I can't seem to stop shaking. My whole body seems to shake as I try to calm my breathing down, but my panic isn't fading at all. I can still see the remnants of my burning house as if I was still inside its charred walls. I can still feel the slight sting as the fire consumed my body. I can still see my mom's unseeing eyes, the emptiness chilling me to the bone.
I had thought for sure that I was in my house, but when I opened my eyes, I was here. I was in a room that I've never been in before, soft bed sheets beneath my trembling form. I can distinctly remember clinging onto someone as they had rocked me back and forth, but I can't be too sure. I can't be too sure of anything.
I didn't kill my mother.....right? I couldn't have. I have been locked up in this house since the choosing ceremony. There is no way that I could have gotten out of this retched place. There's no way that I could have done something so terrible to the one person who had raised me since I was young.
No. She's not my real mother, but she might as well be. My real mom died giving birth to me, leaving me with a father who had no clue how to raise a child. He tried all by himself for three years until he met my current mom. She has always made sure that I was cared for and looked after. She has always made sure that we had everything that we needed in order for us to be happy, and I can't thank her enough for that. When my dad passed away from an illness three years ago, she had been devastated. So had I. All we had was each other, so our bond had grown. That's also probably due to the fact that she had never let me make friends or play with the other children, so all I had was her.
That must be why Taehyung had felt so bad. He had warned me. He had basically begged for me to tell him the truth so he didn't have to put me through that. Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought he was. He obviously has a conscience, and he didn't want me to get hurt that badly. What is he hiding? What he did was a torture unlike anything I have ever felt in my life, but doing that to me pained him in a way that I don't understand. Why does he act so cruel on the outside when he is probably a good guy on the inside?
The large door at the end of the room opens slowly, the creaking sound reaching my ears and making me cringe. I can't help but sink down into the blankets in fear as Taehyung and Jungkook enter the room, their steps hesitant and slow.
"Oh, you're awake" Jungkook says with surprise coloring his tone, walking over to the side of the bed I am cowering on. My eyes trail down his arm before stopping to gaze at the cup he has clasped in his hand, them flickering back up to his face right after. He is already peering down at me, a cautious look on his face. It's as if he's afraid that I will start crying, his other hand out in front of him as if to placate me.
"Don't worry" Taehyung says, obviously picking up on my suspicion.
"The only thing in that cup is water, so you don't have to worry about us poisoning you. I've already put you through enough."
I slowly take the cup into my shaking hands as I look between the two guys standing before me, lifting it up to my nose. I sniff it and then take a sip after no odor reaches me, gulping down the contents greedily. I must have been screaming while I was out because my throat hurts as I drink from the cup. It's like it is all scratched up and raw, the water cooling the burning down before it comes back after I finish.
I don't even flinch as Jungkook sits down on the bed next to me, his arm resting on my shoulders. Something about him just makes me want to trust him and I'm not entirely sure why. Did something happen while I was asleep? Something that I can't remember? No matter the reason, I can feel myself curl into his embrace, seeking shelter in his touch. My body finally seems to relax as he pulls me closer, a comforting hand rubbing at my arm.
We don't speak. The room is silent as I sit there and Jungkook holds me, his arms gentle around me as if he is afraid that I will break. In all honesty, if he wasn't here, I probably would have. The strain that those images of my mother and my house had made my mind weaker and more susceptible to doubt. If I was alone, I probably would have gone insane from thinking about it.
I glance up at the small sound of someone walking away, my eyes watching Taehyung's back as he goes. He stops when he gets to the door before looking back over his shoulder, his strangely beautiful eyes locking with mine almost immediately. A sudden flashback of the day that all happened pops into my mind, it startling me. I can feel his lips as they press onto mine almost as if it was happening all over again, a strange sort of heat consuming my body. I can feel my cheeks as they flush at the intensity of his gaze, it as if he is remembering the same moment that I am.
I watch as his eyes go from mine to Jungkook, stopping at the arm that is wrapped protectively around me. He gets a puzzled frown on his face before he shakes his head as if to clear his mind, pushing the door open. His footsteps echo as he walks out of the room and into the hallway, my eyes still staring after him even after he is no longer in my sight.