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When I was a child, I would always make Mama check my closet and under my bed for monsters before I went to sleep. I wasn't afraid of the shadows, I was afraid of what lurked behind them.
The imagination I had as a small kid would run wild with thoughts of tall, menacing creatures, long and sharp claws, ready to slice at my throat. Monsters with blood dripping through their teeth from previous victims. Hallowed cheeks and sunken eyes. My mind would create all kinds of villains, that I just knew were hiding in the dark, waiting to take me.
All of that time I spent fearing what was inside of the dark, I never thought to watch out for the shadows themselves. Monsters wouldn't be hiding in the dark because they're afraid of the shadows too.
I woke up that day with the songs of the morning birds and the blazing sun pouring into the room. I yawn and rub the sleep from my eyes. My slight movement causes the boy sleeping next to me to stir. The first thing I notice is his hand under my shirt, his warm hand on my stomach. My eyes widen and I can feel heat rushing to my cheeks. Before I can stop myself, I jump up from our cot and back away from it. Namjoon wakes with a start and looks at me with confusion, and slight fear.
"Are you alright?" He inquires.
I blink. "Y-yeah, I just... I was-" I try to think of a reason for how startled I was, but I don't want to admit to him that I felt nervous because of the way he was touching me. I can't blame him for it, he wasn't even conscious. "We should probably check out of the inn and head for the next boss."
Namjoon gives me a skeptical look, but eventually shrugs it off. "If you want to leave now, I'll gather the boys." I nod my head and watch as he leaves our shared room and closes the door behind him.
I take off my silk pajamas and put on a pair of black, ripped jeans, a black and white striped, oversized shirt, and a light blue, denim jacket. I put on some black sneakers and throw my tangled mess of hair into a bun.
We all get breakfast, pay for the services at the inn and hot springs, and then take the air train to a place named Kiken'na Kage. On the long time we spend on the train, the boys attempt to go to sleep, but Namjoon calls their names out every time he sees someone dozing off, determined to keep everyone's attention as he goes over the information listed for the specific boss we're about to face.
"Supposedly, there's a key hidden in an abandoned museum, a lot like the key we found in the dragon's castle. The goal is to get that key, and- Taehyung," Namjoon snaps, waking the boy who was previously nodding off to sleep, "can you please stay awake for this?" Namjoon pleads, sighing with frustration because they don't seem to be taking it as seriously as him. Taehyung lowers his eyebrows, looking like a puppy that just got it's paw stepped on. He nods his head and rubs his tired eyes, trying his best to stay awake. I can tell Namjoon feels bad for being so stern with the boy.
