Chapter 3

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Taesun and Amber left for their trip a few hours after sun rose. Taemin sat alone, cleaning, reading and dancing. He would of loved to go on the trip with his brother and best friend, but he knew his brother would never let him leave the town. Ever since their parents were killed, Taesun forbid Taemin to ever leave the village. Taemin spent his whole live within the borders of the town. Taemin knows his brother means well, but keeping him trapped isn't helping. Taemin didn't fit in with anyone. Sure he had Amber, but he wasn't planning on spending the rest of his life with her. He knew she was planning on leaving the village once her family got enough money to able too.

Taemin sat down on a chair and pulled out his favorite book to begin reading, but their was a knock on the door. He quickly closed his book, and walked to the door. The door busted open before Taemin could even lay a finger on it. There stood Kai, in the door frame, dressed in the fanciest clothes.

"Kai? What are you doing here?" Taemin said.

Kai invited himself in the house and kicked the door closed behind him. "I came to simply give you another chance to get out of this place." Kai grabbed Taemin's hand.

"Kai, I'm flattered. Really I am, but I-" Taemin was cut off when Kai pushed his lips on Tamein's. Kai pulled Taemin's neck closer, pushing Taemin's face against his. Taemin pushed himself off of Kai. "What do you think you're doing?" Taemin stepped away from Kai. With each step Taemin took back, Kai took forward.

"You know how many woman wished to be you? To look like you?" Kai backed Taemin into a corner. "Someone as pretty as you, deserves to have someone as handsome as me as their husband."

Taemin's eyes widened. "Husband?"

Kai gave an evil smile as he looked down on Taemin. "Now see, Taemin this is the day all your dreams come true!"

Taemin tired to escape but Kai slammed his arm against the wall. "My dreams?" Taemin tired again to get away. Kai just slipped his arm around Taemin's waist, and pulled him towards the door.

"Today is the day you can become a little wife." Kai whisper darkly into Taemin's ear.

"Wife?" Taemin pushed Kai. "You know I am a man!"

"Yes, I know but face it Taemin, you're too pretty and weak to be the husband. That's where you have me." Kai held on to Taemin's shoulder. "Come, I'll show you." He twirled Taemin around so he was holding both his shoulders, and heading out the front door. Taemin gasped at the site. Kai had already set up all his friends out-front ready for a wedding, while girls were sitting not to far away crying because they didn't have Kai. "Just simply say you'll marry me."

"Kai, this is going a bit too far."

Kai was losing his patience with Taemin. "Say you'll marry me."

Taemin went to his door. "I'm sorry Kai, I just don't think I'm good enough for you." Taemin batted his eyes pretending like he cared. He walked back into his house, closing the door in Kai's face and locking the door. Kai stood there with his arms crossed as his friend walk up behind him.

"Well that went well." He said.

"He doesn't thinks he's good enough for me yet?" Kai smiled to himself thinking he still had a chance. Kai turned to his friend, "Luhan, gather up all the men, I'll be back here in a few days to win Taemin."

"Why are you so worked up over this guy anyway?" Luhan followed behind Kai as he walked away from the house. "You have plenty of other woman who will gladly marry you."

"Neh, plenty of ugly woman." Kai pushed his hair back. "Luhan don't you understand? Taemin is the most beautiful person, even for a man. I can't spend my life with ugly people. Someone as dashing as me should have someone just as beautiful. That is why Taemin will become my wife. Rather he wants to or not."

Taemin peeked out the door to see if everyone had disappeared. Once he saw that the coast was clear, he closed the door and went back inside. "Marriage?" Taemin thought. "Was he serious? I would never marry someone as rude and vile as him in my life." He rushed up to his room and laid down on the bed. He didn't want to move. If everyone in the village hated Taemin, why couldn't Kai? If anything Taemin wanted Kai to hate him. Then maybe he would leave him alone. Taemin glanced out the window, and saw a little bird fly by.

"Lucky bird." He mumbled to himself. "Wish I could go where I wanted to. To be free to go on adventures." The bird flew away, back up to the sky. It wasn't soon after that Taemin felt that his eye lids were growing heavier and heavier. He let his eyes close, and he drifted off to a little nap.

Taesun and Amber were dying for rest. They had been traveling for hours unsure of where they were going. Taesun had a map, but he wasn't sure if he was reading it right. They brought along a horse that carried a cart that had all of their belongings. Amber was riding on the horse's back, trying to find some kind of sign of direction. They reached a hill, then they stopped.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Amber asked, tiredly leaning on the horse's head.

"I'm not sure anymore. Maybe we should just go back home." Taesun said.

"Aniyo! We came all this way. We'll find it. Somehow." Amber looked around to see if there was another path to follow. "Look, over there!" She pointed to her right. "Let's try that way. Maybe we can make it around the hill." Without permission, Amber nodded for the horse to move in that direction. Taesun placed the map away to follow. The path got worst as they kept on going. A fog built up, and the moonlight wasn't able to shine through the trees. Taesun's legs slowed down, he began to feel weak. Amber pulled him onto the horse so Taesun has sitting in front of her. The fog grow thick, to the point Amber couldn't see Taesun who was not even a foot away from her. She had her arms wrapped around his waist.

Before they knew it, the horse was panicking. The horse was swinging it's head around and stood on it's back legs. Amber slid right off landing on top of the cart, breaking some sort of glass that pierced through her shoulder. Taesun grabbed the horse's hair to settle it down, but it only panicked more. The fog cleared. They notice that they traveled onto the small ledge, that was breaking away. One of the cart's wheels slipped off. The cart was pulling the horse back. Taesun grabbed Amber's injured arm to pick her up to her feet. Amber quickly jumped off the cart.

"Cut the cart loose, or it's going to drag us all down!" Taesun demanded.

Amber didn't take a second thought. She took some of the broken glass, and sliced the rope holding the cart to the horse. Once the cart had no more support, it quickly trembled down the edge of the ledge. The rattling continued for a few seconds. The edge was endless. Taesun dropped off the horse to calm it down. The horse, however kept stomping it's feet. Taesun wasn't able to stop it, and the horse ran off.

Taesun looked over to Amber. Her shoulder was painted in her blood.

"We better get you back." Taesun placed his hand over her injury, to stop the bleeding.

Amber shook her head. "I'll be fine until we get to the convention."

"Amber, If we continue with this trip, we are going to die. We lost everything, it'll just be better to go home and get help."

Amber bit her lip. Before she could say anything, the ground began to shake. They looked down at their feet. The edge the horse stomped on wasn't able to support their weight. Amber stumbled, but Taesun caught her. The ledge was giving away. Taesun pushed Amber to a more stable landing. Amber fell to her knees. Taesun wasn't able to get off the ledge in time. It gave away, bringing Taesun with it. Amber quickly ran over reaching out her hand to grab him. Their fingers brushed, but she wasn't able to get a grip on him.

"Taesun!" Amber's screams echoed. She watched as her best friend's brother fell down into the darkness. She heard his scream fade away with him in the dark.