t w o ;

An eye of Red Force created the evil which coveted the heart of tree of life, and the heart slowly grew dry. The phrase of an old legend she heard long ago echoed in her mind as she drifted out of her slumber. It was slow at first, but then she sat up all at once, her eyes scanning her surroundings and filling her with confusion as to what she saw. She was no longer on that lonely street, but she was also no longer on the rooftop of a building in the middle of town. There was also no trace of the boy who had helped her. Perhaps she really had been dreaming and he was just a part of her imagination.

Things seemed to go downhill for her when a police officer spotted her before she could flee the scene. "Hey, shouldn't you be at school right now?" He asked. It was well past eight in the morning and she looked about high school age.

Jisoo didn't know how to respond and tried to make a break for it, but the officer was able to detain her easily. He took her to his squad car and drove her down to the police station for questioning. Once there, they tried to get her name and address so that they could call her parents, but the teenager would just not cooperate. Luckily for them, a girl had been reported missing from a home in the middle class neighborhoods in Seoul and her description fit Jisoo perfectly.

The police called in her foster parents and her father arrived at the police station, fuming. "Your mother and I have been looking all over Seoul for you, Jisoo-yah." He said in mock worry. Or maybe he was genuinely worried. When she was taken into their home through the foster care system, the judge had warned them that if anything were to happen to her, they would lose their monthly stipend to care for her. But never did they once love her or treat her like a daughter. She wasn't even treated like a human being so much.

Jisoo ate whatever was left over from the family's meal. She got hand-me-downs from the family's real daughter, and she slept in a tiny little room that had once been a cupboard. Her parents often locked her in there when she was younger, so that she wouldn't cause trouble. She remembered once being locked in there for three days without food and water before they let her out.

As they left the police station, her foster parent gripped her arm tightly, so tightly that she winced in pain and she knew there would be bruises on her skin. He hissed at her in annoyance, "You're so much more trouble than you're worth. Such an ungrateful little girl. But I know what will straighten you out." 

She was taken back to her foster home and locked in her room for the rest of the day. When her foster parents let her out the next morning, they took her straight to court, where they made a plea to the judge.

"This girl doesn't listen to us and we don't know what to do." Her foster mother said dramatically. Granted, she was right about what she was saying. But Jisoo thought that no one else knew her side of the story because no one cared enough to listen. They took the side of the adults because it was more convenient. "She tries to run away almost every night and we worry she might get hurt."

Jisoo rolled her eyes at that.

Her foster father spoke up. "We heard there's a school--Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow--they take rebellious kids like her and straighten them out."

The judge nodded his head in agreement. He head heard about that school and heard great things about them. It was a maximum security private Catholic school that promised to turn bad kids into good kids. He then gave Jisoo a choice. "Its up to you. Do you want to stay with your foster family, or do you want to go to Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow."

The teenager gave an uncaring shrug of her shoulders. "I always prayed someone would deliver me from that hell house."

-

She woke up the next morning. There had been nothing special about it otherwise, except she was starting out at a new school, after moving to yet another shelter for orphan children. This one at least better than the last.

She had arrived the night before at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow Academy, a Catholic school where orphan children were sent to learn values. But really its purpose was to keep children off the streets and preventing them from becoming criminals. At least, she thought to herself, she had a place to stay.

Jisoo pushed the covers off herself and climbed out of bed. Around her, some of her room mates were already up. She had been placed in a big dorm room with about five other girls her age and they whispered to each other about her as they got ready for their classes of the day. Jisoo only ignored them and got dressed. She had been given a uniform and a schedule with her classes. There were two school buildings next to each other--one for boys, and one for girls. The only class that was offered as a co-ed was physical education because they had to share the field.

She sighed as she made her way to the dining hall for breakfast after changing into her freshly pressed uniform and combing out her hair, fixing it into a pony tail. She had just walked into the crowded foyer when she felt something collide with her hard and soon she was completely covered in cafeteria food.

Jisoo gasped in surprise as a mixture of items drenched her uniform. It had been mostly cereal and milk. The person standing in front of her--a boy--immediately started offering a stream of apologies. "I'm really sorry, I didn't see where I was going." He then proceeded to grab a napkin off his tray and motioned to help her clean off her uniform shirt. But he stopped himself halfway and offered her the napkin, giving her some personal space since most of the damage was on the front of her shirt.

She gave a nod of her head, "It was an accident."

"You're new, aren't you?" He asked, eyeing her with curiosity.

"How did you know?" She shot back another question of her own. Though she guessed it must have been obvious. Though it was a crowded foyer, the school itself wasn't very big and only had about five hundred students. Jisoo was sure that the ones who had been there the longest probably already knew each other.

"For one, your uniform looks brand new." He pointed out, then immediately corrected with a small smile, "Before I ruined it. And you look like you're lost."

There was a smile which touched her lips when she heard his explanation. "That's exactly how I feel right now. I don't really know where to go."

"Hm." He thought for a second before offering with the slightest hint of hesitance, "You can sit with me and my brothers if you want."

She gave a nod of her head, accepting easily. He was friendly enough and she knew that in an environment like that, she needed all the friends she could get. She only hoped his brothers would be just as friendly. 

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

He turned and walked further into the foyer, passing people who only stared at them with surprise, with half of his bowl of cereal filled now. The other half was nicely adorning her uniform. 

As they walked together, he introduced himself, "I'm Benjamin--" He said with a cheeky grin. 

When he saw the look of confusion on her face, he clarified. "I'm from France, but I have a Korean name if that's easier for you. Its Baekhyun." Crinkling up his nose, showing his evident displeasure for the name, he added, "No one really calls me that though. My brothers call me Four."

Once again she shot him a look, thinking him a bit strange.

"You can call me Baekhyun if you want." He said after gauging her reaction. The smile that had been present on his face dropped awkwardly.

"What do you prefer?" Jisoo asked.

She didn't think Four was a very good name to go by. But who was she to judge him?

The smile returned to his face. 

"Four." He replied simply.

It was the only name he had ever really known, ever since he could recall. The other two were just failed attempts to make him feel human. Baekhyun was the name he had been assigned when they were transferred to Korea almost a year back and he was locked up in a cell, away from any contact with the others. And Benjamin was the name he had been assigned in France when they tried to humanize him. None of them were really his. He didn't choose those names and he would never really accept them as his own.

Four was only more familiar because of the amount of time he had been identified by that name. If he could be called anything, he would respond to that. His brothers were the same. In public they went by their given names, but in private they went by their experiment number.

"Four," She smiled at him. "I'm Jisoo."

-

this chapter was also edited drastically. so please re read as you have the time. from here on out, things are going to be very different as well. but i think it will make the story more interesting.

thank you all so much for reading and voting on this story. 

i hope you all have a wonderful night!

-clary