Dark trees rush past me as I fly by. All I feel are the pounding of my feet on the cold forest floor as my body zooms through the night.

I am running from someone.

I don’t know who, but I know I am in danger… I continue my escape.

I look behind me to make sure that my pursuer is gone and find myself correct. I turn to face the direction I am running when something to the side catches my eye. I pause to see the figure. The person was standing in a hostile position behind a nearby tree. I try to run but my legs feel like they weigh a ton. I try to scream for help but only a faint whisper escapes my throat as the figure approaches me.

Desperately grabbing a tree for protection, the sound of footsteps crunching on the soft ground fills my ears. I turn and brace myself as the figure stands over me.

I look up with tears in my eyes to face my predator. He was holding a knife that shined when it reflected the moon light. His clothes were as dark as the forest and I could make out small rips and gashes in them. He raises his weapon. I look into the eyes of my soon to be murderer and see his lifeless eyes.

I gasp as I recognize the face. Jongup was looking at me with empty eyes that only had one wish…

I try and tell him that it was me, but I can only whisper still.

Without hesitation, he takes a step and lunges forward.

A scream echoes through the darkness…

My eyes fly open and I gasp for air. I look around and see that my surroundings were very distorted and blurry. I begin to feel dizzy. In attempt to stop the room from spinning I close my eyes to stable myself. My face and back were drenched in sweat. Another nightmare.

Distant voices and footsteps are all I can hear and I open my eyes once more to view the situation. An older man was sitting across from me at an old wooden table that looks like it could have seen better days. The man was sitting with his arms on the table holding a well-used flask. His attire consisted of a fedora that was worn at the rim and had a gold button that was falling off. His shirt was buttoned up and covered with a jacket that had a collar. The man leaned back into the chair and took a swig of his drink and I could see more of his face.  His face was very stiff looking and rough. Stubble covered his face.

He slammed his flask down and looked towards me from underneath his hat. The corner of his mouth curves into a half smile and he lets out a forced laugh. I can feel the hair on the back of my neck rise. He lets out a sigh and stands up, pushing back his chair. Fixing his jacket and tie, I try and escape the chair I was taped to. He sees my struggle and takes his hat off and places it gently on the table before he walks over towards me. My heart races even faster.

“There’s no need to struggle, you’re not going anywhere for the next little while.” The sound of his gravelly voice makes me look at him in disgust. He brings over his chair and turns it around to sit on it backwards. “What’s that face? I’m not here to be enemy’s, I’m here to talk to you, sweetheart.” He spits out the last word as if he were trying to sound kind. I try to focus my eyes on other objects other than my kidnapper. I was in a small shack of a house that looked like it was only used occasionally. I was the occasion. Out of the 4 visible windows, 2 were boarded up with planks of wood. There were two tables and no sign of a door. I assumed and hoped that there was one behind me.

“Look at me when I am speaking to you, you !” I snap back to look at the man with obvious fear in my eyes. He clears his throat and fixes his tie. The smell of stale alcohol was all over this man. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be…” he smiles and reaches for my hair. I pull away but can only move so far until he my hair. “Don’t touch me…” I say in a shaking voice while trying to look unafraid.  He lets go and raises his hands as if in defeat. “Ok, I will, but you have to cooperate with us.” I give him a questioning look. *Us? I thought it was only you…* as soon as he said that, he snapped his fingers and 4 more shadowy figures step out from behind me. Two were armed with baseball bats and I could feel my throat getting thick. *oh god! Please help me!* I fight back tears so that I look tougher.  I swallow and ask with an unsteady voice. “Wh-what do you want from me?”  Quiet laughs come from the men with bats. “All in good time Sadie.” “How do you know my name?” I struggle with my wrists tied behind me and can feel blisters start to rise

“Don’t you remember? I am the man who killed your parents. And I think it’s time we had a little talk.” And with that he pulls out a small pocket knife and flicks it open. He points in towards me. I let out a small gasp of fright. “Now, if you don’t mind cooperating with us, we won’t hurt you. Tell me, Sadie, what was the secret that your parents knew about the government?” I look at him inquisitively. “What do you mean?” he leans back and looks at the rest of s as if he was expecting that answer.  “Now, now, Sadie, play our game and tell us before anything bad happens.” I remain silent for a moment. “I know nothing… sorry.” He gets up from his chair and moves it to the side of the room.

He paces back and forth for a moment before he runs his hand through his hair. Turning back towards me he whispers. “If you don’t tell me, I swear I will kill you right here and now, you good for nothing stupid girl.” He raises his knife to remind me that he was the one in charge. My breath begins to quicken.  “Now!” he says loud enough for all to hear. “Tell us the damn secret and we’ll let you go.” “But I told you I don’t know it! How can I tell you something I don’t know?”  That set the man off. He rushed at me and held his knife in front of my face just inches away from my neck.  I flinch and pull back. “Please! Please, you have to believe me!”

“How am I supposed to believe you? You’re just saying that to save your own skin! Now answer me!” my head snapped to the side and I begin to feel my face get hotter. The man who just slapped me held the knife back up to my neck when the door behind me swung open.

The other men who were in the room ran behind me and I could hear fights breaking out. The man who was in front of me got up with a start, and held out his pocket knife for protection. “Who the hell are you!?” he said as he backed up to the other side of the room. “We’re her to take her back!”  The voice sounded familiar. “Yongguk!” I shriek and instantly try as hard as I could to break free from my bonds. Shouts we’re coming from behind me and people dropped to the floor.

My wrists were swollen and my face was on fire when Junhong came in front of me. “Thank you! I seriously thought I was a goner there!” “I’m just glad we found you!” He said with that bright smile of his. He ripped the duct tape off my wrists and ankles and I scream from the pain. He lifts me up and helps me walk to the other members. They were all there and I instantly search for Jongup.  He wasn't there. “Thank god you’re alright Sadie,” said Yongguk, who was standing in front of the other members. “Now, come on, let’s go before they gain consciousness.”  We all head out of the room with Junhong and I following behind.

We head outside and it’s dark. I assumed that I was out for a long time. We turn around a corner and see the cars on the side of the road.  Junhong helps me into the back of the car and buckles me in. he gets in on the other side. I look forward and see Jongup sitting in the front of the car looking out the window in silence. I can tell he’s in a mood so I keep quiet. The rest of the car ride was silent.

“Sadie, wake up.” I open my eyes and see Junhong smiling down at me. “Here, let me help you.” He placed his arms under mine, and lifted me gently. Pain filled my whole body and I winced. Junhong noticed and carefully lifted me out of the car. He wrapped one of my arms around his neck and grabbed my wrist by mistake. “Ow! Let go!” I say to him. Quickly, he drops my hand and just helps me up the steps to the door and we all walk into the house.

Meeting in the main foyer, Yongguk steps in front of me. “We will talk later of what happened, but right now we need to get your wounds attended to.” He looked around the room for someone.  His eyes landed on Jongup who was entering the house and called for him. “Jongup! Take Sadie to the upstairs bathroom and clean her up. I need to talk to the others about this. Don’t worry I’m sure one of them will inform you afterwards.” And with that Yongguk signaled the rest of the group to head towards the dining room, leaving Jongup and I alone.

Jongup walks over to me and looks down at with tired eyes. Clearly he had been working very hard to find me. “Follow me,” was all he said before he walked towards the stairs. I trail him closely behind. *can this be any more awkward? Why did I have to text him all that… it’s not like I meant it, I was just mad at the moment.* I look up at the back of Jongup and see that he was tense.  Sighing, I look away from him and we enter the bathroom.

I sat on the edge of the counter, while Jongup searched for some bandages. He stood up and turned to me with the first aid kit in his hand. Walking over to me, I fix my posture and look at him. He opens the box and takes out the antibiotics for my blisters. “When I put the bandages on after I clean you up, leave them on until tomorrow, and I’ll see what progress has happened.”  I nod and he puts the antibiotics on a face cloth and places it over my hand. I flinch at the sting and I see out of the corner of my eye Jongup looking at me. “Don’t forget, you have your other hand and ankles too.” He said while looking away. He gently cleaned my hands and bandaged them so that it wouldn't irritate my skin. I watched the boy in silence while he worked and I began to feel sorry. *I wonder what he’s thinking.*

He moved down so he could have a better look at my ankles. Lifting my jeans, he took the bottle of antibiotics and the face cloth and began to clear the dirt. “Your ankles are pretty bad. Try not to do any out of your league.” His voice was very mono tone and low, identifying that he didn't want to speak to me. I continue to nod at him.

He finishes and puts away the first aid kit when Youngjae enters. “Sadie, I have to speak with you. Are you done in here?” I look at Jongup for approval, but I get no response. Looking back at Youngjae, I say yes and then follow him out into the hallway.

 “You’re going to have to be on lock down for a bit while we try and hide you again.” He said as soon as the door was closed. “Wait, what? Why?” “Because they found you and threatened you. The others and I agree that’s it’s for your own safety.”  I look at him desperately. “What about school?! I can’t just leave.” He gave a small smile for reassurance. “ We've already called the school to tell them that you’re sick with the flu. It will buy us a week to hide you. You’ll go back to school after that.”  I look at him with a stubborn face for a moment or two before I realize that I wasn't going to win. “Fine.” was all I said before I turned around and headed back to my room.

I stare out my bedroom window and lose myself in deep thought. Many questions were running through my mind like a runaway train. *who was that man? Why did he ask me about a secret? Why is that secret so important? * I run my hand through my hair and let out a sigh. Turning around in my dark room I walk towards my bed and sit down. Reaching for the closest pillow, I hug it and curl into a ball and try my best to fall asleep. My mind was still racing, and I knew that I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, but I kept my eyes close. Seconds turned to minutes turned to half an hour. I let out a groan of frustration and sit up kicking of the sheets.  The events of the day had made a home in my mind, and weren't leaving anytime soon. I looked at my alarm clock. 2:37am.

I stare into the dark of my room contemplating everything, when a light outside and brightened up my room. I got up to look out the window to see what it was. Pushing back the blinds I look towards the back of the house. The barn enters my view and I can see the silhouette of a figure entering it. I squint my eyes to gain a better look, but the figure disappeared into the barn too quickly. Thinking of what to do, I grab my shoes to put them on, and head for my bedroom door to leave. I turned the doorknob and remembered that I was on lock down  If I entered the hallway, surely someone was going to hear me and send me back. I frown and weigh out my options. I lean against the door and look back at the window. *The window.*

Taking in a deep breath I walk slowly to the window and quietly slide it open. *what am I thinking!?* I stick my head out to see how I was going to manage to get down a two story house. Looking to the side I could see a drain pipe that extended all the way down and had window ledges close by. On the other side of the window there was only the brick wall. It was the pipe or nothing. I took a moment to take deep breathes before I moved on. I took small steps and hoped I didn't fall. *oh god, oh god, why am I doing this!?* I place one hand after the other on the drain pipe and swung my left foot over so that I was hugging it.

My wrists were pounding and I was slowly slipping off. My heart began to pound in unison to my wrists and ankles.  Holding back the pain I began to maneuver down the pipe cautiously. Each step down placed more pressure on my wounds cause them to shake and making me lose balance. My breathing began to quicken and my palms were sweating. I make it to the downstairs window ledge and rest. A cold sweat had broken out on my forehead and I could feel my eyes begin to water. I look at the barn and the light was still on. I look back at the pipe and grab it once more. I was getting closer to the ground when my hands slipped and my heart stopped. In attempt to grab the pipe, I scratch my fore arm on bricks and fall to the ground.

The air leaves my lungs and I desperately gasp for air as I sit up. Good thing I fell only 5 feet. I wait five minutes before I feel up to walking towards the barn. I look down at the arm I scratched and saw that my bandage was torn. I don’t make any attempt to fix it. Reaching the barn I feel my heart beat faster. *what happens if it’s one of the men that kidnapped me? Oh, god if they find me, I’m dead. I should turn back.* I raise my hand at the door when I hear the horses inside along with footsteps.

I take a deep breath and slowly open the door so that it wouldn't make a noise. I peek in to see the back of a man petting a horse. I recognize it as Jongup. Stepping into the barn, the horses ears twitch and move towards me. I hold my breath as Jongup turns around to see who it is. “What are you doing here?” he said softly from the other side of the barn. “I-I just saw the light on… and I wanted to see who it was.”  He doesn't return the stare. “You’re on lock down. You shouldn't be here, just go back.” He turns back to the horse and begins to brush it. Something inside me snaps. “Why are you being so distant? We were friends before, but now you brush me off as if you don’t know me.” I walk towards him and continue. “If you’re mad at those texts I sent you, don’t be! I was just mad at the time, and I didn't mean it. I just felt like I had no room to be me and do the things I wanted. You guys don’t have to worry about me so much all the-.”

He turned and I stepped back. “Don’t you know how worry everyone was?! How worried I was!?” I look at him in confusion and tried to speak but was cut off again. “I texted you back so many times and I got no response. Obviously I’m going to worry! And then I tried to find the bus stop where you got off and found tire tracks in the alley way. I thought you were gone!” my eyes begin to tear up. “Jongup, I didn't kn-.” “I had to call the others and try and find out where they took you! We were gone for three hours and I didn’t give up trying to find you.” He began to walk towards the middle of the barn, and the tears began to fall down my face. “Finally, we came to the house you were in and I heard him scream at you. The others were able to run in and get you but I couldn't. I just couldn't.” he ran his left hand through his hair remembering the events.

I watched him as he tried to continue. I wiped away some of the tears. “Why couldn’t I go in? I was afraid of what that bastard had done to you, so I waited in the car.” His eyes were shining, indicating that he was holding back tears of his own. I walked towards him. “Jongup, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that it hurt you so much.” He turned and walked over to me and I watched him. “How can you be the one sorry? You did nothing wrong. I should have been there to protect you.” He placed his arms on my shoulders and looked at me. I could see clearly the tears falling on his face.

“It’s ok; it’s not your fault.” I said trying to comfort him. A faint smile appeared on his lips and he wiped away my tears. “I was thinking to myself when I was in the car while the others went and got you.” I looked up at him and gave him a questioning look. “I thought that the reason why I could go in there was because I’d see you hurt. I couldn’t deal with that. I realized that I cared for you and had feelings.” I looked up with big eyes. “I like you, Sadie, that’s what I realized.”

My eyes widened and he smiled down at me. He brushed back my hair from my face and wiped away more tears. My mind was racing. Gently placing his hands on the back of my head, he stepped closer to me. His smile faded and his lips parted as he slowly moved his head towards mine. I freeze not knowing what to do. I look into his eyes that were only inches away from mine. They were warm and tender. He closed them and the next thing I knew was that his lips were on mine. I let out a small gasp and feel him smile. I close my eyes. His arms wrap me into a hug and he tilts his head to the other side.

Not too long after he moves apart and I am left speechless. He looks at me. “Sorry. I just wanted too.” He said as he moved backwards and looked away, embarrassed.  A long silence fills the room before he speaks again. “Forget what just happened.” I look back at him. “It’s fine.” He laughed and turned towards me again. “I know you don’t like me in the same way I like you, so don’t worry I won’t do it again.” I finally speak. “But I do like you Jongup. It’s just… I’m not quite there yet.” He turned and walked over to me. “Wait, you just said ‘not there yet’. So that means that you might like me later?” he beamed down at me with hopeful eyes. “…maybe…?” I said while shrugging my shoulders. He gave me a big smile. “that all I need to hear.” he smiled at me and I knew that I had made him feel better than how he was feeling before. I gave a small smile back. He ran behind me and pushed me towards the door. “I think it’s time for you to go to bed. Tomorrows another day and I believe Yongguk is going to have a word with you.” My heart dropped when he said that. *great, I’m going to be yelled at again.*

He opened to barn door for me and I stepped out. “What about you? Don’t you have to get to bed too?” I asked while folding my arms in front of me. “I will, but why don’t you go first, hmm?” I stared at him for a moment and then walked back to the house. I could hear the barn door close as I walked away.

I managed to sneak back into my room unnoticed and I dropped onto my bed with a sigh. I got under the covers and looked over at the clock to see the time. 2:54am. *it’s only three in the morning and I’m still not sleeping!* I turn over in my bed and drift off to sleep thinking about Jongup. No thoughts about my kidnapping entered my mind.

sorry it took so long to upload this one. :P March break got in the way :D  ~ Madie  (how'd i do?)