The house was quiet, the small baby sitting in its crib, breathing a slow hum that matched that of the humidifier close by. The room was closed off from the well-lit hallway that was filled with whispers.
"Actually, can you just leave? I think I'm just really tired tonight." The soft, irritated voice spread through the cracks under the door. Soon, creaking from the bed, it released some weight. The floor emitted soft steps as the door slowly opened, a young woman walking out, looking back at the little girl who sat on the bed. The door closed, and the woman left the door as she walked into the living room, noticing the man sitting on the couch.
"How is she doing?" He whispered, opening his arms for the woman to lay down in them. She let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
"There is something she wants to tell us, but-" The woman sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know why she won't tell us."
"Honey, now Jennie will tell us when she is ready." He kissed her hand, reassuring her with a pat when he lifted his head to look at her. He pulled her close, and she sighed. "She is growing up; let her figure it out, and then she will come to us when she is ready."
They settled on the couch, cuddling as the T.V. played a drama. The two eventually fell asleep on the couch while the show played quietly in the background. It would not be long before a sound shook them both awake. The man jumped up with his finger sitting in the middle of his lips as he moved towards the door. He heard a door being rattled, the screen door standing in between whoever was outside and the sleepy father, who was stunned awake. He used his other hand, motioning quietly for his wife to go. She slowly rose from the couch, and it was only seconds, just a few seconds that passed.
The door opened with a bang, slamming against the inside wall, and a shadowy figure began coming into the door. He walked in, facing the father, who had just moved towards the sliding screen door. The two men began fighting, the father holding on to the man's hands that were reaching down. The strange man kicked the father's leg, making him fall to one knee and struggle to raise himself back up. As he looked up at the stranger, he was punched in the face, falling to the floor before a bang sounded out within the walls. A pool of blood began to spread across the floor as screams and cries began to fill the sharp silence.
As the door rattled, the woman stood up slowly from the couch, taking a small step before hearing a loud sound. She watched her husband rise up to hide her shadow before walking to the door. She slid into the closest room, closing the door and reaching into the small crib that was set beside the wall. She held the baby close to her chest, moving to the closet and sitting in the back. The baby squirmed, laying on his mom's chest and whining as she began to hush the baby by rocking him in her arms. As the baby quieted down, a sound similar to a firework rang out, her body shaking, causing the baby to erupt in cries. She screamed, thinking of the reason behind that sound before crying into the crying baby she held. Their whimpers filled the entire house, leaving every other sound masked. Three more sounds similar to fireworks screamed out, silencing all other noise within the house.
When the loud bang shattered the silence, Jennie was awakened from her deep sleep as loud grunts came from the living room. She jumped from the bed, grunts intensifying and footsteps that moved about in her brother's room. She quickly moved to her closet, waiting as the grunts subsided with a loud bang. She covered her ears, holding on to them, and through her hands, the sound of cries came next. She knew those sounds very well, especially since every night she slept next to her brother's room. She held her ears tighter, trying to erase the cries that signaled their presence in the other room. As Jennie held her body together, keeping her ears closed, the final sound that followed was three loud bangs. The bangs signaled an eerie silence that was even louder than the cries it replaced. Her hands did not move from her ears as more doors opened within the house, and a final bang was heard.
-
Small cries were heard from the bedroom to the doorway as Tae sat and listened to Jennie cry silently to herself. He held on to his fist, trying to prevent himself from walking into the room to comfort her. He knew what she was going through, his mother, and he had heard everything that night. His mother was the person to go and find that their house was broken into, immediately running home to call for the police. He remembers everyone panicking, and he knows that everything changed for her on that day. Yesterday. He sighed softly, looking down at his shoes and trying to take his mind away. He couldn't help her right now.
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It would be a few minutes before the cries slowly halted, and he knew that she was resting. He stood up against the wall, slowly opening the door and closing it softly. He stood outside the door, sitting on the stoop behind the gate as he waited. He watched as the sky opened up and began to start the day. The gate pushed open; Minji walked in and noticed him instantly. She smiled, moving closer to him with flirty eyes. He stood up with his hands in his pockets and began his descent down the stoop. She grabbed his arm, hooking both of her arms around it and staring into his face.
"She's sleep. Tell her I'll be back later with dinner. Are you staying over?" His face was looking straight ahead, and she wiggled his arm.
"Yes. When will you be back?" She shot a confident smile towards him, and his hand came from his pocket and was held open in front of her.
"Cell phone." She quickly took it out and handed it to him. "Text me your orders later." He put his phone number in by texting himself. He handed it back to her before abruptly leaving the yard and closing the gate behind him.
-
The weekend passed by slowly, with both girls being stuck to the hip. They spent the past few days becoming more acquainted and growing their bond. They spent every day holding each other up as studying became their main concern. It was the only thing to keep both of their minds clear enough to have a genuine conversation, for real smiles to be shown as glances were shared, cheerful conversations without pitiful eyes. The girls had now been starting their Monday together, getting to the school and splitting up. The first class was going to begin soon, and they had already gotten their morning coffee. The classroom was empty once again as Jennie walked into the room and went to her normal seat. She sat a little nervously in her seat, fidgeting as the time began to close in for the class to begin. She made sure to have her phone and notebook ready for the professor, with a note in her hand.
The class soon started getting crowded, with students walking into the room and taking the seats that were open. The classroom was completely filled, and every seat was taken as the professor welcomed the students into the room. She turned to the person who sat next to her, smiling at the random woman whom she had not met before. She slid the note in her notebook as she began to take notes with a disappointed look on her face. She tried to keep her mind free of it, thinking that maybe he would just be absent. His words were still echoing in her mind as he flashed his smile. She tried to stay focused, getting the assignment she would now have to work on written properly so she would not forget.
Jennie would move on to her next class, his words coming to her mind. By this point, she couldn't help but keep him on her mind. The thought of the two of them eating breakfast across from each other flashed across her mind, the glances that they both stole. The note burned a hole in her back pocket as she had to wait for the moment she could hand it back to him. The thought of them texting flashed before her, the disappointment she felt returning when the thought of their lunch passed her mind. They never got the opportunity to go, neither texting for the day. She snapped back to reality the moment that Minji tapped her shoulder, the sounds of the emptying classroom taking over. She looked towards Minji, laughing a little as she began to pack.
"I'm sorry. I was thinking." Jennie folded her notebook closed and stood up for a moment to look at Minji.
"Where should we eat?" Minji asked, patiently standing idle for her friend, who slowly packed her things. They both stood straight, going to the door.
"Why don't we go to the cafe?" Jennie asked, and Minji nodded. Jennie stopped for a second, turned around, and then felt in her bag. "Uh, I think I lost my phone. Can I meet you there?" She asked, turning to walk back towards the desk.
"Sure. When you find it, call me." Minji watched as Jennie began to look around the desks and start looking for her phone.
She walked from the classroom, the door closing and Jennie standing up straight. She stayed because she needed to know why he was not there or why he did not text. She moved to the back of the classroom, sitting against the wall when he walked in, his bag held over his shoulder. Jennie stood up to walk towards him, and he had not noticed that she was back there. Kai placed his backpack on the desk as Jennie took out the note that she had long held on to. She walked slowly to the desk he was sitting at, lightly touching his shoulder before he swung to meet her gaze.