Remembering Elizabeth (Featuring Suho and Sehun)

I felt like I was getting married! The ball wasn’t being held for me but I felt like it was. I had had a particularly hard night with dreams and panic attacks but Sehun was always there to bring me back. It seemed to have gotten worse since we came back from Jeju Island for some reason. Even Bacon’s lullaby wasn’t helping. I was starting to remember things again but they seemed to be coming back to me faster and more violent than before.
This morning more than made up for the nightmare that was the night though. I woke up covered in flower petals. They were soft and velvety and I picked up a handful to rub against my cheek. I threw a handful into the air to watch them float down and I couldn’t help but giggle.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” said Sehun. He had been sitting on the couch doing something on his laptop and I hadn’t seen him. I squealed when he spoke.
“Sehun! You scared me!” I laughed.
“I’m sorry. I thought you knew I was here,” he said and closed his laptop. He sat it on the table and came over to sit on the bed with me.
“No you didn’t,” I said and looked up at him flirtatiously.
“No, I didn’t. I just wanted to see your reaction. Do you like them?” he asked.
I got up on my knees and made my way over to him. “I love them,” I said and kissed him. He took one of the petals and rubbed it between his fingers and I flashed immediately to a bathtub with pink rose petals. I didn’t remember exactly what was going on but I knew it was bad. I looked down at my hand expecting to see a ring there.
“Hey! Are you alright? Are you still here?” asked Sehun.
I looked into his eyes and they brought me fully back. “I’m okay,” I said.
“Are you sure? You looked like you were leaving me again,” he said.
“I’m sure.”
“Alright. Let’s go down and have breakfast and then I’ve got a surprise for you,” he said getting off the bed and holding his hand out to me.
“Another one? You are completely spoiling me Sehun!” I said and jumped up off of the bed.
“I love spoiling you!” Sehun picked me up off of the ground and swung me around in a giant hug. I kissed him.
After breakfast, I tried to sneak into the ballroom for a peek but Chen and Kai caught me and made me go with them to the music room. “You don’t want to spoil the surprise do you?” asked Chen.
“But why is it a surprise?” I asked.
“Junie doesn’t want you to see the ballroom until it is completely finished. I think he had it decorated just for you,” said Kai.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. All of those big time groups and industry people are coming and he decorated for me? Lies! It’s all lies,” I teased.
“You mean more to Jun than all of those people put together on top of a stack of money and porn,” said Chen. He looked down and laughed when I punched him in the arm.
“We want you to see something anyway,” said Kai.
“Alright. It’s not porn is it?” I asked jokingly.
Kai laughed. “No! We are going to perform our new song at the ball and we want you to be the first one to hear it.”
“Oh gosh! Really?” I said and sped up ahead of them. I looked behind me and said, “Well, come on!”
The other boys were gathered in the music room. It had been set up so that they would be standing in a line at the wall and a love seat was set in front. I was going to be the only audience. My own personal Exo concert.
Sehun came to me as soon as he noticed I had come in and kissed me. “Come and sit over here. I told you we have a surprise for you,” he said. We sat on the love seat. “This ball is not only being held to make Exo look good again but to raise money for the awareness of the plight of abused women. We have a special song that we plan to record and it is going to be the focus of a new charity that Junie has started. He’s been working on it for a while but he didn’t want you to know until today. He said it was okay if I told you. The charity is called Remembering Elizabeth and the money that is raised will go to helping find safe ways to get abused women out of their situations, to help them make a new start, and to get the medical and psychological help they may need. All of the money that is made from this song will go to that charity. None of us are making a penny. Not even S.M.”
I was crying and I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t believe they had done this. Sehun pulled me into a hug. “Don’t cry. It’s a good thing,” he said.
“I know. It’s a wonderful thing. These are happy tears,” I said through many many tears.
He laughed and handed me a tissue. “Do you think you can take listening to the song or is it going to be too much for you?”
“No! I want to hear it!” I said.
“Okay, okay,” he said and laughed. “I think we’re ready. You’ll probably recognize it,” he said and got up. He smiled and handed me the box of tissues. I gratefully took them.
The boys lined up in front of me and Bacon pushed a button on a remote. His lullaby began to play. They were going to sing the song he had written and it was almost too much for me. I grabbed a handful of tissues and held them over my mouth and nose. It was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. Bacon tried to hide his tears but I saw them. Suho didn’t hide his as well. Xiumin had the biggest smile on his face and it made me laugh. Lay sang his part in Chinese. Sehun didn’t look at me the entire time and I think it’s because he would also cry. Kai did the opposite and sang directly to me. Chen sang the chorus with Kyungsoo and it made my heart beat faster. Chanyeol even smiled at me as he sang.
When it was over, I clapped and clapped and I would have given them a standing ovation but I couldn’t stand. I laid over on the seat and pressed my face into the cushion and cried very hard.
Sehun and Suho came over at the same time and started petting me. I know they were uncomfortable but I couldn’t help it. My heart was so full. I sat up and put my arms around Suho so tight I think I choked him a little. “Thank you so much,” I whispered in his ear.
“Thank you, Elizabeth. This is all because of you. None of it would have happened if you hadn’t come here,” he said.
I pulled away and looked at his sweet smiling face. “Nope. It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t saved me. You are my Suho. My guardian.”
“Okay, I have one last surprise. Think you can take it?” he asked and smiled that smile that made his eyes disappear.
“I’m not sure,” I said and I wasn’t kidding.
“There’s one more song I want you to hear. I think you’ll really like it,” he said and sat beside me. Sehun sat on the arm of the love seat and the other boys sat around the room. “Okay Nari,” he yelled.
The tiny little maid came in and stood in front of us. “I am Song Nari and I want to sing a song for you that I wrote,” she said in her squeaky voice.
Now I was smiling. I still cupped my hands over my mouth and nose so that I wouldn’t make her uncomfortable. I couldn’t imagine what I was about to hear. It was like hearing angels sing. Nari had the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. Her singing voice didn’t fit here at all and the song that she wrote was amazing. It made me cry all over again. She deserved to be famous and if I knew Suho, she would be world famous when he was done.
When she finished, the room was silent. Then Chen started clapping and we all stood for her. Her little face was blood red but I could tell that she was happy. She bowed and said “Thank you” and ran from the room.
“Suho? How did you know she could sing like that?” I asked.
“I heard her in the kitchen and I was mesmerized. I asked if she had ever written any songs and she sang this one for me. I’m getting her an audition next week. I think she’s going to become something big,” he said. I could tell he was excited.
“I completely agree,” I said. I hugged him again.
I spent the rest of the day trying to sneak into the ballroom and getting caught every time. Finally, I gave up and went to watch a movie with Sehun. This was his idea of a distraction for me but we mostly made out and didn’t see much of the movie. It was a good distraction. When the movie was over, it was time to start getting ready. I felt like I was getting ready for my wedding.
People had started arriving while we were kissing in the theater and it was already noisy. I went to my room where two little maids waited to help me get ready. I had a shower and Sehun had bought me special soaps, powders, and perfumes. The little white scars on my body had faded and were almost invisible so it didn’t ruin the look of the dress. My wrist was still bandaged but we covered that with a beautiful flowered corsage. On the other wrist, I wore a ruby bracelet that Suho had bought for me. He also gave me matching dangling earrings and a necklace that made the queens jewels look like fakes. We covered the remnants of my black eye with makeup even though the mask was going to hide it anyway.
Before I put on the dress, Hana and Youra sprayed my entire body with glitter. I looked like the chandelier in the ballroom. They sat me at the vanity and both of them worked on my hair at the same time. I don’t know how they did it but in no time flat, they gave me princess hair. It was big and fluffy and perfectly framed my face. They stuck little ruby flower pins throughout the curls and I thought I might actually outshine the chandelier tonight.
Finally, I stepped into the dress and they pulled it up around me. I felt like a flower. They pulled and snapped and buttoned and tied until I was encased in diamonds and rubies and soft ruffles like flower petals that fluttered every time I moved. They took me to the mirror and I couldn’t believe what I saw. I was Cinderella! I twirled and giggled as the ruffles floated out and around me. They put my mask on and I didn’t think even think Sehun would know who I was. Then I thought about it and I didn’t know what mask he was going to wear. It would be horrible if I couldn’t tell which beautiful man was him. Then I thought again and there was no way I was going to confuse my Sehun with any other man. We were connected by an invisible chain that I could feel even now.
It was time to go and I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t know why. It wasn’t in my honor or anything and I had no significance to this ball whatsoever but I felt like a lot of eyes would be on me tonight. Everyone wanted to get a look at the lost crazy girl that Suho had saved.
I knew one of the boys was coming for me but I didn’t know which one. I couldn’t sit so I stood there staring at the door, wishing they would hurry and dreading when they would come. I watched as the doorknob turned with butterflies in my stomach and when it opened I knew him instantly. It was my Suho. Even with the mask on, I would always know him. His mask was very impressive with cream, black, and gold designs and made him look very expensive.
He stood in the doorway just looking at me. He slowly took off his mask and his face was priceless. I smiled as he came in and seemed like he was afraid to get too close. Then, without warning, he came to me and took me gently in his arms. He pulled back and looked at me and to my surprise, he kissed me. Full on the mouth. It was a kiss that went on and on and started to make me feel guilty. When he pulled away, he was red faced and stepped back, looking down.
“I’m so sorry. It’s just that… if Sehun wasn’t so important to me, I’d steal you away from him right now.”
“Suho…”
“I’m serious. You are so beautiful. You are truly a princess,” said Suho.
“Thank you, Suho. And you aren’t my prince but you are my King,” I said as I blushed.
“I want you to know that I will always love you and you will always be a part of my family,” he said.
I was beginning to tear up and I didn’t want to cry. “Stop it! I’m going to mess up my makeup,” I said and smiled at him.
“Ready? And don’t forget, you promised me the first dance. I don’t care what Sehun says!” he said and put his mask back on. He took my hand.
“Of course. You will always get my first dances,” I said and followed him out the door.
“I’m going to hold you to that!” he said.
There was no one on this floor but I could hear the noise from downstairs and it was a little scary. It sounded a little like a war was going on down there. When I got to the balcony above the entrance hall, I got a small glimpse of the scope of this party. People were absolutely everywhere. As were camera crews and people with microphones. They made me nervous.
“Are you alright?” asked Suho.
“I’m okay. I don’t like the look of those reporters though,” I said.
“You don’t have to talk to anyone you don’t want,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk to them,” I said.
“Done.” Suho took me past those stairs and headed for the staircase near the ballroom.
I stood at the top of the stairs and looked down into the crowd. I found all of my boys mingling among the other masked people and I noticed they gravitated toward the girls the most. I was surprised that I could tell all of them apart, even behind their masks. The one person I wanted to see most, however, seemed to be absent.
“Where’s Sehun?” I asked Suho.
“I’m not sure. He’s pretty dramatic so he’ll most likely want to make an entrance,” said Suho with a huge grin.
“Suho!” I said and slapped at his arm. “That’s probably true!” We laughed.
He put his arm in mine and walked me down the stairs. One by one, the boys noticed us and came to the bottom of the stairs. I also saw the reporters trying to make their way to us but my boys made an impenetrable cage around us. Suho whispered something to Lay and he passed it on. The boys tightened their circle as we made our way into the ballroom.
“What did you say to Lay?” I asked.
“I told him not to let the reporters anywhere near you tonight,” Suho told me.
I kissed his cheek.
We looked like a tuxedo bubble moving through the crowd. It was quite comical actually.
Stepping into the ballroom was like moving into another world. The lights were dim but the candles and fairy lights everywhere gave the room a magical glow. Crystal was everywhere. Vases, dishes, decorations. So was glitter and sparkle and flowers. When I looked up at the walls, I saw that they were covered with trails and trails of pink roses. I lost my breath. My heart began to race. They were everywhere and I started to flash to pink petals floating on bubbles in a tub, then wrinkled in the bottom of the empty tub, then between pinched fingers but they weren’t Sehun’s. They were Kyung’s. All of a sudden I remembered Kyung. It was coming back in a huge memory. I felt like I was going to fall but then, Suho turned me to him and said, “Elizabeth, it’s not real! Look at me!” I did. As I stared into his eyes, I came back to the real world. Suho hugged me and whispered, “It’s okay. Whatever it was, don’t look at it.”
“But, it’s the roses, Suho. So many roses,” I said.
“I’m sorry. They were my idea. I thought you would like them. I didn’t know they were bad for you. Try not to look at them. Alright?” he said.
“It’s okay. I’m better now. This room is like a ballroom in a fairytale, Suho! I never want this night to end.”
He smiled at me and kissed my forehead. Xiumin tapped my arm and pointed toward the doorway. My breath caught again but for another reason. There stood my Sehun. And he was wearing a male version of the mask he had bought for me. I knew he had had it specially made to match mine. He was gorgeous! He smiled and pushed through the crowd until he reached my side and without stopping he bent down and kissed me. It was a very sexual, possessive kiss that told all of the other men that saw it that I belonged to him.
Sehun took Suho’s place while he went to the front of the room to make an announcement. He was such an amazing speaker. When he was done, the ball began and people started dancing. Before Sehun could take me onto the floor, Suho took my hand from him. “Nope. The first dance is mine. Wait your turn.” Sehun bowed and gestured toward the dance floor, giving his permission.
Suho put his arms around me and I put mine around his neck. He moved me around the floor as I held on tight. He was a wonderful dancer and I wondered if there was anything Suho couldn’t do. I almost hated when the song was over and I had to let him go but he was replaced by another of my handsome men and I was off in circles again. It continued like this, with Sehun watching from the side. I watched him most of the time as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, and a small smile on his face. He knew I was extremely happy.
At one point, I was dancing with someone and I couldn’t decide which of my boys it was. He was wearing a shattered mirror mask and he never spoke. I knew his eyes and they made me feel strange. I could see my reflection a million times in each glittering piece of glass on his mask. I looked over at Sehun and he was no longer smiling. Kai and Bacon were with him and they were all watching us with odd looks on their face.
This man held me very tight. His breath even seemed familiar but not in a friendly way. In an intimate way. As we danced away from the side of the room where Exo was congregated, I got more and more uncomfortable and my partner kissed my shoulder. I jumped back but he pulled me close again. The hand holding my back began massaging me as he moved his mouth close to my neck and breathed in. I heard him whisper, “Just as I remembered.” I knew that voice! I couldn’t quite place it but I knew this man somehow.
A tall man came up behind us and tapped my partner on the shoulder. “My turn,” he said. Without permission, he took my arms from around my dance partner and took over. We danced away from him. My new dance partner picked me up so that my feet were off the floor and he asked me, “Who in the hell was that?”
It was Chanyeol. “I’m not sure but I think you saved me. Thank you. He was getting very intimate,” I said.
“I noticed,” he said. He looked back over at the man who was now standing on the edge watching us very closely, and said, “If I’m not mistaken, I think that’s Park Kyung.”
I felt faint. “Who?” I said, almost inaudibly.
“Park Kyung from Block B,” said Chanyeol. “Maybe not though. That would be really out of character for him. Maybe he’s been drinking.” He looked at me and then looked alarmed. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“No. I feel sick,” I said.
“Come on. I’ll take you to Sehun.”
When I got to Sehun, he didn’t ask any questions. He took me out of the room as the others kept the reporters at bay. We went into one of the nearest empty sitting rooms and Sehun helped me to sit down.
“Who was that?” he finally asked.
“I don’t know. Chanyeol said he thinks it is Park Kyung,” I said and sipped some water that Sehun handed me.
“That’s odd,” he said. “Well, he doesn’t get another dance. Okay?”
“Not a chance,” I said. I knew very well who he was as soon as Chanyeol had said it. It was definitely Park Kyung. And my kidnapper, rapist, and abuser.
After a few minutes, Sehun went to get Suho. I sipped some more water and wondered why they hadn’t put two and two together. I guess it was just unthinkable to them. What are the odds that the Kyung that kidnapped me was Park Kyung from a successful idol group? A maid put her head in the door and said, “Miss, Sehun said he needs for you to come out and meet him and Mr. Jun in the game room.”
“Oh, alright.” It took me three tries to get off of the couch but I managed and I actually did feel better after I got to my feet.
I went out, trying to sneak by anyone that might recognize me, and made my way to the game room. When I went in, it was empty. Then the door slammed and an arm slipped around my middle as a hand covered my mouth and nose. I looked over and saw my own face reflected back at me in a million little shards of glass.
“I told you I’d get you back. You belong to me.”

Notes