~Chapter 26

 

Amy stretched, waking up from what felt like a very long and deep night’s sleep. The long day, yesterday, had tired out the two girls and Amy was thankful she’d been able to sleep so well. With her right hand, she sought out the panda necklace, fastened safely to her neck while her left hand searched for her cell phone. The display read 8:30 am. They were gone.

“Paige!” Amy yelped.

A still sleeping Paige woke up enough to open one eye and glared at her best friend. “What?” she grumbled.

“It’s after 8. The boys are gone.”

Paige couldn’t explain how empty it felt. This is silly. There’s no reason to feel like this. They had fair warning that the boys would be gone for 4 days, but still, it was nice having them around. What was worse, was that no one had come by to say goodbye.

“Tao didn’t wake me up! How could he leave without telling me goodbye?!” Amy jumped out of bed. Paige was sure that if Tao had been in the vicinity, he’d hear about 15 minutes of ranting before he’d be allowed to speak. At least he was headed to another country now.

“I’m sure he didn’t want to wake you up to be considerate, Amy.”

“I don’t care! He should have anyway!”

“No one woke me up either. They probably decided, as a group, to head out the door without disturbing us. Let’s go get some breakfast and then we can figure out what we want to do first today.”

“Alright,” Amy said, still upset.

Paige, out of routine, checked her bed head and sleepy face for anything embarrassing, even knowing there was no one in the house to impress. Amy grabbed the doorknob to exit the room, throwing Paige an impatient look.

“I’m coming!” Paige said, turning away from the mirror and following Amy out the door.

“Wait! Look!” Amy pointed at the door just after turning to close it. As with in the past, there was a note fastened to their door.

“Those boys,” Paige laughed. She grabbed the sticky note, reading it aloud.

We will see you in a few days! Hope you slept well. There is something waiting for you downstairs. Have fun!

Amy booked it down the stairs, looking around frantically until she spotted a massive envelope on the counter. She squealed with joy and tore it open pulling out a stack of papers, among other things.

“Sheesh! You could have waited a second!” Paige grumbled, sitting on one of the stools by the counter. “Here, give it!” Amy slid the packet to Paige, “Suho has to stop spoiling us.”

“I agree, but we wouldn’t be able to have nearly as much fun without his help,” Amy countered.

“Oh my goodness, look!” Paige took the stack of papers and laid them out across the counter. Each paper had a note written on it. Some were short, and in English. Others were in Korean or Mandarin with an English translation below it.

“Did Kris translate all of these?” Amy whispered.

“It is all the same handwriting for the English parts. But look, each piece of paper is from a different guy!”

“Where’s Tao’s?!?!!?” Amy rapidly searched through the twelve pieces of paper.

“Wait, they’re instructions,” Paige began, reading one written by Lay while Amy was shuffling through the papers. “Look, it’s a description of a specific place.” Paige put Lay’s down and picked up one from Suho. “See! Another one, but Suho’s has instructions. They want us to try to find what they’ve written and take a picture once we’ve found it.”

“AH HA!” Amy exclaimed after finding Tao’s instructions.  “Are these all in the same place?”

“Kimchi museum… Hey! This is at the mall!” Paige states after reading DO’s instructions. “Wait, I just barely told Luhan about the mall last night.”

Amy puts the notes back on the counter and stares at Paige for a moment. “Luhan pays a lot of attention to you.”

“I know.”

“Paige. A Lot," Amy paused for a moment. “I know you like Kai, but…”

“Luhan is a more than fantastic friend. I get it. Maybe it would be less complicated if I was less attached to all of them. You and Tao will work things out, no matter what. I don’t have that same relationship with any of them. It’s probably better that way. I’ll consider this trip a success if I can just keep a friendship with any of them overseas,” Paige reasoned. “Enough of this. We apparently have not only sight seeing, but a mission to go on! And I’m still starving!”

Amy laughed and turned around towards the fridge to fish out something for them to eat.

They devoured their breakfast, collected their things and were out the door within two hours.

 

---

 

“Oh my gosh, it’s SO cold!” Amy stated, basically breaking her way through the front door and back into the dorm. They had fumbled with the lock to get back in, mostly because their hands were frozen. They had been gone all day and it was definitely feeling like autumn wanted to become winter.

Paige slammed the front door shut behind her and threw on the main room lights while they took off their shoes. Neither of them wanted to take off their jackets, and instead, sat in the plush chairs in the main room until they could feel warmth starting to flood back through their veins.

“Did you send any of the pictures yet?” Paige asked Amy.

“Just the first 3. The other 4 that we took today I saved, but I haven’t sent them yet.”

“Do you have feeling in your fingers yet?” Paige laughed.

“Hardly,” Amy replied, pulling her cell phone from her pocket and accessing her camera roll while still shivering. She dramatically clicked to select the pictures and then hit the option to send. Pulling up Tao’s number, she sent the other 4 pictures with a txt that said they were home, trying to defrost.

“You sent the good ones right?” Paige asked.

Amy stifled a giggle.

“If you sent the one where you gave me no warning before you took it, I’m going to hurt you,” Paige warned.

“I’m only sending it to Tao.”

“He’s going to show EVERYONE!”

“Calm down! I didn’t send any bad pictures, see!” Amy said ing her cell phone towards Paige’s face.

“The kimchi one was ridiculous. Why did I have to be putting a piece of it in my mouth when we took the picture?”

“It’s cute! And we were specifically told to go try the different types of Kimchi.” Amy stated.

“The museum was pretty cool. I love the stuff, but I didn’t realize how many varieties there were. I thought Kimchi was just… Kimchi,” Paige stated. “Has Tao said anything?”

“Earlier, he said he was glad we figured out some of their instructions. He was pleased that we found his first.”

“Like you would have let us do any of the others first?”

Amy shrugged. “At least his wasn’t self-promoting like Baekhyun’s.”

“Yeah, sending us to Evan Records and mandating that we buy the MAMA album was pretty silly,” Paige agreed.

“But we have the albums now!” Amy laughed, pulling the album from her purse. “Oh and no, Tao isn’t responding. Maybe they’re in the middle of something. I’ll let you know if he txts me back.”

“Ugh. I’m going to go change and then grab a blanket instead of this jacket. Be right back,” Paige announced.

“We’re going back tomorrow right?!” Amy yelled up the stairs at Paige, who’d barely made it halfway up.

“Yes, but for different things. At least 2 of the other instructions look to be somewhere nearby. Then we have to figure out what the last 3 are,” Paige answered.

“Where’d you leave the papers?”

“They’re right there, in my bag.” Paige pointed towards the purse she’d left next to the chair she was sitting in. Amy snagged it and rifled through it trying to find the 5 they hadn’t found today.

“We still have a few days. We can do the two tomorrow and figure out the other 3 the next day,” Paige stated loudly as she finished climbing the stairs, heading towards the hallway.

 

---

 

“… and then the Aquarium. We can be a lot slower today than yesterday,” Paige finished going over the itinerary.

“How much money do we still have?” Amy asked.

“Enough. We didn’t quite use up half yesterday. The admission to the Aquarium is probably going to be the most expensive thing."

“Alright.”

They had slept well, waking up to Amy’s phone constantly buzzing for a good 15 minutes before she’d grabbed it and begun replying to the txts.

The boys had gotten back from promotional work very late at night and hadn’t bothered replying to the girls until they woke up that morning. However, once they had begun replying, the flood hadn’t stopped. Those who saw pictures of places they had suggested were pleased. Tao was sending messages as fast as he could as members told him different things to say. Some of the boys gave better clues to the last places they hadn’t found yet.

Amy had to finally put down her phone in order for them to get ready to leave for the day. She wasn’t sure what Exo had planned, but she laughed at the constant attention her inbox was getting.

As the girls loaded into their taxi, Amy began replying again. The flood had well stopped by that point, however, as it seemed that they were back to their schedules and without much more free time. 

 

---

 

“I’m just too tired for anything else. We walked everywhere today,” Paige complained, not wanting to go out after they’d finished dinner. She wanted to rest.

“But, we’re already out,” Amy whined, while they waited for a taxi.

“We can split tomorrow into two and head to the one park in the morning, come back and then head out again around dinner time. That way we save our money and have more energy for the night. The boys will be back sometime the following morning. Then we can be with them again before we head home.”

“Fine,” Amy agreed.

They ducked into the taxi and sped off towards the dorm. Once inside, Amy pulled out her cell phone and sent the couple of pictures they’d managed that day. They only had 2 to find. They had spent the morning at the Five Palaces before heading back to the Coex mall for the aquarium. They’d eaten plenty and were exhausted by 8 pm.

“Any replies?” Paige asked.

“Not yet. Do you want to just go chill in the tv room and see if any of our dramas have updated?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

They changed into some comfy clothes and brought blankets up to the TV room on the 3^rdfloor. Amy took control of the TV and searched for something they could watch.

Paige was lost in thought as it was taking Amy a long time to find something on the TV. Suddenly the remote hit the side of her leg. “Aish! What the heck?!”

Amy had her cell phone in her hand and was giggling.

“Never mind. I take it you’ve given up on searching for something to watch.”

“Mhhhmmmm,” Amy giggles.

Paige rolled her eyes and mindlessly looked through the programming. She found success rather quickly and settled in to watch the drama.

Amy jumped off the couch as a call came through on her cellphone, “Hey! Of course I miss you!” She clutches the phone to her ear and runs out of the TV room so that Paige doesn’t have to listen to her conversation instead of the TV.

“I see you found a few more places,” Tao stated. Amy could hear the smile in his voice.

“Yes. We walked a lot, but we’re still confused on the last 2 places. Paige wants to go out tomorrow morning to find them. So, we’ll try.”

“The last two were somewhat tricky, but you’ll know them once you come across it,” Tao laughed.

“How are things going in China?”

“Busy. Always busy, but it’s nice to be here,” Tao admitted.

“It’s still almost 2 days until I’ll see you again,” Amy grumbled.

“It’s a day and a half more days with your best friend before I try to take up all of what’s left of your time in Korea,” Tao stated.

“You have a point.”

“What are you two doing now?”

“We were just watching TV. I wanted to go do norebang, but Paige was too tired. We’re going to do that tomorrow night.”

“Don’t over do it. You should relax too.”

“I know you’re not relaxing. You guys are probably wiped out by now.”

“It comes with the territory,” Tao said dismissively.

“And yet, you’re worried about Paige and I?”

“Can’t help it,” Tao laughed. “You should get back to the dramas.”

“They’re not that important.”

“I know, but you should still go relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Who says I’m not perfectly happy right now, talking to you?” Amy questioned.

“No one would think of stating otherwise, however, I’m sure Paige doesn’t want to be alone anymore than you want to hang up.”

“She is perfectly fine with me talking to you! She’s not like that!” Amy argued.

“I didn’t mean it the way you seem to have taken it. But, I really should get off the phone.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“You’re wearing the necklace, right?” Tao checked.

“Would you like a selca to prove it?” Amy asked.

“Yes.”

“Alright,” Amy laughed. “I’ll hang up and then send you one.”

“Immediately, no running to find the thing and putting it on before you take the picture!”

“It’s on my neck right now!”

“Good night.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you, more.”

“Doubtful.”

“Good night.”

-click-

-snap-

-Image delivered-

See, I’m wearing it.

Good, baby girl. Goodnight.

 

---

 

Tao smiled at his cell phone saving the picture to his camera roll. When he glanced up, at least 7 pairs of eyes were looking at him as if he were nuts.

“What?!” he shouted.

Most of them looked away and said nothing.

“Which two places hadn’t they found?” DO asked.

“Luhan’s and Chen’s,” Tao replied.

“You two shouldn’t have made them so tricky!” Chanyeol stated.

“They found all the others too quickly. Someone had to be creative!” Chen stated defensively.

“If they don’t find the last two, we can take them there ourselves,” Luhan retorted.

“Good point!” Chen agreed.

“Are they really just watching TV?” Baekhyun stated, slightly jealous.

“Amy wanted to go out longer, but Paige was tired,” Tao explained.

“She’s always tired,” Kai muttered.

“Are you still hung up on the first few days they were with us? It’s not like she’s narcoleptic,” Luhan replied.

“I was kidding,” Kai stated. “You’re always so defensive over her.”

“Better than making her feel self conscious,” Luhan whispered to himself.

“What?” Kai asked.

“Nothing.”

“Hmph.”

“You guys have been bickering too much lately,” Suho stated.

“They’re not the only ones,” Lay pointed out, staring at Tao and Kris who were sitting on separate sides of the room. They hadn’t bickered, per say, but they’d gone out of their way to avoid speaking to each other unless it was necessary.

Kris rolled his eyes. He looked up at Tao, still jealous at overhearing his conversation with Amy on the phone. He knew he should get over it. The ship had well sailed by now, but he wasn’t ready to let go of it yet. The locket was a constant nagging reminder that she wasn’t with him. She was with Tao. If she’d been with him, he would have already given the locket back. He would give it back before she left. He just didn’t know how to without coming off like an .

Just then, a knock sounded on the door alerting the twelve that it was time for their last commitment of the day.

 

---

 

Paige pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She had never gained any of their cell numbers and suddenly wanted the exact same thing Amy had. She would have liked to tell Luhan about their last two days and ask if their days had been going smoothly. She wanted to check in with Kai and know if he missed her, at all. She ran a hand through her hair while bringing up the browser window on her smart phone. She typed in Exo and hit search. Instead of watching the drama, she looked through images. She missed them more than she should ever admit.

Amy came skipping back into the TV room shutting the door behind her. “What did I miss?”

“Not sure, I got distracted,” Paige mumbled, still staring at her phone.

“With what?”

“Just searching things online, nothing important. How are the guys?”

“Busy,” Amy replied.

“I knew that much. Any specifics?”

“Tao didn’t really say much about what they’d been doing.”

“Should I restart this episode?” Paige asked, picking up the remote and closing the app on her cell phone.

“Sure!” Amy stated, making herself into a comfortable ball on the couch.

Paige restarted the episode. The girls watched almost 3 hours worth until they both were yawning and catching themselves drifting off. They vacated the TV room in favor for the bedroom on the second floor. Paige set an alarm for the morning and both of them quickly fell asleep.

 

---

 

“Why don’t you see what you can find to make for lunch? I can’t believe how warm it is today! I’m going to change into something more suitable and just bring a jacket with me when we leave later. Plus, the cell phone needs a charge boost!” Amy stated. It was definitely still winter, but when the girls had left in layers, they’d regretted it. Removing a layer or two meant they still had too much to carry around with them.

"If you'd stop texting so much, you wouldn't need to charge it!" Paige joked, enjoying the hard time she could give her best friend. Laughing to herself she walked into the kitchen. They’d only been able to find the spot Luhan had suggested; Chen’s eluded them. They’d even gone so far as to ask people around them what they thought it was, but most seemed generally confused. It was almost 1 in the afternoon. To save what was left of their funds, they’d decided to come back to the dorm for lunch.

Paige had taken off a layer of clothing and left it on one of the main room chairs after taking off her shoes. She would run them upstairs in a moment, but she was definitely more worried about her hunger. She opened the fridge and began to investigate the contents within.

Amy had bounded up the stairs and burst into the bedroom. She threw her clothes on the bed and grabbed an outfit that she deemed was more appropriate for the remainder of the day. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and put it on the bed, attaching it to the charger that was plugged into the wall nearby and then ran across the hall to the bathroom to change.

Amy tossed her other clothes back through the door to the bedroom and onto her bed, telling herself she would take care of it as soon as she was done with lunch. If the boys had been home, there was no way she would have left the room in any amount of disarray. However, she had the luxury to do so at that moment in time.

She practically ran down the stairs. “Have you found anything promising?!” she shouted to Paige from about halfway down the stairs.

“Nothing, yet!” Paige replied.

Soon, Amy was standing next to her, checking the neighboring cabinet. “It’d be a real bummer if we came back here and really found nothing at all. That would kind of kill the whole reason behind coming to the dorm.”

The rifling through things in the kitchen created a loud enough commotion that neither of the girls heard the footsteps coming down the flight of stairs that Amy had descended moments ago.

 

“WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?!”

 

---

 

The phone, back on Amy’s bed, buzzed a few times. A notification lit up the face of the phone with one sentence.

 

From Tao

Where are you, right now?!

 

---

 

 

A/N

I'm going to be attempting to wrap up Stranded this week during Spring Break. It's my goal!

I will not promise an update any earlier than my normal Friday updates. (so we'll see!)

Always and Never should be getting it's final chapter as well this week.

 

Thanks for reading!! :D