Chapter One

The frantic ringing of my doorbell was the last thing I expected to be rudely woken up to at half past three in the morning.

Once I managed to shake my grogginess off a few moments after the headache-inducing doorbell ringing stirred me out of my precious sleep, panic settled in. Living in countryside Kentucky meant the nearest neighbor was miles away. Plus, unexpected visitors this late at night meant trouble nine times out of ten.

I armed myself with a pocket knife and pepper spray before mustering up the courage to investigate the source of the doorbell's ringing. It had gradually slowed since stirring me from sleep, but my panic level remained at an all time high.

I tiptoed out towards the front door, making sure the pepper spray was positioned directly in front of me and that the pocket knife was readily accessible.

While holding my breath, I flipped the porch light's switch and peered out the tiny window of the front door.

A man who appeared to be a couple inches shy of six feet tall was lying on the ground and attempting to ring the doorbell as one last feeble attempt at getting help. But his skinny, pale, and trembling arm made this task extremely difficult.

The sight of him made my guard drop a bit, but I still took my time unlocking and opening the door. However, I did drop the hold of my pepper spray a bit.

"Help m-me, p-lease," The man whispered weakly through chattering teeth and blue, chapped lips. The wind's aggressive roar made it next to impossible to hear him. "I… I-I need t-to hide f-from h-her."

A million questions raced through my mind after taking in what he said, but I decided to save them for later. The mere sight of him shivering and hugging himself in a desperate attempt to retain what little warmth his body had left made my heart ache and my guard drop completely. Right now, this man couldn't hurt a fly if he tried. There was no way he could compromise my safety.

"You can come in and get warm," I extended an invite to him with a kind smile as I set my pepper spray to the side. "I'll light the fireplace and get you a nice, warm blanket."

"T-Thank… you s-so much," His dark brown eye filled with relief and gratitude. The other eye was swollen shut due to a black eye.

A moment later, with his entire body still trembling, he began crawling into my house. Between the cold sapping his strength and his already frail body, this task proved to be difficult.

"Do you need help?" I asked gently, still smiling at him.

No, d-don't touch m-me, please," He muttered while continuing the arduous task.

I flinched at his comment as I closed and locked the door behind him. Had he somehow been able to see my vitiligo? Since my long sleeved pajama shirt wasn't enough to hide the obvious ghost white patches against my light brown skin on my hands and neck, it was very possible. My stomach dropped at the realization. Even when offering warm shelter, people were still disgusted by my "diseased skin."

"Here you go," I said to the man a couple minutes later after running upstairs to retrieve a thick, purple blanket. I set it down beside him carefully as he continued to shiver next to the unlit fireplace. "And don't worry, even though my hand touched the blanket, you won't catch it. It's not contagious."

"What do you mean?" He looked and sounded confused while I began setting up the fireplace.

"My vitiligo. It's not contagious," I insisted. "So there's nothing to worry about if I accidentally touch you."

"Oh, I didn't even notice," He said honestly, wrapping the blanket around himself. "I told you not to touch me because…." He bowed his head sheepishly. "I was afraid you were going to hurt me."

I turned my head towards him.

"I won't hurt you," he spoke sincerely. "I promise."

My eyes suddenly widened when I noticed just how bad his black eye was. Not only was it swollen tightly shut, but it was also a sickening mix of purple, brown, and green all while throbbing.

"Oh my gosh, you poor thing! Do you need an ice pack?"

"What? Oh…" The man trailed off and winced a bit as he touched his black eye. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

I quickly finished setting up the fireplace and turned to completely face him once I did so.

"No, it's not nothing," I insisted. "It's throbbing like crazy, and it's fresh, isn't it?"

He looked down at the carpet and nodded weakly. Because of his tiny frame, the small motion was enough to make the blanket slide down his shoulders.

My heartache returned. Just one look at him was enough to pick up on the fact he had been enduring hell for who knows how long. And, even though I hardly knew him, I wished I could take all of his pain away.

Suddenly, through the crackling sounds of the fire, I heard a low growl come from the man's stomach.

"If you aren't going to let me give you an ice pack, at least let me give you food," I told him, unable to ignore his stomach's quiet pleas for a meal.

"No, no, it's okay," Predictably, he protested my offer. He also clung onto the blanket for dear life with what little strength he had. "You've already done more than enough! Which I very much appreciate, by the way."

"It's not okay," I shut down his protests. "No offense, but you're all skin and bones! Those clothes you're wearing hardly even fit you, and you're sickeningly pale too. You asked for my help, and I'm more than willing to give it to you. But I can't help you if you don't let me."

The man looked down at the carpet again and squeezed his good eye shut as his still blue lips began quivering.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," I whispered soothingly, resisting the urge to reach out and comfort for fear of his reaction to my touch. "You're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you. Just sit tight, and food will be here soon."

A few minutes later, I returned with an admittedly poorly made peanut butter and jelly sandwich by normal standards. But by sleep deprived and taking care of a complete stranger at nearly four AM standards, it was fantastic.

"Here you go," I placed the plate by the man's feet and sat down a couple feet away from him, maintaining a gentle smile all the while.

He didn't move a single muscle. He just stared at the sandwich like it would attack him if he so much as blinked.

"Are you going to take it away if I try and eat it?" He asked quietly, avoiding my gaze.

"Um, no," I responded, feeling quite confused. "Why exactly would I do that?"

He shrugged ever so slightly and took his time reaching out towards the sandwich, clearly still convinced I was playing some sort of trick on him. But once the sandwich was in his hands, he devoured it in only three to four bites.

"I knew you were hungry," I chuckled lightly. "I'll make you another one if you'd like."

His good eye widened at the suggestion. "Oh, no, I couldn't! I've already-"

He was interrupted by his stomach growling again. It was fainter this time around, but it was clear his malnourished body craved more.

I returned with a second sandwich a few minutes later. This one looked leagues better than the last one, and I was quite proud of it once I applied four AM standards to it.

This time around, the man practically ripped the sandwich from the plate. But, unlike last time, he took his time savoring every bite. While he ate, I took the opportunity to rinse the plate off in the kitchen sink and place it in the dishwasher.

"Do you feel better?" I asked the man, sitting in the same place as before.

"Yes, thank you,"

For the first time, he smiled, and his good eye had the tiniest sparkle to it. I spent the space of a heartbeat admiring him. His skin, less pale now that warmth was returning to his body, reflected nicely off the soft glow of the fireplace. The same could be said for his faded silver hair and soft facial features.

"What's your name?" I asked softly once I was brought out of the blissful spell I inadvertently put myself under.

"Kim Taehyung," His smile grew, and I instinctively smiled right alongside him. "But you can just call me Taehyung."

"Nice to meet you, Taehyung," My smile shifted to a nervous one as I extended my hand out towards him.

I was surprised to see him reach out and shake my hand with a grip as frail as the rest of his body. I was also surprised to see him allow his bony fingers to touch the patches of vitiligo on my hand. I was much too conditioned to people avoiding them if they even chose to touch my hand in the first place, I realized.

"What's your name?" Taehyung echoed my question after letting go of my hand. The newly acquired warmth of his hand, which he had allowed to linger for longer than a stranger should during a handshake, made my own tingle for the briefest moment.

"Athena Grace," I could feel just how wide my smile was, and I was sure I looked like an idiot. "But you can just call me Athena."

My ears were blessed by the sound of his laugh. While my ears enjoyed the pleasant sound, my heart hurt for the third time tonight because I knew laughing had to be a strain on his underweight figure.

"That's such a beautiful name," He said, making a small adjustment to the blanket.

"Thanks," My cheeks felt warm, indicating the presence of a blush. Then, I found myself rambling. "My parents always loved Greek mythology. I actually lived in Greece for a bit before moving to America."

"I've always liked Dionysus," Taehyung's smile was gone in an instant and was replaced by sadness. Tears threatened to spill again at that moment.

"It's okay," I assured him again. "Here, why don't I make us some hot chocolate? Then, we can talk about something else."

"Yes, please," He murmured with a small nod. "And if you have them, can you pretty please put marshmallows and whipped cream in mine?"

"Of course," I replied as I stood up. "While you're here and you need anything at all, let me know."

"Thank you… again," He gradually started to cheer up. "Your kindness… It means much more than words could ever begin to articulate."

After the two cups of hot chocolate had been made, Taehyung and I sat close to the fire while watching the slow, soft burn of the flames. We each had a mug in our hands, and we were now sitting just a bit closer together.

"Where are you from?" This was my pick for a question to get the conversation going again.

"Daegu, South Korea," Taehyung replied between careful sips of his hot chocolate. "I moved to America a year and a half ago with…" He trailed off, his face suddenly contorting as a dozen memories flooded him all at once.

"Her," He finished his sentence with a note of pain in his voice. "That's when my life changed forever."

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to, you know,"

He nodded slightly. "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"Where in Greece are you from?"

"Kastoria," I replied. "My mom was actually born and raised there. My dad, on the other hand, is from Egypt. He and my mom met in college after my dad moved to Greece, and, as you can imagine, the rest is history."

"Wow, you're half Greek and half Egyptian. That's so cool!' Taehyung exclaimed.

"I suppose, yeah," I chuckled. "Okay, my next question is…" I thought for a moment. "How old are you?"

"I turned twenty-seven a few days ago," He replied. "Well, globally, at least. Ages work a bit differently in Korea."

"So I've heard," I remarked. "I'll save you from returning the question and just tell you that I'm twenty-three as of about two months ago."

Taehyung nodded while finishing the last bit of his hot chocolate. Once he did, he yawned and stretched a bit. I yawned as well and took the mug from him after doing so.

"I'm tired too," I commented, quickly checking the time on my phone and realizing it was already half past four in the morning. "Give me a minute, and I'll take you up to the guest room so you can get some sleep."

Once I rinsed out the two mugs and placed them next to the small plate I had used for Taehyung's sandwiches in the dishwasher, I went back out to the living room and put out the fire in the fireplace. I then motioned for Taehyung to follow me. He slowly stood up, wincing in pain when his legs were forced to bear what little weight he had. He then draped the blanket over his back, allowing a full view of his body. His legs were as dangerously skinny as his arms were, and I could clearly see some of his ribs through his oversized shirt.

"Are you okay?" I asked with a frown. "You look like you're in pain."

"It's just my ankle," He said. "I'll be fine. Can I just get some sleep, please?"

I nodded, not wanting to push the issue any further and upset him. With an obvious limp and a pained look with every single step, he followed me upstairs to the guest room. We took the journey at a slow pace with myself nearby in case I needed to assist him.

"Oh God, it's so nice to be able to sleep in a bed," Taehyung whispered in relief as he clambered into the guest room's full size bed. He soon made himself comfortable with two blankets and pillows while lying on his side. "It's so warm. I haven't been this warm in so long. It feels like Heaven."

I smiled softly, basking in his content. "Do you need anything else before I turn in for the night?"

"Tata? You… have one?" A surprised look crossed his face as he pointed to the stuffed animal on the nightstand. It had a red, heart shaped head, a neutral expression, and a blue onesie with yellow polka dots.

"Uh, yeah, I do, I guess," I felt a bit puzzled. "He was a gift after…" Now it was my turn to be bombarded with memories. I quickly shook myself out of it. "Never mind."

"Can I sleep with them, please?" Taehyung begged. "It's been so long since I've been able to hold them."

"Yes, but please be very careful with it," I agreed to his request only because I once again doubted he could hurt anything in the physical state he currently was in. "He's very special."

Taehyung nodded in understanding and carefully picked it up, soon cradling it like a baby. That filled me with immense grief, but I quickly shook it off.

"It has a heartbeat if you squeeze it," I informed him. "Just make sure to turn it off after you wake up if you want to sleep with it on."

While Taehyung smiled gleefully when the sound of the heartbeat filled his ears, I frowned and felt immense grief again. That heartbeat was a sound I loved, but also hated so much.

"Good night, Taehyung," I quickly said, wanting to get back to my room before I broke down crying. "Sleep well, okay?"

His distressed scream ran throughout the room the instant I shut off the light.

"Please don't leave me in the dark!" He cried, his tone reflecting his distress. "I can't be left in the dark!"

I quickly turned the light back on, but it didn't calm him whatsoever. He was hyperventilating and hugging "Tata" close to his chest.

"You're okay, Taehyung," I told him calmly. "You won't be left in the dark, I'll turn the lamp on."

He continued to hyperventilate as I turned the bedside table lamp on before turning the overhead light off again.

This also did nothing to soothe his nerves. He was on the verge of breaking down at any second, and it was tearing me apart.

Instinctively, I closed my eyes and began singing a Greek lullaby Mom used to sing to me when I was a little girl and unable to sleep. The memory played in my mind as I sang, filling me with that same comfort I used to always feel whenever Mom sang this song to me.

I opened my eyes after the lullaby's conclusion to the sight of Taehyung now quiet with both eyes closed. His little snores affirmed he was asleep.

I didn't dare attempting to turn off the bedside lamp for fear of Taehyung waking back up and being stressed all over again. Instead, I quietly left the room and closed the door behind me.

While I settled into bed to get the sleep I also desperately needed, I reflected on tonight's events. What, or even who, had Taehyung been running from? Whoever or whatever it was, it terrified him enough to brave a blizzard with an injured ankle and take the risk of ringing a stranger's doorbell in the middle of the night. Thank goodness he didn't end up somewhere where he would be kicked while he was down. My mind raced with the same questions about him I had earlier.

"Soon," I told myself. "You'll have the answers soon if he's comfortable and ready to give them. But for now, just go back to bed."

And after a few minutes of tossing and turning in bed, that's exactly what I did.