ℂ𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝟙𝟠𝟟𝟡 ~ 𝕓𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕒𝕦

twelve

Jennie didn't know how she even got to this point in her life. She didn't actually know how it happened. Or perhaps why, and she had a feeling that she didn't want to know.

Staring at the burning building in front of her, a few crystalline tears leaked from her eyes unwillingly, her face unnaturally blank and her heart squeezing in pain along with the bleeding cuts on her face that stung as her tears invaded the still open wounds. The sun had started to rise by now and she was too immersed in her thoughts to even care that she had been standing there for around four hours, the fire went by now, perished, just like the last thing she had left. Her workplace back in Korea had been infiltrated, the majority of the workers were tortured and in captivity or were killed painfully and slowly, her boss was dead, the hotel was attacked, along with the USB. She didn't know where it was, and what she would do now. Nowhere was safe for her, she assumed that her friends (if they were lucky enough to escape) had gone into hiding or ran away from the country altogether. It pained her to think that she was alone. Nobody there by her side. Everything was going so well until she had gotten that blasted call from her boss that Jisoo was killed in a crossfire. In short words, she hated her life. She hated it and what her job had led to until now. Half her friends dead, unemployed, in constant danger, and no one that she could go to for help.

She was completely and utterly lost, now.
And though she would probably deny it later, she was clueless, she didn't know what to do. It hurt - so bad.  Quiet sobs released from her mouth, herself not even aware of her actions as she felt her thoughts crumble and her feelings became more pronounced. It was gone, it all was. She didn't even know if her family was alive, which they most likely weren't. Her head ached with every saddened thought, completely unaware of the heavy hand that had clapped onto her shoulder, only making the headache worse. The last thing she had consciously thought was how she had failed. Failed them all, before she unconsciously allowed herself to fall into Morpheus' embrace.

*

 It was white, everywhere. Where was she? Jennie tried to look around but found that her head was stuck firmly in its place, the feeling of grief and dread creeping back and plowing her down like an avalanche. The ever-growing headache eased and her body felt relaxed, more relaxed than she could ever begin to describe, drowning out the falling feeling that her body felt. She slowly felt herself coming back as if waking up from a dream. She didn't want it to end, that feeling of safety. She followed the darkness that crept up on her and sighed mentally, unwilling to make her calm finish.

*

She awoke with a gasp, her hand instantly moving to her mouth to cover it. Jennie looked around, confused, as she had found herself - once again - in her old bedroom where she used to live before going on that case. A familiar sleek, metal object on the bedside table almost made her cry in relief. Her phone. She didn't know where it went after the building had caught fire, it must've fallen out while she had tried to get herself and Jihyo out, who had been knocked unconscious and stuck under a piece of rubble, her hip bones broken completely, and down to her feet, she suspected, had she survived, she'd be paralyzed. But, Jennie would rather take death, in her case, which some of her friends found utterly stupid. Jennie grabbed the phone into her hand and sat up in the bed she had woken up in, scratching her head before flicking the phone on. 

It was the same as she remembered, thankfully. She reminded herself to thank the person who had managed to salvage it from whatever was left from the incident.
     'What are you doing up so early, Jen?' she jumped as she heard a calm and quiet voice from the doorframe and turned around, only to see her mother with a worried expression and crossing her arms, almost disapprovingly. Wait. Her mother. Her mother? Jennie looked at her in shock for a few seconds, blanching, before shaking her head and giving her mum a small smile before fumbling with her fingers.
     'I couldn't sleep.' Jennie shortly replied, fearing that if she said anything for much longer, she'd break into a fit of hysteria. What was happening? Her mother had been killed two days after she had traveled to America, and now here she was, alive and healthy, checking up on her. Perhaps this was a dream? Maybe she died and went to heaven? She really hoped it wasn't the latter, as she would've died a less honorable death than she would've wished for herself.

Her mother eyed her suspiciously before nodding slowly and leaving, closing the door behind her. Jennie stared wide-eyed at the closed door for another few minutes before letting out a large breath, terrified and confused at her current situation. She glanced back at the phone screen and almost screamed in fright. There, in bright, white, and bold letters was something that she had never expected in her wildest dreams.

 3 0 T H  D E C E M B E R,
 2 0 2 2

C H A P T E R  T W E L V E
S T A T U S : C O M P L E T E D