Sands Of Time

Nine

Eternity seemed to pass for Tara before the car turned into a dark road and pulled over against the curb, coming to a silent stop. Tara, having gradually blocked out Mark's sickening, gurgling snoring and sunk into a ponderous trance whilst allowing her calmed eyes feed off of the magic of the burring city lights, was thrown back into reality and she blinked several times, looking around inquisitively. Jaemin released a heavy, tired sigh and pulled the gear stick up to complete the process of turning off the car, and he then looked over at Mark.

Tara looked out of her window to recognize a long, dark alleyway entrance on the other side of the sidewalk to her. A chill ran up her spine and she gave a petite shiver. It was ghostly.

"Mark." Jaemin monotonously called over to Mark.

Tara tore her entranced eyes away from the unnerving alleyway and looked up front at Mark and Jaemin. Jaemin reached over and shook Mark's shoulder softly, but all that did was make him give a loud snort and turn his head away. Jaemin sighed angrily and suddenly planted a quick slap across his cheek, and he jumped into life with alarmed eyes, snapping his head left and right in fright.

"I've never seen the box in my life, I swear! They made me do it!" He whaled.

Jaemin looked at Mark with a dry, sarcastic expression "I love the support and protection that one's family brings..."

Tara scrunched her nose up in shame at Jonathan and then looked over at her older brother as he gasped into consciousness. Tara didn't blame him. Mark's cry would have probably woken up the entire neighborhood that they had driven into... well, if Tara could even call it that. It looked more like a demolition site where the dead came back to life.

"Where are we?" Henry sighed huskily.

"I think we've arrived at Mr. Na's home." She whispered back.

"Yeah, this is my place. You don't have to whisper as if it'll offend me. Scrappy places like this aren't all bad - it looks better from the inside, trust me." Jaemin spoke out confidently.

Tara looked up at him in his mirror "Oh - no, I didn't mean it like that. I-... I'm sorry."

He nodded and opened his car door, keeping his seemingly dubious eyes locked with hers the whole time "Yeah. I know what you meant."

He broke eye contact with her just before he leant away and stepped out of the car. Tara looked out of her shattered window and up at him as he slammed his door shut and then stepped over to Tara's and opened it for her.

"My parents are exactly the same." He added to his last comment with a particular dryness in his tone that Tara didn't quite know how to receive.

She felt it best to just ignore it, and carefully slid her feet round and limped up out of the car. She made sure to keep the injured palm of her right hand facing forwards by her side so that it wouldn't brush against her clothing, and she leant all of her weight onto her healthy foot.

Jaemin closed the door subconsciously whilst eyeing her up and down.

"Wow." He said with impress.

Tara blushed deeply and looked away "Mr. Na, I think you shoul"-

"You're a complete mess." He scoffed.

Tara blinked in offence and surprise and looked back over at him.

Unfortunately for her, he turned and made his way around to the other side of the car to help assist his drunken best friend and her brother out. Tara's lips squeezed together in anger and she furrowed her eyebrows angrily.