Whimsy Devils The moment the rabbit scratched me my life stopped belonging to me. My name is haerin Before everything changed, my life was miserable. I lived with a family that barely treated me like one of them. Every day was filled with yelling criticism and feeling like I didn’t belong. The only place that ever felt like home was the forest behind our house. Whenever things became too much I’d disappear into the trees until sunset. Or at least I used to. One afternoon, while wandering through the woods I spotted a strange white rabbit. Its fur looked like fresh snow but its eyes shimmered gold. I crouched down. “Hey come here.” Instead it bolted. I chased it until I finally caught it. Suddenly Scratch. “Ow!” I dropped it. Three thin scratches burned across my hand. Blood trickled down Only it wasn’t red. It slowly darkened… Until it became black. My heart nearly stopped. The rabbit stared at me for a moment before running again. Terrified I chased after it. The deeper I went the stranger the forest became. The trees stretched higher, the air smelled of caramel and rain and soft carnival music echoed through the darkness. Eventually I reached a clearing. An enormous circus stood before me. Black. White. Gold. Its gates were chained shut beneath a faded sign reading THE WHIMSY CIRCUS I hadn’t even realized night had fallen. The rabbit slipped beneath the gate Then The gate slowly creaked open on its own. Inside everything was abandoned. Broken mirrors. Empty popcorn carts. Silent rides. Hello?” Clap. I turned around. Seven men stepped from the shadows. None of them looked frightening. They looked… Beautiful. Elegant clown makeup decorated their faces, and their whimsical costumes looked almost enchanted. The tallest smiled. “It finally happened.” I frowned. “…What happened?” He glanced at my hand. “The rabbit chose you.” What?” “The scratch wasn’t an accident.” He pointed toward my black blood. “It never lies.” Another sighed. “It’s been over two hundred years. The youngest stepped forward. “It was your invitation.” The leader smiled. “Welcome…” “…to the Whimsy Devils.” The Whimsy Devils weren’t ordinary clowns. By day we looked completely human. By night we wore enchanted clown makeup and magical circus clothing. We survived on human blood not enough to kill only enough to live. The rabbit’s scratch had already begun changing me. Soon I’d crave blood too. Namjoon crossed his arms. “Our enemies are the golblins.” Jin continued “They wear goblins masks a “They hunt us” Hoseok said. “Their weakness is iron Jimin added. Taehyung held up a gold coin. It touched his glove, smoke rose from it. “Our weakness” “is pure gold.”. Everyone looked toward Jungkook. He met my eyes. “You’re family now.” The word hit harder than anything else. Family. Something I’d never truly had. Suddenly the white rabbit returned. “It has to choose,” Namjoon smiled. “Choose what?” I asked. “Your Guardian” Jin explained. “And your soulmate.” “What? Then It stopped in front of Jungkook. Silence filled the circus. The rabbit gently nudged his shoe. A glowing golden mark appeared on Jungkook’s wrist. The exact same symbol Appeared on mine we were soulmates he was my guardian for life Maybe getting scratched by that rabbit… Was the best thing that had ever happened to me.