Forget-me-not

Cynthia

"Cynthia?" Seungmin whispered softly.

Cynthia opened her eyes to find Seungmin standing over her. She didn't have to look around. She already knew she was dreaming again. His hands slid over her wrists and he gently tugged her, so she was sitting up. Confusion filled her face as their eyes met.

"You..." She trailed off. "You're back again?"

"I need you to listen to me. You're leaving for Hawaii on Sunday, but do you really want to go? Be honest."

Cynthia slowly shook her head. "I want to meet back up with Hyunjin again. I want to meet you in real life. I want a chance to relearn the past."

"Then leave."

"Leave?" She scoffed. "That's so easy for you to say! You're not here stuck with someone who wants to kill themselves. It doesn't work like that."

"Yes, it does."

"She threatened to commit suic-"

"It's not your responsibility to keep her happy. You are responsible for your happiness and your happiness alone. Don't let her dangle this over your head, Cynthia." Seungmin gently squeezed her hands. "If you let her do this now, you'll never get out of it and it will keep happening."

"I don't know how. What if she really does it? What if she truly kills herself?"

"But what if she doesn't?"

"Are you hearing yourself," her voice began to get shrill. "You, seriously, want me to take that big of a risk? I can't do that!"

Seungmin sighed and clutched his hands around her fingers tighter. "Do you trust me?" Cynthia nodded. "Have you ever considered she's manipulating you? Perhaps she's saying this to corral you into the things that she wants."

"Why would she do that? Flora wouldn't do that. No way! She's my friend and she cares about me an-"

"Sometimes salt looks like sugar. Trust me, Cynthia. If you want to get out of this mess, you need to leave."

"How? She's always around and she won't leave me alone. How am I supposed to escape this? I'm locked in the apartment and I-"

"Don't say that. Don't say you're locked in." He shook his head and his hair moved wildly. "You can leave whenever you wish, you just have to find the courage. I have to go."

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Cynthia squeezed his hands tighter as panic began to ripple through her chest. "Please, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do this without setting her off. Seungmin, I can't do this alone."

"You won't be alone." His lips upturned in a soft smile. With outstretched fingers, he moved from Cynthia's collar bone down towards the middle of her chest. Goosebumps crept up her arms and a shiver caressed the back of her spine.

His fingers stopped in the center of her chest and over her heart. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Trust me, you won't be alone through this. I'll be right here when you need me. Take the Puppym plushie with you. You'll be okay, I promise."

"Seungmin," her voice raised. Her fingers tightened around him, but he didn't react. "Don't leave me, I can't do this."

"Remember what happened."

Her eyebrow shot up.

"Remember what happened that afternoon."

"What?"

"The day of the wreck. Remember what happened? Just try to think back to it and let yourself remember."

Tears began to fill Cynthia's eyes. "I-I can't. I don't understand. Remember what? What am I supposed to remember? Seungmin, you're scaring me."

"I'm trying to help you."

"Being cryptic is not helping me!" She snapped, feeling frustrated. Seungmin's thumbs gently slid across the back of her hands to soothe her. "Why can't you just tell me what happened?"

"I'm afraid that this is something you have to consciously remember. I have to go now, seriously. I can't stay here, you'll wake up soon. I believe in you, you can do it. You can get out of this and you have the power to change things."

This time, Seungmin didn't walk away from her. He didn't disappear instantly either. Slowly, his outline began to fade and blend into the surrounding field. At the sight of it, Cynthia panicked and called his name trying to keep a hold of his hands. Soon, she was left alone with her fingers curled into her palms.

She spun around with glossy eyes. Her lungs heaved trying to suck in enough air. The surrounding area suddenly felt too humid. The air was dry and there was very little oxygen, like she was breathing through a straw.

"Seungmin!" She cried out, nearly tripping over her own feet. She jerked behind her, hoping his figure would be there, but it was gone. "Seungmin!" She shifted again and tripped. The ground was hard beneath her body. Brittle and dry remnants of plants tore across her skin. "Seungmin!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Seungmin? Seungmin? Seungmin?" Cynthia's face scrunched up as she slept. Seungmin's name came out in a sleepy mumble. She rolled to the side and a soft whine escaped her lips.

Beside her, Flora ran her fingers through Cynthia's hair. She quietly shushed her and continued to play with her hair. Cynthia's head was propped against Flora's thigh. Flora glanced down at Cynthia with a frown and her voice came out in a whisper.

"Don't worry about him anymore, sweetheart. In two days, we'll be far, far, far away from Kim Seungmin. No more Stray Kids, no more Seungmin, and no more distractions. We'll just be two girls against the whole entire world."