A Beautiful Night's View (part 1)

Chapter 7

Vicky notices a large lensed camera placed next to Mara, she reaches out to take a look. She feels a quick, firm slap on her hand. Mara lowers her newspaper so her eyes are showing and adjusts her glasses ritually. "Sorry. But I do not welcome strangers pondering through my belongings. Permission must be asked in a mannerly way and if I allow you only then can you examine. It is rather amusing but I very rarely would allow anyone in the first instance, so I do not understand why I even bother lecturing." She scoffs at Vicky and continues fixing her eyes on the newspaper. Vicky embarrassed retaliates, loosing posture. "I am sorry. I didn't know. Erm...what are you reading there? Anything interesting?" A lame question forces Mara to continue. "Very well, if you are keen to know who am I to deny? I am reading the scholarly article on historical remains found in Luxembourg they were placed in 1965 in the National Museum Of Paris. The artefact increased tourist count by unreplicable numbers in the year 1966..." An hour goes by and Mara rambles on about her knowledge which was admirably exceptional making Vicky regret the idea of conversing with Mara from the beginning. Vicky tries her utmost best to keep her eyes open but the words escaping Mara's mouth sounded like a lullaby hypnotically forcing Vicky to fall into a deep slumber. "Oh I think you seem to be very tired today?" The sudden question awakens Vicky. "Huh? What's going on. Oh yeah you were saying?" Mara questioningly looks at Vicky. "Never mind. If you will excuse me for a while." Vicky takes a sigh of relief upon seeing Mara walking out of the room.

Onew Key and Minho return from a long stroll in the woods. Key playfully holds a long, thin tree branch and swings it from side to side hitting a few trees while walking past. He pokes Onew who is walking ahead of him with Minho. The branch pokes his butt. Onew looks back in annoyance and Key looks away and whistles a tune while hiding the tree branch behind him. Minho notices and snickers approving of Key's silly antics. Just outside the hideout Taemin and Jonghyun are neatly placing the chopped wood together. Jonghyun kneels down and lights a matches putting the pile of wood in flames. "Taemin's idea to have a camp-fire today. We can get some chairs out and sit around the warmth. I don't know why I have such a happy mood today." Taemin gets out some soju bottles and the chairs are placed around the fire creating a large circle. The residents come out and take a seat in their preferred placements. Onew sits wide legged holding a marsh-mellow above the fire, when it is heated he takes a rough bite. His cheeks turn crimson as he gawps for air. "Ah! HOT! HOT!" Key sitting beside him blows a fine whirl of wind into his mouth. "Better?" He lovingly asks Onew, who nods his head up and down, teary eyed from the heat. Jonghyun gains everyones attention. "Since we are all here out in the open, I will sing for you." Jonghyun's melodious voice fills the air like a mist of wonder. Tiana catches herself enjoying the song, she begins to imagine coloured music notes circling Jonghyun who sits alone with a bright shining aura, lighting himself amongst a dark nowhere. When he is done singing reality hits her, there was no way she could be falling for him. She was in denial mouthing to herself "It is impossible! It is impossible!" Vicky sitting next to her overhears as usual, Vicky had a tendency to hear things others deemed to keep to themselves. "What is impossible, may I ask?" Tiana looks at Vicky and shakes her head still confused with her feelings, once again leaving being on the list of people who leave Vicky's questions unanswered.

Mara nudges Tiana and whispers to her in a rude tone of voice. "Ask them relevant questions only, we must be strictly confined to what we say. I do not want any emotional investment, you hear me?" Tiana looks away feeling belittled by Mara's outlook on her abilities. The word replay in her head repetitively. Her anger builds up inside which she tries to contain. A flashback of her mother's lips and the same words play in a role of continuation. "I do not want any emotional investment, you hear me?"..."You hear me?"..."You hear me?" She shakes the thoughts away as usual. "Taemin I would like a soju bottle." She grabs it from his hand and gulps down the liquor in one shot closing her eyes in pain as she feels the alcohol burn her deep inside. "Another one." A scared and surprised looking Taemin slowly hands the soju bottle to her feeling unsure about the situation. Tiana takes large amounts of the intoxicating liquid not stopping at a limit. "One more. Pl..Pleeseee. I said I mean please? One more" She begins to slur her words and is in need of excessive support from the chair which she unstably is sitting on. Dru wide mouthed looks at Tiana judgingly at the obscene choices she was making. Mara takes the bottle of Tiana's hands. "That is enough you have had more than your daily allowance. I am disappointed as expected from someone as silly as you. Stop this instance!" Tiana gets up from her chair and stumbles pointing a shaky finger at Mara. "Who are you? WHO THE HELL IN THIS WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!!" A loud scream escapes her mouth. The sights around her become disfigured. The voices become a loud array of miscommunication. Jonghyun runs up to her as the dizzy Tiana lands in his strong arms and her eyes flicker and finally close.