The dinky little apartment over the grocery store wasn't exactly what Eden was expecting.
She expected grime, rust, mold-something questionable on the surfaces. She expected questionable men hunched over in the living room discussing crime with maps of the city splayed out over the coffee table, men that she would have to threaten to beat with her broom.
But the apartment was completely normal.
Tiny, but normal.
The key to the door felt heavy in her palm. Eden gripped it carefully, making sure not to lose it in the fuss of everything. The owner of the apartment was very clear in telling her how much an extra key would cost her, and unless she wanted to starve, she didn't have that money to pay. Looking around for a noticeable spot to put it, she settled on the kitchen counter, positioning it carefully so it wouldn't get lost.
Now all that was left to do was unpack. It didn't seem like it would take her long, especially because most of her unpacking was just clothes. She dragged her largest suitcase into the bedroom at the end of the hall, kicking it on the floor with a satisfying thud. She started to hum to herself as she unzipped the suitcase and pulled out her clothes. She tucked them into drawers neatly and tossed her blanket and sheets on the waiting bed, deciding not to bother with those until she had a meal.
The last thing you want to do on an empty stomach is fight with a fitted sheet.
Speaking of an empty stomach...
Eden's stomach let out a growl rivaling the snarl of a dog. She put her hand over her stomach and groaned. She needed food if there was any hope of setting up the tiny apartment. She stood to her feet and trudged into the kitchen, looking through the other bags she brought.
Empty.
Against her better judgement, she checked the fridge in the kitchen. The light flickered dangerously as she peeked in, the irrational part of her hoping there would be food.
Surprisingly there was... half of a moldy sandwich.
"Damn, I really live like this?"
Eden sighed and closed the fridge, plucking a couple bills from her pile and deciding to take the trek down the stairs and into the grocery store. She patted her pockets and remembered she left her phone on the bed in the bedroom.
"Eh," she said finally, grabbing the key and slipping through her front door.
The staircase at the furthest end of the hall took her to the employee only room behind the frozen section in the grocery store. She smiled and waved at her landlord who was stocking Hot Pockets into the freezer. Once she was able to slip past him, she shook off the cold and headed to the front for a basket.
The store was mildly active. A few families were gathering groceries for the week, and off to the side was a very sad looking man staring at the alcohol rack. Eden gave him his privacy and stepped quickly past him, making her way to the bakery.
She tapped her foot in thought as she stared at the wall of bread. Potato... or white? She thought, eyes bouncing between the two options. Noticing the price on the potato bread, she grabbed the white bread and shoved it into her basket quickly.
Part of her wished she brought her phone with her for some music, but she made up for it by singing songs in her head. She was partway through an old R&B playlist when she noticed someone tall in her view.
"Oh sh- I'm sorry," she stuttered out. "I didn't see you there."
"No worries," The deep voice replied. The guy smiled, exposing his sparkling white teeth. "I was actually trying to get your attention for a while."
"Oh?"
Eden felt her heartbeat pickup. What would he need her attention for?
Noticing her defensive stance, he chuckled. "Relax. I like your earring." He pointed at the shining silver in her ear. "Its really unique."
"Oh! Yeah, I just got it earlier this afternoon," she smiled, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. She didn't remember when she had piled her hair into a bun, probably while she was unpacking. Truth be told, Eden was a bit of a ditz.
The man stepped a little closer. "Where'd you get it from?" He asked, reaching his hand out to touch it.
Eden stepped back a little, widening the distance between them. "Um. A piercing parlor not far from here," she muttered. "I didn't catch the name."
"A happy little redhead works there?"
She nodded, a grin making its way onto her face. "Yeah, that's the place."
The man tilted his head. "What exactly is it? It looks like a word."
"The guy who did it said it's like abstract art, you sort of see whatever you want to see. I thought it was a key."
The man hummed lowly, continuing to stare at the earring. Something in his face told Eden he recognized it, and whatever he recognized in it was bad news. She grabbed the chocolate syrup she was looking at before and dropped it into her basket. "Well, I have groceries I need to get. Thank you for the compliment on the earring."
Before she could walk away, the man grabbed her and spun her around, staring daggers down into her soul. "I don't... I don't suppose Yoongi did that piercing for you?"
She widened her eyes. "How did yo-"
The air around her suddenly got completely dry, and Eden could feel her lungs begging for air. She gripped her throat, dropping the basket from her hands as she doubled over.
The man in front of her continued to stare down at her, his gaze not faltering for a second. "Tell me where that parlor is," he demanded.
She couldn't breathe, nonetheless speak.
Suddenly her body felt like it was flying, and she opened her dry eyes to see she was now standing eye-to-eye with the stranger.
Thats fucking impossible! This guy is like a foot taller than me.
"What's the matter?" He said, a psychotic smile spreading across his face. "Not gonna rat out a member of your little clan? I'll let you go if you tell me where they are."
Eden smacked at the hand holding her off the ground, her eyes roaming around frantically for someone, anyone to see what was going on and help her. Her short legs kicked, trying to aim for the guy's stomach, but he held her out at arm's length like she was a fish.
The earring in her ear started to burn again, and as much as she wanted to be free from her attacker the pain was unbearable. Everything was starting to become too much, and her field of vision started shrinking.
The man seemed unfazed-- or even glad she was passing out. "Don't worry," he whispered. "It'll be quick."
Her grip on his arm started to get loose, and her limbs felt like jelly. With her last bit of energy, she tried to scratch his hand one more time. Her hands fell limply at her sides after that.
But just as quickly as she was off the ground, she was back down.
Air rushed back into her lungs like a tidal wave, and she sucked it in like her life depended on it. Eden felt herself get pulled out of the aisle, and she was so grateful to be breathing she couldn't find it in herself to care about being kidnapped. Warm hands gripped her and held her close, and behind her closed lids she could tell she was in a dark room.
"You're okay," a voice whispered. "It's okay now. Don't worry."
"Am I dead?" She croaked, finding it too hard to open her eyes just yet.
A semi-familiar laugh vibrated around her. "No, you're not dead. I got you in time."
Eden forced her eyes to open at the sound of the voice and the laugh. Though they were half-lidded, she turned her head to get a good look at whoever was holding her.
Mischievous brown eyes stared back at her, red strands of hair framing the soft face.
"Jimin?"
"In the flesh," he chuckled. "Now keep still, I have to heal you before it's too late."
"What are you--"
Jimin's hand lightly touched the base of her neck, just where her attacker was grabbing. Eden winced, expecting to feel a sting, but was surprised when the pain went away almost immediately. Jimin rubbed the area, patting Eden's back in an attempt to soothe her.
"Feel better?"
"How-- What--"
"Hush," Jimin whispered. "Don't aggravate your throat. I may have healed you but your body probably won't get the message for a little."
Eden obeyed, closing her mouth and letting the cheerful man behind her continue to rub calming circles in her back. Whatever he was doing was working, she definitely felt. She let herself relax a little more in his hold for a second.
"There we go," Jimin smiled. He let out a breath and rested his head on hers. "It's great to see you again, though under the circumstances I probably should choose better words."
Under the circumstances...
Eden widened her eyes. "Wait, how did you know where I was? How did you know to come save me?"
"I didn't think we'd get to you in time," he sighed. "Joon told us to hurry but Yoongi didn't believe him, and he walks so slow--"
"Woah, hold it." The confused girl in his lap put her hand up. "Yoongi came with you? Where is he?"
At that moment, the door to the room they were in burst open. Light shined in from the outside, illuminating the unmistakable silhouette of a man. Eden gripped Jimin's arms, fearing her attacker had come back for round two. The dark figure in the doorway took a series of deep breaths before making a B-line for the pair on the floor.
Yoongi brought his face down, barely an inch away from Eden's. His already dark eyes were ablaze with anger, and a purple bruise was starting to form around his eye. They stared at each other in silence for a second; Eden too shocked to say a word and Yoongi too angry to think clearly.
Then--
"I think we need to have a talk."
*******
Sorry for the sort of short chapter! I'm excited to write from this point onward, this is where the plot really picks up and thickens.
How are you all enjoying the story? Feel free to let me know!
Yell at me on twitter if you wanna. Same username as here.
xoxo
layerjoon <3