Sway Me Smooth

Chapter Three

Death is cold, or so they say. The warmth he feels is odd. Though not unwelcomed, his body still alarms him that something is off. With his next inhale, his eyelashes flutter open, and he jolts up when he sees the white ceiling right above his head. His chest movements tell him that he's still alive, and his hand touches another warm body lying next to him, when he turns his head to check, he finds Kibum, sleeping soundly. The warmth he felt earlier suddenly leaves his body, and goosebumps arise as his other hand finds a familiar coat covering his lower half. It's no surprise that he finds Minho when he turns his head the other way, sitting comfortably across from them with a compass in his hands. His eyes are unreadable, but Taemin doesn't dare to ask.

"The house isn't in the location you provided," Minho throws the compass his way, and he barely manages to catch it. He now realizes that they're inside an Igloo. "You also need to know that we can't stay here for too long."

Right. He almost forgot. The fire benders must be dead by now, buried deep under the snow. He glances at Minho and gulps. "What do you want?"

"You were the one who dragged us along this way. It's nothing that I want."

"Fine," Taemin replies. "What do they want? What's inside my house that they desperately want?"

Minho watches him for a moment, and Taemin knows that he isn't telling the truth when he speaks up next; "The night is approaching. If you want to find out, we have to get going." He stands up, and Taemin notices the gun Kibum created hanged around Minho's waist. He's terrified to even attempt a move when he approaches them to take back his coat, so he focuses on Kibum's body as he shivers slightly before he's awake. His reaction is similar to his own when he notices Minho, but he only shares a glance with Taemin before Minho melts down the Igloo, and they're exposed again to the harsh weather. Minho looks at him impatiently, and Taemin tries to look around him desperately, searching for any clue that leads to his house.

There's a gigantic rock right beside them, surface too smooth, and for some reason, it's not covered by snow. There are a few identical rocks scattered far away, and his gaze catches on a mountain, a faint rainbow crossing its sides, and his brows furrow as he stares, his father's lullaby playing in his head: Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true. Someday I'll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far, behind me, where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me.

"There," he points at the mountain then turns to the other two. "I think this is where our destination will be." And so they move. Heavy steps take them far away from the smooth-looking rock, but the closer they move, the further the mountain looks, and night approaches when his legs can't take him no more. He collapses into the snow with heavy breaths, hands and legs almost numb from the cold, and he doesn't understand. He looks at the compass in his hands and they have been moving in the same direction, but they're not getting closer. "Is this some sort of a mirage?" He turns to look at them, hoping that he hasn't started to hallucinate yet, but it doesn't seem invisible to them either.

"It's weird," Kibum replies as he looks around him. "But I'm not surprised." Taemin furrows his brows deeper. "Your father is one hell of a genius," he shrugs. "It could be another puzzle." And Taemin drags his hands over his face. This cannot be happening to him.

"I cannot proceed any further," Taemin confesses, and it doesn't seem to bring out any objections as Minho uses his bending to create an Igloo around them. Seems like his prayers has been answered, so he allows sleep to take over him. This time though, no added warmth covers his body.

When they wake up, he almost doesn't believe his eyes. The mountain is even further than the last night, and they're back to the smooth-looking rock they were at. "Alright," Kibum declares. "We need to think," he looks around him again. "There must be something that we're missing," he looks at Taemin. "Does your necklace shine of any color?"