It was a rather unusual orientation for the chirpy middle schoolers who had never had such an opportunity before. Their little souls cherished the arrangement nonetheless. It was going to be a new experience for all of them. Even though most of them did not have much friends, they still relished the fact that they got to camp under the vastly beautiful sky in an equally serene night in the forest. The Allegra Institute of Education for Middle and High Schoolers took its job very seriously and worked its best on refining the best in their students. So there in the clearing, dispersed were the lot of innocent middle schoolers –personification of fascinating dreams and aspirations – lounging around and trying to get their tents to set up under the supervision of responsible adults.
A little girl sat not too far from the crowd with a book in her hand, her ponytail swaying gently with the movement of her head as she examined the crowd around her. Eunha was a reserved child who felt anxious among large crowds and found refuge in the world of her books and silent observations. Though the day had been tiring for her with all the walking and loud chatter of her age mates, she found it fascinating that the large grounds of her future campus did not seem hostile at all. They offered welcoming warmth to everyone and for once in her lifetime, Eunha looked forward to new beginnings, trying not to let the anxiety of unknown get the better of her.
As much as the child anticipated the thrill of her new school and new life as a young tween, the probability of making new friends was still a lingering dread on her little mind. Eunha had never had to try at looking for friends, assuming she could bond with whoever sat by her seat in the classes. Growing slowly into the highs and lows of being a teenager struggling to get by with a social life, the perceptive girl had soon realized that it did not always work like that, and that the task of peopling actually required effort. It was all a headache -- the uncertainty of trying to befriend strangers -- and the dread of having to let them hang around if she found similar grounds with them. It seemed like a drag to her but she knew she had to try. All those loving lectures from her mom were not for nothing.
So there she sat on the log, distant from the lively and lightly glow of the campsite bustling with her peers and supervisors, trying to come up with ideas on how to approach the kids around. It was a struggle prospecting where to begin, depending which of them seemed less intimidating and friendly enough to share a tent with.
They were all 12 13 year olds but Eunha somewhat fell back on the age spectrum being one of the youngest: 11 year old, which was an added factor to her anxieties.
"Hey, why are you sitting there like a ghost come play with us." A puny boy not much older than Eunha asked her snapping her out of her anxious daze. He had an aura that screamed troublemaker and to the ever intuitive Eunha she absolutely did not want to linger even a little around the 'd' of danger on her very first day of middle school orientation. The frightened girl cleared her throat shaking her head and making her pony tail bounce in an adorable manner.
"I am fine here, thanks." Eunha was a shy girl but something both her parents found admirable about her was her confidence even from such a young age. Despite situations that would make any other kid in her place run, Eunha never faltered or cried; neither did her voice give away the anxiety she more often than not felt.
The boy tilted his head to the side with an uneasy twinkle taking up his features. "Hey Lilly I found us a little friend but she is refusing to play with us."
At the boy's call a group of kids emerged from their hiding spots into the clearing all having the same troublemaker aura around them.
"Hey mousey Daniel is only offering you a game, shouldn't you be respectful enough to accept his kindness?" An adorable little girl, who looked like the leader of the small group, spoke with confidence that Eunha wished she had to help with her social life.
"I am thankful but I just don't like playing much is all. Don't take it rude but I like to be left alone." Her voice was a breathy whisper but her firm expression made it clear that she was not to be intimidated into being a doormat just for the temporary amusement of some childish troublemakers.
"From what I can see aren't you one of the youngest among us all? And my mom said we should listen to people older than us. Daniel is your elder so you should respect him you know?" Lilly urged with a sweet charm but there was a lingering distaste in the undertone that did not go unnoticed by little Eunha.
"Yes we should respect elders but it should be only fair if they respect us." She had now stood up from the log she was sitting on, clutching her book to her chest with a firm posture indicating she was not scared of the petty threats.
Something mischievous sparkled up all the faces of the kids surrounding her, making Eunha take a step back in caution.
"Hmm since you do not want to play with us that's okay..." Lilly said drawing out in thought, "But that does not mean we cannot play with you."
An evil smile had taken over the young girl's pretty features as she motioned for her friends to block the cornered girl's escape route.
"Daniel let's do the honors." Lilly clapped in glee as she and Daniel took closer steps to the younger girl whose heart was now beating out of its cavity. One boy from the group leapt forward and snatched Eunha's precious book from her hand tearing it a little in the process while two girls slightly taller than Eunha went to grab either of her hands.
"No! My book please give me back my book!" She shouted hyperventilating a little. If there was anything that could falter the firm resolve of a confident but shy girl like Eunha, it was doing damage to her most prized possessions which happened to be her books. Even a little scratch or tear to any of her books brought pain to the little girl who felt it down to her soul.
The book that the boy had snatched and was now gleefully ruining, was one of her favorite tales of magic adventures "There and Back Again". It had been Eunha's most trusted companions in the most lonely times of her young years and seeing it being so mercilessly ripped brought immediate tears to her eyes.
"Please please don't do this to my book. Give it back!" The young girl wriggled shouting as loud as she could manage. It confused her that no one had come yet even though the supervisors had been right in her sight. Suddenly it came to Eunha that she had deliberately chosen a spot that would best conceal her from the prying eyes and ears.
It was one of the moments where Eunha cursed her reserved nature for ultimately landing her in such a trouble.
"Hey! Let her go you weak bullies." A courageous young voice interrupted their altercation making the lot of them stop. Eunha paid no mind to the voice being focused more so on the corpse of her valued possession.
A mix of youth, charm and innocence shone on the features of the young boy who strode confidently into the mix. He was the tallest of all the young kids present and his yellow bomber jacket made him stand out like a firefly in the dark.
Lilly, Daniel and their crew stopped with scowls landing their attention from Eunha to the new intruder who had interrupted their harmless fun.
"It's not your business to meddle with when we are only having fun with our friend." Daniel retorted with disdain ready to pounce on the boy, who despite being petite, was visibly taller than him and could easily win him over in arm wrestle.
"Oh? And neither your business to meddle with your friend when she does not want to have fun." The hiss on the last words made it clear to the kids that the boy had witnessed their mischief and was not going to let their lies sway him.
"Fine I guess if you want it so bad then we will play games with you as well." Lilly was nonchalantly smirking basking in the bubble of her victory knowing two were no match against the clique of six but it only made the young boy smile in sweet contention.
"I have a deal, I would like to invite my friend as well." And with that he whistled making a large German shepherd step into the clearing in all its menacing glory. The boy leaned down to pet the handsome dog who soon turned to a pup in his arms.
"Bam you want to play with my new friends?" The dog barked a loud 'whoof' sound making the six kids shiver. Eunha was too lost into the pain of her lost book to pay mind to the menace games going around her.
"We'll see how excited you are the next time we play." Daniel threw the remark like venom at the boy before exiting the clearing with his friends in a walk of shame.
One of the girls holding Eunha purposefully bumped hard into her sending her small frame crashing to the ground, making her scratch her palms on the rocks and dirt under. The darkness was too encompassing to make out anything but the little sting on various sections of her palm made Eunha realize she had hurt herself pretty bad.
"Hey are you alright?" A tender voice broke her sad reverie as she looked up with glossy eyes to see the boy resembling a firefly in the dark. He stooped down to pick her up with his gentle grip on her wrists.
The two kids wordlessly walked back to a tent Eunha had no idea about the owner of. Bam followed in silent obedience behind the boy and girl. Entering a spacious tent, Eunha looked around marveling at the neat organization in the living space.
"Will you please wait here until I get something to clean you up?" The kind boy asked in slight hesitance noting Eunha's innocent features and how her big eyes moved about the place.
He thought she was beautiful.
Eunha nodded absentmindedly not sparing him a glance and immersing herself in her usual observation. After a few minutes the sound of footsteps snapped Eunha out of her silent stupor and she looked down to avoid eye contact with whoever had been kind enough to save her risking his own safety. When she had been in the clearing, the dark mixed with her glossy eyes had made it hard for her to see her savior's face, but now as they stood under the soft light of the tent, Eunha's shyness kicked in and she found it unable to gaze into the eyes of her savior.
Wordlessly her wrists were taken from where she had interlaced them over her stomach and lifted in the air between them as the boy began to clean up her palms with a wet towel ever so gently. Eunha sniffled realizing she had been crying all along. Now that the shock of her book's brutal murder had subsided a little, the stickiness on her face made her embarrassed to have acted so out of character. She kept her head down biting the inside of her cheek, struggling to come up with words expressing her gratitude.
Regardless she caved in.
"I am sorry if I was a bother, you did not have to do that." She let out in a slight mumble and for the first time, the usual confidence in Eunha's tone was replaced by hesitation and guilt.
"You weren't a bother. It would have been wrong of me to let you suffer like that when I knew I could help." The tone of kindness never left the stranger's voice but now it also had a hint of friendliness to it. Eunha knew he was smiling at her so she mustered up the courage to lift her head and meet his gaze.
And the moment she did, she found herself lost.
She was hearing the crashing of waves and the cool sand of beach under her feet.
She was feeling the gentleness of wind on her cheeks and the solace of the starry sky in silent nights.
She was feeling the warmth of the spring sun and the colors of rainbow.
Most of all she was sensing the non-existent but much prevalent scent of petrichor calming her senses.
She was struck and stuck... as if the time around her had stopped.
"Bambi..."
Was the only world she could utter as she felt her grip tighten unconsciously on the hands that held her own.
A smile lit up the boy's face and his eyes twinkled with the most beautiful sparkle Eunha had ever seen.
"Bambi... your eyes, they look like Bambi the baby deer." Eunha was honest in her curiosity. She wondered how one could have such adorable and shining pair of eyes and she did not shy away from admitting that she loved it and that pair right there was officially going to be one of her most favorite pair of doe eyes in the universe.
"Um... t-thanks." The young boy got flustered, letting go of her hands to get some breathing space. The kids had not realized all the while how they'd been standing fairly close. It did not help that the young teens were growing individuals experiencing anatomical and emotional changes and the littlest of their flusters evidently brightened their features.
In all honestly Eunha found it cute that the boy was buffering much like her. Unconsciously she began finding his presence calming and even though she did not know him or his name, she knew that the sense of safety she felt with him was not a hoax of her mind.
"Thank you for helping me out there." The little girl said in earnest making the boy meet her eyes again. The familiar beautiful smile returned to his handsome face brightening the atmosphere around them.
"It's okay you're always welcome. What's your name?" Curiosity shone in the pools of his irises as he folded his hands behind him to lean forward to set his gaze on the pretty girl before him.
"Eunha... and yours?" She asked with equal curiosity shining in the depths of her own big eyes.
"Jeon." He crinkled his nose giving her an adorable smile that now resembled the features of a fluffy rabbit.
"Jeon, would you like to be friend?" One side of Eunha's mouth lifted in a pleasant grin as she watched Jeon nod in fervent enthusiasm.
"So Eunha what do you--" Jeon was cut off by the sudden change of Eunha's countenance as she seemed to remember something important sending her into a flurry of panic.
"My m-my book I left it they- they ruined it oh no!" The girl was a mess of panic and jumping all over the place as Jeon watched her with a little pain aching his heart at seeing his new friend's state.
"Uh Eunha about that... Bam got it for you."
In all her panic and sadness Eunha had barely taken note of the large dog following them all along or how it now sat obediently in one corner of their tent with her tattered book right in front of his attentive posture.
Seeing the remains of her favorite companion and all the illustrations absolutely ruined to bits, tears yet again glistened in Eunha's eyes but this time she was not embarrassed to cry in front of the boy before her. Eunha was a person who gave it her all the moment she became committed to something, so it was no surprise that she instantly found refuge and security in Jeon as she entrusted her heart to him since making him her friend.
Jeon was no different and the moment the young kids had declared their friendship, a protectiveness had locked itself around the section of the heart he entrusted to Eunha. Without hesitation he strolled up to her engulfing her in the blanket of his warmth and comfort.
"Hey... it's okay you can have mine."
Jeon was a boy possessive of the things he loved but when it came to sacrificing them for the people he loved, such trivialities mattered little to none. So, giving one of his own favorite possessions to the girl he had just called his friend seemed no big deal to him.
The tears that shined like pearls in her eyes halted as Eunha looked up at him with her own magic sparkles for eyes.
"Y-you have that book too?" Even though the young girl was crying the notion of someone owning and loving the same book as her, and that too one of her favorites, made her curious excitement take over the sadness of her loss.
Jeon nodded tightening his loving hold on her. "It's one of my favorites but you can take it now cuz now you are my more favorite than any book." Jeon was cheeky but honest and that made the littlest of smiles crawl over Eunha's face making a big wave of relief wash over the adorable but charming boy.
He would go to hell and back if it meant he had to see his new friend smile her pretty smile.
"But what about my tattered copy? I don't want to get rid of it." Eunha reached between them to wipe her snot on the long sleeve that was holding onto the arm of Jeon's hoodie in a tight little fist.
"We can hold a burial for it." Jeon piped up with such serious compassion one would think the burial wasn't for some book but for some poor stray animal that the kids cherished.
"A burial?" Confusion laced her childish features and Jeon only nodded swaying them from side to side.
"Yeah a burial like how adults do with paying respects when someone goes to God? We can also pay respects to your favorite copy since you hold it so dear and then after the proper farewell you can make new memories with mine."
His eyes crinkled again making Eunha mirror his expressions.
"Okay." Was all the girl said before the kids played with their friend Bam who had stood as a silent supporter all along.
Later on the next day the youths did just what they had planned for Eunha's preciously destroyed book and paid their sincere respects before dashing off and enjoying the rest of each other's fun company.
Echoing with the gleeful laughter of kids, who found new friends and held onto the excitement of their new beginnings, each soul floated in their own bubble to engrave the beautiful day to their memory.
Little did Jeon and Eunha know it was just the beginning of all the firsts that they would share with each other through the long process of a tumultuous life, where they would go on to make countless memories alongside each other holding onto the preciousness of their bonded souls.
Note: I really wanted to make a little series with Jeon and Eunha but since I have commitment issues, I guess I'll just release it to the world until maybe one day I can extend it into a story. I hope this little wholesome episode was worth the read.