A/N: This is a story I decided not to abandon. I'm not sure where it'll go, or if it will have a fantasy twinge or not, but I do know it's going to have romance. So in romance I will put it.

There is something to be said about the darkness. To me it seems soft, like a quilt settling quietly over my shoulders. It hides the gray walls of my room, and in the darkness, all boundaries are lost. I can dream I am anywhere.

That is why I love it.

My room has no windows. Often, when I am supposed to be studying, I turn off the light with a flick of my finger. The familiar surroundings are lost, and I am out in the world, a place I long to be so badly.

I do this now, lying back on my bed, and dream of things I have only seen in books. I dream of the vast mountain ranges, the peaks hidden by clouds and mist. I dream of plains, stretching on for mile after mile, the gentle green grasses blending with the golden wheat. I dream of…

“Kylie!”

A soft voice calls from behind the door of the top of the stairwell, and it can only be one person. I do not want to see him at the moment, so I roll over, pulling the covers up over my chin.

“Kylie!” he repeats, and I force my face to relax, calming my breathing, so that it appears as if I am asleep. I know, however, that I will not fool him. I never do.

The door opens, and I tense involuntarily, willing him to go away. The light suddenly turns on, and I am glad that my eyes are closed, so I cannot see the four walls that keep me hostage.

Until finally he touches my shoulder, and I know that I have lost our little game.

“I know you’re not asleep, and I also know that you’re really mad at me. But please, if you could only understand-“

I spring up in bed, his hand coming off my shoulder in the process, having forgotten about my earlier ambition entirely. “What am I supposed to understand?” I ask, anger seeping through my voice. “I’ve been stuck in this room for my entire life! I want out! Why won’t you let me leave?”

I see a painful grimace creep onto his face, his eyes full of sorrow, and I feel my resolve slipping away, piece by piece. I will rebuild it by the time the sun sets (though I have never seen such a spectacle, as I have always been right here, in the basement), but for now, I find it utterly and completely gone.

I cannot bear to see Hane sad.

“Try to understand, alright? It’s dangerous out there. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” His eyes were pleading with mine now, and I could not help but huff and turn over, refusing to meet his face anymore.

“Fine, I forgive you,” I mumble, embarrassed that I have given in so easily. Hane never fails to sooth my anger, no matter the situation, and usually that is a blessing. Not, it is a curse. “For now.”

I can hear him sigh in relief, and feel my bed lift slightly as he stands. I turn back around to watch him, and find that he is staring into the distance, his pale blue eyes unfocused. “That’s good,” he mutters. “That’s good.”

“Hane?” I ask hesitatingly, afraid he is in one of his moods, the ones where he will leave me and the world behind to go to a place where he can be all alone. A place that is obviously painful for him, as his eyes always cloud over with anger and sorrow when he goes to them.

“Yes?” he asks, his head snapping in my direction, his eyes clearing. I find that I can breath more easily, as I realize that I was able to save him from his painful place. “What is it?”

“I’m not going to give up,” I say, crossing my arms against my chest stubbornly, giving him a weak glare. “You could at least tell me why I can’t go outside.”

He sighs, pulling my blue chair out from under my desk, the seat giving a large creak when sits upon it. His eyes are troubled again, and I know that I have said the wrong thing. But I will not give up. Not on this subject.

“There are reasons,” he begins, staring at me intently. “You have to trust me on that. But I can’t tell you yet. Not until you’re older.”

I gape at him. “Hane, I am only four years younger than you! I’m fifteen! Isn’t that old enough? What can there possibly be that I’m not ready to hear?”

His gaze turns into a stern one, a disapproving one. “Just because your body is fifteen doesn’t mean your mind is.”

“I know enough to be forty!”

“I don’t mean intelligence, Kylie,” he says, shaking his head sadly. “I mean maturity. You’re still too innocent and I want t keep you that way-“

“How long do you intend to keep me in here, then?” I ask, my temper flaring. “I can’t stay in here forever.”

“Maybe you can,” he whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear him. But hear him I do, moving from anger to horror.

“You can’t mean that,” I hiss, staring at his face for a hint of emotion that would give the potential lie away.

I find nothing but truth.

“I do.” He stands, pushing the chair back under the desk, and turns to leave. “You may hate me now, but you’ll thank me for it later. I promise you.”

I stare at him, not being able to believe it. Forever? Forever is a long time. I couldn’t be here forever.

“If you do that to me, “ I spit, trying to cover my horror with anger, “I will never, ever forgive you.”

He turns, his eyes grim. “I came here to make amends, you know. But…” he turns once more, away from me, and away from the light. Half his body is now in shadow. “…if that’s what it takes to keep you safe, then so be it.”

He is now fully immersed in the shadow of the stairway, where the light of the room does not reach, as he walks upward and through the door.

“Oh!” he calls down. “And you’re supposed to be studying!”

Not able to erase the image of Hane disappearing into darkness, I get off the bed and turn off the light, making sure there are no more shadows to sink into.