic, carved faces.

“Hello, my name is--” she began, getting up awkwardly, looking at the pair who stared down at her with cold yet handsome eyes. They put their hand up, shutting her up without muttering a word. She stood up and held her phone tight to her side, staring at the twins worriedly. What were they doing?

“How did you get in?” One asked in a monotone, cold voice that seemed to pierce into her soul and destroy it.

“…” She realised she didn’t have an answer. She stared at them, unable to explain why her presence was legit. She didn’t know how to explain her father’s insanity.

“We normally get a whole three month notice before a new member can join this school.” The other rolled his eyes angrily. He turned to his twin and whispered into his ear.

“You sold your body to get in?” The other asked him extremely casually as if he mentioned the weather or something so simple like that. She couldn’t even react to it. It seemed so unrealistic that someone would ask her such a stupendous and ridiculous question that seemed to burst all her thoughts.

“No, she probably didn’t judging by her reaction, Hyunjoong.” The twin rolled his own eyes in his annoyance. Hyunjoong just closed his eyes and sighed out loud in his own world. Nara was trying to escape this situation. She felt so uncomfortable and horrible.

“Yah, Jaejoong, Hyunjoong…” a new voice called from behind. It seemed to be a lovely handsome voice that screamed out to her. It was so angelic. For that brief moment, she imagined a handsome man in a white suit holding a pack of pink and red roses. Everything else was blurred and behind him were sparkles and stars shining brightly. In her mind, the handsome man came and beat the twins and forced them away. He then, in her imagination, carried her and kissed her forehead with warm lips. She hugged his imaginary neck and cried as she walked away from her family and this new place she hated. She imagined it as Choi Siwon even though the voice was different.

“Girl, what’s your name?” The twin called Jaejoong asked with a smile. Nara was confused beyond acknowledgement. She had no idea how to react to him or the voice or the other evil twin. They were so brutal and upfront. It was something she was not used to at all. She just wanted to disappear.

“N-Nara. Park Nara.” She answered. She wanted to know who the voice was. There was another step and the person showed their face. It was a cute looking boy who wore a simple, black suit with a face full of nothingness that was creepy to her. She felt like this was a school full of boys that seemed angelic but were hidden demons.

“It’s a disgusting name.” The new boy said sarcastically as if she was a bad stench that needed to be cleaned drastically. Her presence level dropped over 1000 points in her head. Her self-esteem seemed to be none existent.

“So? Your name must even more.” Nara said without thinking at all. She was alone in a new school full of rich maniacs that could sue her to the dumps in lands far, far away. They could hire assassins to kill her and make her existence completely gone. They could ship her to the ends of the earth. They could kill her family. They could send her to the Goddess of Chaos and still be in control with the vast amounts of ridiculous money they had. She covered with her hand and stepped backwards slowly. That’s when she bumped into something hard.

“Excuse me.” Another new voice seemed to say. His tone seemed nicer like Hongki’s and had a soft touch to it. She turned around and hoped to God it was someone she could be friends with, another commoner like her. Then she realised this was Gyocho high and common was impossible. She saw that he wore Prada and had one of the most handsomest faces on Earth.

“S-sorry…” Nara whispered. She felt homesick now and just wanted to escape this land she was so unused to. Why was she even here, somewhere she didn’t even belong. She hated to think that she wished she was back with Jungshin. Just so she could see the one person that would guarantee to make her smile and just simply make her day the best day.

“You better leave before Jonghyun comes. He hates it when people sit on his bench.” The boy said. Nara blinked. Jonghyun’s bench? Who the hell was Jonghyun and why the hell did he have a bench to himself? Was his name on it?! She turned to look at it and funnily enough, his name was engraved on it in gold. She had assumed it was a memorial bench for the school. Nope. It wasn’t. The boy clicked his fingers and she faced him again. “My name is G.O. I’m guessing you’ve already met Hyunjoong, Jaejoong and Kim Bum. We’re the OCEAN5. Do not get seen with us ever again otherwise you will regret it. You’re lucky Jonghyun isn’t here y--”

“What the hell is this?” Yet another voice called out. His voice was fierce, loud, clear and crisp. It sent multiple shivers down her spine that felt like millions of pines piercing through her flesh, each one more painful than the last. Awkwardly, she turned to look behind G.O to see a boy who stood in a black suit wearing more expensive clothing she couldn’t even brand with well-groomed hair and eyes that were slit, almost like a snake, staring at her like she was worse than scum.

“Leave.” G.O whispered to her. She once again turned to the bench and fell to the floor when the called Kim Bum threw her bag at her with full force and her headphones went flying too. She realised ‘Sorry, Sorry’ was still playing and felt remorseful that she was in this sorry position. She grabbed her bags on the floor and dashed off, only for someone to grab her arm forcefully and pull her back, almost breaking her arm with the sharp movement.

“Clean yourself.” The slit-snake-eyed boy called Jonghyun commanded.  Nara was speechless. How could someone be so mean to someone he didn’t even know for long. She glared at Jonghyun with disbelief and felt like hitting his self-important head with a brick or some heavy thing that would be close to killing him. She decided he wasn’t worth it. With her own aggression, she hit his arm away and walked off with her bag. Then two arms pulled hers and they fully dragged her back and pushed her to the floor in front of Jonghyun. Nara angrily twisted her head to see the twins standing behind her.

“Do as you’re told.” Kim Bum growled in the background, staring at her like she was filth or some scum. She felt so mad and furious that they were treating her in this disgraceful manner. The worst that would happen in her previous school was name-calling, not forcefully dragging someone and throwing them to the floor. Kim Bum walked over and nudged her foreword so she ended up bowing to Jonghyun.

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Nara screamed at the five boys. G.O was simply stood to a side now, not really interested in the helpless situation she was in. She made eye contact with him and found sympathy staring her back in the face; not that she cared. He wasn’t helping her. She suddenly felt water land on her head like ice bricks, freezing her brain. Choking, she looked up to watch more water land on her face and down the wrong way. The water stop and she spluttered everywhere, trying to get air back in. She coughed endlessly and clutched at . In seconds, air returned back into and she breathed out.

“I told you to wash.” Jonghyun snarled at her with satisfied eyes. They widened in his own amusement much to the anger of Nara that burned inside her soul. She was still on the floor, soaking wet. She stood up, water splashing everywhere, trickling down her eye lashes and hair, dropping onto the floor like small tears. Some even came out her eyes, resembling tears. She was crying but pretended it was the water.

“There was no need.” G.O intervened abruptly, taking everyone by surprise. Jonghyun scoffed and kicked Nara’s bag away with his own frustration. Nara growled and stood up. Without warning,  she pushed Jonghyun as hard as she could and grabbed her bag and phone from the floor and in the next second, she had ran off and escaped the clutches of the boys.

Jonghyun laughed as he bent down and picked up a bracelet that seemed to come off Nara. It was silver and felt too light to be real. He scoffed as he stared at the crappy detail on it. He couldn’t even understand why she would wear such crap when she was wearing a Pandora watch.

“What was her name?” he asked the others, looking at them with a smirk. They all shrugged at first. Hyunjoong and Jaejoong began discussing amongst themselves and were in deep thought.

“How could she possibly come here without me knowing?” Kim Bum asked casually, looking towards the direction she escaped. He was confused. “Nothing gets by me first in this school.” He was trying to come up with a realistic explanation but had none.

“Perhaps her parents are powerful.” G.O suggested to Jonghyun who was trying to think. Jonghyun, upon hearing G.O’s idea, laughed and dismissed the idea entirely.

“Like who, huh? I know every damn powerful person. Pah, like she’s going to be Choi Seunghyun's daughter or something ridiculous like that.” He laughed. Everyone chuckled at the idea of that rich, super-wealthy, money-loving man having a stupid looking daughter like her. He felt like crying with laughter at that moment. “She’s ugly.”

“Her name’s Nara…” Jaejoong remembered, happy and delighted that it came to his mind. He looked at everyone who were now in hysterics.

“Filth.” Jonghyun laughed. “A better name for her would be… Hmm… Garbage.” He finalised, walking back towards the school. The bell had gone and it was time for them to continue with their lessons. G.O was feeling mildly guilty but he shrugged that off. Kim Bum hated the sight of the girl and the twins hated her for making their alarm go off. No one did that. Ever. Just her.

***

Nara was sitting in her last lesson at 4.30pm. The school day was unbelievably long and haunting. She hated the girls…

-FLASHBACK TO 2 HOURS AGO-

She had managed to escape those insane boys and bumped into a super-model-thin girl wearing extremely high heels and a mini skirt that would shame slags. Her top didn’t even fit her body. Her pale flesh was on show. When Nara looked at her face, she withheld laughter. Her face resembled that of a clown’s with white foundation and bright red lipstick that seemed way out of place. In conclusion, she had bumped into a rich slag.

“Get the out my way.” The slag cursed angrily, swishing her hair away from her horrifically bony collarbone that stood out like a nose… it was disgusting. Nara had some kind of sympathy for her and wanted to keep her so she could feed the uneducated tart and give her a figure rather than bones.

“I feel so sorry for you…” Nara said out loud without realising. She gulped as she realised what she just said and looked into the girl’s eyes that were full of hatred. “… I mean, that I just bumped into you…” she bowed unintentionally. She wanted to scratch the girl’s face clean. As she bowed, the water splashed onto the girl’s, making her squeal like a pig.

“You !” The clown screamed out in a seriously disgusting high voice. Nara flinched at the voice and didn’t mean for the idiot to see it. She pulled back her bony fist and punched Nara in the face with a lot of force, sending Nara flying backwards.

“Ouch.” Nara said sarcastically, getting off the floor. “I tripped.” She confessed. The slag was confused. Nara chuckled and continued “I tried to avoid your disgusting bony fist… and fell back.” Nara laughed. She spun around to leave the stupid only to see a whole army of rich, slaggy girls staring at her with utter disgust and more hatred than she could comprehend.

“You just annoyed our leader.” One girl cried out to Nara. Nara rolled her eyes and turned to another direction. Nope. More girls appeared.

“You can’t escape.” Another girl roared at Nara, chasing her in seconds. Nara screamed out in fear, fear of becoming a zombie-bony-slag-skeleton-thing like them, and ran for her life. They all literally couldn’t run. Their heels were too high.

-END FLASHBACK-

But she was finally in her favourite subject area: Art. This was the only place she could completely express herself beyond words and musical notes like her singing in music. No slaggy girls were around; just her, a canvas and a paintbrush. Her teacher had simply instructed her to paint whatever she felt like and then left. She felt like painting her rage onto the sheet in the form of an eagle flying, attacking a rat (its prey). She dipped her brush into the silky paint and brushed one gently, taking care of her actions.

She had already drawn the delicate outline of the beautiful, bold eagle and the weak, wimpy outline of the rat that wasn’t even fighting its fate. She coloured it with the paint and felt at peace, away from the hassle of her chaotic life that had only just begun. She missed her mother dearly but knew she wouldn’t miss her in return. She felt sad but okay with her new beginning. She simply wished the boy she truly adored could be here with her, watching her paint like he used to. Her heart twisted in uncomfortable ways, and her emotions were all over the place. She found herself thinking of her mom and how she was always neglected by her. Her hand was frozen in place and the paint started to slowly seep from the strands of the brush. Without realising it slipped from her fingers.

“Shoot.” She whispered to herself. It landed a little away from her. With a sigh she quickly looked up from her canvas and still no one was around. It was a little odd but she shrugged it off. She stepped away for seconds, well at least she could have sworn. It was as if time slowed down. She saw one of those pathetic boys from ‘OCEAN5’ called Kim Bum walk in with a pot full of black-deadly-ink. This was the painting room. There was only one place where that black ink was headed for.

SPLASH.

“NOOOOOOO!!” She roared at him from the floor. He didn’t even turn around as he started to head out. She heard a sick and sinister chuckle from outside the door as she ran to her painting. Out of the blue, she heard a brief whoosh in the air and in the next second she was attacked by an empty ink pot on the head. Her head knocked back and her hair and side of her face got smeared with ink. She screamed out and looked above at her work. The work she spent so long had been completely destroyed by the ugly splash of black ink. The paintbrush in her hand dropped again but this time she decided not to pick it up. Dumbfound, she stared at the door, unable to move.

***

5.30 and school ended. How did that make sense? She re-called to this morning before her driver disappeared. He had said 6.30. Did he get the time wrong? He must have. She was standing in the exact same place where she was dropped off that morning. She still had ink all over her face and hair. Everyone was talking about it as they walked passed. They didn’t even try to be discreet. She yawned and didn’t care about their petty opinions. They didn’t know her and she had no intention of knowing them.

She could imagine herself with a chainsaw running at Kim Bum. The idea of cutting his flesh on his vulnerable throat, slowly seeping out thick, ruby-red liquid slowly drizzling down, landing on his white, fresh shirt and watching him slowly crumple and collapse on the floor like a trampy mess, more blood gushing out in vast quantities endlessly… satisfied her mind. It was the only thing keeping her sane.

“Hey, Nara?” A familiar voice called. Nara spun around to face the boy called Hongki. He smiled at her and ran to her with wide arms, hugging her gently. He stepped back and brought out a tissue and wiped her face caringly, making sure each inch of the ink was washed off.

“Hongki… Thank you.” Nara bowed to him happily. Hongki grinned and ushered her to stand straight back up. He just stood, smiling at her, keeping her company. She simply smiled back at him, thinking of him as a lovely brother. She felt better with him around. They both suddenly heard someone approach them wearing heels. Nara turned to see a lady she hadn’t seen before. She wasn’t wearing the uniform at all. She seemed older than them and more mature.

“Hongki-ya, we need to leave. The party is tonight.” The lady spoke in a posh, high voice that seemed to be full of self-importance. Nara felt like a tramp in comparison and wanted to hide from the woman.

“Unnie!” Hongki groaned. Nara laughed politely and bowed at the woman. Hongki travelled towards his sister and bowed at Nara. “See you tomorrow, Nara-ssi.” He smiled, walking away with the elegant woman. Nara sighed as he disappeared.

Nara sat on the floor, bored out her brains. The time was now 6.15 and she had another 15 minutes before the driver would return. She wanted to go home and wash up then sleep in her old bed. Then she realised she’d never return there since her father had whisked her away to a new world in comparison to her old. She thought her previous life was cruel. This was much more challenging to cope with. All she could think of was her precious loved one that she just wanted to hold in her arms and talk with. Yawning, she felt sleepy.

Once again, she heard the sound of the Lamborghini move off. She didn’t even bother to look up at the pathetic twins she once thought were handsome. She realised they called themselves the OCEAN5. Pah. More like the STONE5. They were like stones, nice if you didn’t touch them or nice if you picked them up but horrible when they were thrown at you. It fit them perfectly. STONE5. She thought of nicknames for them all. Jonghyun was definitely Snake-Eyes. Kim Bum was definitely Bastard. The twins could be and Head. But G.O. She couldn’t quite think of a nickname for him. Maybe Useless. She agreed on it. It suited him.

A black vehicle appeared in front of her and the familiar driver stepped out and opened the back door for her. She looked up and found the man was staring at her with startled eyes.

“Miss! You have INK all over your UNIFORM and your FATHER is home!” He panicked. He looked around and then pulled out his phone. “HELLO? YEAH, AJHUMMA! WE HAVE A CRISIS. Come quickly to the emergency stop and bring a fresh uniform on the double. Yes. Now. NOW! Bring everything she needs. YES, AHJUMMA! See you soon!” He put down the phone and stared at Nara like she was a disgrace. “What happened?! OH never mind, just get into the car! WE NEED TO GO!”

She was shoved into the car but had no complaints. She knew she was in safe hands.

***

“What took you so long?” Her father asked her back at home. He eyed her up and down, inspecting her uniform with deeply analysing eyes. Nara felt odd but nevertheless she smiled at him. She had been forced into a remote hotel where servants tended to her, changing her uniform, washing and drying her hair and making her uniform smell exactly the same as it did when it was worn without the ink stain. Her old uniform was then burnt and thrown into the nearby river. The driver then told her that she must tell her father…

“We stopped by at a spa. I needed some relaxation.” She bowed at her father. “Hope you don’t mind.” She grinned, trying her best to cover her lie and get rid of her awkwardness. He looked at her as if he sussed out she was pretending but carried on drinking his tea and read his newspaper.

Nara sighed as she walked off and went back into her bedroom.  She finally landed on her new bed and instantly shot off to sleep.

Okay, this is our first chapter. It's very long, yes I know, but you can tell we've put effort into it :). To all those who like reading, thank you very much! Hope you enjoyed it very much! Written by Chullys, created by SHINeeJunior. Most of it goes to SHINeeJunior for creating the idea xD... So, here we go! First step to the biggest steps ever! It's so much fun working as a co-author xD

Thank you!