ambrosia [NCT DREAM]

8. Donghyuck Gives Me the Rundown

Discouraged from poking his head where it shouldn't be, Jaemin walked back down the hill. He marveled at the fantastical creatures and the interestingly different teens. The evening glow made everything look even more heavenly and unreal than it already seemed and Jaemin couldn't be too sure he wasn't dead or at least dreaming.

There was a noise in the woods to his left. He assumed it was one of the pretty tree-women who he'd seen sitting near the creek earlier but then he realized that he couldn't see anything through the trees' blanket of darkness. No animals, no campers, nothing but darkness. It was as if the woods had absorbed all of the light of the sunset and didn't give it back.

Was the forest always that dark? He would have noticed... wouldn't he have?

A yawn forced itself from Jaemin's lungs and made him stumble back. It was oddly powerful, stealing nearly all of the breath from Jaemin's lungs and practically suffocating him.

The woods grew darker and quieter as night fell upon the camp. The sun seemed to set quicker below the horizon right before Jaemin's eyes. Like, freakishly quick. It was insanely dark and he felt tired all of a sudden. Lethargic, almost.

"What on earth-" Jaemin mumbled, sleepily stumbling backwards and tripping on something large, like a log.

He yelped and fell backwards, falling on his bottom on the ground. The woods seemed to slink back and Jaemin's eyes focused back to normal. The regular sunset lighting returned and Jaemin's head was spinning in confusion.

Before he could question what was in the woods, though, he had to figure out what- or who- he'd tripped on.

He looked beneath his legs where another kid was trapped, though he seemed unbothered. A little boy with messy brownish hair and bewildered, small eyes peeked up tiredly. In his arms, he clutched a worn teddy bear with one of its eyes missing and a pretty crest with stars on its belly. Jaemin thought that the crest was way too fancy for a child's toy, a worn and torn teddy.

"Oh..." The little boy's voice was lower than Jaemin would have expected, groggy as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"Oh, gosh! Shit, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" Jaemin apologized, eyes shifting from the woods and back to the boy. He held out a hand, but the boy didn't take it.

So, Jaemin tried again; "Uh... what's your name?" He asked, expecting the same silence.

"Jisung." Was all the boy said. He was so quiet and Jaemin wondered if he'd done something to maybe scare the boy. I mean, he did just fall on the kid.

Jaemin would have asked more questions, but campers started to holler and run down the hill to the largest pavilion in the clearing, assumably for dinner. It shook Jaemin up a little bit and he gestured to do the same thing, prompting Jisung to get up with shaky legs and follow Jaemin to the dining pavilion.

They looked around at different tables and it sort of reminded Jaemin of middle school, when he was too scared to sit at the wrong cafeteria table in fear of being bullied.

But then he spotted a familiar face, Donghyuck waving at Jaemin and Jisung. Another kid was sitting with him, one with large eyes and shaggy dark hair that Jaemin kind of recognized.

Jisung dragged behind Jaemin as the older boy walked towards the table. Donghyuck scooted over, making room for both boys.

"Hey, Jaemin! You're still doing okay, right? You hungry?" Donghyuck asked, still smiling. Jaemin placed his hands in his lap and nodded, not really knowing how to respond.

"Yeah, I guess so. Where's the food, though?" He asked, puzzled. He'd walked to and through the pavilion and he hadn't seen a single serving table or plate.