Scarlet Rain | ON HOLD

03. To Dream Again

She was the trapped wanderer, summoned into a garden whereupon its canvas of rupture, littered many extravagant roses awaiting for their harvest. A single red rose remained solitary among its field but presented a prominent color among the desolation. It radiates an exquisite aura, outstanding the other primary colors because of its vibrancy.

The rose was a beauty indeed, but do not be fooled of its elegant nature. One feather-like touch, just one, and the sharpness of its thorns will prick you dearly.

Though Scarlet knew of the consequence, the strong attraction—similar to a magnet with its two opposite poles—seduced her.

So she grazed it.

The wicked rose shriveled under her touch, subduing because of the capability neither knew Scarlet had. The crystal sky turned into a blanket of dullness and gray as storm clouds sheeted over.

She cried, for she did not mean to destroy such a beautiful thing. But when her tears met with the cracks of the soil beneath, it nourished the fields many deserted.

The rose bloomed once again, this time not alone. The fields of ruins turned into a garden with wonders.

For the first time, Scarlet was able to fix her dreaded ordeal back into one pleasant.

Or so she thought.

The withered flower then morphs itself into a humanlike form, one in which was too fuzzy for Scarlet to decipher in this unconscious state.

It spoke, voice dulcet like the honey her mother used for a homemade remedy.

"Thank you," its green flourishing vines intertwined leisurely around her legs, creating an imprint that stayed permanent.

"For taking my place."

Scarlet woke up abruptly from her torturous dream—around the same time Jungkook had also. But his dream opposed to Scarlet's.

His was sweet and savory, one where memories rewinded themselves like a broken record. Unlike Scarlet, he was the prince of an entrancing garden that was cared for daily.

There was only one dilemma.

He was not content with the soft breezes that caused the synchronized sway of the flowers. Yes, the garden enticed him at first but no longer did the white carnations provide him with a sense of happiness. He was sick of the lonesome pigment.

That was until a girl appeared among his field, distorting the dull hues of the garden. Hair as red as her lips, she awed him with her charm but was quick to wilt away.

Just like the flowers he left untended.

Scarlett was her name and now echoed as a color he yearned to get on his hands.

. . .

Scarlet could feel the incipient tears threatening to spill as she unconsciously touched her leg where the disfigurement embedded itself on. Her nightmare was nothing but a twisted representation of past occurrences.

The unnamed stranger had deserted his seat next to Scarlet sooner than planned due to Jungkook's sudden reappearance. The stranger made sure to leave no crumbs of evidence after his trail; the only proof of his presence was a note he left intentionally.

A letter directed to Scarlet.

Said unknown man continued to scrutinize his two targets from afar, humming to the tune of a song that could not reach his ears.

"How long until we land?" Scarlet asked, turning to face the familiar face of her companion.

"Six hours," Jungkook replied, hiding the letter underneath his body.

Scarlet nodded in response and turned her head to rest on the window. Her eyes drifted to the pitches black view, a swarming nothingness because of its absence with the city lights.

Nighttime was her least favorite hour.

It wasn't due to the darkness that frightened her, but the lack of liveliness that was intimidating. As majority may hate the sounds of birds chirping in the mornings, their caroling were the melodies Scarlet needed.

She turned away from the window and gazed onto the movie playing on Jungkook's screen instead.

Mr. Grinch.

Jungkook really did remind her of the Grinch, and she nothing more than just a Christmas gift he stole from the many houses.

How is Christmas like?

From all the wonders of Christmas she witnessed in movies, Scarlet desired to feel its gleeful atmosphere at least once.

She tried celebrating before with her cat Tabby, but felt nothing so special about the holiday. They did nothing in the spirit of Christmas aside from the movies they watched and fell asleep halfway. She blames the black cat for the bad luck.

Scarlet pushed all these thoughts aside and stood up, feeling a bit lightheaded as she wanted to go freshen up. There was a foul taste in her mouth and it made her cringe inwardly.

Before she could advance any further from the cramped aisle, her body was swiftly pulled onto a seat that was very much warm and hard.

Scarlet's face flushed when she discovered the highly inappropriate position she was in and stiffly stilled on his lap.

"Where do you think you're going?" One of Jungkook's eyebrows quirked up.

"I need to go pee," Scarlet mumbled.

"The seat belt sign is on," Jungkook said. "And it's best if you don't go alone."

"We have company."

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I apologize for such a short and crappy chapter. There's this contest I'm very excited to join but a minimum of 3 chapters is required. So here it is. I'll go back and do some heavy revision on this chapter later on.

Also, thank you so much for 2K views! 2K already, I'm flabbergasted. :o

A bit of explanation on this chapter:
Hint. Jungkook and Scarlet's dreams both represent what have happened to them.

+ Someone left Scarlet a letter while she was asleep and when Jungkook had wandered off somewhere. The unknown man left abruptly when Jungkook came back to Scarlet. The man is still watching them.