Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 2

I followed my cat through the twisting alleyways, the tabby glancing back once in a while to make sure I was following. By the fourth turn, I was painfully aware of how far we were getting from home. "Kitty! I think we should head back," I called, but if he heard me, he gave no reaction.

Suddenly, the cat began running through the streets, catching me off guard. Determined not to lose sight of him, I started running too.

"Kitty, slow down!" I was now running after the cat, who was getting farther and farther away from me. The houses seemed to tower menacingly over me as I passed, and I suddenly remembered all the vampire attacks that happened during the night. Clutching the collar of my jacket, I ran faster.

Turning into yet another alleyway, my heart stopped.

He was gone.

Heart hammering in my chest, I frantically looked around, hoping to see the familiar striped tabby figure appear in the alleyway.

No such luck.

I was stupid, I realized, following a cat into the dark of the night, not knowing where I was heading. But those thoughts wouldn't help me now. Right now, my number one priority was to find my way home.

But how?

I was in an unfamiliar neighborhood, with no way to measure how far away I was from my house. I shook my head, cursing at myself for letting that cat lead me on a wild goose chase. If I saw him again, I would cuff his ears.

While I was wandering around trying to find my way, I felt a light pat on my shoulder, scaring me half to death. My heart tried to claw its way up my throat and my stomach contracted. Quickly turning around, I saw that I was face to face with a boy about my age. He was shorter than me, with silver hair and light gray eyes. He was wearing a black trench coat paired with a blue muffler, and was better dressed for the cold than I was. I breathed in a sigh of relief. Thank god it wasn't a vampire.

"Are you alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost." The boy laughed good naturedly, and I smiled. He seemed like a person I could trust. "Yeah, sorry. I think that I'm lost... I've never been to this neighborhood before. Do you live here?"

"Well, something like that," the boy agreed. "Do you need help finding your way home? I know most of London like the back of my hand." I nodded gratefully, almost not believing how lucky I was. "Yes, thank you. I live on 77 Bangtan street, just north of the Tower of London."

The boy nodded, setting off confidently down the street. I hurried after him. "My Name's Jimin by the way," he added. "Park Jimin."

"My name is Jeon Jungkook, but you can just call me Jungkook." When he heard my name, Jimin frowned, like he was trying to remember something, but shook his head and dismissed whatever worry he had. We started talking about random stuff for about twenty minutes, and I realized that Jimin was a total smiler. I started relaxing, and felt a little more hopeful when we got to the corner store I walked by every morning on my way to school.

"So, how did you manage to get so lost?" he asked while we walked. "You're very far from home." I shuffled my feet, cheeks reddening as I realized how stupid I was going to sound. "Well... I actually followed my... er, cat here." I confessed. Jimin raised an eyebrow, no doubt surprised. I quickly elaborated. "Not my cat exactly. He's the neighbor's cat; a brown striped tabby with amber eyes, but I was supposed to look after him for one week. And then today, he decided to go on a midnight walk, so I followed him... and the rest is history."

By the time I was done, the tips of my ears were red; both from the cold and embarrassment. I expected Jimin to either laugh or tell me how stupid I was... but he was silent. So silent that I glanced at him, only to find that he had stopped walking, and was staring at me in horror.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned for my newly made friend. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Jimin didn't reply, only looking up at the moon, then checking his watch, and looked up at the moon again.

"Jungkook, did you say a tabby with amber eyes?"

"Um, yes? What does that have to do with anything?"

Jimin ignored my question once again, shaking his head slowly. "Baekhyun was supposed to bring you on the full moon," he muttered to himself, "Next year's full moon! That's more than a year away!" He stared at me for a good long moment. "And to think that you're the one he's been waiting for... This is bad, really bad. Why didn't I realize earlier..."

"Jimin!" I took him by the shoulders and shook him. "What's going on? Who is this bacon person, and what is all this about the moon? Is my cat a stalker?!"

Jimin patted me on the arm and tried to smile, though his silver eyes betrayed his uncertainty. "All your questions will be answered in good time Jungkook, but right now, we need to get out of here."

"We?" I repeated, utterly confused. "What does this all have to do with me?"

"Everything," Jimin replied grimly. "Everything in both the human and vampire worlds. You can change the course of the war."

"Hold up. Vampire world? You mean that vampires really exist? And what's all this about a war? And how am I even part of it?" My head was spinning, and I felt a headache spike.

"I can't explain it all here Jungkook. Right now, my top priority is to get you safely to the castle. He'll know what to do about this." Checking his watch, Jimin massaged his temples. "This is too soon. Way too soon. We should have at least waited another year to bring you into this. I'm going to kill Baekhyun."

I stepped away from Jimin, suddenly feeling scared. "Actually, you know what? I think that I can find my way home alone now. Thanks for your help, but I remember this street. You can just leave me now and..."

Quicker than I could blink, Jimin's hand shot out and grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip. "I'm sorry Jungkook, it just doesn't work that way. I have to take you with me. It's for your own good," he added, looking into my eyes which were no doubt reflecting the fear that I was feeling. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. But now that you know the truth, our enemies will do anything to get their hands on you. I'm really sorry Jungkook, but I need to do this."

I don't know any truth! I wanted to yell. But before I could, Jimin pressed a cloth against my nose and mouth, and the sweet scent of chloroform filled my senses. The last thing I saw was Jimin's silver eyes, which looked genuinely pained and sorry.

Then I let the oblivion engulf me.