Rescuing- Stray Kids FF (Book 2)

Changbin

White petals fly past my face following the breeze. My hair blows in the same direction, my body ready to run. Out in this forest, I feel so, free. The trees that surround us reach up to the sky, while their ethereal white flowers draped down to the earth. 

"What kind of trees are these?" I ask as my hand glides across one's trunk.

"Yellowwoods," Seungmin answers me.

All of us are completely spellbound by the forest's beauty. It is like the one safe place that the government hasn't ruined. There aren't kids running for their lives or being put to work. No parents worrying about their child's welfare and happiness. No run-down buildings or drained resources because of the war. Not a single stress, no destruction to be seen, and no despair.

We continue to walk and follow Minho.

"Too bad we can't live here," Jisung remarks.

Everyone looks down, he ruined the mood by making us realize how bleak our lives are.

"Hey let's keep the negativity to ourselves. Some of us were enjoying the one moment of peace we are allowed to have."

Jisung gets mad at Hyunjins words, the rest of us could feel the tension between them but ignored it.

"Yeah, well I don't really like lying to myself. Not all of us can force a smile 24/7"

Hyunjin whipped around, "are you calling me fake?"

The group stops, hoping they don't continue this dumb argument.

"Maybe I am," Jisung says with an attitude.

Ugh, just great, I get in between them before they can continue.

"Listen, we are all sick of this shit, but arguing won't change anything. We are all hungry, sore, and wary of what the future holds. I wish we could just settle down here but we have a mission. Because if we don't stay strong and do this no one else will. Now let's stop here for a moment and rest." 

I look around and everyone nods in agreement with me. So we sit down, eat, drink, and converse. While everyone sits I make my way around the group to see how everyone is doing. I plop down beside Chan and watch the others.

"Thanks for everything Changbin. You've help lighten my load a bit."

I smile at Chan, "no problem."

Even though being the second in command is beginning to take its toll on me, I can't imagine how much harder it is for Chan. Chan gets up and goes to talk to Felix, leaving me alone. I stand and begin to look around. I follow the breeze and find a small opening. In the middle is another yellowwood tree, but it's on the shorter side. It still looks strong, so I walk over and begin to climb it. I find a comfy spot and look out in the distance. Even though this tree isn't quite as big I can still see most of the forest from here. I close my eyes and soak up the warmth from the suns rays. My eyes and body begin to feel heavy, my exhaustion is settling in. 

I open my eyes to take in the scenery one last time before I fall asleep. What I see surprises and frightens me. Panic sets in and I quickly get down and run towards the others. I have to warn them!