When morning came, Kyuhee felt beyond exhausted. It was as if she hadn’t gotten any rest at all. She moved sluggishly about in her room and even after showering she still felt drained and weak.  The temptation to just stay at home and sleep the whole day was really great but Kyuhee decided to it up and just get to class. Her dad dropped her off at the front of the school’s gate. Kyuhee met Sulli there and headed to class together. Sulli kept rambling on about her day while Kyuhee barely paid any attention.

“Hey! Kyu?” Sulli waved her hand infront of Kyuhee’s face. It took a few seconds before Kyuhee realized what Sulli was doing.

“Oh Sulli! I’m sorry!” Kyuhee apologized to her friend for not listening.

“It’s ok. But you seem really tired today, did anything happen?” Sulli asked worriedly at her.

“Oh no, it’s nothing. I just didn’t get that much sleep last night.” Kyuhee said as she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

“Why? Did you cram on school work?”

“No, of course not. It’s just that I woke up in the middle of the night because of a weird dream.”

“Really? What did you dream about?”

“Do you remember the imaginary friend I had when I was a kid?” Sulli nodded in interest.

“Well, I dreamt about him. I was sitting underneath this weird huge tree and then suddenly he was there. I couldn’t believe it and so I told him he wasn’t real but he kept insisting that he was. He tried to….”

“What? What did he try to do?” Sulli’s eyes were wide, she felt worried about her friend. Kyuhee had only ever once talked about this imaginary friend of her once when they were in middle school. He was the reason why her friend didn’t really open up to manuy people.

“He tried to hug me. He kept saying things about him not wanting to leave me alone back when I was a kid. It was so weird and I just felt so angry at him.” Kyuhee clenched her fists tightly at her side. The frustration and resentful anger returning. Sulli noticed her friend’s anger. Sulli clasped Kyuhee’s hand comfortingly.

“It’s alright Kyu. Don’t think about him anymore, you said it yourself… He’s not real, so you don’t have to stress yourself thinking about him.”

Kyuhee sighed tiredly. “Yeah, you’re right Sul. Come on, let’s just get to class I don’t want to think about him anymore.”

“Okay.”

They got to class with time to spare. Through out the day, Kyuhee still felt weak but she still pushed herself to go on. She didn’t want to go to the Clinic since she didn’t want to miss anything in her class.

When lunch break finally came, she and Sulli once again sat with their other friends. She picked listlessly at her food which the others took notice of.

“Hey Kyu, you’re not touching your food…. Are you okay?” Amber said worriedly across from her.

“Huh, oh… yeah… I’m just not hungry I guess.” Kyuhee shrugged pushing her tray away. Her head was throbbing in pain. Maybe it was time to go see the nurse?

“Are you feeling alright?” Luna said reaching her hand out to her forehead. Luna pulled back after immediately feeling the scorching heat radiating from Kyuhee.

“You’re burning up! Why didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well?”

“Because, I’m fine.” Kyuhee denied that she was infact not feeling well.

“You’re not fine! We should go to the clinic now.” Luna said standing up from her seat.

“Yah! I’m fine Luna! I don’t need to go to the clinic!” Kyuhee insisted as she felt another wave of dizziness hit her.

“You’re obviously lying, Kyu! Why don’t you want to go to the clinic?”

“Because!” Kyuhee stood up too and glared at Luna.

“Because what?” Luna said crossing her arms expectantly as she stared at Kyuhee.

“If I go to the clinic now, they’ll probably try to contact my dad! If he finds out that I’m not feeling well he won’t let me go on the trip anymore!”

“What! Omo! He’s letting you go?” Luna sat back down again. She couldn’t believe the news.

“Yes.” Kyuhee sighed as she sat down again. She put her fingers to her forehead, trying to ease her head ache.

“You can’t just ignore it Kyu. You’re not well.” Victoria said in concern.

“But… I can handle it…” Kyuhee mumbled weakly.

“If your dad doesn’t let you go, we’ll understand. What’s important is that you feel better. Now let’s go.” Victoria said but was then stopped suddenly by Krystal who’d been quiet throughout the entire time.

“Wait! I have some medicine! It’s really effective! Kyu can just drink it so she won’t have to go to the clinic!” Krystal said as she dug around her pack for her medicine pouch.

“Here it is!” Krystal said and then hurriedly searched it for the medicine Kyuhee needed. When she found it, Krystal gave it to Kyuhee and handed her some water.

“Hey, wait. Are you sure it’s okay to just take those?” Sulli asked as she eyed the pill in Kyuhee’s hand.

“Yeah! I’ve used those before, it’s totally okay. She’ll feel better in no time.” Krystal insisted.

“Still though, we should really go to the nurse.” Victoria cut in.

“But!”

“It’s ok. I’ll try Krystal’s medicine. I really don’t want to go to the nurse… But if it doesn’t work, I’ll go to the clinic.” Kyuhee said as she took the pill. After a few minutes, she felt relieved.

“Did it work?” Luna asked as she reached out to feel Kyuhee’s forehead again. She didn’t feel as hot anymore.

“Wow! You don’t feel that hot anymore.” Luna said in awe and Kyuhee smiled in relief.

“See! I told you it works!” Krystal said happily.

“Yeah, that must be some good meds, Krys. Where’d you get it?” Amber asked, raising an eyebrow at Krystal.

“It’s an herbal medicine that my Halmeoni makes.” Krystal said proudly.

“But it’s a pill…” Sulli commented sceptically.

“Of course it is! She’s hoping to start selling these stuff soon.” Krystal smiled sweetly at Sulli. Victoria raised a brow at Krystal, but then turned to Sulli.

“Ok. Lunch is almost over and since Kyu’s feeling better, we really don’t have to go the clinic anymore but if she starts feeling unwell again you have to take her to the infirmary Sulli.” Victoria said to Sulli seriously.

“Yeah, just leave it up to me!” Sulli nodded.

The rest if the day passed by rather uneventfully and so did the rest of the week. Soon the day of the trip finally arrived. Kyuhee was more than ready for it. She’d made sure she had all the things she needed. Clothes, snacks, and all her other necessities were packed in her luggage. She double checked all her stuff to make sure she was not missing anything.  She was excited and had been happily anticipating the day of the trip.

Her dad on the other hand was another story. Instead of excitement, all Leeteuk could feel through the week had been dread. There were numerous times that he’d almost taken back his permission. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he didn’t want to disappoint Kyuhee.

Would it be okay?

Or

Would this be the worst decision he’d ever make?

Leeteuk pondered silently as he drove Kyuhee to her school. Apprehension and anxiety settled in him, his grip on the steering wheel was tight, turning his knuckles white from the lack of circulation.

The drive certainly felt like the longest he’d ever driven.

The school’s gate was like a looming sight for him.

‘Maybe it would be good to turn back now?’ He thought to himself as he pulled up in front of the school.

 Beyond the school’s gate were dozens of students gathered together for the trip. Leeteuk sighed as he turned to his daughter.

Kyuhee was smiling at him, light shone brightly in her teal orbs.

“Thank you so much for letting me go , Appa!” Kyuhee said happily as she unbuckled herself and threw her arms around him. Leeteuk hugged her tightly back, even if he didn’t like it, his little girl was growing up.

After a moment, he felt her pull away from him.

He sighed once more and unbuckled himself.

“Come on, let’s get this over with.” He said sullenly as he got out of the car.

Kyuhee frowned but didn’t say anything. She knew how reluctant he was about the whole trip and he was probably very worried about it. Kyuhee got out of the car after her dad.

Leeteuk popped the trunk of the car open and took out his daughter’s luggage. He carefully set it down and then closed the trunk. He handed it to Kyuhee.

Kyuhee took her luggage from him, pulling out the metal handles as she set it beside her.

“Now, you know what we talked about Kyu.” Leeteuk said to her seriously.

“Yes, appa. I’ll let you know when we arrive at the hotel and I’ll send SNS updates about the trip.” Kyuhee smiled reassuringly at her father. Leeteuk patted her on the head.

“Alright. You take care now and remember, if anything goes wrong don’t hesitate to call me.”

Kyuhee nodded at him and once more she threw her arms around her dad for a hug.

“Love you, Appa.” Kyuhee said as she buried her face in her father’s chest.

“Love you too, Kyu.” Leeteuk said as he patted Kyuhee’s back comfortingly.

They stayed like that for a while, before Sulli appeared.

Sulli bowed respectfully at Leeteuk.

“Hello, Park-ssi.” Sulli said nervously.

“Hello, Sulli. It’s nice to see you again.” Sulli blushed as she heard those words. She had a bit of a crush on her friend’s dad.

“U-uhm… Kyuhee and I have to go now, Park-ssi. We have to be with our class now.” Sulli stuttered self-consciously at her friend’s dad.

Kyuhee giggles at Sulli before bidding her father good bye. The two friends bowed at Leeteuk then went on their way.

Leeteuk stayed for a while, watching as his daughter’s back until she disappeared in the mass of students gathered together. With a sigh he went back to his car and left, silently praying for his child’s safety.

Kyuhee and Sulli weave their way through the mass of students. Once they reach their class, they find their homeroom teacher calling out names of the students. Checking over those who were already there. When the teacher was done they were led inside one of the many buses lined up. She and Sulli were fortunate enough to grab a seat near the front which was good since the back often housed the more rambunctious members of the class. Sulli let Kyuhee take the seat by the window so that Kyu could enjoy the scenery.

Glancing out the window, Kyuhee watched as their schoolmates also boarded their respective buses. By chance, she glanced down and her eyes met the familiar orbs of Kim Joonmyun. He smiled charmingly at her from where he stood in line and even waved rather happily at her. Kyuhee shyly waved back before turning away from the window. Digging through her pouch, she retrieved her phone and sent a message to her dad.

-I'm on the bus now, Appa. I think we're leaving as soon as everyone is ready  -

Her phone chimed the familiar tune of her ringtone.

-Alright, Kyu. Take care. Enjoy your trip.- Was her father's reply. Kyuhee smiled to herself as she read his short message. She leaned back on her seat. Beside her Sulli was chatting up with some of their classmates who sat on the opposite side of them.

About ten minutes passed before the bus moved, soon they were out on the road. Kyuhee watched the scenery outside with utmost fascination. She’d been on trips with her family before but there was just something about this trip that made it seem like everything was new and fresh to her. Perhaps it was simply the fact that this would be the first time going out on her own that made it everything seem much more special.

The hours of the drive seemed to roll by rather quickly as Kyuhee enjoyed her time alternating between watching out the window and socializing with her classmates. When they got to the destination, Kyuhee sent another message to her dad about safely arriving. Their teachers instructed them to settle into the rooms before and take a break before they would proceed to the first activity of the trip. She and Sulli headed up to their shared room and quickly put away their stuff. The two of them headed back down and met up with the others. They spent their break chatting amongst each other. When the teacher called them all to assemble to start the first activity, they once again parted ways to join their own classes.

The teacher listed off the itinerary of activities they would be undertaking throughout the following days. Amongst the activities were some team building exercises, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

All throughout the day, Kyuhee happily enjoyed the activities with everyone. There were quite a few times she’d caught Joonmyun staring at her and whenever she’d catch him, she would end up blushing profusely much to Sulli’s delight. She found herself being much more self-conscious as her eyes would meet with Joonmyun’s. He didn’t even bother to act as if he hadn’t been staring at her with the way he would continue to send charming smiles her way. She half expected him to approach her but he never did.

Twilight soon fell upon them and the day’s activities were over. Kyuhee stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with her towel. She was dressed comfortably enough with her oversized gray shirt and sweat pants. Sulli went for a shower after her. Kyuhee sat on the edge of her bed and continued on drying of her hair while also scrolling down on her phone contacts, when she heard a knock on their door. Standing up, Kyuhee went over to the door and opened it to reveal Krystal.

“Hey Krystal, did you need something?” Kyuhee asked her friend.

“Uhm, yeah. I was wondering if you could come with me for a few minutes. I wanted to show you something.” Krystal said rather nervously to her.

“Oh, ok but Sulli’s still in the shower, do you want to wait for her? She might want to come too…” Kyuhee glanced over to the door of the bathroom.

“No! Uhm… I don’t think Sulli will want to come. Besides, I just really want to hang out with you. Just the two of us.” Krystal insisted.

“Uh, alright. Do you mind giving me a few minutes? I’m just gonna fix up before we go.” Kyuhee said.

“Yeah, sure. I don’t mind.” Krystal said with a tight smile.

Kyuhee went to her bed where she picked up her comb from the pouch that sat on top of it. She finished drying off her hair and combed it neatly. She packed up her stuff that was on the bed and placed it back into her luggage.

“Sulli, I’m gonna head out with Krystal for a few minutes okay?” Kyuhee called out.

Sulli unfortunately didn’t seem to hear her through the sound of the running water.

Kyuhee was about to call out again but Krystal was already impatiently tapping her foot from where she stood by the door.

Kyuhee went over to Krystal and they both headed down. But she didn’t notice that she’d forgotten to take her phone with her.

They went out into the woods in silence. Krystal led the way, holding out her flashlight to illuminate their path.

“So, what is it you wanted to show me?” Kyuhee asked Krystal curiously as she trailed after her friend.

“I saw this nice small lake, earlier this afternoon it even had a waterfall and I thought you’d probably like to see it.” Krystal said to her but didn’t bother to turn to her.

If Krystal did turn, Kyuhee would have seen the tears running down her cheeks.

She didn’t want to do this.

But…

She just had too.

Kyuhee continued to follow Krystal in silence. It didn’t take long for them to reach the lake. It was certainly beautiful. She would have also enjoyed it more if it wasn’t dark.

“It’s really nice, Krystal.” Kyuhee said as she looked around.

“…” Krystal stayed weirdly silent. Curios, Kyuhee turned back to look at her friends.

The sight of Krystal’s tears struck something in her.

“Hey, what’s wrong Krystal?” Kyuhee tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but Krystal simply brushed it off. Stepping back from her.

“I’m so sorry, Kyu.” Krystal said quietly.

“Wha- What are you saying sorry for?” Kyuhee asked bewildered.

“I had to do this. I’m so sorry but I just really had to.” Krystal babbled on, there was a slight panic laced in her voice.

“What are you talking about? You’re seriously freaking me out Krys!” Kyuhee exclaimed.

“They said they’d give her back, if I brought you to them, they’d give her back…”

“Her? Who’s her?” Kyuhee couldn’t understand what was happening? Who is Krystal talking about?

“My sister. Jessica.” Kyuhee’s eyes widened. Jessica was Krystal’s sister but she’d disappeared two years ago.

“But Krystal, Jessica’s gone.” Kyuhee said quietly.

“No, she isn’t. She was just taken, but everything’s alright now… they’re going to give her back to me.” The way Krystal said those words made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Her instincts were telling her to run, leave Krystal behind and just run.

Kyuhee wanted nothing more than to do that but she was frozen. She could not move at all from her place, as if some invisible force was preventing her from moving even an inch away from Krystal. Kyuhee felt a pair of arms circle around her waist. A familiar scent enveloping her. She knew this scent.

After all, she’d just dreamt of him a week before.

Kai.

She didn’t have to turn her head to know it was him but she did anyway.

He was smiling at her as he held her. The broad smile plastered on his face disturbed her.

How was this possible?

Kai wasn’t real.

Was she hallucinating?

A cry broke her away from her thoughts, turning her head she saw a woman being thrown down beside Krystal. Krystal frantically knelt and cupped the woman’s face.

Jessica.

She didn’t get much of a glimpse of the person who’d thrown Jessica down.

Kyuhee watched as Krystal hugged her sister for dear life, sobbing quite loudly as she did so.

Kyuhee tried to call out but no sound came out from her. She tried to struggle against Kai’s hold but it was futile.

Tears of frustration ran down her cheeks.

What was going to happen to her?

“Let’s go home princess.”

Kai whispered into her ear lovingly.

Her eyes widened as she heard him.

Then she knew no more.

A/N: 

SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING LAST WEEK, I REALLY HAD ALOT OF THINGS TO DO!!

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. 

If you guys are into Vixx & Vampires, you can check out my other story:

Eternity(Oneshot)

Eternity: First Blood (1st chapter up)