After the episodes of explaining the map of our journey to Jungkook, Taehyung, and Shenaya, it was around midnight when I reached back to my room.

The faint moonlight illuminated the curtains, giving the room an incandescent glow.

I sat down on my bed and set the alarm for the next day to be on time. Drinking a gulp of water, I don't remember when I fell asleep, but by the time I woke up again, I was laying in a clearing. The green grass adorned with dandelions nuzzling my neck and arms. I stood up from the ground.

The entire world was larger than usual.

I could see children running around and playing all around me. In that crowd, a particular pig-tailed girl stared at me. Shenaya. This was the young Shenaya, in her usual pale pink knee-length dress decorated with dirty and sand after the playing.

"Hana! Come here" she shouted at me, catching my attention again.

I could feel myself moving towards her like a magnet. I was running towards her.

Then within a blink of an eye, all the surrounding scenery changed.

I was running towards an iron door, with silvery blue lines glowing all over it. The lines started from the center bottom and formed a gigantic tree as it moved up. The lines glowing as it moved ahead. The life tree, as my parents called it. The only decoration that adorned their lab.

But why am I here?

The door parted slightly, and I made my way through the immense doors into the lab.

It was serenity which welcomed me, rather than the chaos which was marked in my memory.

The lab stood in its perfect stance, showing off all the details. The faint blue lines of UV light running all over the ceiling. The LED which gave off the white light. The apparatus' which were shining under the light.

All in their exact positions. Like nothing has changed.

I could see my mother walking back and forth across the lab as she held on to some papers and my dad who was sitting beside an enormous screen as if checking something.

My tiny feet adorned with a pair of sneakers was making its way towards them.

They turned towards me and smiled at me.

But then again, all I could see next was red lights and emergency alarm going off in the next second.

The entire room, as if painted in red by the emergency lights, was welcoming smoke from the door that I just passed through.

The iron door closed on its own, trapping us three within this burning lab.

I could feel myself getting lifted as the fire spread wildly. The orange and red flames eating up all the lab as I watch.

"Papa!" my younger self uttered in fear as he hugged me closer to his chest, protecting me from the heat.

"Mina, get under the desk. Someone will come to help,". I could hear papa screaming to mama in fear.

I could feel myself getting a bone-breaking hug from mama, who held me now.

It was just blazing fire all around us.

"Seojun!" Mama was crying as she spoke.

I could feel the coldness of metal pressing against my neck, a pendant. Mama placed a pendant around my neck. That silver pendant.

The next thing I knew was I was standing in a white room.

The room was flooding with blinding lights... So bright, making my eyes to scrunch in pain.

I was back to my usual stage, 19 years.

"Mama! Papa!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Then slowly crouching down to the ground in pain as if I was being burned.

I screamed.

"Hana!" I could hear a faint voice calling out for me.

"Help!" I screamed again at nothing.

"Hana" this time, the voice louder, as if the sound was reaching out for me.

"Help" my voice getting weaker as my energy drained off.

"Hana! Wake up" this time, the voice loud and clear.

"Open your eyes" it was a female voice. Who is this?

Someone was shaking me.

I screamed in pain again as I felt the sensation of a hand touching me.

"Hana" this time, the voice was a deep, manly one.

I could feel someone hugging me.

Forcing me to open my eyes, which I did not want to because of the blinding lights.

"You are safe, Hana. Wake up" the voice was more demanding and powerful, which made my eyes go open slowly.

My breathing pattern was unusual, in panic.

I was holding on to a man who now held me in his arms, Taehyung.

He rocked me in his chest as if hiding me from all my nightmares.

"It's all right, I'm here with you" he murmured into my hair, leaving feather-like kisses on them, that's what I felt.

I could see an equally trembling Shenaya behind him, who was held by Jungkook.

"You, don't scare me like that. I thought- I- "she was stumbling for words.

Without thinking twice, she pulled me away from Taehyung and hugged me as her life depends upon it.

"You've never had such a nightmare in the past few years. Why now?" Her voice was feeble. I could feel my shirt getting cool as her tears soaked them along with the winter breeze kissed my back harshly.

"Maybe all the thoughts of the trips. Who knows," I mumbled into her shoulder.

"I'll sleep with you" she announced as she went to get her pillow and blanket from her room.

I turned towards Taehyung.

"Thank you" I muttered.

Like a snap, I was having my arms around his neck hugging him.

He felt safe. Like home...

His wary hands barely touched my head, patting my hair soothingly, as if singing a lullaby.

My eyes went wide in the realization of what I just did.

I moved away from him.

My brown locks acted like a curtain to prevent him from seeing my oh-so panicked state.

Shenaya was back in no time and Taehyung mumbled good night and went towards Jungkook who was now standing by the door, leaving us both alone to spend the night.

"Sleep. You are not alone" Shenaya whispered as her hands held mine within hers and drifting back to a safer sleep.

~^_^~

The pendant ☝️