I didn’t know how long I had laid there, pretending to be asleep as my parents were busying themselves cleaning up the shattered glass and my wounds, being afraid to face them because of last night. I only opened my eyes when my room became dead silence after they left. I heavily sighed as I gazed at the small cracks in my ceiling.

I glanced at my clock that hanged above my table and realised that I was late by three hours of school. I flinched when the sound of my door opening was heard as soft footsteps became louder as the person approached me.

“Honey, I already called your school to say you’re taking a sick day so just rest,” my mother whispered hoarsely as she my face gently before leaving my room again.

 I released a breath that I did not know I was holding before slowly sitting up, pausing every now and then when I felt pain shotting through me from my wounds that I acquired from last night. When I had finally managed to sit up, I tiredly brushed my fingers over my face, feeling the slight bumps of my newly healed scratches.

I stared lifelessly at my white bedroom door, feeling regret and anger towards myself. I was so stupid, to think that I could go outside where there were people about. Wait, why did I run out? Yes, I did it to buy the first aid kit but I knew I couldn’t, of course I would be stupid enough to think so.

I gripped my hair in frustration as I tried to think of an answer to why I was so careless when I already knew that I could not be around people. I eyed my phone when I heard my ringtone echoed throughout my room. I sat there motionlessly until it stopped ringing. I slowly reached over, feeling my breaths becoming labored like as if I was moving through water. I held my breath as I saw many missed calls and messages from Youngjae and Yongguk. I wanted to reply to them. I really did. But I couldn’t bring myself too.

I turned off my phone, to prevent myself from hearing anymore of it. My eyes shifted from my phone to my hand as I finally noticed my fingers. They were stained with my blood. I tremble as I recalled what happened last night. The way I felt people looking at me, they’re anger and hatred that I knew they had within their stares. The way that horrifyingly familiar voiced that vibrated in my head. And that dream. That eerie dream.

I clutched my hands into tight fists as I took deep breaths, slowly calming myself down. When I felt that I was stable enough to move, I shakingly slid out of bed, keeping my hands on the edge to prevent myself from falling. I took heavy breaths as I pulled my trembling hands towards my chest, letting out a relieved breath when I didn’t fall. I stumbled my way towards my bathroom with black spots invading my vision. I almost fell as my hands slammed softly against the door, causing it to fling open, leaving me barely able to keep balance.

I moved in a zombie like manner as I roughly cleaned myself, making sure to get rid of the blood stains on my arm and hands as well as under my finger nails. When my bath was finished I stood in front of mirror and stared at my reflection.

It reflected me; with sickly pale skin, with dripping black locks that interfered with my vision, the dark circles under my eyes were more prominent, my eyes were also swollen, puffy from my crying, my cheeks looked more hallow and my lips were cracked like as if I haven’t drank water all my life.

After letting my eyes trace over my facial features, I began to observe my wounds. I had different size scratches that were scattered across my face. The larger ones ran down the sides of my face from when I had heard his voice.

Taking a heavy sigh, I placed my dirty clothes into my basket and walked carefully back to my room. I got dressed in loose clothing, not wanting them to pull at my wounds.

I stood rigidly at the edge of my bed in fear that if I were to do something wrong his voice would come back to haunt me. I moved with great care as I crawled into my bed, under its covers when I deemed that this would do me no harm. Laying on my stomach, I turned my face to the side, searching for To To, sighing in relief when I found him hidden under my blanket. I wrapped my arms gently around him and buried my head between his two soft ears, breathing in his scent, a scent that I knew for so long. As I continued to take deep breaths, I was slowly lured back to sleep.

~

“Ze-Zelo…” a soft voice whispered.

I furrowed at the call and squeezed my eyes as I wanted to prolong my sleep. I shifted around for a while, feeling uncomfortable like someone was staring at me. I sighed tiredly before I rolled onto my left side and peeked at my door, only to yelp in surprise.

Youngjae stood at my bedroom door in his school uniform, wearing his school bag on one shoulder while letting the other strap hang loosely behind him. We stared at each other, waiting for the other to talk first. The tension grew thicker between us, causing my breaths to become more labor with every rise and fall of my chest.

I sat up slowly, feeling fear plagued me as my heart beat furiously within me. I stared at my hands while I fiddled them with them on my lap. Youngjae sighed tiredly as he approached me and sat at the edge of my bed.

“What happened?” he whispered.

I swallowed audibly as my voice crack when I replied, “Nothing…”

“Than what are those scratches and bruise on your face?” he challenged.

I cringed in fright, just remembering about my face. I stayed silently, not knowing how to answer him. Never have I seen him have such a look of disappointment and pain before. I fiddled with my blanket, unable to look at him as I was too agitated.

Warm arms embraced me, causing me to stiffen as I felt Youngjae buried his face against the crook of my neck. After a while, I brought my arms up and shakingly wrapped them around him. Relief flooded in me as we stayed in each other’s clasp.

He had that same dull smell of books ever since we were young. I could remember how he and I would sit down in the park or one of backyard and he would read to me. Just like that one time where I would have rested my head in his lap and closed my eyes, letting his smoothing voice read out one of the many fairy tales that I loved. About how Cinderella was changed by her fairy god mother so that she could attend the ball of her prince charming.

I found it stupid how she had wanted to change and had not used that opportunity to run away from her home and start a new life but instead chose to pursuit someone that she barely knew. Yet, that had been one of the many stories I adored. I jerked back when I felt the fabric of my shirt slipt upwards.

“Zelo, why won’t you let me see what you’re hiding and I swear to the lord of the rabbits that if you say it is nothing which is not since I saw you winced, I will….I will kiss the living out of you,” Youngjae stressed.

I gulped and slowly backed away, hoping to the lord of the almighty rabbit that he would let me escape this with my life but Youngjae just tightened his arms around me, preventing me from doing so.

I could vaguely remember him doing this to me once. I could recall my face, arms, legs and belly cover not only in saliva but also his snot. I shivered at the memory in disgust and sneaked my hands towards his waist, having the intention of tickling him.

He rolled back and fell of my bed as he choked on his laughter. I smirked down at him as I watched him lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath. After a while he finally sat up and stared challengingly at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrink back, pulling my blanket up as I stared at him with watchful eyes. We remained like that, as if it was between a snake and mouse. Thankfully, Youngjae’s phone beeped, saving me from his slobbery attack.

“Fine if you won’t tell me than alright. One day…one day you’ll tell me,” he muttered with a tone of defeat as he stared down at his phone with eyebrows raised.

“Want to come over? I got a few new games I want to try out or and you should bring To To, cause I think Jo Ko is misses him,” Youngjae claimed.

I grinned excitedly before throwing my blanket of me and walked towards my closet as I pulled out a black mask that covered my lower cheeks, chin and nose. I placed it on and rearranged my fringes so that my wounds were no so visible before I grabbed my phone. I turned it on and I flinched as multiple notifications popped up, all of them were missed calls and unread messages from my friends and boyfriend. I hastily shoved my phone into my front pocket when I heard Youngjae approached me.

“Let’s go,” he said as he walked passed me.

I grabbed To To before running after him and yelling out to my mother where I’ll be.

~

THIRD PERSON

Youngjae’s room was tidy and simple with shades of yellow and red. He had his bed placed directly under the window that was opposite of his bedroom door, his desk was beside the bottom of his bed while a bed side table placed beside where his pillows were, his thick blanket was spread across the bed which only had a few wrinkles that Youngjae couldn’t smooth out, his television set and games were placed right after his table, and having a closet on the other side and a large bookself beside it and as well as a small glass coffee table in the middle of his room.

The moment Zelo entered Youngjae’s room; he trotted over to the bed and removed his mask and placed it with To To beside Jo Ko. He smiled lovingly at them as Youngjae and he both had matching objects that held so many memories. A furrow replaced his smile as he titled his head in confusion when he tried to remember how he got To To but nothing came to mind no matter how hard he thought.

 “Zelo pick the game you want to play first,” Youngjae said as he began to his blazer. Zelo didn’t mind Youngjae changing in front of him as they were always with each other.

Just as Youngjae had pulled his baggy shirt over his head, Zelo’s phone beeped.

“Get that for me will you?” Zelo absently said as he started to line the games in the order of which ones he wanted to play to the less.

Youngjae walked over to Zelo’s phone which was left on his bed beside the two rabbits. He slid his finger over the screen, pressing in the familiar numbers of Zelo’s password. Through narrow eyes he glared questionably at the unfamiliar number before reading the message.

Hope you didn’t miss me too much.

His fingers began to quiver, causing him to use both hands to hold the phone in fear of dropping it.

“What does it say?” Zelo called over his shoulder.

“Oh, it-it’s nothing. Just another message from the others,” he replied as he hastily erased the message.

After dropping the phone back beside the rabbits on his soft bed, he sighed in confusion, because it can’t be him, he shouldn’t know his number.

He nodded to himself as he mentally settled the small argument within him before he stumbled over to Zelo and sat down. Zelo was still trying to decide which games to play as he have five different ones spread out in front while the others were stacked upon each other. Another beep was heard but this time it was Youngjae’s phone.

He groaned before pushing himself off the ground and rumpled through his school clothes as he searched their pockets. He finally found his phone in one of the back pockets of his pants. After reading the message, he froze and paled instantly.

Hey, Youngjae. Just wanted to let you know, stay away from him. You know he’s mine.