It was freezing. The room was pitch black. With the exception of her heavy breathing, the empty space was still.

She took a step forward into nothingness. The noise echoed for miles, bouncing off the unseen walls. They were trapped.

"Help me!"

The call for aid sliced through the deafening silence. Immediately, Alice recognized it.

"Yooyoung, I'm coming to get you. Don't move."

It was too late. The monster within awoke from its slumber. Alice quickened her footsteps.

"Alice, I'm scared..."

"Stay calm, I'm coming."

She had to persevere for the sake of the younger.

A gasp. A tear. She heard gruesome ripping and knew that another was sacrificed. The chances of it being her comrade...

She shivered.

"Alice!"

"I know!"

Fear started to eminate as her confidence faded. Before she knew it, her body bolted in a southerly direction, away from the source of the voice. She had to leave. 

She had to leave Yooyoung.

"Alice! What's taking so long?"

She ran faster.

"Alice?!"

At this point, the monster caught her. 

"Where are you going, Alice? Don't leave me behind!"

She began screeching in pain. Poison fumes filled her body, corroding her flesh. She shook violently, flopping away on the marble floor.

"Alice! Quick! Quick! They're dying!"

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

Her vision screamed crimson no matter where she looked. The torturous flames were painfully prickling her from the inside, slowly infecting her veins and arteries. She clawed on the hard floor, trashing about like a psychopath.

"Young! Stop it!! It hurts! Stop it now!"

The pain increased ten folds despite begging. Droplets of tears trickled down her cheeks. Her sobs were hitched and broken.

She threw her head back in agony and sewed her lips shut. She couldn't scream. It was useless. No one could save her.

"I can't do it, Alice."

She froze.

"No! Do you hear me, Lee Yooyoung?! Don't you dare."

"I'm sorry, Alice."

"Young-"

"Forgive me, Juhee."

It was the end. 

Her spine shattered into a million pieces and she twisted in the most horrendous way. A silent gasp escaped.

"Alice?"

There wasn't a reply.

"Alice, you need to return this instant."

Her soul faded away with the breeze.

"Snap out of it, quick."

 

 

3.00 am.

It was just another nightmare after all.

A silver of light streamed into the confined cubicle she called a bedroom. Her hands automatically reached for the plain curtains, blocking out the luminous moonlight. She shook off the beads of sweat gathering on her forehead; whether it be from the sultry weather, or the haunting nightmares, she wasn't too sure. Maybe airconditioning would do her good.

"Pick up the damn phone, woman." 

Alice groaned, unnecessary pain invading her mind. Being penetrated by the voice of your minion in the middle of the night hurt like .

"You should be grateful I saved your back there." said the voice on the other end of the line after the first ring.

"I don't give two hoots about my wellbeing, sister. Mind your own business." her pupils flickered, trying to adjust to the darkness. "How's Yooyoung?"

"She's fine." Yoonjo replied, her voice gruff, similarly filled with sleep. "False alarm."

"Are you physically with her?" 

"No. I checked in her thoughts and she seemed at peace." 

"Are you serious? You don't know for sure if she's safe." Alice began, anger rising in her chest.

"Shut up." Yoonjo murmured.

"Be proactive for once." Alice growled. "She might be in danger. Having three eyes doesn't make you reliable. Heck, even reincarnating as Nara doesn't make you reliable. With that lazy of yours-"

"Let me finish," Yoonjo interceded before the blond could proceed with her grumpy nagging. "I'm sorry if I'm not 'physically with her' at the moment, Your Highness. However, my apparent 'incompetence' that you speak so kindly of has contacted another one of our 'minion' friends regarding the situation. She's on her way."

"Who?" Alice demanded with a roll of her eyes. "And don't give me attitude or I'll personally walk over and whoop your ."

"Ara," Yoonjo mutters under her breath. "You're welcome."

There was silence between the duo before Alice spoke up. "I didn't mean to call you 'lazy'."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." It was the closest thing to an apology she could get from their fearless leader. Yoonjo dismissed it, already used to the older gem's hot temper. In their entire existance, Alice had only apologized once, and Yoonjo honestly didn't think she'd ever want a repeat of that time. "If you're so worried about her, you should pay her a visit yourself."

"I'm not worried."

Yoonjo scoffed, "Like I'll believe that. Amongst the five of us, I'm the least likely to fall for your stupid lies."

"Only because you have a freaky eyeball to spare."

"Still a hundred times better than anger management issues, right?" Yoonjo shrugged sluggishly. "We'll be meeting tomorrow, Chief. Check on her yourself if you doubt my kickass abilities so much."

Another pause slides itself into their conversation, this one filled with meaning Yoonjo caught on quickly. "You're not going?"

It was more of a statement than a question. She pulls her lips into a thin line, disappointment washing over her features. "I want you to go."

"I'll be leaving after the first hour, anyways. There isn't a point."

"Yes, there is. You showing up, shoving your pretty but stinking face up our noses, believe it or not, we need it." Yoonjo argued. "It's been months, Juhee. We haven't heard from you, much less seen you. It's the longest we've been without each other, and now it's time to reunite."

Alice sighed yet again. One simple line. The younger gem knew perfectly well that she had won the argument from the moment she uttered 'I want you to go'. Yoonjo, in the presence of company, was taciturn. For some odd reason, though, with Alice, the problematic front disappears, and vice versa. Alice knew exactly why: they brought out the best in each other. Or rather, Alice's entitled abilities as their leader worked its magic when the situation calls for. The existing conversation, for example, was just one of the many moments Yoonjo managed to 'speak Alice'. It was as if Yoonjo had her grasped firmly in her tiny little hands.

Of course, Alice's entitled leader abilities also gave her the power to be a leader when she needed to. If the strawberry blond thought she had complete victory, she was completely wrong. Alice always, always, had control over the situation.

"When you start talking to our teammates the way you blabber to me every night, I'll probably start listening to the crap you sprout." Alice smirked. "Hypocrite."

"Go back to sleep." Yoonjo groaned, feeling the urge to bang her head against a wall. "I'll contact you if anything goes wrong."

"Call me like a normal person, please."

"Pssh, like you're one to speak, Chief."

"Through the phone line, with a phone." she emphasized, not wanting a repeat of earlier on.

"Sure, Chief."

"Oh, and, Jo?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"Stop calling me that."

"No probs, Chief."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course, Chief."

"Stop it."

"But why? It's only right if I address you formally, Chief."

And the line goes dead.