Chapter Fifteen
"Damsel in Distress"
Krystal felt like walking in an odd stupor.
No, scratch that.
She was actually on a stupor, and her legs felt like jelly.
She couldn't believe how so easy it had all been to talk to Sulli about this entire stupid plan and she couldn't believe that the younger girl had to only hesitate for a little before actually saying yes.
Somewhere along their talk, Krystal was wishing so hard that she would say no, and by then, she wouldn't have to go on with everything.
She felt like she was coercing some minor.
Hell, she was even a minor, herself!
Sulli was just too young to comprehend whether or not this act was wrong and Krystal couldn't help but feel very responsible for all of these.
How the hell did she even turn into this mutinous wench?
All her life, she had been nothing but obedient and abiding to the rules.
She was the youngest among the delegates and her presence together with the older students was not even a debate. Her school's headmistress herself had asked her to go with them and no one seemed to even think twice about it despite of her age difference.
They all trusted her.
They all looked up to her.
She was a model student, for pity's sake.
Now here she was, walking nervously on this strange and narrow passageway going out of Hogwarts. The dingy smell of the surroundings was trying to tickle her nostrils in a very uncomfortable way.
She looked back, still on her half-crouched position, just to make sure that Sulli was safely following her. She was securely holding her hand, but she just had to make sure that she was okay. The girl looked very scared among the muted light, but a look of elated excitement was also etched on her freckled innocent face.
Merlin, she was just too young for all these.
When Sulli noticed that Krystal was looking at her, the younger girl gave her a wide grin, almost even a grateful, indebted one.
Krystal didn't know why her eyes were a bit misty now too, but she tried her hardest to give her a securing smile.
"We're almost there," Gyuri squealed delightfully as the girls squinted further to see the small light coming from a little lumber room. "Stay as quiet as possible once you're out. We don't know whether or not this room is occupied even at night."
One by one, the girls had stealthily ducked out, looking like owls among the wondrous night as they looked around a little basement filled with discarded sweets, some were even quite putrid and their syrupy but expired state made the odor quite unpleasant.
"Basement of Honeydukes," Jiyoung grinned widely while reading the map that Sulli had lent them. Krystal couldn't help but think about Alice finally finding her wonderland, except that all the sweets in here seemed to be quite poisonous due to expiration.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe we did it," Hara jumped around, looking very flush while trying to cover her mouth from screeching loudly. She looked like a squished fish in the process.
"This is because of you, little girl. You know, we actually think you should go hang out with us more often," Jiyoung smirked at Sulli, who was then grinning tearfully at the girls, really looking like she just had her dreams come true.
