𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣 / ꨄ

007 ; for blair

for blair ;
❛ do it for blair ❜
────────────

ꨄ

Jungwon wasn't lying; the world truly is full of magic. I walked back home with aching ankles and a full stomach, but Juniper Public Library had a different set of plans for me.

As I rounded the corner, I suddenly found myself in Juniper Avenue. The roads were empty, no cars to be found, and no pedestrians in sight. I could hear the sound of rustling leaves, but the birds that lived upon the branches weren't whistling their usual tunes.

This made no sense.

It felt like Juniper Avenue moved.
Like it grew a pair of legs just to follow me.
It shouldn't be here, but there it was.

How did I get here?

I gulped down the saliva that had been piling up under my tongue, before turning around and heading back towards the coffee shop.
I refused to look back.

But, as I rounded another corner, I suddenly found myself in Juniper Avenue, again.

Was I going in circles?

"This can't be happening," I took a deep breath, and fished my phone out of my pocket— dead. No one to call, no way to find my route back home.

I began to walk, aimlessly. No matter where I went, it was all Juniper Avenue. I walked and walked, until the sun hid away and the moon took its place.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." I mumbled, feeling like my heart would burst out of my chest. I was trapped in a loop, overwhelmed by the smell of the juniper berries that adorned the sidewalk.

I used to love their scent— they smelled of pine and gin. Now, it just made me dizzy.

Then, I felt it.

It was hard to ignore the way it called my name from across the road. It was trying to lure me in.

'Till this day, I struggle to fully understand— was Juniper Library haunting me, or was it trying to
save me?

I gripped onto my bag tightly, until my blood was drained from my knuckles. It took a lot of courage to finally cross to the other side of the road, even though there were no cars, no nothing.

I gave into Juniper Library, and approached its main entrance.

Still, I kept my head down, because I feared.
The street lamp above me flickered as I walked past, but I chose to ignore it for my own sake.

My hand wrapped around the cold door knob, but I immediately stepped back, noticing a piece of paper stuck to the glass.

𓁹
YOU CAUGHT MY EYE,
SO I GREW FOUR MORE.

I was frozen in place. Whatever amount of courage I previously had, simply vanished.

What could those words possibly mean?

I turned around, ready to flee.

But it was standing right behind me.

I let out a loud scream, but it covered my mouth with its palm before I could continue.

"Shhh! It's just me." He whispered, gripping my shoulders and giving me a shake. We shared a look of panic, before I landed a smack on his arm.

"You scared the shit out of me, Jungwon!" I whispered back angrily, before dropping my head into my hands.

He observed me carefully,
as my tears rolled down my wrists.

"I want to go home. I don't know what's going on anymore— I'm trapped in a nightmare." I quietly sobbed to the feeling of his hand rubbing circles into my back.

"I knew this would happen." He said.

"What?" I looked up at the boy, wanting an explanation.

"Nothing." He muttered, offering me his handkerchief, which I used to tap away at my tears. The pendant on his earlobe twinkled for a moment under the moonlight. "Listen, we'll get to the bottom of this. Whatever happened in this building," He glanced at the library behind me. "It's waiting for you to discover it."

"Why me?"

"Who knows?" He smiled.
"But I'll help you."

I sighed, pushing Jungwon aside to walk past him. Before I could take more than a few steps, his fingers were wrapped around my arm.

"Do it for Blair."

I turned my head and grit my teeth in frustration.
"What if I don't want to? I'm fucking scared, Jungwon. I can't solve a murder on my own—"

"But we can." He pulled me closer by my arm, and I suddenly felt embarrassed to be there.

"How do you even know all this?
How did you know I'd be here?"

"I just know."

And I decided not to question him further. Maybe I should've. As I write this, I wonder what would've happened if only I hadn't ignored all the red flags he raised.

It's almost like he wanted me to see them, but love consumes you and love blinds you.

And I really did love him, eventually.

So this is how Jungwon and I began our investigation, to solve the mysterious murder of Devon Smith— Blair's lover.

But he knew the answer to it all along.

ꨄ

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