A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

51: Racing Hearts

"Leave her alone."

Jin gave Namjoon a warning look, the latter left to stare longingly at the girl. Namjoon turned to Jin, heaving a resigned sigh before taking another spoonful of soup. The girl in question, Mara, was alone by the only tree in camp. She hid behind the tree, only slightly poking out as she sat on her lawn chair. It was a purple lawn chair—purple was her favorite color. At her feet lay an empty bowl, once filled with soup, now gone after quickly eating. She bore a focused frown, eyes staring intently down at her lap, where there sat a stone. She held a flathead screwdriver in one hand, a hammer in the other, chipping away at the surface and carving out lines and curves to form letters—letters to form a word.

Brown-

She wasn't quite done yet. She wanted to carve just a few more letters and drill a small hole beside the words. She hadn't slept at all, even after being forced to sleep in Jungkook's room by the distressed boy. He too was grieving, so she tried not to cause him too much trouble.

She laid in bed, staring at the ceiling for hours on end with a flood of countless thoughts. She looked over at Jungkook as he slept on the floor, refusing to invade Mara's space even though it was his own room. He was sleeping, albeit with a deep frown on his face, and his eyes shifted now and then as eventful dreams took place in his head. Mara leaned over to rest on the edge of the bed, staring down at his soft pout and almost breaking out into a smile.

Almost.

She reached down, her hand hovering over the crinkles over his furrowed brows. She passed her thumb gently over the creases, smoothing them out and moving down to caress his cheek. Mara felt an overwhelming frustration pool at the pit of her stomach, a grim reminder of the day's events. She pushed his hair out of his face, watching with adoration as he sighed contently. She withdrew her touch, but he reached out lazily, attempting to grab her hand before she could get far enough. She met him in the middle, anguish slightly dissolving when he placed his lips to the back of her hand, giving it a feathery kiss. He melted back into sleep, no longer frowning as he held her hand close. This time, she did smile—though it was a dejected smile. Mara remained on the edge of the bed until Jungkook woke up the next morning, groggy gaze landing on her as she stared restlessly at the ceiling. She heard him sigh, meeting his stoic expression.

Though it was only a look, Mara could read it far too well. She replayed it over and over in her head, along with all the other traumatic, frustrating events that transpired the night prior. Her eyes watered when remembering Brownie, the horse that had won her heart over with its innocence. She couldn't believe he was really gone. She had hoped that upon walking into the stables the next morning, that she would find Brownie up and running, whining with excitement at the sight of her. However, his enclosure was empty, lonely strands of hay scattered about in his absence. Mara looked over at the braid she had cut from Brownie's tail,  keeping it as memorabilia charm for good luck. Brownie was not just a horse, he was a companion.

Mara sighed, holding up the stone with the finished carvings, a small smile gracing her weary face.

Brownie ♡

Cute. Simple but cute.

Mara stood from the lawn chair, wiping away her tears and sniffling. She rounded the tree and placed the stone down on the cleared patch of soil, careful not to step over the grave she and Jungkook had dug out the night prior. Jungkook had convinced her to dig the hole beside her favorite spot to lounge in. She loved being by the tree, under its shade.

Now Brownie could enjoy the shade too—beside her.

Mara reached up to the crook above her ear, where she neatly placed the four multicolored flowers. She tried to find more colors, but the white, yellow, pink and purple were the only ones she could find. She'd replace them every time they wilted, so that Brownie was never alone. Mara placed the flowers inside the inch deep crevice she had steadily drilled, and they sat perfectly inside, instantly lighting up the display of Brownie's grave. She stepped back and admired the sight, sighing sadly and hearing a throat softly clear from behind her.