It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, every one was smiling. Really, anyone who thought normally would want to go out and do whatever under the sun. But as the people around her enjoyed the beautiful summer day, there she was rotting (or so she calls it) as she served the demanding customers in the café. She could not complain, not even scoff at the young people who asked for tissue then by the time she arrived, they would ask for an extra piece of fork for their cake (she swear she wanted to chop their heads off right there and then).

Wendy contemplated now and then as to why people liked coffee when the sun was screeching down at them, shouting to get ice cream instead. Sweat having the collars of their shirts damp but these people—they prefer sipping coffee within the cold interior of the café. If they could just step out, everything would be better. She would close the café down or something. But she needed the cash so she attended to one of those annoying students again, “Do you mind if I get your number, miss?”

The girl in the uniform smiled, her lips tightly pressed to one another. Clearly, Wendy was not pleased as to how this man (or boy) spoke. “I’m sorry but we don’t give our waitresses numbers away. This is not a bar and if you are looking for one, I would suggest you leave this café,” Wendy sighed, it was due to relief. Her manager, a close friend of hers, ushered her back to the counter.

“Next time they say such things to you, I ing swear,” Wendy chuckled at the temper of her manager, her hands quickly settling on the buff shoulders in hopes that would calm the big man down. His temper was just as big as himself. “There there, I know I know. Calm down already,”

“You’re just really popular with the male students around, Wendy,” Wendy was smug, cocky all of a sudden as she then starts to clean the utensils that she would definitely use in the future. She knew she was beautiful. People needed that; confidence. “I know,” she chirped, earning a sigh from the tall man that was now receiving an order from a regular customer.

“You know,” he started again once the order was done, walking to Wendy’s side and stick the sticky note onto the board. It indicated that Wendy needed to start attending to this order (caramel macchiatio, god these people like this flavor so much). “I wouldn’t mind acting as your boyfriend just to scare these s away,” Wendy laughed before turning her head to glance at her superior.

“Oppa, you know that Yifan would not really be happy about that,” Tao sighed, his fingertips pinching the bridge of his nose. The taller man knew Wendy was correct. “I just don’t really appreciate bastards in my café,” Wendy merely shrugged as she then leans against the counter, her fingers raking through her blonde hair. She hoped that this day would end earlier, maybe she could convince Tao to end the day earlier to spend more time with Yifan. He was saying something about dinner anyway.

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

“We should go on a vacation,” Wendy was cleaning the last batch of trays they had used while Tao mopped the floor. The dirty shoes left creases and marks on the waxed floor and Tao had a thing of sparkly floor so he cleaned every corner until it was shining.

“And why should we go on a vacation?” Wendy asked, bringing the used paper cups to the trash bin, the dark trays back onto the shelf where they were supposed to be, and the plates onto the sink where soon she started cleaning. Tao merely shrugged, back to the counter where Wendy was busy scrubbing the white plates.

“I don’t know. I think we need it. Yifan and I need it as well,” Wendy scoffed, wiping a droplet of sweat that was running down her temples with her shoulder.

“You’re just going to make me the third wheel,”
“Am not,”
“Oh please,”
“We need to rest. Really,”

Wendy laughed. She knew Tao made a point. She felt like she would collapse any moment now and the fact that she was not done for the day made her mood fouler. As she finishes the plates, she settles them onto its container. As she dried her hands, pressing them against the cloth of her skirt, she walked closer to her manager and bumped her shoulder against his own.

“Alright alright. I’ll go. As long as you guys get a room by the time we’re together,” Tao squinted his eyes at the short girl, earning a giggle from her.

“I gotta go oppa. Text me!”

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

Pushing the door of her apartment open, Wendy sighed as she threw her keys onto the counter by the door. She did not mind removing her shoes anymore so she has her feet dragging against the wooden floor. Her body felt like collapsing. It felt like all the weight in the world is now settled on her shoulders and her knees are not cooperating with her. She was just a little girl (but not so little with the age) who was thriving to survive in the urban city.

Slipping into her bedroom, she flops down onto the bed and just then removing her shoes. She did not want to do anything but lay on her comfy bed and just pass out. It felt like her bed was her in, pulling her soul out of her body and for a moment, Wendy wished it would stay that way forever.

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

It was windy, the complete opposite of the weather yesterday. The clouds were heavy down on the ground, gloomy and grey. It seemed like their color has affected the people down below but Wendy did not mind. She liked the gloomy weather. But then this place looked familiar, too familiar. Glancing left and right, Wendy tried her best to comprehend what was happening.

She was dreaming.

Wendy was aware that she was away from reality but despite her efforts of waking herself up, she found herself stuck in this dark grey place. She shouted, her voice so loud but she did not make a sound. Not even a squeak. And just then she saw a girl by the distance. This woman was clad in white. It was not so white anymore however as dirt stained its hem. There was blood as well. She looked like she was badly hurt.

But Wendy focused on one thing that caught her attention the most. The girl’s eyes.

They were shiny yellow. And cat-like. Wendy could not figure out the girl’s features, they were blur. But she was certain this was her first time seeing a person with such a piercing gaze. But this is not the first time she saw the girl. She had dreamed of this girl during her previous nights as well. However Wendy was well aware that this time, it felt different.

The girl reached out as if asking for help and Wendy tried to run towards her, her own hand stretched as well. But as she ran, she did not move. The girl remained in her place and it looked like Wendy was not running at all. But that did not crumble Wendy’s will. Rather, it fueled her. She ran as fast as she could until she landed onto a hole she did not know that was there.

By the time she reached the ground, she jolted up from her bed, breathing and panting for oxygen. “ing Christ,” she cursed as she clutched onto her chest, her forehead wet from her sweat. She figured she was having such dreams because of stress. She took a hot shower after that, and thankfully by the time she laid back on her bed, she was able to sleep peacefully.

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

The next morning, Wendy was certain she was fully awake this time, she made her way to the café. To her surprise, the door had a ‘close’ sign hanging before it. Knitting her brows, she pushed the unlocked door open and by the time she stepped into the cozy interior, she was greeted with another tall man she was acquainted of.

“Wendy! Tao said we’d go out for a vacation today,” Yifan wrapped his buff arms around her little frame, having the short girl chuckle as she returned the kind gesture. He smelled nice and manly. Like maybe he was using an expensive perfume that Hollywood starts endorsed. Had Wendy did not know that this man is dating her manager, she would totally fall for him. His features were breathtaking as well. What a lucky bastard, Wendy thought.

“What? But Tao did not tell me,” then Tao appeared from the kitchen. Yifan stepped aside, letting the girl consult with her manager. “Yah, I thought I said you’d text me,”

“I know, I know I said that. But it’s just—“ As Yifan made his way farther from the close friends, Tao dragged Wendy to the other side of the room. “This is to surprise him. It’s our half-year anniversary tomorrow,”

“Half-year? Do you celebrate that ?” Wendy winced and flinched away feeling a hard pinch on her side. Covering , Tao tried his best not to gain the attention of his lover that was on the other side of the room. Caressing her side (that would probably leave a bruise), Wendy glared at the taller man. “Shut the up,”

“Just tag along. We won’t have , I promise.”
Wendy contemplated for a while, “No kissing,”
“What?” Tao furrowed his brows before sighing, “No kissing,”
“No whispering,”
“Okay,”
“No sweet words,”
“For ’s sake Wendy. How do you want us to act on our anniversary? Like strangers?”
“I’m kidding,” Wendy giggled before placing a quick peck on Tao’s cheek.

And before Wendy could remember, she was already in the passenger side of Tao’s car (a Honda something, Wendy could not remember. She was not great with cars) fiddling on her phone. “I’m just going to tell my other managers that I’ll not be around,”

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

The crickets chirped and the birds were no longer singing their harmonious melody. The dark engulfed everything as if any kind of life that was previously active during the day. Tao, surprisingly, started the fire and there Wendy was, warming up her clammy hands. Yifan was setting the tent up while Tao fixed their dinner. Sausage and marshmallow.

“Since when did Korean people like spending the night in the middle of the woods,” Wendy said as she was settled on the log that they saw at the trail. They were not far from civilization but they were distant enough to hear nothing but Mother Nature singing. Tao, who was turning the sausage to the side seeing how it was starting to turn brown, scoffed at Wendy’s statement.

“Being a racist now, huh?” Yifan laughed at Tao’s words. The tall man let out a groan, signaling he was done with his task and without any second thought, he made his way to his lover. Standing behind him, he swung an arm over his shoulders. Wendy could see how he nuzzled his noise into Tao’s ear and for a moment, she wished that she just did not come along. Attending to customers is easier than seeing two cheesy lovers. Who knows what they could even do being they brought two tents. Obviously, she would be spending the night with Mother Nature.

“Racist, huh.”
“Just because you grew up in California—“
“Canada,” Wendy corrected Tao instantly.
“Whatever. Just because you grew up there means you are different from us,”

Shaking his head, Yifan pet his lover’s head then grabbed himself a piece of sausage, quickly taking a bite. “Stop bickering you two,”

They complied with the man’s words, Wendy now focusing on the flame that was eating the wood without mercy. The wood cried, sparks and snaps could be heard from the brown object, while the hot fire devoured its contours. She then could hear the two men talk something about sleeping and what time to leave tomorrow morning but Wendy felt something else.

As she was staring into the orange light, she saw a glimpse of silhouette move swiftly from left to right. Her senses quickly heightened, her eyes widening slightly as she tried to see what just moved behind the fire. She wanted to call the attention of Tao and Yifan but it seems like they were too busy arguing with one another on who cooks better. Wendy did not care who cooked better— there it is again!

Standing abruptly, Wendy glanced to the right, where she last saw the silhouette move. She was not certain what it was; its shape was peculiar. Then, within the depths of the trees and grass, she saw a pair of orbs staring right into her.

The girl.

The girl! These eyes, she is familiar of this gaze. Before she could even run towards it, it ran away. Rustles of trees and grass finally caught the attention of both males, “Wendy! Is something wrong?”

It took Wendy a while before she could answer. “No, everything’s fine,”

Why did it feel like the owner of the eyes she saw earlier were not human? How could man own such pair of eyes? They were bright yellow and they were shaped just like of a cat. Wendy decided that she was just seeing things. That could be an owl, or a wolf, or whatever. She has been watching too many horror films.

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

Wendy was the first to wake up and the sound of the birds chirping and the warm breeze hitting her made her smile. “Ah, summer.” She mumbled to herself as she stretched her arms over her head, her hair looking similar to a lion’s mane. How unattractive, she thought as she ran her finger through the mess of her hair.

She stepped a few feet forward, scratching her stomach on the process while her other hand rubbed her left eye with the back of her palm. She could hear the way the birds flapped their winds, and from a faint distance, she could hear the honking of the cars. It was a busy day for the city since it was Monday morning.

Just then, Tao slipped out of their tent. The sound of the zipper opening caught Wendy’s attention and as she turned around to look at the male, she saw how he had no shirt on. He was topless, revealing a few things that should have been kept private. “Tao, please. Wear a shirt or do you want me to grab you a leaf,”

Tao still had his eyes closed, his nose scrunched. Ignoring Wendy’s words, he walked to the side of the short girl, fixing his disheveled hair. As his long slender fingers raked through his scalp, he stared into the busy city before them. “Morning,” he groggily mumbled as she rested a bit of his weight on the fragile girl.

Wendy whined, of course. “Yah, you’re heavy!” Wendy tried her best to remain standing, her hands quickly pushing Tao’s body away but he was too heavy for her strength. She was not really that strong. She could clearly remember back to when she was in high school, she joined an arm wrestling competition. Damn, she did not even win her first fight. It was a sad sight. But she does not find it a bad thing. She was a woman anyway. Women are made to be protected. At least that is what her dad taught little Son Seungwan.

“C’mon, Tao. Just wake up!” Wendy whined again, this time landing a soft punch on the side of the half asleep man. Wanting to avoid Tao’s dead weight, she quickly ran parallel to the direction where Tao was settling his weight, making him land down onto the dirty ground. Wendy laughed, the sight of his manager’s face on the soil very amusing.

“Motherer!” Tao groaned as he picked up a rock, a little rock, and threw it to Wendy’s direction. It did not hit Wendy however since she ducked at a perfect timing. It hit something else.

Wendy heard a growl. Just then it felt like Wendy was rooted to the ground. Tao’s previously closed eyes widened, so wide you would think the eye balls would pop out. He tried to say something but words did not come out of his lips and instead little whimpers were produced.

The growl then intensified and this made Wendy cry already. Turning her head slowly to the side, she saw a glimpse of what the creature Tao had angered looked like. It was a jaguar, a white jaguar. Yelping, Wendy ran to her stiffened friend and by the time all the commotion happened, they saw a startled Yifan slipping out of the tent.

“Holy !” Tao looked at Yifan who now seemed to have caught the attention of the large cat. It made its way to the tall male, its paws digging onto the ground with so much confidence. Its eyes were piercing into Yifan’s as it continued to growl, exposing its large canine fangs. Wendy clung to Tao like it was the only thing that could save her from what could be her worst nightmare.

Then Tao ran and so did Yifan and before Wendy could follow the two fellows, the jaguar had caught her. Its nails dug onto her arm and Wendy cried, the sharp sting of its claws digging onto her flesh making her close her eyes tightly. “!” she cursed as she laid on the ground, her hand now holding onto the wound that was gushing so many blood.

The large jaguar hovered over her, its faint smell just then clouding Wendy’s senses. It was still snarling at her. Its snout was near her face and she swore she thought she would lose everything until she decided to open her eyes. It would be cool telling how she died to people and she would not be able to tell this story if she had her eyes closed. , who is she fooling. She is just curious despite being near death. Then she saw the jaguar’s eyes.

They were shiny yellow—just like the girl’s eyes in her dreams.

And before Wendy knew it, she could hear faint sirens in the background, Tao’s voice near her ear, “We’re almost there. Don’t let go, Wendy. You stay here,”

 

 

*             *            *             *             *

 

It was gloomy again, the clouds looking just like how they normally looked in her dream. Then Wendy knew, she was indeed lost in the realms of her imagination once again. Glancing around, she was now looking for a certain figure. Her eyes beamed seeing the girl however this time, she wore nothing. She was . Her face remained blur still however, her hair bright blonde as it danced along the strong breeze.

“Hey!” Wendy was shocked herself she could finally speak. She walked closer and closer and things surprised Wendy once again. This time, she was standing close to the girl, the only thing she could see were the tangerine orbs piercing into her own.

“Miss,” Wendy’s voice was soft and the girl reached out again. But then everything started to change. The wind started to blow much harder and it almost caught Wendy off of her feet if not grasping to the girl. And before Wendy’s eyes, she saw the girl turn into the jaguar that injured her. The same snarling sound, the growling, the same eyes.

“!” Wendy screamed at the top of her lungs and by the time she was pulled out of her dream (she would call it a nightmare), nurses were trying to calm her down. Realizing she was back in reality, Wendy calmed down. Her chest heaved up and down, residue of her continuous thrashing thinking that the jaguar is back for her again.

“Miss Son,” the warm voice of the doctor soothed her, and the radiant feeling of a hand on her arm was tranquility. “You’re safe now. Everything is alright,” Wendy could hear the repetitive sorry’s in the background and she was certain it was Tao who was crying his eyes out.

Wendy then again remembered her dream. What the did that mean? The girl turned into a ing jaguar.

 

 

 

a/n: hi! first chapter up! hope you guys leave your opinion and feedback on this story. it also motivates me to write faster ;----) lolol anyway, leave a comment and subscribe! stay fab! xoxo