The dining hall was a separate building across from the house where we had been, which Luhan informed me was called Keunjib, meaning “The Big House” in Korean.

“How old are you?” I asked as he opened the door to the dining hall for me.

“In Earth years… twenty two, but here on Exo Planet I am forty four.”

“Wow, so two of your years are basically equal to one of mine?”

“Yes,” he nodded, leading me into a long room with a high ceiling.

There was a large, oval table in the middle of the room which was surrounded by thirteen chairs. The two empty ones I assumed were for Luhan and me. Everyone stopped talking when we entered and looked up at the two of us. Luhan nodded with a smile and hurried me to my seat before taking his own.

Unfortunately I was at the other end of the table from Kai, Kris, Suho and Luhan, but I was sitting next to Sehun. The other guy on my right had brown hair and gave off a cold feeling. It wasn’t cold like mean, but it was literally cold.

“Xiu Min,” he offered me his hand and I shook his bone chilling fingers.

“Phoebe,” I smiled. “Your hands are quite cold.”

He smirked then held them up, “Wanna see something cool?”

“Ummm, sure?”

He held his hands up to my glass of water, then gave them a thrust as if something was pulsing through his fingers. The liquid immediately began to freeze until it was nothing but a block of ice.

I looked at him in shock, “How…?”

“We all have a talent; some cooler than others. I think mine is pretty sick if you ask me,” a smile played across his lips.

“Can I get one?”

“Will everyone quiet down please?” Kris stood up from his seat, leaving Xiu Min to only laugh at my question. “As you can see our guest has awoken. Her given name is unknown, but her Exan name is Phoebe. She is a survivor from Earth.”

Everyone stared at me in awe. Even Sehun shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to me.

“Do you know what she can do?” one of the boys, whose name I didn’t know, piped up.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Suho stood up next to Kris. “Right now our main goal is to make sure she feels welcome. She lost everything in Anonymous’ attack, even her planet. We will all introduce ourselves, naming our age in Earth years and our force. I will start.”

He looked directly at me with a smile, “I am Suho, twenty one, and I have the force of water.”

“My name is Kris, twenty two, and I have the force of dragon/flight.”

“Hello, I am Luhan as you know; I am twenty two and have the gift of telekinesis!”

“What is telekinesis?” I asked.

He smiled, then held his hands out toward me. Suddenly my plate began to float in front of my face. With a flick of his fingers the dish was by his side.

“That is too cool,” I sat back in awe.

Luhan giggled happily, then returned the plate to its original position. The introductions proceeded.

“I am Lay, twenty one, and I have the power to heal.”

“My name is Tao. I am nineteen years old and I have time control.”

“I am Chen, twenty years of age, and I have the force of lightning and scorpions love me,” he smiled.

“Well as you know I’m Xiu Min. My age is twenty and I control frost as I demonstrated earlier,” he smiled proudly.

To my left Sehun spoke up. “I’m Th… Theh… Sehun, eighteen, and my force is wind.”

“Baekhyun! I am twenty years old and I control light!”

“Annyeong haseyo, my name is D.O. I am nineteen and my power is within the earth.”

“I am Chanyeol! I’m a peppy twenty year old with good looks and the power of the flame!”

“Lastly, I am Kai. I am eighteen and I can teleport.”

Kai sat down and the room fell silent. I looked around awkwardly until I made eye contact with Luhan. He gave me a look that told me it was my turn.

“Oh um,” I stood up so quickly that my chair would’ve crashed on the floor if Luhan hadn’t caught it with his levitation skills.

“Thank you,” I mouthed to him, then looked around the table. “I’m Phoebe I guess… I’m from Earth and I really don’t know how old I am. My guess is maybe nineteen? And I have the power of nothing.”

“You have to be able to do something or else you wouldn’t even be here,” Lay spoke up.

“What do you mean?”

“Only beings that have some kind of power can dwell on this planet. We have twelve of the strongest, so that’s probably why we survived the attack. Your power doesn’t have to be anything big, but it has to be something.”

“Well… I can whistle!” I smiled hopefully. Luhan put his face in his hands and Baekhyun giggled, causing the amount of light in the room to flicker.

“We’ll work on it,” Suho sighed. “Now that all introductions have been made, it is time to eat. Kai, Luhan; if you will please?”

Kai disappeared from his chair while Luhan hurried to what I figured was the kitchen. After a few seconds Kai reappeared with a large bowl of something. Luhan came walking back in with utensils trailing behind him. The two went around placing utensils and serving the food.

“Salad?” I asked when Kai put a helping on my plate. “But it’s so dismal out there and the land looks so dry. How do you grow anything?”

“We have a secret greenhouse underground,” Xui Min explained. “Suho waters the plants while Baekhyun provides them with the sunlight they need to grow.”

“I’ll forever be in awe,” I sighed and stabbed a piece of lettuce. To my surprise it tasted… normal.

“So Phoebe,” Chen leaned forward to make eye contact with me. “You don’t remember anything that happened to you on Earth?”

“Nothing,” I shook my head.

“Gosh, that must suck.”

I shrugged, “There’s nothing I can do about it, so I guess the best thing to do is accept it and move on.”

“Such a good sport,” he smiled.

I smiled back, but then returned to eating my greens in silence. The truth was I wasn’t really sure if I wanted my memory back. Though I didn’t know why or how, I got the feel that my life wasn’t all butterflies and happiness. Sadness and regret lay somewhere in my past. A rough life filled with pain. Maybe it was because of the one memory I found somewhere tucked in the back of my mind. It was a short clip, but I could distinctly see someone’s hand coming at me; striking my face. Shortly after was a sharp pain in my arm; that was all.

------------------------------

When dinner was over and the dishes washed, the group headed outside for who knows what. However, Luhan and Sehun were assigned to show me to my room.

“So are you two close?” I asked as we headed up the stairs.

“We’re brotherth,” Sehun explained.

“Half brothers,” Luhan clarified. “My Chinese mother married Sehun’s Korean father.”

“Ohhh; you know, you guys almost look like fraternal brothers!”

Sehun chuckled, “Everybody sayth that!”

Finally we stopped outside an old door with a picture of two moons engraved into the handle. Sehun twisted the golden knob, revealing a dark, musty room.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” Luhan flicked on the light switch, though it had little to no effect on the room’s dim atmosphere. “I hope you are comfortable. Baekhyun is in the room to your left; Chanyeol on the right. Lay is across the hall.”

“Where are your guys’ rooms?” I asked as my eyes searched over my cobweb-filled sleeping arrangement.

“We share a room at the east end of the hallway,” Sehun answered while attempting to fluff one of the lumpy pillows on the bed which only created a cloud of dust.

“Sorry we don’t have anything nicer,” Luhan apologized.

“Oh, it’s fine. I have a feeling it’s better than anything I’ve had in a long time,” I gave him a fake smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind,” I brushed away the idea of telling them. After all, what if I was wrong? “Thank you.”

“See you tomorrow then,” the two waved as they exited the room.

“Night!” I waved back until the door closed securely behind them.

Sehun and I hurried outside to join the group around the fire pit. Chanyeol was just lighting the fire. He held up his hands to the smoking embers and they immediately snapped back to life with leaping flames and an immense heat. Sehun and I slowed down, not wanting to get fried to death.

Thankfully Suho reacted quickly, putting up a wall of water around the fire to help lessen the chance of being burned.

“Control yourself!” Kris shouted.

“Mianhe,” the flame thrower blushed, and quickly lessened the fire’s intensity until all that was left was a small campfire.

“Now that that’s settled,” Kris lowered his hands and brought everyone to attention. My brother and I hurried to take our seats. “We have three important topics of discussion for tonight’s meeting. Suho?”

“First order of business,” the other leader stood. “As many of you know, our food production is lacking. Baekhyun’s and my greenhouse provides us with some food, but not nearly enough to live off of. D.O., have you had any progress with growth in the topsoil?”

“Very little,” D.O. replied. “Anonymous may have left us our planet, but the damage they left is deep. There’s no sign of life for more than a mile down.”

Kris sighed in frustration. “And Baekhyun, have you succeeded in claiming full control of the light?”

“I’m sorry,” the normally happy guy frowned. “The debris left from the attack is still so great that much of the light is still being blocked. If I increased the sun’s luminosity any more, it could put our atmosphere into danger.”

“Luhan?”

I immediately snapped to attention.

“Do you think you could move the debris?” Suho questioned.

“I have tried, but it takes a lot of power because they are so far away and have such a great mass. Even if I could get close enough, I don’t know if I could move them far enough from our atmosphere so that they wouldn’t just get pulled back in. I’m sorry,” I looked down at the ground in shame. *If only I could do more…*

“Thank you for your efforts,” Suho nodded. “The next order of business is Phoebe, our Earthly guest.”

“She has to be different,” Tao said while staring at the fire. “She would’ve died as soon as she passed through the atmosphere.”

“Well there’s that possibility, or something else…” Kris suggested solemnly.

Lay stared at him in shock, “You don’t think she could be part of Anonymous, do you?”

“Anything is a possibility at this point,” the leader nodded.

“But like that old Earthly law; she’s innocent until proven guilty, ne?” I chimed in, causing everyone to stare at me and Sehun to give me a nudge. “I’m just saying. I mean, what if she doesn’t have a force, nor is part of Anonymous? What if she’s a whole other species that was being ‘grown’ on Earth and can also withstand our planet’s climate?”

“Luhan’s right,” Suho sighed. “We have to keep the door of possibilities open to anything.”

I sighed in relief, but caught my breath at Kris’s icy glare. I knew he didn’t trust her one bit. How could I blame him though? He’d seen some terrible things in his life; cheating, death, lies, war; he was internally scarred.

“Last order of business,” Kris stood up and paced around the fire. “I took a trip to Exopil the other day. In my exploration I found something disturbing, but important.” He took out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and began to unfold it. “From the ground, it’s impossible to see the message, but flying over head it was clear. Anonymous left us a message using their path of destruction.” He stopped walking right in front of me and I looked up at him fearfully. “Luhan, will you please read Anonymous’ message?”

My shaky hand took the crumpled paper while I boosted myself up from my seat. I stood nervously before the group, scanning over the short message on the paper. My throat felt bone dry and I surely would’ve fallen over if Sehun hadn’t created a sudden gust of wind to keep me up.

“Well…?” Chen asked in annoyance.

I swallowed hard and my voice finally creaked the three scariest words I’d heard in all my life, “W- we’re not done.” The paper slipped from my fingers to the lifeless ground.

Everyone was silent; taking in the message for its full worth. No one dared to speak or move; for fear that Anonymous would strike them dead on the spot from somewhere above.

Finally Kris broke the painful tension, “There’s nothing we can do but prepare for battle. Training starts tomorrow; I expect to see you all at the dining hall by sunrise.”

--------------------------

“Luhan?”

I rolled over in bed at the sound of my little brother’s voice. “What is it Sehun?”

“I’m scared,” he whispered. “What if they come tonight? I can just hear it all over again. The screams, the shooting…”

I could tell he was crying by the sound of his voice and the amount the wind had picked up outside. I crawled out of bed and made my way across the room to the light switch.

“Don’t turn it on!” Sehun exclaimed. “What if they see us?!”

“Sehun,” I hurried to his side and sat on the edge of his bed. “They’re not here yet. You don’t have to worry about anything. Plus you have me, your big brother! I won’t let them hurt you.”

“Don’t say that,” he sniffled. “That’s what Umma said.”

“But she didn’t; did she? You and I are here, alive today.”

“But she isn’t.”

I took him in for a hug, trying to calm him down while also hiding the tears behind my eyes. After all, our mother was really my mother. Just hearing her name made a lump form in my throat. I could remember everything perfectly…

------The siren sounded in the distance, though there was not much need for it. We already knew Anonymous had breached the city limits and was closing in. We also knew that our father and his army were mostly likely gone; slaughtered by the ruthless killers.

I remembered our mother ushering us into hers and our father’s bedroom. We helped her move the bed and open the hatch door in the floor which was a surprise to Sehun and me.

Our mother helped us own into the tiny space. I held her hand and told her to hurry in, but she only shook her head. The next thing I knew we were in complete darkness and the sound of the bed being pushed back over the opening could be heard.

The next sound that met my ears drove a steak right through my heart. It was the sound of glass shattering, mixed with my mother’s blood curdling scream. Next was a round of gunshots. No, it wasn’t just one shot. With each shot I could hear my mother’s screams becoming weaker and weaker. I covered Sehun’s ears, wishing he didn’t have to go through all of this, especially while feeling so vulnerable since he wouldn’t get his powers for another two years when he turned eighteen.

Finally there was one last shot. It pierced my heart as if I was the one taking the bullet. No scream followed; only silence. That’s when I knew my mother was gone; tortured to death. ------

I ate breakfast alone. Baekhyun woke me up that morning saying the group was going out on important business and would be back by the time the sun began to set. I found a plate waiting for me at my place at the dining table. Apparently Chanyeol had created a heat envelope around my meal of hash browns to keep it warm. The food was surprisingly tasty and my stomach grumbled for more.

Soon enough I found myself bored, so I decided to look around Keunjib. There wasn’t anything of much interest on the first floor, so I ascended to the second. I opened the first door on my right to find an animated room with blue curtains that surprisingly didn’t move. As I searched the room I came to realize that basically nothing moved. Even my movements seemed slowed.

“Who had the force of time control?” I asked myself as I picked up the adorable panda Pillow Pet on the bed. “Was it Xiu Min? No… he did that ice trick.” I thought for a second longer while playing around with the toy. “Tao. It was definitely Tao.”

I was relieved to leave the room and get back to my normal speed. Being in there felt like moving through quicksand. I concluded that being enemies with this guy was definitely not on my to-do list.

The next room I came to was filled with books, bottles and had a bed with unicorn sheets. I giggled at how childish these boys really were while my hands roamed over the shelves of books. Most had names I didn't recognize, but finally I found one titled, "Natural Herbs Can Save Your Life." I was pleased to find the book written completely in English.

“This must be Lay’s room,” I whispered to myself and placed the book back in its home on the shelf. Finished with this room, I moved onto Kai’s. It was exceedingly stark with plain brown furniture. The only thing of interest was the boom box sitting in the corner, along with a pair of jazz shoes hanging on the headboard of his bed. I pressed play on the radio and the sound of a saxophone came blasting through the speakers.

“Oh my gosh,” I laughed. “Who would’ve known this guy is a jazz dancer?!”

I knew what room came next. It was a leader’s room; either Kris’s or Suho’s. Since Kai was Suho’s right hand man, I figured it must be his. Sure enough when I peaked in I spotted a waterbed and large fish tank along the far wall. I was about to step in when I noticed the floor. It shimmered with the appearance of water. Something inside me told me I was afraid of water, so I immediately closed the door.

Standing in front of Kris’s door, I began to get nervous. *What if he finds out I was in his room? I know he doesn’t like me. What if he kills me?! Aish; stop it silly. Why should I be afraid of some dragon powered flying boy?* I turned the doorknob so slowly it was like being under Tao’s time force all over again.

Holding my breath, I stepped into the room. I half expected to be suspended in midair due to his flying powers, or be crashing down to a rocky canyon floor. However, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a perfectly normal looking room. I mean, it had his personal touch of red painted walls and a dragon statue on his desk, but otherwise it was… normal.

My curiosity began to rise as I looked around the room. I couldn’t stop myself from opening his desk drawers. Nothing was out of the ordinary; that is, nothing in the side drawers. When I opened the long drawer in the middle, I found an odd diagram filled with arrows, charts and Asian characters. Though I didn’t know any Chinese and very little Korean, I was able to decipher one thing on the calendar in the upper right corner. The date landed three days ago and the word simply read “Contact.”

“Contact who? Or contact with who?” I whispered to myself. I was about to dig deeper into the drawer when a voice came from behind me.

“You shouldn’t be in here.”

“Ah!” I shrieked, then turned to see it was only Kai. *Thank goodness it’s not Kris!* “Oh, I- I’m sorry. Do you know what ‘contact’ this is talking about?” I asked, pointing to the map.

“That’s our leader’s business,” he said sternly.

“But you’re a right hand man; you ought to know something about it.”

He looked as if he was about to respond, but stopped himself. “You’ve caused enough trouble already. I suggest you get out of here before someone less friendly finds you.”

With that he disappeared, leaving me alone in the room once again. I decided I better listen to Kai, and returned everything to its place. When I closed the door I could hear it lock behind me, hindering me from entering even if I wanted to.

“Okay, enough with creeping,” I sighed, sliding down the staircase railing. “Time to explore the outdoors!”

There wasn’t much around; only the dining hall, Keunjib, and a fire pit. I won’t go too far. I promised myself as I set out across the windblown plains. After five minutes of walking I discovered that the ground wasn’t as flat as I had first thought. The land was already beginning to slope into a large valley which was filled with boulders and mounds of dirt. To my surprise, there was a small stream at the bottom. I was extremely thankful for it because just then I realized how parched I had become.

Carefully, I made my way down the slope to the bottom. Just the feel of the water on my finger tips was a relief. I was about to take a gulp when I heard a strange noise. I looked up to find a rattle snake no more than two yards away. The water trickled through my fingers as I knelt there, not daring to move a muscle.

*I wonder if they’re as poisonous here as they are on Earth. How do I even know that they’re poisonous? Maybe I do have some memory… this is all so confusing!*

“Nice snakey,” I whispered. “I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me.” I began to back away ever so slowly. “Let’s play a game called Don’t Kill the Nice Girl. What do you think? It sounds fun to me.”

Everything happened so quickly, I wasn’t sure if it really did happen at all. I remembered the snake lunging toward me, but when I opened my eyes, all I saw was a steaming pile of organs.

“Ow,” I placed a hand on my burning arm.

“Bai chi!” Chen shouted as he hurried down the opposite side of the valley. “What were you thinking?!”

“I… I-,”

“You would’ve been killed if I didn’t come save your butt! Heck, you would’ve been killed if that snake didn’t come save your butt!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let me see how bad it is,” he commanded when he reached me and I showed him my arm. “Anonymous ruined all our natural resources. If Suho didn’t have his power of water, we would’ve died of dehydration long ago. The water here is so toxic that with one sip you’ll be dead the next day,” he explained while he examined my burn. “However the snake wasn’t much better of an option. You better be glad I was around to lightning zap it.”

“You singed me!” I exclaimed.

“I saved you,” he stood up. “The burn isn’t very deep. Lay can fix it in no time. Can I trust you to find your way back on your own, without getting yourself into trouble again?”

“Of course; I’m not five years old,” I rolled my eyes.

“It’s that kind of attitude that’ll get you killed. How you survived the attack is beyond me,” he shook his head then started back up the hill.

“Hey Chen,” I called after him and he turned around. “Thank you.”

“It was nothing,” he waved his hand in the air as if brushing away the lifesaving favor.

I found my way back “home” successfully and without causing anymore trouble. When I got back I dampened a cloth and set it on my blazing burn.

“They better get back soon,” I said to myself while plopping down on my dusty bed. “I’m bored, clueless, and in pain. Eottokhaeeeeeee?”

I sighed to myself while watching Suho and Chanyeol practice battle. Chanyeol may be pretty derpy, but when it comes to using his power he’s all over it, sending out fireballs and flames reaching 20 feet in the air. However, he had stiff competition with Suho as his opponent. Every time Chanyeol shot a fireball at him, he’d dowse it with a stream of water, leaving nothing but hot vapor in the air.

“Don’t be so jealous,” Tao nudged me. “Telekinesis is pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I shrugged. “But it’s not like I can pick up anything really big. Heck, I don’t even know if I can lift a person!”

“You just have to concentrate. I’m sure you can do it.”

“Thanks,” I smiled weakly, then turned back to the fight. “Your time control is no joke either.”

“Ah, you don’t have to-,”

“No, I’m serious! Being unable to move while you do is insanely scary. It’s like not having control of your own life.”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” he tossed the piece of wood he’d been carving with his pocket knife and picked up another. “Alone it’s not much though.”

I looked out across the land, then back at him. “Well I don’t care what anyone says; your sword fighting skills are kick-,”

“Luhan!”

“Yes?” I looked up to see Suho walking toward me. “It’s your turn to go. You’re up against Xiu Min.”

“Good luck,” Tao smiled as I got up and brushed myself off. “And thanks.”

I returned his smile then set off down the hill to the fighting arena. We usually came down to practice at least once a week, but under the circumstances I knew we’d be here everyday until the attack.

“Good luck,” Xiu Min offered me his hand.

“You too,” I shook it then took my place.

“Ready?” Kris shouted from the top of the hill. “Go!”

I immediately felt things begin to cool down, and before I knew it I was trudging through a foot of snow. My powers assisted in clearing my path, but I knew fighting at the same time was next to impossible. Instead I stood my ground and took the defense. Xiu Min shot snow balls and ice chunks at me, but I stopped them in there paths, throwing them into the distance like I was playing catch with a dog.

Xiu Min switched to another tactic. I could feel my feet beginning to freeze to the ground so I knew I had to act fast. Using much of my strength I began to make a wall of snow. The wall was building just about at the rate I was freezing. We all knew Lay could easily take away any frostbite given to me, but I wasn’t looking forward to a full body operation. Timing in this situation was key. If my hands froze I’d be done.

The frost crept up to my thighs and I could feel my body growing colder. However I continued to build my wall higher, ignoring the icy pain shooting through me like daggers. When it reached my waist I knew I was running out of time. My already cold hands were beginning to form ice. That’s when I finally put my plan into action. With one big thrust of my hands, I mentally pushed all the snow on top of Xiu Min, burying him alive in his own trap.

After a few seconds of no movement, Kris finally shouted. “Game over! Chanyeol! Baekhyun!”

The two immediately began to melt the snow before Xiu Min suffocated under his white blanket.

I looked up excitedly at Kris who gave me a nod. Me winning a match was not very common. It was pure luck that I had figured out a solution in time. Usually my mind wouldn’t process the situation until it was too late, and I’d kick myself for it later.

Lay hurried over to me and began healing my frostbitten body. “Good job. That was quick thinking.”

“Thanks,” I smiled. “Now if only I could do that every time.”

“You’re learning; that’s all that matters.”

The encouragement was nice but embarrassing. I was a year older than Lay, meaning I had a year’s more experience with my powers. However, it sometimes seemed as if I lacked the most. Even my brother who was four years younger than me was better, and he only just received his powers this year!

“Lunch break,” Suho patted me on the back. “We’ll start back up in half an hour.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t even sure if he saw it.

“All better,” Lay sighed as he pulled away from my body which was now back to its normal temperature and color.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

“No problem.”

“Wanna eat lunch together?”

He was about to reply when I heard Kris calling me. “Luhan, will you please join us in our leader meeting?”

“Oh gosh, I forgot about that,” I blushed. “Maybe we can eat together tomorrow?”

“It’s fine,” Lay smiled. “I’ve got Tao.”

“Alright, see you in a bit then!” I called as I headed up the hill.

“Good luck at your meeting!”

I turned and gave a shrugged like “what can I do?” then continued my walk to join Suho, Kai and Kris at the top of the hill.

“Luhan,” Kris acknowledged me. “Please sit down.”

I joined the others in the circle they had formed and made myself as comfortable as possible on the rocky ground.

“So what are your accounts on today’s training so far?” my leader questioned.

“I didn’t think it was too bad,” I smiled happily.

Suho raised an eyebrow and Kris shook his head at me, “Too bad? The skills were basic and the energy portrayed was weak. If we fight like that then we don’t stand a chance against Anonymous.”

“Then what do you propose we work on?” asked Suho.

“Defense. If we have a strong backup then we can be more confident on the battlefield.”

“Well shouldn’t we decide who’s taking what position?” Kai pointed out.

“Good idea,” Kris agreed. “Once the break is over we’ll-,” He was interrupted by a loud crack of lightning in the distance. “Chen,” he scoffed. “What is he up to?”

“Want me to go find out?” Kai offered.

“Please.”

When I appeared at the place we’d heard the thunder bolt, I found myself at a deep valley. At the bottom were Phoebe and Chen. He was examining her arm and then, after saying a few words, he sent her off toward Keunjib. As he started back up the slope he finally noticed me.

“Oh, gosh Kai! Scare me much?!”

“What were you and Phoebe doing?” I asked suspiciously.

“That bai chi almost got herself killed! First toxic water then a close call with a snake... I tell ya, someone has to keep an eye on her,” he sighed.

“I know what you mean. I caught her sneaking through the rooms earlier this morning.”

“That kind of curiosity can kill.”

“Yes; and more than just the curious person,” I hinted.

“What do you mean?”

“When I found her this morning she was in Kris’s room. She… she asked me about this diagram she’d found in one of his desk drawers. I’ve never seen it before.”

“Well what’s so bad about that? He’s a leader and I’m sure even you, as second in command, are aware of things the rest of us aren’t,” Chen pointed out.

“True, but there was something unsettling about it all; especially the part she asked me about.”

“What was it?”

“It was marked on a calendar three days ago and said “contact,” but it doesn’t say with who or what.”

Chen looked at me nervously, “You don’t think it could’ve been Anonymous, do you?”

“No,” I shook my head immediately. “He would’ve told us. I mean, it might not even be a person. It could’ve meant “made contact with clean water or fresh soil.” It could potentially be anything.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Chen agreed, though I could tell he was still uneasy.

“Come on; we should head back. If we’re not there right when practice resumes we’ll have to face an angry Kris, and that’s really not on my bucketlist.”

---------------------------------

For the majority of the afternoon we worked on powerless defense and attacks, along with team skills. Kris’s earlier words scared me. Just the thought of being too weak to even consider battle made me work my very hardest.

By the time we got back to Keunjib the sun was very low and both moons were beginning to rise. Everyone else went to the dining hall while I went to get Phoebe. I found her in her room sleeping. When I walked closer to wake her up I noticed an ugly burn on her arm.

“Phoebe?” I gave her a gentle shake.

“What?!” she shot up, startled.

“Dinner will be ready soon. What happened to your arm?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she shrugged.

“Was it Chen?”

“How did you know?” she asked in surprise.

“Well I saw you two down in the valley, and then he said he saved you from a snake.”

“Oh, yeah; his lightning bolt kind of singed me.”

“Come on, we’ll have Lay fix you up,” I motioned toward the door.

“Alright,” she got up and we headed out of the building.

“Does anyone else know about what happened with the snake and the lightning?”

I wasn’t sure why she wanted to know, but I assured her that if anyone else knew it was beyond my knowledge.

“Good,” she sighed. “Because I really don’t want Kris to know. I feel like if I do anything wrong he’ll use it as an excuse to get rid of me.”

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

“I’ve heard that one before.”

“Hey, the guy’s been through a lot. His dad-,” I stopped myself before revealing too much of Kris’s past. It was a sensitive topic for him, and if word got out that I was speaking freely about it, things would not be pretty.

“What about his dad?” she prodded and my defenses went up.

“Never mind.”

“It never occurred to me that you all had families who you lost in the war.”

“Yeah,” I shrugged. The last thing I wanted to do was get emotional. There was too much to worry about for reminiscing on the past.

“Did you have any siblings?”

“I had an older brother. He died in battle.”

“Oh Kai; I’m so sorry,” she said sympathetically.

“Don’t be,” I shook my head. “There’s nothing anyone can do. It happened and it’s done.” My throat was getting tight and salty tears stung behind my eyes. I was relieved when we reached the dining hall.

My dry salad tasted like sand between my teeth. During the whole meal my mind was preoccupied, reliving the past. Old memories resurfaced; memories I swore I’d never dwell on again. Phoebe’s questions had hit a soar spot.

*Okay, I have to focus. I lost everyone I cared about once; I can’t let it happen again. I won’t let it happen again.*

Four more days dragged by. Since there was little to do during the long hours that the boys were out practicing, I resorted to jogging. Every morning Suho would leave me a canteen filled with fresh water. I’d take it and the dagger D.O. lent me and head off in my usual direction.

I wasn’t sure how far I ran everyday; maybe seven miles? My favorite place to rest was a mound of rocks on the rise of a small hill. In the near distance was the start of a mountain range. I promised myself that some day I’d hike those mountains.

“I’ll see you guys tonight,” I smiled as I got up from the table once I’d finished my breakfast and grabbed my canteen.

“Wait!”

I turned back at the sound of Kris’s voice. It had almost been a week now, but I still got the feeling that he didn’t like me.

“Yes?” I asked.

“No more running. Today you’re going to start training.”

“Training for what?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Fighting,” he said obviously.

“Fighting?! I can’t fight!”

“Well you better learn if you don’t want to be the first one dead on the day of the attack.”

My eyes drifted over to Luhan who gave me a helpless look.

“So what do I learn with then? I don’t have any powers,” I pointed out.

“You’ll start with sword fighting. Tao will be your mentor. Everyday we will try you on different things to find your niche, and hopefully what your power is,” explained Kris.

“Now, why is it I have a power again? I mean, as far as we know I’m just a normal person from Earth. Earth people don’t have weird “powers.”

“If you didn’t have a power, then our planet’s environment couldn’t support you.”

“So if I’m not a regular human being then what am I?” I asked, matter-of-factly.

“Our best guess is that you are a different species that was simply raised on Earth.”

“Species? Gosh, you make me sound like an animal!”

“Look, like it or not you’ve got a power and we have to find it,” Kris insisted. “It may even benefit us in battle.”

“Whatever you say,” I sighed. “But I know I’m normal.”

------------------------

“Hold it this way,” Tao demonstrated the correct way to hold the sword in my hands.

“What’s the difference?” I sighed.

“The difference is your life.”

“Psh, well that's comforting," I scoffed.

He looked at me with a serious expression, “Is it that you just don’t care? Or do you really want to die?”

“I don’t even know who I am! How should I know if my life is even worth saving?”

“Just because your past is a mess, it doesn’t mean your future has to be. You’re starting fresh here,” he said. “Now come on, let me teach you how to fight.”

I sighed and placed the sword correctly in my hands.

“The key to a good swordfighter is quick reflexes and anticipation. If I swing my sword this way,” he demonstrated. “Then you’ll-,”

“Cut you off and twist my wrist this way, making your grip on the hilt weaken,” I finished for him, surprising myself.

“How did you know that?” he asked in shock.

“I don’t know… But come on; don’t stop now!”

A smirk of delight flickered across Tao’s face and he made another move. I quickly deflected the blade and was even ready for his second stab.

“So you’re past the beginner level,” he observed as we continued to fight. “How about we kick it up a notch?”

“Bring it.”

He brought his blade down at me with more force this time. I immediately ducked and rolled, springing back up and taking a swipe at him. However, Tao was proving his skills and was ready for me. My sword was quickly deflected and he rolled it over, twisting my wrist.

“Ouch!” I shrieked, dropping my weapon. In a split second Tao had me at sword point.

“Not bad,” he reasoned. “But you must learn to never let your guard down.”

He chuckled to himself, then began walking off in the opposite direction. I glanced down at my sword. Not willing to give up that easily, I grabbed it and charged him.

“I don’t just give up!” I shouted as he turned and blocked my predicted blade.

“Then show me what you’ve got,” his crooked smile challenged.

We broke into battle once again. With each thrust I became braver and my senses more keen. It wasn’t just sword fighting now. We were incorporating our whole bodies in the fight; ducking, leaping, twirling, rolling. Multiple times I found myself at the mercy of Tao, but each time I got back up and continued to fight.

“Tao!” a shout came from the top of the hill.

That split second was all I needed. I could sense the break in his concentration, enabling me to take a chance. With a fake jab, a quick swing and a kick of my foot he was on the ground. His sword skidded across the ground, and before he had a chance to reach for it I held my own sword to his throat.

“Surrender, or let this fight be your last!" I demanded.

“Wow, scary,” he teased. I stuck my tongue out at him and helped him back up.

“So what do you think? Do I have what it takes to be a sword fighter?”

“That and more,” he smiled.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Luhan asked walking toward us.

“Tao was helping me practice sword fighting,” I gestured to the sword in my hand. “I beat him too!”

“Yeah, after a thousand tries!” he exclaimed. “And it was only because I got distracted.”

“What happened to never letting your guard down, huh?” I teased.

“Aish; anyway, what is it you needed Luhan?” Tao turned to the baby faced boy.

“Kris needs you to work out some time-plans,” Luhan replied.

“Alright, thanks. Phoebe,” he patted me on the shoulder. “Keep practicing! Maybe you’ll be as good as me someday!”

I scrunched up my nose at him and he laughed upon his exit.

“So what do you think of Ta- I mean, sword fighting?” Luhan asked as we headed over to my water bottle so I could take a much needed drink.

“It’s awesome!” I exclaimed after gulping down some water. “I feel so natural doing it too. Maybe I did sword fighting some time in my past.”

“It’s possible. But hey do you-,”

“Phoebe-,”

“Ah!” I shrieked, turning around to find Kai standing behind me.

“Gosh, you really need to stop popping up unexpectedly! Can’t you wear like a bell or something?” I asked, holding my fast beating heart.

“A bell? Cute,” he said sarcastically. “Suho wanted me to tell you that it’s time to start power training. He’ll be here in just a minute.”

“And he couldn’t tell me in “just a minute” when he got here? Aish,” I shook my head. “Well thank you Kai.”

“No problem,” he dissipated into the air.

“You don’t like teleportation do you?” Luhan giggled.

“It’s creepy! Like, I’d like it for myself to have, but when others have it… I feel like they could spy on me!”

“Haha, yeah, most powers are that way; fun for the person who has them, but a bear for the people they use them on.”

“Speaking of powers, are you going to help me find my force?”

“That’s Suho’s job,” he said disappointedly. “But if you find out you have telekinesis then I’ll definitely train you!”

“That would be awesome,” I smiled. “Well here comes Suho now. I’ll see you later okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled and I walked toward the water powered leader.

“Are you ready to find your power?” Suho smiled when I greeted him.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I shrugged.

“Okay, well normally I’d start with some questions from your past, but seeing as your memory is blank I suppose we’ll jump right into it. First we’ll test your water skills-,”

“I hate water,” I said immediately. “No offense or anything. But being near the ocean and stuff… it makes me nervous.”

“Alright, so we’ll move on to fire,” he decided. “What you have to do is will yourself to create it.”

“In my hands?” I asked with big eyes.

“Just try.”

I gulped, then closed my eyes while willing my hands to burn.

“Think about heat and flames. You can do it,” he encouraged me.

“I’m trying…” I said in annoyance as nothing happened. “I really don’t think this is my power though.”

“Try harder!”

“I am!!!”

My mind ached from concentration, but my hands remained lifeless.

"Okay, I'm done," I finally gave up.

“Ne,” he sighed. “I guess we’ll move on to levitation.”

I smiled to myself, mentally promising to try my hardest in hopes that Luhan and I obtained the same abilities.

“This is all about your mind. See that rock on the ground? I want you to focus all your power and energy on that rock. Picture it floating,” Suho directed as I stared at the mineral in concentration. “Don’t give up, you can do it.”

I was willing the rock to move with all my body and soul. However it remained lifelessly on the ground just as we’d found it.

“Ahh it was worth a try,” Suho shrugged.

“No, I know I can do it!” I said in determination.

“Phoebe, if you haven’t done it yet there’s no way you can do it.”

“I can!” I stared harder at the rock.

“Phoebe…”

After another second of no movement I finally gave up and lowered my hand. “Ugh, fine.”

We tried power after power with no success. I had a pounding headache, and at that point I was ready to call it quits.

“We'll end today's training with flight,” Suho said while helping me up from the ground where I’d been lying in frustration. “Since it would be very difficult for me to train you in this kind of thing, Kris will help you.”

“But… you helped me with all the other powers,” I pouted, not wanting to be bossed around by the other leader.

“I know, but those powers are similar to how mine work. It’s all a mind trick,” Suho explain. “Flight is different. It’s not only mental but physical as well. I’ll go get Kris and send him down. He’s a great teacher, so don’t worry.”

“Oh, why would I be worried?” I mumbled to myself as Suho walked away. “I’m only going to depend on the guy I hate to teach me to fly. You know, he might just feel like taking me for a ride and then dropping me on sharp rocks; but oh well, I’m not supposed to worry.”

“Hey.”

I turned to see Kris walking toward me. *Great, here comes my favorite person in the world.*

“Hey,” I said straightly. “So you’re going to teach me to fly?”

“Not teach you; I’m going to demonstrate. If you can do it that’s great, but if you can’t you can’t, simple as that,” he said in all seriousness.

“Okay, so what do we do?”

“Well, first we have to walk.”

“Oh, to gain speed right?” I asked.

“Riiiiiight,” he rolled his eyes. “No, we have to walk to Exopil to get to a high enough building.”

“High enough for…”

“You really are a bai chi” he sighed. “It takes time for flight to kick in. You don’t want to hit the ground before it happens.”

“You mean I’m jumping off the roof of a building?!” I asked, my legs growing weak.

“Yeah,” Kris replied as if it was a normal everyday thing.

“What happens if I don’t have the power?”

“You go splat.”

My eyes stayed locked on his serious face. This guy wanted to kill me; it was so obvious.

“Gosh, you are too gullible,” he shook his head with an annoying smirk. “I’ll catch you. After all, I can fly. Come on, we need to get going.” He began to walk toward the abandoned city on the horizon.

“‘I’ll catch you’,” I mimicked as I followed behind him. “Unbelievable. Thanks for the reassuring promise pal. Putting my life in your hands seems like such a wise decision-,”

“Are you talking to yourself?” Kris turned back to look at me with a weird expression on his face.

“What? No, do you think I’m some crazy person? Seriously grow up,” I covered for myself and walked past him. “Come on, we need to hurry if we want to get back by the time it gets dark.”

He chuckled and began walking again.

--------------------------------

“Hurry up!” Kris yelled/complained for the one hundredth time.

“My feet huuuurt,” I whined. “How much further?”

“Maybe a mile or two.”

“Ughhh,” I groaned, letting myself collapse onto the dusty ground in defeat. “I can’t mooooove.”

“Such a wimp,” Kris mumbled. Suddenly I felt his arms wrap around me.

“What are you doing?!” I shrieked.

“If you’re not going to walk, then we can at least fly,” he said, taking off the piece of rope he wore around his neck (for what reason I didn’t know) and tying it around both our waists. “And just incase you don’t trust, here’s some reassurance.”

“Wait!” I stopped him as he began to knot the rope. “Let me tie it.”

“Fine,” he sighed.

Once I was sure the rope was secure, I gave my consent to fly.

“One little piece of advice: Try to keep your mouth closed, unless you like eating bugs,” his smirk sang into my ear.

“So gross,” I winced.

As our feet lifted off the ground I closed my eyes.

“Not scared of heights are you?” he asked teasingly.

Instead of replying I held tight to the rope, praying that he didn’t have a knife with him to cut it while we were in mid-flight. I was surprised when he put his arms around me to help ensure my survival of this awful sky ride, rather than leaving me to depend solely on the rope.

My eyes didn’t reopen until my feet were safely planted on the ground again; or, the rooftop of a building I should say. As soon as we landed I hastened to untie the rope and get away from that annoying man.

“I didn’t like it any better than you,” he rolled his eyes. “Now come on.” He led me over to the edge of the roof. “I’ll fly down about half way to make sure I can catch you. When I tell you, you jump straight off and will yourself to fly.”

“Will myself to fly. No biggie,” I shrugged, terrified out of my mind.

Kris leapt off the building and flew about three quarters of the way down. A few seconds later he gave me the signal to jump, but I just couldn’t do it. There was no way.

“You’re crazy!” I shouted down to him.

“Maybe I am; maybe I’m not. We won’t know until you jump!” he shouted back.

“Gosh I hate you," I mumbled to myself. "Okay, I can do this. I've just gotta run and jump. Just do it! Ready..." I walked to the edge of the building and looked down toward certain death. "There's no way," I shook my head and backed away.

"Hurry up!!!" Kris called up to me.

"Shut up!" I shouted back over the edge, then continued arguing with myself. "This is it. You can do it..." By this time my toes were hanging off the edge of the roof. *Here goes nothing but my life*. I let my feet slip off the building while my screams got lost in the wind. A million thoughts filled my mind and I felt like I was going to pass out. I still couldn’t feel myself losing speed, and the ground was growing closer at an alarming rate.

“It’s not working!” I screamed. The pavement below was blatantly visible now, along with my death. *It’s going to look like I killed myself. Nobody will even know that it was his idea. They’ll think I-*

Suddenly I felt a pair of arms around me. My eyes were closed, but I could feel myself shifting horizontally so we flew parallel to the street that was only a few feet beneath me. By the time we landed safely back on top of the building I thought I’d lost my stomach for good.

“Jerk!” I shrieked, giving him a shove. “You said you would catch me!”

“I did catch you!” he fired back in exasperation.

“Yeah, about a foot off the ground!”

“I thought you would do it. You seem like a flier.”

“Well I’m not! Just… get me home; now!”

“Home? Well someone’s getting awful comfortable here. Keep in mind that you’re still the newbie in all this. This is our planet, and you have to listen to what we say!” he fired back haughtily.

“Oh, right. ‘Cause I’m just your little pet that does whatever you want. New flash buddy! I lost everything, so as of a few days ago this is my home!”

“You're such a brat!”

"You're the brat!"

"Just... ugh!" Kris flew off in anger, leaving me alone on the roof of a very tall building in a very abandoned city.

I stood on the roof, still intoxicated with anger. However, as time passed and Kris didn’t return I started to get worried.

“Kris?” I called quietly at first, then louder. “Kris?!” My eyes roamed over the city, but there was no sign of the flying boy anywhere. “Ugh!”

Rather than waiting in boredom for his return, I figured now would be a good time to explore the ruined city. Thankfully the fire escape was accessible from the roof top. A few floors down I found a broken window within reach from the metal stairs.

I climbed through the window and found myself in a large room with rows of cubicles. Dust covered any and all surfaces while cobwebs took care of the rest. There was an eerie feel to the building, as if it was waiting for something; possibly the return of its staff. I walked slowly between the rows of cubicles, feeling that if I disturbed anything, something bad was bound to happen.

I descended to the next floor down using the stairwell. Even if the elevator worked, I didn’t trust it. It had been too long since the facilities had been in use to expect them to work properly. The next six floors below were all the same; big, dusty and filled with cubicles. However the level below these was quite different. Instead of cubicles, a long corridor with doors on either side greeted me. I walked the length of the hallway, finding that it was just a large square that brought me back to where I had started.

My second time around the loop was for exploring the rooms. Most were locked, but eventually I found one with the door cracked open. The hinges creaked as a pushed it open and I stepped into a conference room. It contained a large, oval table which was surrounded by chairs. Papers and files were scattered across the glass table, along with spilled over coffee cups whose remnants had long evaporated.

“Why is it I never find anything interesting?” I sighed to myself and left the room.

The rest of the building was of little interest. I exited the building, onto the deserted city street. The street sign indicated that this was the city’s “Main Street.”

“Better look both ways,” I chuckled as I stepped into the street. My feet carried me down the paved way while my eyes took in the surroundings. It looked like a normal city besides the occasional “Teleportation Lessons” sign or “Flight Arena.”

As the sun began to set, I concluded that I was hopelessly lost. Even if Kris did come back for me, he wouldn’t know where to look. I wandered cautiously down the road. As shadows grew longer my heart rate quickened. Shadows tricked my eyes and the wind my ears.

Suddenly the sound of a door slamming came from one of the buildings. It took all my strength not to scream and run like a little child. Instead I hurried behind a pile of rubble and watched the building carefully. After five minutes without movement I finally concluded that it was just the wind.

“I’m so silly-,”

“Phoebe-”

“Ahhhh!!!!” I screamed and instinctively threw a punch at the person.

“Uhhhh,” Kris groaned, holding his jaw.

“Oh my gosh,” my hands flew to my mouth in shock. “Kris I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to… I just reacted!”

“Well we won’t have to worry about your reflexes not beign sharp enough. Gosh, you can really swing!”

“I- I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” I repeated, still unable to believe what I had done. As much as I hated Kris, I still felt bad for hitting him; not to mention that I was a little scared of him as well.

“It’s fine,” he shrugged, letting go of his jaw and pretending like it didn’t hurt when it obviously did.

“You know, you kind of deserved it for leaving me,” I crossed my arms.

“I only left for ten minutes. You’re the one that decided to run off!” he retorted. “You know what? Forget it. Let’s just get back home.” He put a strange emphasis on the word “home,” obviously still thinking about our earlier argument.

I began to walk down the street, but Kris called after me. “Where are you going?!”

“Uh, Keunjib obviously,” I answered without turning around.

“If we walk we won’t be back until midnight.” He jogged to catch up with me.

“And you expect me to trust you flying again?”

“Seriously Phoebe, grow up. I’m not going to drop you!”

After a few more steps I stopped abruptly, “Fine! Let’s just get this over with!” I still didn’t trust him, but my body was already complaining, and a four hour walk in the dark would only make it worse.

I tied the rope around us again and we took off. The cold night air made me shiver as it hit my face. Looking down through the darkness I could barely see the ground.

“How high are we?” I asked nervously.

“I don’t know. Not too high though, why?”

“Just wondering.” After a pause I asked a stupid question to ask a person while your life was in their hands. “Why do you hate me so much?”

“I never said I hated you,” he said solemnly. “I just don’t trust people.

“Why not?”

“When you’ve seen as much suffering as I have, your perspective begins to change.”

“Does it have to do with your father?” I stupidly asked again.

“You do understand that I could drop you, right?”

That shut me up.

I began to relax as we neared Keunjib. The lights coming from inside the building looked more welcoming than they ever had in the past. I could already feel the comfort of that dusty bed and taste that dry salad we called dinner.

Suddenly I felt the rope move as if it was loosening. “Oh my gosh!” I grabbed the knot in hopes to keep it together.

“What's your problem now?” Kris sighed in annoyance.

“The rope is slipping. Kris it’s slipping! I’m going to fall!”

"You're not going to fall."

"Kris!!!!"

“We’re almost there, just hold on,” he directed and I could feel our speed increase, along with the rope’s weakness.

“It’s slipping more!” I shrieked.

“Just hang in there,” he said more uneasily this time.

“Kr- ahhh!”

The rope had finally loosened enough for me to slip out. However, when I opened my eyes I wasn’t splattered on the ground, but hanging onto the rope with one hand.

“I can’t hold myself!” I screamed.

“Give me your other hand,” he directed and I swung it up to grab his, just as my other hand slipped from the rope.

“Oh my gosh,” I repeated over and over in fear.

“We’re almost there,” he tried to reassure me, but we could both feel our hands slipping.

“We won’t make it! Just land here!”

“Almost there,” he mumbled again.

“Kris! For goodness sakes just put me down!” I screamed desperately, but his eyes were set on Keunjib. “Kris!!!!”

It was evident that he wasn’t going to land until we reached the house, so I did everything in my power to survive.

*Please, let my fly like Kris. Let me borrow some of his power.*

I suddenly felt weightless. It was as if gravity had let go of my body and I was floating in midair.

“Phoebe, are you flying?” Kris asked in a surprised tone.

“I… I don’t know…”

He let my hand slip from his.

“Kris!” I exclaimed, but relaxed when I didn’t start plummeting toward the ground. “Omo, I am flying!!!!”

“I knew it,” he smiled.

“I can’t believe- wait, what’s happening?”

The weightless feeling began to dissipate and I could feel gravity’s fingers pulling me back down toward the rocky ground. *I’m going to die. This is it. It’s over.*

“Help!!!!” I screamed as I went into a total free fall. Thankfully Kris was quick to react and swooped in to catch me right before I crashed onto the roof of Keunjib. He landed us safely on the ground in front of the building. My body was shaking like a leaf.

“Are you okay?” he asked, putting his hands on my shoulders.

“I- I’m fine,” I replied nervously. “I just don’t understand. Why did my power just leave like that?”

“Maybe flight isn’t your power,” he shrugged.

“But I did fly!”

“There is another possibility,” he sighed. “We’ll worry about it in the morning. For now just rest up. You’ll need it for tomorrow.”

“You flew?” Luhan stared at me with wide eyes.

“Yes! But it was only for a few seconds,” I explained as we headed out to the practice arena with the others.

“Well maybe it hasn’t fully kicked in. Most powers are a little sketchy in the beginning,” he suggested.

“I don’t know, but last night Kris said there was another possibility.”

“Well hopefully he’ll tell us today,” Luhan smiled.

“Yeah, hopefully.”

We all went down into the arena, waiting for instructions from Kris or Suho. Once we were settled Suho spoke up.

“Due to an accident last night, it seems that Phoebe’s power might have been discovered. We will only be able to confirm our suspicions with the help from the rest of you. Luhan, will you and Phoebe please step forward?”

We glanced at each other before stepping out of line.

“Phoebe, I want you to try levitating this rock, just like yesterday,” Suho directed, holding up a small stone in his hand.

“But-,”

“Just try,” Suho encouraged me.

I closed my eyes and held up my hand toward the stone, focusing all my thoughts on it. My mind only thought of the rock moving; floating around in the air. However, when I opened my eyes the rock was still in Suho’s hand.

“I told you,” I said, lowering my hand. "It won't work!"

“Just wait,” Suho smiled. “Luhan, would you please hold her hand.”

“Would I what?” he looked at Suho in confusion.

“Hold her hand,” Kris repeated Suho’s words and Luhan immediately obeyed. His little hand felt shaky in mine and his palms were all sweaty.

“I’m not going to bite,” I laughed.

“Phoebe,” Suho pulled my attention back to him. “This is the important part. You have to imagine yourself obtaining Luhan’s powers.”

I took a deep breath and focused on the power of telekinesis, imagining myself making random objects float.

“Now imagine the rock floating,” Luhan whispered cautiously.

“Oh my gosh!” “It’s working!” “She has telekinesis!”

When I opened my eyes the rock was floating above Suho’s head. My mouth fell open in shock.

“Try letting go of his hand,” Kris directed.

I did as he said, but the rock stayed in the air. With a quick hand gesture the rock was by my side. Luhan smiled excitedly at me. However, our excitement began to fade as my control on the rock did. Before I knew it the rock was back on the ground and I couldn’t pick it up again no matter how hard I tried.

“Why did it do that?” I pouted in annoyance.

Kris and Suho smiled at each other. They obviously knew something I didn’t.

“Thank you Luhan,” Suho nodded. “Phoebe, I’d like you to do the same thing, but this time with Chanyeol.”

The derpy boy stepped forward and offered me his hand. I took it and closed my eyes.

*Give me his power. Give me the power of the flame.*

I held up my free hand and a fire ball formed in it.

“I can control fire too!” I exclaimed happily.

“Try letting go.”

Chanyeol released his grip on my hand. I immediately formed a fire ball in the other hand and began playing around with the flames.

“Why isn’t it fading?” I asked as I traced my name in the air.

“Did you do anything different this time?” Kris asked.

“No, I just thought of having Chanyeol’s power,” I shrugged.

“Let me show you something cool,” Chanyeol smirked. However, when he tried to fire up his hands, nothing happened. “What’s going on?” he complained, trying with all his might to create a simple ball of fire.

“We were both right,” Kris shook his head at Suho, then turned to the rest of us. “Phoebe has power mimicry, which was demonstrated with Luhan. As long as she is in contact with him they can share the same power. When she lets go the power begins to dissipate.”

“With Chanyeol things were different,” Suho took over. “Instead of wishing to share his power, you wished to have his power, Phoebe. You physically took all his power from him.”

“That’s not fair!” Chanyeol complained. “I want it back!”

“Phoebe,” Suho nodded and I took Chanyeol’s hand once again. With a quick mental trick I returned his power to him. “You not only have power mimicry, but power absorption as well.”

“Isn’t that like really rare?” D.O. asked in awe.

“Yes, and it can be very influential in battle,” Kris agreed. “She will need training with each of your powers incase she’s ever in the situation where she needs it. We’ll start with the major powers first, then work our way down; no offense to any of you,” he added. “Suho will work with you today, Phoebe.”

“Water? Do I have to?” I asked nervously.

“Do you want to be ready for battle or not?”

“Fine,” I sighed.

“Let’s get started,” Suho smiled and patted me on the back.

“Good luck,” Luhan mouthed to me as everyone began to disperse.

“Thanks,” I mouthed back.

“So Phoebe, why is it you’re afraid of water?” Suho questioned.

“I don’t know, it just makes me nervous.”

“You don’t remember any traumatic experiences in the past having to do with water?”

“I don’t remember anything from the past.”

“True,” Suho sighed. “Okay, so how this is going to work is I’ll do something, and then you mimic me the best you can; got it?”

“Got it,” I nodded.

Within two weeks time I had had some kind of training with each power. Certain ones I immediately took to (such as controlling frost or fire) while others proved to be more of a challenge (like teleportation and time control). Telekinesis was my favorite, and Luhan would often let me borrow his power to practice whenever we had some down time.

I looked around nervously, standing on the front porch of Keunjib. This arid planet was creepy enough during the day, but at night it had this sort of haunted feel to it. My heart quickened at every shadow and my eyes began to play tricks on me. There was a man standing in the doorway of the dining hall. He had on a wide brimmed hat and wore a long overcoat. As I stared at him he pulled something out of his coat; a gun maybe? He pointed it at something in the distance and I swear he was about to shoot. However, with a blink of my eyes he was gone, a shadow and wooden post in his place.

*Stop it mind. You’re not helping.*

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was about to scream, but the person covered my mouth with their hand.

“Shhhh, it’s just me,” their voice whispered in my ear.

“Gosh, Luhan!” I remarked in a harsh whisper after breaking from his grasp. “I almost had a heart attack! What took you so long?”

“Sorry,” he said sympathetically. “Sehun wouldn’t fall asleep.”

“Did anyone see you leave?”

“No; you?”

“Not that I know of. Why is it so bad to go out at night anyway?” I questioned while my heartbeat returned to normal.

“It’s for safety reasons, though I don’t know what there is to be safe from; besides Anonymous.”

“What do these Anonymous people want anyways?” I asked as we stepped off the porch and began walking across the dry land.

“Nobody really knows. But what we do know is that they won’t stop until they get it.”

“But if they didn’t find it her the first time, why would they come back?”

“That’s something you’d have to ask them,” he shrugged.

Once we were a safe distance from Keunjib Luhan turned on the flashlight he’d brought.

“Nights here used to be much more beautiful. Now with all the debris in the atmosphere, many of the stars are blocked,” Luhan explained. “The brightness of our moons was so great that you could see just fine without a flashlight.”

“Moons?” I questioned.

“Yeah, we have two moons: Yeoljeong and Jihye. Or in English: Passion and Wisdom.”

“You named your moons Passion and Wisdom?” I chuckled.

“Hey, it’s better than just naming it “Moon,” he stuck his tongue out at me.

“I didn’t choose the name!”

“I’m just kidding,” he laughed.

We finally reached the place Luhan had told me about. I had to admit that he was right about one thing; the rock formations really did resemble large mushrooms.

“Come on!” he shouted as he began jumping from rock to rock.

“Are they stable?” I asked cautiously while slowly stepping onto one of the rocks.

“They held me didn’t they?”

“Well you’re like a stick!”

“You’re not much better!”

I smiled to myself, happy to have tricked Luhan into calling me slender. “Fine, let’s go.” We hopped across the mushroom rocks until they ended at the base of a huge plateau.

“There’s a cave around here somewhere,” he said while searching over the face of the rock with his flashlight. “Ah, here it is.” He began to enter the dark opening.

“Wait!” I hurried over and grabbed his arm. “Are you insane? Anything could be in there!”

“The only things that can live on this rotten planet right now are snakes, scorpions and us. If we see one of the other two I’ll just move it out of our way.”

I giggled at the thought of Luhan mentally moving a snake through the air; the poor thing scared out of its mind.

“Why are we even out here anyway? Why couldn’t we just come during the day?” I asked, rubbing my arms for warmth.

“Kris and Suho would never let us explore on our own. I know I saw something in here the last time we came as a group, but Kris started freaking out on me and told us to leave the cave right away. Let’s go in.” He grabbed my shirt and pulled me along with him into the cave.

“It’s so dark,” I whispered, grabbing his arm. “I’m not a fan of the dark.”

“We have a flashlight.”

“Yeah, until the batteries go dead.”

“They’re not going to go dead. You’ve seen too many corny movies,” Luhan laughed.

“So, what is it you saw when you came last time?” My eyes finally began adjusting to the darkness and I ducked just in time to keep from running into a stalactite.

“I don’t know; but the flashlight hit it at just the right angle. It shined, almost like metal,” he answered while scanning the walls. “Look at this.”

“Luhan!” I whisper-shrieked when his arm left my grasp. I searched blindly toward to flashlight. “Don’t ever leave me again!” I demanded, reuniting myself with his arm.

“Look at these drawings,” he said in awe, brushing his hand over the inscriptions on the wall.

“What are they?”

“I don’t know, but they seem to be about a person. See, look at this one.”

He showed the light on a drawing of a girl in what appeared to be a cage. Another person was standing next to the cage with something in his hand. Luhan moved the light to the next drawing. It was of a girl again, but this time she seemed to be in battle.

“These are weird,” he shook his head.

“They remind me of something,” I said, captivated by the drawings. “I feel like I’ve seen these before.”

Luhan gave me a surprised look. “Maybe you saw them in a book?” he tried.

“I don’t think so. I just can’t put my finger on where I saw them.”

“Well let’s keep going. Maybe you’ll remember later,” he suggested and we continued deeper into the cave.

The further we went, the colder and damper it got. Luhan noticed this and offered me his hoodie.

“Thanks,” I smiled, taking it with no delay.

I had gotten a little braver and began exploring on my own. The dark made it impossible to see much, but I could feel around with my hands.

“Phoebe, can I tell you something?” Luhan spoke up while I continued to explore.

“Sure, anything.”

“Well um, ever since you came I’ve really liked hanging out with you. You’re a really great person and I-,”

“What the heck?” I remarked, accidentally cutting Luhan off. However, my hands’ discovery seemed too interesting to ignore. “Luhan, can you shine the light over here?”

“Oh, sure,” he pointed the flashlight to where I was standing, or rather, what I was standing next to. We looked at each other with wide eyes, then back to the large hunk of metal.

“W-what is it?” I asked, taking a step back.

“This can’t be real,” Luhan whispered under his breath, taking a closer look at the small ship. “It couldn’t have been here all this time, we would’ve found it!”

“What is it?” I repeated with increasing anxiousness.

“It’s an Anonymous warship; this one specifically used for kamikaze purposes.”

“What is it doing here?”

“That’s what I’d like to know…”

He rounded the small space craft, taking in every detail or marking. Just the thought that something belonging to these murders was so close made chills run down my spine.

“Phoebe…” He stood up from where he’d been kneeling and looked across the ship to me. I could see his face due to the reflection of the flashlight off the metal, and it looked insanely pale. “This ship wasn’t just left here from the war. It was put here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look,” he motioned me over to where he was and pointed his flashlight at the ground. Next to him was a footprint, too large to be his own. “We’re not alone. And I have a feeling we haven’t been for quite some time.”

“Luhan, can we please get out of here? We’ll go back to Keunjib, tell Kris what we’ve seen-,”

“No,” he stopped me in panic. “We can’t tell Kris! Do you realize how angry he’ll be if he finds out we snuck away without permission?”

“But it’s for our own good. If Anonymous is here then we could spring a surprise attack and you guys could have the upper hand.”

He shook his head, “They’re smarter than that. They don’t want to attack yet. I can bet they’ve been watching us for who knows how long, then feeding the information to the mother ship. They have it all planned out.”

“So not doing anything about it is supposed to help?” I asked in exasperation.

“What can we do? I mean, we may just be overreacting. Maybe the footprint was left there from when they attacked last time and then ship really was just abandoned.”

“Either way I really think we should get out of here, just incase they decide to come back to get their ship,” I prodded, pulling him back in the direction we came.

“Fine,” he sighed. “Let’s go.”

We hurried back through the tunnel. I was practically pulling Luhan behind me, which made things difficult seeing as he had the flashlight.

“Wait,” he pulled back on my arm. “I want to look at these drawings one last time.”

“Luhaaaan,” I complained in annoyance.

“Please? I’ll be quick.”

“Fine,” I sighed, releasing him from my grasp.

“This one,” he pointed to one of the poorer drawings. “I want to know what it is.”

“It honestly looks like nothing.”

“You might be right,” he said, then began fiddling around with the bag he brought.

“A piece of paper and coal,” I remarked as he pulled them from his bag. “Right now is not the time to be practicing your Picasso skills!”

“My what?”

“Ugh, never mind. Just hurry up!”

Luhan surprised me when he put the paper up to the wall and began to rub it with the coal. He was actually a really smart guy! *I probably wouldn’t have thought of that…*

“We’ll take this back to Kris and tell him we found it etched into a wall in my room or something,” Luhan said, putting the supplies back in his bag. “If my suspicions are correct, then it’s some form of writing. Kris knows a lot of languages so my bet is he can translate it.”

“Okay, whatever, let’s go-,” I froze and pulled Luhan to a stop with me.

“What is it-,”

“Shhhh!” I listened intently. “Did you hear that?”

“No…” he answered at first, but then his face fell when the noise returned. It wasn’t just any sound; it was the unmistakable sound of voices coming toward us from the entrance of the cave. “Come on.” We slowly began retreating back into the cave.

We moved slowly through the dark. Luhan had turned off his flashlight for fear of being discovered. However, this enabled the voices the gain on us. Before we knew it, we could make out a dim light coming from around the corner.

“Hide!” he said so lightly that I almost didn’t hear him. I looked around, but there was no place to hide. Suddenly Luhan grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down to the ground. He dragged me into a small nook between the rocks along with him.

No sooner did he make his move than the light rounded the corner, revealing three darkly dressed figures. They wore cloth masks over their faces so only their eyes showed. Whatever they were saying was inaudible to my ears, though it was probably in a language unknown to me anyway. Even though the killers’ faces were not visible, it didn’t make them look any less frightening. Their deep, raspy voices faded with the light as they proceeded deeper into the cave to the ship we’d discovered.

“Let’s go,” Luhan whispered, but I refused to move.

“What if more come? Or what if they hear us?” I asked barely above a shaky whisper.

“We either take the chance or to wait here all night until we get discovered in the morning and then they kill us.”

“Fine,” I finally slid out of the small space and Luhan followed close behind.

We didn’t waste any time getting out of that cave. A wave of relief came over me when we finally reached its mouth, spitting us back out into the cold night air where I was happy to be. This time we didn’t hop across the rocks playfully. Instead we made our way across them silently. I held his hand so I could be sure he didn’t leave me side for an instant.

“What if they’re watching us right now?” I whispered as we made our way back toward Keunjib.

“They don’t want us. Not yet anyways,” Luhan reassured me.

“But what if they saw us leave the cave and want to kill us before we have a chance to tell the others?”

“Don’t think that way!” he shook his head. “We’ll be fine.”

I had never been so happy to see that dark, dismal looking building in all my life. The wind had picked up, and the door to the dining hall creaked on its hinges. Luhan and I took a second to go over and fix it. He was just reaching for the door when suddenly a hand came out from the darkness and grabbed his wrist.

“Luhan!” I screamed, pulling him from the hand’s grasp.

“Luhan?” The voice accompanying the hand asked in a surprised tone. The hand was soon joined by a body and face.

“Oh, Kris,” I sighed, placing a hand on my heart.

“Gosh Kris! You really scared me!”

“What are you two doing out here at this hour?” he asked, then raised an eyebrow at me. “The both of you; together?”

“Well… we were woken up by the door creaking, so we thought we’d check it out to make sure nothing was wrong!” Luhan covered quickly.

“And you both just happened to get up at the same time?”

“Yes,” I cut in. “I woke up when I heard the creaking, but when I heard Luhan’s footsteps outside my door I started to really get concerned, so I got up and found him in the hallway. We decided to check it together.”

“Well, everything is fine. I’m going to lock it shut so it can’t blow open again- um, Phoebe?” Kris began eyeing me again.

“Yes?”

“Why are you wearing Luhan’s hoodie?”

I looked down at the piece of clothing. It had totally slipped my mind!

“Oh, well when we got outside it was really cold, so he let me borrow it,” I answered nonchalantly.

“And I suppose that’s also the reason why Luhan has his bag with him?”

I glanced at Luhan who immediately began to stutter, trying to find an explanation.

“That’s what I thought,” he shook his head. “We’ll talk about this later, okay? Let’s all just get some sleep.”

“Sounds good!” I agreed. Luhan and I hurried over to Keunjib while Kris adjusted the dining hall’s lock.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Luhan said as the two of us climbed the dark staircase.

“Yes, sleep well.”

“You too… Oh and Phoebe?” he grabbed my arm softly.

“Yes?” I bit my bottom lip.

“Thanks for coming with me. It was a lot more fun having someone to explore with.”

“No problem,” I smiled. “Oh, I suppose you want your hoodie back, huh?”

“It’s fine,” he smiled back. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

When I got back to my room I snuggled deep under my covers, wishing them to keep out all thoughts of Anonymous. Hearing their voices, seeing their actual figures; it was all too similar to the few memories I had stored in my brain. I shook the thoughts away, trying to think of happy things, and finally fell asleep in the comforting fortress of Luhan’s hoodie.

The next morning I was too tired to move. Lay had to pinch my arm during breakfast every three minutes to keep me from falling face first onto my plate in exhaustion. It was enough that we were out late, but when we finally did return to Keunjib I had trouble falling asleep. My mind kept working over all we’d discovered, and the voices of Anonymous wouldn’t leave my head.

“How do you feel?” I asked Phoebe on our way out to practice.

“Tired, but I really think we need to tell Kris what we saw. They could attack at any minute,” she looked around nervously.

“We can’t!”

“Luhan, he already knows we were out without supervision. Telling him can’t make it any worse.”

“I feel like a two year old being told what not to do,” I pouted and crossed my arms.

“Well you look like one,” Phoebe smirked.

“Hey!” I went to give her a playful shove, but before I knew it my hand was twisted behind my back. “Ow, Phoebe!”

“I’m getting good, huh?” she laughed, releasing me from her painful grip.

“Yeah, maybe too good,” I sighed, rubbing my sore wrist.

“You have to toughen up!”

“Says the girl who’s afraid of the dark,” I stuck my tongue out at her.

“It's scary…” she looked at me innocently and I couldn’t help but feel bad for teasing, even if it was just playing. She had that strange control over me, and I felt I could never hurt her, no matter what the reason.

When we got there Kris and Suho had us all stand in a line facing them.

“What is it we always say about going out at night?” Kris asked the group once we’d settled.

“Not to do it?” Baekhyun spoke up.

“Exactly,” Kris nodded. “Will our two night owls please step forward?”

Everyone began looking around, unsure of what Kris meant. I glanced at Phoebe who gave me a look of concern. We stepped out at the same time. Sehun seemed utterly shocked, probably because he hadn’t even heard me leave last night.

“The first part of your punishment is simple; tell us what you were doing last night,” Kris eyed the two of us.

“Well, we were looking for something,” Phoebe started.

“Interesting,” the leader nodded. “Looking for what?”

“A cave-,”

“Phoebe!” I gave her a warning look, but it was already too late.

“Look,” Phoebe said, looking directly at Kris (which was rare for her). “We went to explore in a cave near the giant mushroom rocks because a little while ago Luhan saw something in there. There were some really weird drawings on the walls and…”

She stopped and when I looked at Kris I realized why. He had turned ghost white.

“Are you okay?” she asked cautiously.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kris replied, snapping out of it, though still looking a little uneasy. “Keep going.”

I continued on for Phoebe, wanting to make sure I was equally punished. “We went deeper into the cave and finally found the object we were looking for. It… it’s a ship. An Anonymous ship.”

Everyone began talking in panic until Kris shushed them. He was looking more and more nervous by the minute. Suho looked worried, but his worry was similar to the rest of the groups’. They seemed to be in total shock while Kris looked guilty if anything.

“Are you sure?” Kris asked, trying to mask his nervousness.

“Positive,” I nodded.

“We saw them,” Phoebe finally said, causing everyone to start freaking out again.

“What do you mean you saw them?!” Kris’s eyes were as big as saucers.

“When we were leaving the cave they were coming in. Phoebe and I were able to hide before they found us. There were three of them and they just walked straight on by. They were speaking in some foreign language. I managed to get this before we left,” I pulled the rubbing of the symbols out of my pocket and handed it to Kris. “Do you know what it says?”

Kris shook his head while searching for words. When Suho tried to peak over his shoulder to see the note, Kris pulled it down to his side quickly.

“Can’t I see it?” Suho asked in annoyance. “I am a leader too!”

“No,” Kris snapped.

Suho looked so angry that I thought he was going to suck Kris into a never ending whirlpool. However, he simply took a long deep breath and looked Kris straight in the eye. “We are a team. Whatever you know, I deserve to know, along with everybody else.”

“I don’t know anything,” Kris began walking away, but Kai popped up in front of him, forcing him back toward us.

“Tell us hyung,” Kai demanded.

Kris stuttered for a moment, then gained control of himself. “Look, the only reason I didn’t tell you guys was because I didn’t want to create a panic. They said they were only staying for a while before starting out again, and if we didn’t tolerate them then they’d totally destroy the planet!”

“You talked to Anonymous?!” Suho shouted angrily, stomping straight up to Kris.

“I- they found me. When I was out there they-,”

“How long ago?!”

Kris looked like a child who had gotten caught stealing from the cookie jar. “My first contact with them was six months ago.”

“Six months,” Suho chuckled unenthusiastically. “You kept this dire information from us for six months?!” He grabbed Kris by the collar of his shirt, but Kris shoved him off.

“I did it for our own good! I thought they would leave, but when they didn’t, I finally put a plan into action. I showed you that note at least,” he held up the rubbing. “It got you guys ready without causing mass panic.”

“You didn’t even tell me!” Suho gave him a shove. “What happened to being a team?!”

“We are! I was doing it for the good of the team!”

“Enough with the good of the team stuff!” Suho finally snapped, tackling Kris who used his flying abilities to escape his grasp. However Suho’s water powers were no joke. A wall of water gathered quickly behind him, and he thrust it toward Kris. Not having enough time to react, the flier got drenched and crashed to the ground coughing.

“From now on I’m my own leader, no little buddy system,” Suho turned to the rest of us. “I’m getting out of here and running things my way. Who’s with me?!”

By this time Phoebe and I had backed up to where the others stood, for fear of getting caught up in the fight. However it looked as if there was no way out.

“I’ll go with you,” Kai stepped out rebelliously.

“Kai,” Kris stared at him in shock. “I was only doing what I thought was right. Can’t you understand that?”

“No hyung, I can’t,” he answered straightly.

“Anyone else?” Suho offered.

D.O. stepped forward.

“D.O.,” Kris looked at him in desperation, which only grew worse when Chanyeol and Baekhyun stepped up as well. “Guys, please! You have to believe me! As a leader I thought it was best for our team!”

I took a good look at everybody else’s expressions. Chen looked as if he wanted to go, but he refrained. What caught my eye was Baekhyun. He was motioning for someone to join them. When I followed his line of sight to Sehun, who looked ready to go, my heart stopped. Sehun couldn’t go by himself; he needed me. But, I wasn’t just going to leave Kris. I could see how he thought he was doing the right thing. He didn’t deserve the others’ treatment. Sehun finally stepped forward and joined Baekhyun and I felt like I was being torn.

*I can’t turn on my own leader, but Sehun is my brother. If anything happened to him I would forever blame myself for not being there to protect him.*

“Luhan, come on,” he motioned me over to join him, obviously confused why I wasn’t there already.

I glanced over at Lay who seemed determined to stay. When my eyes met Phoebe she gave me a sorrowful look. It was obvious that she was on Kris’s side, but she knew how much I loved my brother.

“I can’t Sehun,” I stared at the ground, unable to make eye contact with him.

“But Luhan, Kris lied to us. We’ll be better off with Suho as our leader,” Sehun pleaded.

“Your brother’s right,” Suho gave me a hard look.

I stood there weighing my options, feeling utterly torn. My brother needed me. Umma would kill me if I left him, but Kris didn’t deserve this. With a final glance to Phoebe I made my decision.

“I’m sorry Sehun,” I joined the group that had formed by Kris’s side which consisted of Lay, Xiu Min, Chen, Tao and Phoebe.

My little brother stared at me with hurt eyes. “You said you would never leave me!”

I was about to reply, but Kai cut me off by putting an arm around Sehun’s shoulders. “Come on; you’re better off with us anyway.”

“We’ll be gone by midday,” Suho confirmed. “The rest of you are welcome to join if you change your mind within that time.”

As the group walked off to gather their things at Keunjib Sehun kept looking back at me. I could tell he was crying, but what I didn’t understand was why he couldn’t just forgive Kris. Everyone makes mistakes. Seeing him leave was tearing my heart out.

“Are you okay?” Tao asked Kris who seemed dazed.

“I- I’m fine,” he whispered. “But do you realize what this means?”

“No water?” Chen tried.

“I’ve got that covered,” Xiu Min said, forming a ball of ice in his hands. “We’ll just have to melt it.”

“No,” Kris shook his head while his eyes chased after the six figures fading in the distance. “Our army is cut in half. If Anonymous attacks now, we’re dead for sure.”

“So, what now?” Xiu Min finally broke the silence. We all just watched Suho’s group leave, not knowing what to think. Now that they were gone the reality of the situation was sinking in.

“We practice,” Kris stood up from the dusty ground. “What else can we do?”

We all began standing up, but I noticed Luhan didn’t budge. He had been sitting off to the side facing away from us the whole time. I carefully made my way over to him. Sure enough I heard him sniffle; an obvious sign that he was crying.

“Luhan?” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh,” he slightly turned to see who it was. “Hey.”

“You okay?’ I sat down next to him and brought my knees to my chest.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered then, after wiping at his damped eyes, turned to face me.

“You missed one.” I wiped away one last tear on his cheek with my thumb.

“Oh I um, I just got a little dust in my eye,” he looked away.

“It’s okay to cry.”

He shook his head and I could see he was struggling to hold back the rest of his tears. “It’s all my fault,” his voice squeaked.

“How is it your fault?”

“If I had just listened to Kris and not gone exploring then we never would’ve found out and started this mess!”

“Hey, it was bound to happen,” I put an arm around his shoulders. “It’s not your fault.”

“Well I could’ve at least listened to you and told Kris. We should’ve gone to him separately and told him rather than in front of everyone.”

“Luhan, listen to me,” I looked him right in the eyes. “You can’t blame yourself. What’s done is done and there’s no undoing it. Sehun will be just fine. He’s got five other guys with him. They’d never let anything happen to him.”

“I hope you’re right,” he stared off into the distance.

“I know I’m right. Now come on, we have to practice.” I stood up and offered him a hand up as well.

When we joined the others, Kris was informing them on the practice task and had divided them into teams. Tao, Lay and Kris were on a team while Xiu Min and Chen were on another.

“Luhan and Phoebe, the two of you will be on Xiu Min and Chen’s team. We will be battling for each other’s bandanas,” he handed our team an orange piece of cloth. “Whoever retrieves the other’s first wins. You’ll need to decide offense and defense. Teams have five minutes to work out there plans. You can go ahead.”

“So, any have any ideas?” Xiu Min asked as we huddled in a circle.

“Nah,” Luhan shook his head, still not looking himself.

“Cheer up bud,” Chen patted him on the back. “They’ll come back. We have to focus right now though. Xiu Min, why don’t you and Phoebe take offense?”

“Me on offense?” I looked at him in surprise.

“Sure; you’re great at hand-to-hand combat, and you can work together with Xiu Min if you need to.”

“You can use my power,” Luhan offered. “I doubt I’ll need it much on defense. There’s really nothing to levitate.”

“No, that’s okay,” I shook my head. “It’ll probably come in handy for you at some point. Plus, I can always steal one of the opposing powers if I get a good hold on them.”

“That’s our girl,” Chen smiled. “Always thinking ahead.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him a friendly push. “Alright now Xiu Min, we have to work out an offensive plan.”

“Well they’ll probably put Lay on defense with Tao and Kris as offense. You’d be better off taking Tao while I work on Kris. We can work around them and meet on either side of the bandana, not giving Lay a chance,” he suggested.

“But what if they split up the middle?” I questioned.

“Five minutes is up,” Kris announced, not giving us a chance to make a plan B.

“Let’s hope this works,” I sighed and headed to my position in the arena.

Once we were all settled and had our poles with our bandanas tied to them securely in the ground, Kris gave the signal and the game began. As soon as he said “go” I sprinted toward Tao. They obviously anticipated the two of us fighting each other because he did the same. He met me with a punch which I ducked to avoid, replying with a high kick which he equally deflected.

“You’re good,” he countered while we continued to fight. “But not good enough!”

“You underestimate me,” I smirked. “I’ve learned a lot in the past month.”

We worked equally, throwing punches and kicks while the other deflected them. I was starting to get worried that we’d never stop. With a quick roll I dodged his high kick and popped up behind him. As he turned I kicked out my foot, throwing him slightly off balance. Using this advantage, I managed to send him to the ground with a punch.

Immediately I ran toward the opposing team’s flag. Tao would recover quickly, so a foot race and quick challenge with the defense would determine the winner. I glanced over at Xiu Min and Kris. The leader was flying around our bandana while Xiu Min shot at him with blocks of ice.

As I neared Lay and the flag my hopes increased. Lay would be an easy defeat thanks to my training from Tao. Once I got past him there was nothing stopping me. I was about twelve yards away when suddenly my feet began to drag. A sluggish feeling came over me and everything else. When I looked back Tao was moving at normal speed, so confident that he was simply walking.

*What am I supposed to do now?! *

“Luhan, Chen; you better be ready!” I shouted back over my shoulder toward our two person defense. When I looked up and saw Kris flying in slow speed and Xiu Min’s ice blocks taking their time to reach him I had to stifle a laugh. It honestly looked pretty funny.

Chen sent out a lightning bolt toward Tao, but it moved so slowly that Tao simply stepped to the side with a smile on his face. He was dangerously close to our flag by this time and it was obvious that nobody would be able to keep up with him.

*Great.*

Just then I noticed our flag begin to move. The whole pole was beginning to float upwards. I glanced at Luhan to see him steadily working his powers. Tao hurried toward the flag with desperation, but when he jumped, it was just a tad too high. Kris flew down toward it, but Luhan dogged the pole away before he could grab it.

“Phoebe!” he shouted and I noticed he had his other hand up.

I turned around to see the other team’s pole floating toward me. Lay was ‘running’ after it, but he wasn’t moving too quickly. Suddenly it was like a switch got turned and everything returned to normal speed. I ran toward the flying pole and leapt at it, just as Lay did. We went crashing to the ground together, but not before I ripped the bandana from the stick.

“I got it!” I shouted, holding up the piece of fabric.

“Good game,” Lay offered me a hand up. The others hurried over toward us.

“You did a good job,” Xiu Min patted me on the back.

“Psh, like I did it alone! We did a good job!” I corrected him.

“Good teamwork,” Kris acknowledged both our teams. “And Tao, you should use your time control more often. It’s really effective.”

I was surprised at Kris’s compliment toward Tao. It wasn’t like him to do that, but I guess considering the circumstances he figured good team morale would be beneficial.

“Let’s set up and do it again,” he directed and we set to work.

“That was quick thinking,” I mentioned to Luhan as we returned our flag back to its spot.

“Thanks,” he smiled, looking a little happier.

“Ready to whip their butts again?”

“You bet!”

-----------My eyes scanned the dusty plain, looking for any sign of life. Behind me was nothing but darkness and it seemed to be closing in on me. I became aware of my feet moving. They were carrying me away from the darkness, but not fast enough. Suddenly my eyes picked up on something in the distance. There was movement and I soon found it to be a person. As I drew nearer, the figure became clearer. It was wearing a dark robe with the hood pulled over its face. My feet began to slow and the being started toward me. It wasn’t just any being; it was an Anon. In his hand was a long blade which he held confidently. If I kept going I would surely die, but if I stopped I would be consumed by the darkness. When I turned back, the black wall was right in front of my face and there was no escaping. At the same moment there was a loud crash and-----------

“Who’s there?!” I jumped out of bed and grabbed the alarm clock on my nightstand, ready to throw it at whatever had created the loud crash. At first I thought it was only part of my dream, but when a shadowy figure moved in the corner of my room, I threw the clock at it.

“Ow!”

“…Sehun?” I ran over and turned on my light, revealing my young brother crouched in the corner, rubbing his arm where the clock had made contact.

“Why did you throw that at me?” he pouted.

“What are you doing here?!” I asked, still unable to believe that it was him. It had been a week since he and the others left.

“I was um…”

I followed his line of sight to the bag that lay on the ground next to him. Some of its contents had fallen out, including two potatoes, a jug of water and a flashlight.

“Were you stealing from us?!”

“I’m sorry!” he sat on the ground miserably. “I didn’t want to, but they made me! They said to just get the stuff and go, but I couldn’t leave without seeing you. I felt so bad about it!”

“Sehun,” I sat down next to him on the floor. “You just had to ask.”

“You’d really let us have it; even though we deserted you guys?”

“You’re my brother! Of course I would let you have it!”

“Aigoo; I miss you so much,” he sighed “Things with the others; they’re not going so well. Our food is so low that we skip breakfast and get half the normal lunch. We’re getting weaker, I can tell! If Anonymous attacks, I don’t know if we’ll be able to handle them. But Suho won’t come back.”

“Then why don’t you?” I suggested.

“I already turned my back on Kris. I can’t turn on Suho too!”

"But wouldn't coming back be making up to Kris?"

"Just... agh!" He slapped his leg. "I'm so confused!"

"I'm sure everything will work out. When Anonymous finally attacks we'll need each other. Suho will realize that and do what's best for the group. You know him," I assured my brother.

"Aigoo, I hope you're right," he sighed. "So how are things here?"

"They're okay I guess. Kris has been working us hard at practice though."

"He's probably taking out his anger on you guys."

"Probably."

After a brief silence Sehun gave me a nudge and asked with a smirk, "So how's Phoebe?"

"She's fine," I shrugged. "Her skills have improved a lot and her sword fighting-,"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Sehun eyed me, still smirking. "How are things between you and Phoebe?"

"Oh, um we're getting along," I answered nonchalantly and stared at the floor.

"Aish, brother you're so ignorant!" He rolled his eyes and gave my arm a smack. "Has anything happened between you two?!"

"Why would anything happen between us? We're just friends."

"Just friends," he laughed. "Right because 'Oh Phoebe is doing so well' 'I hope she has telekinesis so I can train her' 'Phoebe's hair looks nice today' is being just friends."

"It is," I said obviously. "Friends can say those things!"

"I see the way you act around her. You get all nervous and the stupidest smile shows up on your face when anyone just says her name."

"That's not true!" I gave him a shove.

"Aww, my big brother is embarrassed about being in love! It's so cute!" Sehun got up and started dancing around the room while taunting me. "Luhan's in looove!"

"Hush!" I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "You're going to wake everybody up!"

"I'm sure you'd like it if Phoebe woke up..."

"You just don't stop do you," I shook my head.

Sehun giggled and lay down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. I joined him and we lay there in silence.

"Remember when we'd lay like this and look at the stars?" he asked.

"Like it was yesterday."

"Things sure have changed a lot in the past three years."

I flipped on my side and faced him. "But we've still got each other! That's a lot for anyone to handle," I smiled.

"That's for sure," he laughed, then let out a sigh. "It's been fun brother, but I really should get going. The others will get suspicious if I stay too long."

"I really wish you'd convince them to come back," I sighed as we both stood up.

"We'll see what happens. But I'll see you again Luhan, arasso?"

"Of course," I smiled, giving him a brotherly hug.

"Yah! Enough with the mushy stuff!" he struggled to break from my grasp.

"But I love you soooooo much," I smirked, trying to kiss his cheek.

"Yah! Yah! Stop it!" he shouted, trying to wriggle away.

I laughed and finally let him go. "I'll see you around."

"Yes," he nodded. "Good night brother."

"Night," I waved, as he slipped out my window.

I lay back down on my bed and stared at the plain white ceiling through the dark. Things were so different without Sehun around. I was happy to know he was safe, but not knowing where he was was still concerning.

"In love with Phoebe," I chuckled to myself. "That kid sure exaggerates."

Soon my mind drifted from a world of thoughts to a world of dreams, and I was fast asleep once again.

----------------------

I woke up late the next morning. It was an hour past when I normally got out of bed, so I was surprised that nobody woke me up. After changing into one of the few other sets of clothes I had, I opened the door and stepped into the hall.

"Oof!" I groaned when someone walked into me.

"Oh, sorry," Phoebe apologized.

"Did you wake up late too?" I asked, surprised to see her still here.

"Yeah; it's weird that nobody came to get us. You don't think something bad happened do you?"

"I don't know. Come on," I motioned to the stairs and we headed down.

When we didn't find anyone in the house or the dining hall, we headed started the fire pit. I was growing increasingly concerned and my pace quickened with each step. I was relieved to see my friends when the fire pit came into view behind a tower of boulders. However, I abruptly stopped and pulled Phoebe back against the rocks with me.

"What?" she asked, but I shushed her right away.

I peaked around the rocks to see my friends standing there together, facing three darkly dressed figures. Their voices were barely audible from where we stood.

"Come on," I pulled Phoebe with me and we crept behind the boulders until we were closer to the group.

"You act so innocent," a gravely voice chuckled. "We know you have it. If you don't hand it over peacefully, then we will attack again and leave nothing but dust in place of this wasteland."

"Can’t you just tell us what you're looking for?" Kris asked, masking his fear exceptionally well.

"Enough!" another scratchy voice shouted. "The talking is done! When we come back, if you don't have what we want then it's war!"

With that the three dark figures left, leaving my friends in shock. When the Anons were out of sight, Phoebe and I stepped out from behind the boulders.

"What was that about?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh my gosh!" Xiu Min jumped. "You scared me!"

"Anonymous wants something," Kris walked toward us. "We don't know what, but they're convinced that we have it."

"So what do we do?" Phoebe questioned.

"We'll have to fight for our planet and our lives," he shrugged. "If they won't believe us, then what else is there to do?"

"Will the others be okay?" Lay asked in concern.

"Suho knows what he’s doing," Kris replied. "But come on; let's try to get in as much practice as we can before they come."

"Hey," Luhan grabbed my arm as we headed back toward Keunjib after a tiring day of practice. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.


"Well," he glanced around to make sure no one was listening in on us. "Sehun came by last night."

"Is everything okay?"

"They said they were having some hard times, but he took some food with him. To be honest I'm really worried. What if Anonymous goes to them next?"

"Don't be too concerned. They're a strong bunch. If Anonymous does find them, they'll probably just be threatened like us," I comforted him.

"I hope so..."

We continued our walk in silence. Suddenly Luhan perked up and jogged ahead to join Kris. I followed in curiosity.

"...can at least try. What's the harm in it? If they don't come back then we'll leave it alone. But you and I both know that we'll be stronger as twelve- I mean, thirteen," Luhan glanced over to me.

"I don't know Luhan. Suho and Kai are both pretty determined. Once they make up their minds it's hard to change them," Kris explained.

"But we can at least visit them and suggest it. Maybe some of the others will listen!"

"There's no harm in asking," I put in.

Kris glanced over to me, then back at Luhan, "Fine. Tomorrow I'll fly over and see if I can find them. We'll pay them a visit if they're not too far away."

Luhan turned to me with a giant smile and I gave him a thumbs up. Maybe he could get his brother back after all!

-------------------

The next morning Kris sent us out to practice as normal, but instead of joining us, he flew off to find the other group. After about two hours of battling he finally returned.

“They’re staying in one of the buildings in Exopil. I saw Baekhyun and Chanyeol enter it from overhead,” the leader informed us. “If we start out now we should be back before nightfall.”

Xiu Min sighed, “If only we could all fly or teleport.”

“The exercise is good for you,” Luhan patted him on the back, then added, “Baozi.”

“Ya! I thought I said never to call me that again!” the round-faced boy slapped him on the arm.

“But you’re so cute!” he giggled, pinching Xiu Min’s cheeks while the other swatted at him.

“Cut it out you two,” Chen broke them up. “We need to get going!”

As we all began walking I skipped up to Xiu Min and joined him. “Don’t worry; I think you have a handsome face!”

“Who said I didn’t?” he smiled.

“Aish,” I shook my head. “Never mind, Baozi!”

“Not you too!”

“Of course!” I put my hands on either side of his face and shook it back and forth. “You’re our cute little pudgy penguin!”

“Then you’re our lanky alley cat!” he smirked, pointing out my long, skinny legs and cat like facial features.

“Hey,” suddenly Luhan popped up out of nowhere.

“Oh, hey Luhan,” I smiled.

“Mind if I walk with you guys?”

“Of course not! Our pudgy penguin doesn’t either; right?” I nudged Xiu Min.

“Well I suppose if our alley cat approves then I do to,” he joked.

“Animal names?” Luhan gave us a questioning look.

“Aren’t they fitting,” I smiled. “Well, besides the ‘lanky’ part of mine,” I shot Xiu Min an annoyed look and he raised his hands innocently.

“Can I have one?”

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Xiu Min give Luhan a skeptical look.

“Of course!” I exclaimed, scanning Luhan from head to toe. “Hmmm, what do you think Penguin?”

“A weasel?” he suggested.

Luhan shot him a glare, but I interrupted before anything happened.

“What about our little mouse? He’s so cute; doesn’t he remind you of a mouse?” I asked Xiu Min while putting an arm around Luhan’s shoulders.

“Sure,” Xiu Min shrugged.

“I’m your mouse?” Luhan asked, not totally set on the idea.

“Yes; you’re my little mouse,” I poked his cheek. He immediately perked up and agreed to the pet name.

For the rest of our journey, the three of us tried to come up with pet names for the other ten people. We came up with a panda for Tao, a squirrel for Chanyeol, a puppy for Sehun and many others. By the time we reached Exopil, a whole zoo had been created.

"This is the building," Kris stopped outside a boarded up coffee house. "Here goes nothing."

He pushed open the door and we followed him inside. We were greeted by six surprised faces staring at us.

“What are you doing here?” Suho stood up suspiciously.

“We’re here to talk to you,” Kris looked uncomfortable, but he continued. “You and I both know that we’ll need all the strength we can get to defeat Anonymous. So…”

“So…?” Suho prodded.

“We’d like for you and the others to come back.”

Suho eyed him for a moment before letting out a chuckle, "You never fail to surprise me, Kris. First you lie to us, then you come back begging for forgiveness. You're not the man I thought you were."

Kris's head snapped up and his eyes seemed to penetrate into through Suho. "At least I'm man enough to come here! You think I really want to beg you?! I'm doing this for the good of the others; for the good of you! Just get over yourself and come back will you?!"

Suho shook his head with a pitiful smirk, "Goodbye Kris. I wish you luck in your fight. You'll need it."

Kris turned on his heel and stomped out of the building. The others in our group began to follow. Luhan lingered and seemed to be using his eyes to communicate with his brother. I glanced at Chanyeol and Baekhyun who seemed uneasy. I raised an eyebrow at them in hopes they would be joining us, but they just shook their heads and looked away. I reluctantly followed the others out of the shop, praying that this wouldn't be my last time seeing them.

We walked back to Keunjib in silence. Kris looked as if he wanted to kill someone, so we weren't going to take our chances in talking to him. The leader immediately went to his room upon our return, leaving the rest of us to think about all that had happened.

Dinner that night was insanely awkward. Kris didn't show up, and for some reason Xiu Min was acting really strange. Tao, Lay and Chen spoke in quiet voices while Phoebe sat pushing around the mashed potatoes on her plate in silence. Suddenly she stood up and headed toward the door. "Thanks for dinner," she called softly over her shoulder before leaving the room.

Lay glanced at me questionably while Tao and Chen exchanged glances. I could feel Xiu Min staring me down from the other end of the table, but I shook off the chilling feeling and hurried out after her.

When I got outside Phoebe was just entering Keunjib. She didn't hear me when I called after her, so I started toward the building. However, I was surprised by an icy hand on my shoulder.

"Oh! Xiu Min!" I gasped. "You scared me!"

"You like Phoebe don't you?" His question hit me out of nowhere.

"W- what?" I asked, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

"Oh, don't act all innocent," Xiu Min rolled his eyes. "I saw how you were around her today."

"I really don't know what you're talking about," I said, taking a defensive step backwards.

"Oh come on, Luhan! You wouldn't leave the two of us alone! We were having a great time until you budged in," he crossed his arms.

"Oh, until I budged in?" I retorted. "Well I'll have you know that Phoebe and I spend a lot more time together than you think! Remember, she went with me to the cave!"

"Yeah and you almost got her killed! Not to mention how the group split up thanks to your little excursion!"

"Kris is the one that lied! How is it my fault?!" I shouted.

"If you hadn't been so desperate to spend time with Phoebe, you wouldn't have gone to the cave and nobody would've known Kris's secret! You ruined us!"

"Sure, blame it all on the messenger right?" I said sarcastically.

"You bet," he smirked.

"Just!-," I took a deep breath and calmed myself down before things got out of control. "Back to Phoebe; she's more fragile than you think. If you try anything on her I will personally send Anonymous after you."

"The feeling is mutual," he scoffed. "But no matter what you say, nothing is going to change how I feel. Phoebe is just as much mine as she is yours."

"Then let the best man win," I stepped toward him so we were face to face.

"Thanks; I expect a gold medal when I do," he smirked before pushing past me.

I stared after him angrily. It wasn't until now that I realized I had such strong feelings for Phoebe. There had always been something about her I was attracted to, but now that I had competition my feelings were overwhelming. There was no way I was going to lose Phoebe; not to Xiu Min, not to Anonymous, not to anyone.

---Point of View Switch: Phoebe---

I left the dining hall with the feeling that something just wasn't right. As soon as I got outside my pace quickened, and before I knew it I was running up the stairs of Keunjib. My feet carried me down the hall to one of the doors which I recognized as our leader's.

"Kris?!" I shouted and tried his door. To my dismay it was locked. "Kris are you in there?"

The sound of glass breaking came in reply, along with something getting thrown against the wall. It sounded as if Sehun had created an indoor wind storm in Kris's room.

"Kris?!" I shouted more desperately this time and began pounding on the door with all my might. More frightening sounds came from the other side of the wooden barrier.

My heart was racing and my mind fuzzed over. The only thing I could think about was saving Kris, despite how much I hated him. In my desperation I began kicking at the door. Finally the rusted, old lock broke and I was granted entry into the room.

A quick flash of black fabric out the window caught my eyes and I hurried over to it. However, the owner of the fabric was fast and had already hidden out of sight. I pulled my head back in and looked around the room. It was a mess; with broken glass and overturned furniture. Just then I caught sight of Kris. He had been thrown haphazardly into the corner and hardly looked conscious.

"Kris!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to him. His face was covered with bruises and cuts, and blood streamed from his nose. "Kris, can you hear me?" I gave his shoulder a light shake.

"Anonymous," his voice croaked while his eyes struggled to open.

"What about them, Kris? What happened?"

"Ughhh," he groaned and began to fall over. I caught him just in time and sat down with an arm behind his back for support.

"Kris?" I asked softly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"A- Anonymous," he whispered breathily. "They w- were here..." His eyes stared up at me helplessly and a chill shot through my body. Kris had always been strong and unbreakable in my eyes. Knowing Anonymous could make him this way meant they were more powerful than I had anticipated.

His eyes began to close again, but I gave his cheek a few light taps with the palm of my hand. "Stay with me," I demanded and he gave a slight nod. "Do you know what they wanted?"

"They said I knew... what they wanted," he struggled. "They said we have it. I- I told them that I don't know what "it" is, but they wouldn't believe me. If you didn't come I would be... they would have..." Suddenly his voice cracked and I watched in disbelief as a tear escaped the eye of the strongest man I had ever met.

"Shhh," I awkwardly brought his head to my chest and stroked his disheveled, blonde hair. "Everything's okay now. You're going to be fine."

"I need to protect the others. I need to warn them..." he tried to get up, but fell back down before he'd even made it to his feet.

"Kris, relax," I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm the leader!" he pulled away. "It's not okay for me to be like this!"

"But it is," I moved close to him once again. "It's okay to cry."

His face scrunched up and he shook his head in denial. However he couldn't stop the tears that escaped his eyes, and soon enough the leader was really crying.

"Shhh," I wrapped my arms around him and laid his head against my chest once again. He didn't try to fight it this time, and cried into my arms like a baby. I knew his ego was hurting along with his body, but at that point he had too little pride left to care.

I lay my head against his and rocked him back and forth. He felt fragile in my arms, despite his muscular structure. The feel of his thin waist told me that he had been skipping meals, most likely to conserve food for the rest of us. Who knew the tough leader could be so selfless.

Kris cried himself to sleep in my arms, and I found myself in my own dream soon after. My mind placed me on a white, sandy shore with crystal clear waves rolling in. Palm leaves swayed lazily above me, and were accompanied by seagulls calling to each other. There was a hammock tied between two of the trees and in it was a man. He had a ball cap over his face and seemed to be sleeping. There was something comforting about the man, and I felt myself drawn to him. However, when my eyes scanned the shore, I caught sight of two cloaked figures walking toward me. Nobody needed to tell me they were Anons; it was obvious. I was about to wake up the man in the hammock, but at that moment I was ripped away from the fantasy world.

My eyes flickered open to reveal Xiu Min standing over me. He looked incredibly shocked and his mouth hung agape. Just then I remembered where I was and who I was with.

"Oh! Xiu Min!" I pulled my head away from Kris who stirred in my arms, but continued to hold me close. "Thank goodness you're here. Kris was attacked by Anons and needs healing. I need you to get Lay."

Xiu Min stood there for a few seconds before closing his mouth and slowly nodding his head.

"Like, can you get him now," I asked while loosening Kris's hold around me.

"Oh... oh, yeah!" the penguin boy snapped out of his shock and scurried out of the room.

"Are you okay?" I asked Kris, still supporting him.

"I- I'm fine," he shook himself awake and pulled away from me. "Ugh, my lip hurts though." He put a hand to his mouth.

"Well you're pretty beat up," I pointed out, as if he didn't already know. "Come on, let's get you on the bed-,"

"I can do it myself," he pushed me away and attempted to stand himself. His legs were shaky, so use of the wall was necessary for him to make it to his bed alone. As soon as he got there, he crashed down on the mattress with a groan. I stood beside his bed and looked down at the sorry sight.

"Don't look at me like that," he growled, though it came out as more of a whimper.

"Well you shouldn't try to act all tough around me anymore," I stated matter-of-factly.

"A man still has his pride," he said while trying to get comfortable on the lumpy mattress.

"Here," I helped him adjust and he looked up at me blankly. "I've seen you at your worst now," I reminded him, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to hide from me anymore."

"Hide?" he laughed. "Well you don't have to act like my mother anymore. I can take care of myself."

"Who said this was for you?" I narrowed my eyes. "Maybe I just helped you for the sake of the group."

"You expect me to believe that?" He sat up so we were face to face and supported himself with his elbows. "Listen, I'm the leader of this group, and I don't need anyone to look out for me. So you just take care of yourself and I'll do the same. Are we clear?" Our faces were only inches apart now.

"Crystal," I whispered, staring hard into his eyes. "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?" he whispered back with a smirk.

I shoved him back down onto the bed and stood up in one motion. "If I'm not allowed to swoop in and save you anymore, promise me you won't do anything stupid and get your butt whipped again." With that I walked out of the room, leaving my words to ring in his ears.

"Lay!" Xiu Min burst into our large meeting room where Tao, Lay and I sat talking. The icy boy was out of breath and looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"What is it?" Lay stood up and walked over to him.

"It's Kris," Xiu Min panted. "He was attacked by Anons!"

"And you left him alone?" Tao asked in a why-would-you-do-such-a-thing-you-idiot voice.

"...Phoebe's with him."

Lay sighed and put a hand on Xiu Min's shoulder. "I'll go take care of him. Thanks," he said and left the room.

I was at full attention when I heard Phoebe's name. "Was Phoebe there when the attack happened? Is she okay?!" I asked, worried out of my mind.

"Don't get your powers in a bunch," Xiu Min rolled his eyes at me.

"Seriously, is she okay?" We both turned to see Tao, looking just as worried as me.

"You too?" Xiu Min scrunched his nose.

"Just tell us if she is okay!" Tao demanded.

After a pause Xiu Min finally answered with a simple, "She's fine."

"Thank goodness," I sighed.

"Aigoo, if anything had happened to her I don't know what I'd do!" Tao remarked, causing Xiu Min and I both to look at him again.

"What?" he asked innocently with a shrug.

Xiu Min and I glanced at each other, back at Tao, then back at each other again.

"What?!" Tao whined.

Xiu Min walked out of the room shaking his head and I heard him mumble, "Unbelievable."

Tao gave me a confused panda look and I just laughed and motioned toward the door, "Come on; let's go see if Kris is okay."

We headed upstairs, though the whole way up Tao continued to wear a confused expression. When we got to Kris's room we found Lay just finishing his healing on our leader.

"Where's Phoebe?" I asked.

"I passed her in the hall on my way up. She seemed a little angry," Lay informed me, standing up from the bed.

"Thanks for asking about me. It's comforting to know you guys care so much," Kris croaked sarcastically.

"Oh, Kris! Sorry I totally forgot! No, no! I mean, I didn't forget! I just, um-,"

"Listen, I want to make something clear to all of you," Kris sat up on the bed. His head was bandaged and a small cut remained above his eye, but that was all. "Phoebe being here doesn't change a thing. We're all here for one reason, and that's to crush Anonymous into dust. No girl or childish emotions should get in the way of that. Are we clear?"

"Yes," Tao nodded while staring at the ground.

"Of course. She's like a little sister," Lay agreed.

"A pretty little sister," I heard Tao whisper under his breath.

"Luhan?" Kris stared me down.

"Me? Oh, you think I feel like that? Let's be realistic here. For goodness sakes you really think I'd be like that? Haha, that's pretty funny! I um..." my voice faded when I noticed the others' awkward stares. "I mean: Yes Kris, I totally understand!"

Kris gave me a suspicious glare before sending us out of the room.

"Both of you like Phoebe?" Lay smiled once we were safely in the hallway.

"Wh-,"

"Yeah," Tao cut me off, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"You don't have to hide it from me," Lay laughed. "I think it's adorable; you guys falling for the same girl. It'll make for some good entertainment too, rather than just talking about Anonymous all the time."

"I just care about her as a friend is all," I shrugged innocently.

"Oh Luhan," Lay patted me on the back, "You were never a good liar." He ducked into his room and closed the door before I had a chance to respond.

Tao tapped me on the shoulder, "If you only like Phoebe as a friend, then does that mean I can have her?"

I rolled my eyes and continued down the hallway.

"Okay, well maybe we can share! You get her Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays! ...........And Tuesdays? And Thursday? .....How about week days, then I get weekends! Luhan? Luhan!”

--------------------

I found Phoebe sitting by the fire pit, a pout on her face. I sat down next to her quietly and stared straight ahead, just as she was doing. We sat in silence for a minute or so before she finally spoke up.

“You know what I hate?”

“Spiders?”

“People,” she answered emotionlessly. “Stuck up, self absorbed people who think they’re the best. They think they know everything, but really they have the brain of a five year old. Aish it makes me so angry!” She slapped her leg in frustration.

“Hey, don’t take it out on yourself,” I scolded, removing her hand from her leg. “Not all people are like that. I’m not like that; am I?”

“No,” she sighed and turned to me with a smile, even though I could tell she was still angry. “Thank goodness I have you.”

*This is my chance!*

“Phoebe, I-,”

“Hey guys!” Suddenly Xiu Min popped out of nowhere.

“Oh, hey,” Phoebe greeted him and he sat down on her other side. I gave him an annoyed look, but he returned it with a smirk.

“What’s with the long face?” he asked, placing a hand on her back.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just annoying people,” she answered.

“Well who is it? I’ll freeze their mouth shut! Is it Luhan?”

“Oh, no no!” she said quickly and I sent him a proud smile. “It’s really nothing to worry about. I can handle it.”

“Mmmm, you’re tough, Phoebe. But you need someone who can look out for you sometimes. I’m always here if you need me,” he smiled.

“I’m here too!” I quickly jumped in, placing my arm around her back as well. “If you ever need anything, you just have to ask me.”

“Ask me first,” Xiu Min said with a glare.

“No, me!” I retorted, glaring back.

“I’m tougher!”

“I’m braver!”

“I’m stronger!”

“I’m-,”

“Guys!” Phoebe stood up and faced us in annoyance. “What has gotten into you two?! I don’t need anyone! I can take care of my…”

Her voice faded out and she stared off into the distance with a sarcastic look on her face.

“Phoebe?” I stood up next to her. “Are you okay?”

“It’s funny,” she chuckled. “I’m acting just like the person I hate the most.” She walked away shaking her head and whispering under her breath.

“See what you did?” Xiu Min slapped my arm. “You made her angry!”

“Who does she hate?” I asked in curiosity and stared after her.

“Probably you now,” he rolled his eyes and walked off.

There was so much tension between Xiu Min and I for the next three days that when we battled I wasn’t sure if it was for practice or if we were really trying to kill each other. Tao was too shy to tell Phoebe how he felt, so I knew there was nothing to worry about there. What annoyed me was that Phoebe didn’t seem to be taking interest in any of us. We spent friendly time together as usual, but nothing more. She got along with everyone just fine (besides Kris) and treated them only as brothers.

“This is so fun!” Phoebe laughed while Xiu Min showed her how to write with frost.

“I’ll show you something cooler,” he smiled and put his arms around her to guide her. I immediately got up and headed toward them.

“Xiu Min,” I called with a fake smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Can’t you see we’re busy?” he asked in annoyance.

“Oh, sorry. Having constipation must be a terrible experience, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said innocently.

His face turned red with a mix of anger and embarrassment and he released his hold around Phoebe. He gave me an icy stare, then smirked, “And I suppose you’re doing well too? Athlete’s foot must be painful… and gross.”

“I- I…” I was so angry that speaking became out of the question. I quickly glanced at Phoebe, then back at Xiu Min.

“Guys,” Phoebe spoke up. “If you’re in pain, you should really talk to Lay. I’m sure he could cure whatever it is. It’s not good to keep things like this a secret because you’re embarrassed.”

“Phoebe, Kris needs you over here!” Chen called.

“Ugh, I’ll be right there!” she shouted back. She gave us each a nod and headed off to see what the leader needed.

“Athlete’s foot? Really?” I scoffed at Xiu Min once Phoebe was out of earshot.

“You’re the one that started it. I mean constipation? At least try to think of something clever!” he fired back.

“Oh, because athlete’s foot is so original,” I rolled my eyes.

“Aish, why can’t you just let it go? Phoebe obviously doesn’t have any romantic feelings for you.”

“She doesn’t for you either,” I stuck out my tongue.

“So childish,” he shook his head.

“Look, right now Phoebe doesn’t seem to be romantically interested in anybody, and I think it’s for the best. This war with Anonymous is very important and needs all our focus and dedication. How about we call it a truce until all of this is over?”

“The best fighter wins the girl?” Xiu Min offered me his hand.

“She’s not an object to be won,” I pushed his hand aside. “It comes down to whoever she chooses.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “And if she never chooses?”

“We leave it at that and neither one of us pursues her,” I offered him my hand now. “Deal?”

“Deal,” he agreed, shaking in agreement.

We stared each other down for a moment before breaking apart.

“Now,” he said. “Let’s fight.”

---Point of View Switch: Phoebe---

“What is it?” I sighed in annoyance and stood in front of the leader. Thanks to Lay, he was strong enough to leave his bed the same evening he was attacked, and now even fight.

He tossed me a sword in response. “We need to train together.”

“Why us?” I asked, unhappy with the idea.

“Because, we need as much fighting experience as we can get with different people. If you always sword fight with Tao, you’ll start to get comfortable with his style. Anonymous’ tactics are very different from ours, so you need some diversity. Shall we begin?”

“Oh, yes master,” I gave a mock bow. However, I came back up to see Kris taking a swing at me.

“Oh!” I exclaimed, smashing my sword against his just in time to save my throat.

“Like I said,” he smirked. “Too comfortable.”

“Do you want to fight or stand there with that stupid grin on your face all day?” I glared.

He raised an eyebrow and in the blink of an eye we were in full battle. We didn’t need the practice ring. Kris had been encouraging us to fight on the regular land, considering that’s where we’d be during the real battle. I’d learned to take in my surroundings immediately, incase a random attack was sprung, so I was ready when Kris tried to push me back into a boulder. I ducked to the side and turned our fight so that the sun was in his eyes, giving me the upper hand.

“Was that a coincidence?” Kris grunted while deflecting my blade. “Or is there actually some judgment bouncing around in that empty head of yours?”

“I’ve been trained by the best,” I retorted, ducked under his swing and giving his leg a kick. He fell to the ground, but before I knew it I was on the ground too. We wrestled for a few seconds before I grabbed my sword. He took this chance to shove me off of him. We were both on our feet in a matter of seconds, stabbing and deflecting as before.

“The best? That’s impossible,” he laughed. “You haven’t been trained by me.”

“Just because you’ve claimed yourself the leader, doesn’t mean you’re the best,” I pointed out.

“It doesn’t mean I’m not either.”

I took a useless jab at him, trying to buy myself some time. We were a pretty equal match for each other. I figured the best way to win would be to pace myself and tire him out first. Then I’d come at him full force and take him down.

“You think you’re pretty great, don’t you?” he suddenly said while the intensity of his fighting increased. “Coming here all helpless, then learning day by day how to fight. Just remember that we’re the ones that trained you and helped you. We could’ve left you to die.”

“But you didn’t,” I said matter-of-factly. “Aw, does that mean Krisie has a little crush on Phoebe?”

“You’d like that wouldn’t you,” he laughed. “You just want everyone wrapped around your finger. Well you need a wakeup call, missy.” Suddenly he stopped mid-swipe and went for a quick jab at my stomach.

“Ugh!” I exclaimed, falling to my knees and grabbing the wound.

“Remember your place,” he threatened, throwing down his sword next to me. “And learn how to fight.” He walked away and Lay came over immediately to take care of the stab.

“Are you okay?” he asked while he set to work.

“I’m fine,” I said in annoyance. “Am I really as full of myself as he says I am?”

“Kris is just like that,” he laughed. “If he sees a potential threat in anyone, then he’ll knock them down to make sure they don’t take his place; physically or verbally.”

“You mean I have what it takes to take Kris’s position? He’s really scared of me?” I exclaimed in glee.

Lay gave me an uncomfortable look. “Just don’t go looking for trouble, okay? I don’t want to have to constantly worry about my mèi mei.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” I smiled. “I’m tough!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he messed my hair. “Now why don’t we have a duel? My sword skills haven’t been so sharp lately.”

“You’re on,” I smiled, handing him Kris’s abandoned sword and taking up my own.

I was almost asleep when I heard a noise from downstairs, followed by the creaking of the front door. Half of me wanted to hide in case it was Anonymous, but the other half hoped that it was Sehun.

*Stop being a coward. Even if it is Anonymous, you have to stand up and fight. Don’t be such a baby.*

With a deep breath I pushed myself out of bed and headed downstairs with a small flashlight in hand. I kept the light off so as not to give away my position. I hurried to a window and scanned the moonlit land. My eyes caught sight of a dark figure moving away from Keunjib, toward the fighting arena.

“Okay,” I closed my eyes and sat against the wall. “I have to do this. If it’s Sehun I can’t let him go without saying goodbye. And if it’s Anonymous, I need to protect Phoebe and the others.”

I stood up and headed toward the door. If I thought about it any longer I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it, so I hurried out after the figure, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

When I got to the fighting arena, I was surprised the find the figure sparring on their own. There was something comforting yet fearful about the person, so I decided to sit and watch for a little while before confronting them. They had their own personal touch in the way they held the sword. It was as if the person had developed their own, new way of fighting, which made me curious. I strained my eyes to make out the face of the fighter. After a long stare I concluded it was a female, due to the way they moved and their semi long hair. Finally I got a good view of the person’s face, and I knew exactly who it was.

I watched from my hiding spot while Phoebe practiced in the dark. Her body moved gracefully with her sword which shimmered in the little bit of moonlight we had. Each jab she took had a purpose and was backed up by confidence. I sat back against a rock and sighed. Phoebe had become a fighter that I was envious of in only a short time, and it made me like her even more.

I peaked around the rock again to watch her, but to my dismay she was nowhere in sight. Sitting back in confusion, I suddenly became conscious of something behind me. I was about to turn around when a sword slipped around in front of my neck.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Phoebe's voice hissed in my ear.

My voice seemed to be lost in the wind...

"Answer," she pulled the sword closer against the bottom of my chin. "I'm not afraid anymore."

"Phoebe," I finally squeaked.

"Luhan?" she remarked with surprise, but didn't lower her sword.

"Yeah um, could you lower your sword or just kill me already?"

After a second of hesitation she finally let me go. I gasped in relief and sat back against the boulder once again.

"Sorry," she apologized while sheathing her sword. "I wanted to make sure it was really you and not an Anon pretending."

"You couldn't tell it was really me?" I asked in slight disappointment.

"You can never be too careful," she replied simply, sitting down next to me.

A few seconds of silence passed before I spoke up again. "You seem different Phoebe."

"I am different," she replied. "After what happened to Kris the other day, I've decided that I'm not afraid of Anonymous anymore. Honestly I'm angry! The fact that they think they can just come in and take whatever they want from us... it's not right!"

*Keep calm. You can do this. It's now or never.*

"I know," I replied, slipping my hand into hers. "But we will get through this. Together we can defeat Anonymous; I just know we will! Plus, we have you now."

"Me," she let out a small laugh. "I'll do my very best, I promise, but I'm just like you guys. I can fall just as easily."

"But you won't fall," I whispered, turning to face her while she did the same. "I'd give my life before I let anything happen to you." I tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and smiled. Her big brown eyes stared into mine, unsure of what I was doing. However, I didn't stop. Everything was going too perfectly. Our faces were so close now and I felt my eyes beginning to close. I leaned in closer, our lips just short of making contact, when suddenly the sound of voices met our ears.

"What was that?!" Phoebe sprang to attention, pulling out her sword.

I pulled my dagger out of my holster and peaked around the boulder. My eyes picked up on three figures moving through the dark. I clutched my knife in anger. It was bad enough that Phoebe and I had been interrupted, but by Anonymous? They had crossed way over the line now.

I was about to storm out from behind the rock when Phoebe placed a hand on my arm. "Wait," she whispered. "Look closer."

My eyes strained through the dark to see the figures’ faces. Just then I realized how they were walking. Rather than marching with confidence, they seemed to stumble and drag their feet. I also noticed that there were four beings; not three. One was supporting another who looked practically lifeless. Phoebe’s grip on my arm tightened and I looked at her in concern. We stood up at the same time and began running toward our friends. As we neared them, D.O. pulled out his sword.

“It’s us!” I shouted. “It’s Phoebe and Luhan!”

“Luhan?” one of the voices called.

Baekhyun lit up his hands as we approached them. It was then that we realized in what bad shape they all were. I also discovered who the stumbling figure was.

“Sehun…” I whispered under my breath, relieving Chanyeol of his burden and taking my brother in my arms. His eyes fluttered, but never fully opened. Bruises covered his face and he’d bled through the cloth they’d tied around his waist. “What happened?” I asked, trying to keep control of my emotions.

“Anonymous found us,” Baekhyun spoke up solemnly. “They said it was our last chance to give them what they wanted. We didn’t know what it was and we told them that, but they didn’t believe us.”

“A fight broke out,” Chanyeol continued for his friend who was getting teary-eyed. “It was a hopeless battle for us, so we had no choice but to retreat.”

“Where’re Kai and Suho?” Phoebe spoke up. Chanyeol’s face immediately darkened and Baekhyun looked away.

“They sacrificed themselves so we could escape,” D.O. said while fighting back tears. “Kai wouldn’t leave Suho, so they went together. We barely made it out alive, even with their help.” He glanced at Sehun.

I looked down at my little brother who lay helplessly in my arms. “How long has he been like this?”

“A day.”

“Come on,” I adjusted my brother in my arms and turned back toward Keunjib. “We need to get him to Lay immediately.”

As we walked I kept glancing down at Sehun’s beaten face. “Hang in there brother,” I whispered. “Lay will fix you. Everything is going to be okay again.”

We sat down with Chanyeol, Baekhyun and D.O. in the meeting room to listen to their full accounts. My heart ached for Luhan upstairs with Lay who had set to work on Sehun. He and his brother were so close. If Sehun didn’t make it, there was no telling what Luhan would do.

Once the three boys were finished their stories the room fell into silence. Countless tears were hiding behind our eyes in anguish of the friends we’d lost. I pulled up the hood of Luhan’s sweatshirt which I still wore and hid my face behind my hair, hoping nobody would see my dampened cheeks. I’d always had a soft spot for Suho since the day I woke up on this planet, and Kai had been like a brother to me. Now they were gone forever.

Someone sat down next to me on the couch and wrapped their arms around me. I leaned my head against their shoulder and finally let my tears fall, no longer caring about my pride.

“Shhh,” Chen’s voice whispered in my ear while he stroked my hair.

“I never even got to say goodbye,” I wept into his arms.

“I know, I know,” he rocked me back and forth.

“What if Sehun doesn’t wake up? I don’t think I could bear it; Luhan would be broken.”

“Don’t think that way,” he stopped me. “Sehun will be fine; you’ll see.”

I held tighter to Chen, wanting to believe him but knowing I couldn’t. Sehun’s state was critical; hopeless for a normal human being. Lay held a lot of power, but we all knew that there were limits. The odds of Sehun surviving were extremely slim.

“We need to leave.”

I lifted my head at the sound of Kris’s voice.

“What do you mean ‘leave’?” Xiu Min asked.

“We’re not safe here anymore. We’re not safe anywhere,” he replied, standing by the fireplace.

“But what about Sehun? It’ll be difficult to transport him in this condition.”

“And our supplies,” Tao put in. “We only have what water Suho left us, and the only place food will grow is the green house-,”

“Don’t you see?!” Kris slammed his fist down on the wooden mantel. “The war has already begun! Anonymous won’t stop now. They know we have limited resources. We’ve been physically and mentally weakened. It’s a golden opportunity for them. The least we can do is keep them guessing where we are and hope to spring a surprise attack on them.”

“But Sehun-,”

“Sehun’s not going to make it!” Kris burst out, sending us all into a stunned silence. His face changed when he saw our reactions. “I care about Sehun too. But I’ve seen cases like his. Even the best healer can’t cure everything.”

“Shut up!” I shouted, jumping up from the couch. “Who says miracles can’t happen?! You don’t know everything so stop pretending like you do! Lay is an incredible healer, and he won’t stop until Sehun is back on his feet walking again. So why don’t you shut that trap of yours and start thinking positive for once in your life?!”

Kris stormed across the room, reaching me in three steps. He put his face straight up to mine, and breathed heavily in anger. “Think positive? I’m the son of a coward. I’m the son of a disgusting man that only cared about himself. I couldn’t even love my own father. My whole life I’ve had to live in the darkness of reality, and you ask me to be positive?” His face boiled red with so much anger that he was bound to burst at any second.

“So you’re telling me you’re no different? Our leader is a coward, just like his father?”

The crisp sound of Kris’s hand making contact with my cheek filled the room and a stinging sensation spread over the side of my face.

We both stared at each other in shock. He looked down at his hand as if it had reached up and slapped me by itself. His mouth struggled to form words as he looked back up at me.

“I- I…”

I took a step backwards, shaking my head. Without another word I ran out of the room before anyone could see fresh tears escape from my eyes. I ran out the front door and didn’t stop until I reached the fighting arena. There I found myself a large rock and sat down to catch my breath.

“Yah!” I shouted, throwing a stone down toward the valley that we were so familiar with. The truth was Kris’s slap hadn’t really hurt. Sure it stung a bit, but it was my mentality that he had messed with. It was as if he had slapped me into his reality for a quick second. There I saw everything he was talking about; Sehun’s slim chances, our clan’s weakness. Most of all I saw the fear I thought I’d buried. I was still that frightened girl from a few days ago; unsure of her own life.

“Please Sehun,” I cried into my hands. “Open your eyes! Please just get through this! Do it for your brother! You can’t leave us now. If you leave, then you’ll be taking Luhan with you. Don’t to that to me Sehun. I don’t want to do this without him; I can’t. I need him more than you know, so please, please… pull through for us.”

I lifted my face and let the wind blow my hair into my tears. Even the breeze was weak. It whispered about its struggle to survive as it fought a battle with itself, just as Sehun was doing.

“Phoebe?”

I opened my eyes to see Xiu Min standing in front of me.

“Oh, um hey,” I blushed, wiping away my tears and hoping he hadn’t heard what I’d just said.

Xiu Min sat down next to me, placing a hand under my chin to turn my face toward him. “Does it hurt?”

“Nah,” I shook my head and looked away. “I just overreacted I guess.”

“No, you had every right to be angry like that,” he said comfortingly while slipping his hand into mine.

I looked down at our interlocked fingers, then back up at Xiu Min.

“Phoebe…” he gazed straight into my eyes. “I think you’re a great person.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I smile, making sure all my tears were gone.

“I mean… I really like you. Like, really really like you.”

“Oh,” I glanced down at the ground awkwardly.

“Is that an I-like-you-too “oh” or a this-just-got-awkward “oh”?”

“Xiu Min, I think you’re awesome, I really do. We always have fun messing with powers together and you never fail to make me laugh.”

“But?” he sighed.

“But, I just don’t have those kinds of feelings for you. I want us to just stay really close friends,” I said, wishing I didn’t have to do this at all. Talking about this kind of thing was not something I liked nor was used to.

“Okay,” Xiu Min fell silent. We both stared out across the dark landscape, neither of us uttering a word.

“Is it Luhan?” Xiu Min finally asked.

I turned to look at him and his eyes were full of sorrow. Admitting my affection for Luhan to this guy right now would just be too cruel. Besides, I hadn’t even completely admitted it to myself yet, though I knew the feelings were there.

“Come on,” I stood up and offered him my hand. “We should head back now.”

Xiu Min took my hand and we started back across the rocky soil toward Keunjib. A hundreds thoughts swirled through my mind. If I admitted to liking Luhan, everything would change. I liked things how they were. I didn’t want them to change. *I’ll tell him when the time is right.* I concluded. *Whenever that may be…*

By the time we got back to Keunjib Xiu Min had me laughing like usual. I stepped inside with tears in my eyes and a hand on his shoulder to keep my balance.

“Oh my gosh,” I laughed. “You’re ridiculous!”

“What’s going on?”

I looked up at the staircase to see Luhan who had stopped half way down. His face was written over with anger, worry and sadness. I noticed his eyes glance at my hand on Xiu Min’s shoulder, so I quickly slipped it off.

“Luhan, it’s not what it looks like-,”

“Oh, I know what it looks like,” he cut Xiu Min off and stormed down the stairs toward us. “I thought we had a deal!”

“We do! I mean, we did,” Xiu Min stuttered.

“A deal about what?” I asked, totally confused by what was happening.

“What do you mean we did?!” Luhan snapped with fire in his eyes. His little hands were balled up in fists and shook with rage.

“Phoebe and I had a talk, and she con-,”

“A talk?” Luhan scoffed. “You’ve broken so many conditions for our deal, I oughtta hand you over to Anonymous right now!”

“What deal? What are you talking about?!” I prodded again, but neither answered.

“If you’d just give me a chance to explain, you’d understand-,” Xiu Min tried, but was cut off once again by Luhan.

“Oh I understand perfectly, and I’m done with you. Both of you,” Luhan glared at me, though it was more of a painful, wanting look. With that he turned and run back up the stairs, slamming the door to his and Sehun’s room.

“What was that about?” I asked Xiu Min, but he only shook his head.

“Nothing now I guess,” he sighed and walked away, leaving me in the front hall alone to ponder.

We spent the next morning gathering what little we had and packing it up in whatever we could find. It was decided that we’d be staying in one of the buildings of Exopil from now on. This would make it more difficult for Anonymous to find us; even if they did figure out we were in the city.

Lay and Luhan arranged to carry Sehun on a stretcher which Tao had built. The young brother hadn’t woken up and his condition was still critical. Moving him was dangerous, but we really had no choice. Kris had had me absorb Sehun’s powers from him, just in case he didn’t pull through. I felt bad doing it, but I knew it was for the best.

As we walked I fell back a little to walk beside Luhan. He’d barely spoken all morning, and even then it was only when necessary.

“I think he’s looking better,” I remarked, glancing down at Sehun.

Luhan let out a grunt. “You don’t have to lie to me. I can handle the truth you know.”

I bit my lip and scanned over the desert land. The buildings of Exopil were becoming clearer as we neared them, though we still had a ways to go.

“Luhan,” I looked back at him again. “Did I do something wrong?”
“In your eyes? No; you didn’t,” he replied straightly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Never mind. What’s done is done. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to walk alone. Carrying this stretcher is tiring enough without you yapping in my ear.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Luhan had never treated me this way before. *How am I supposed to make things better if he won’t even tell me what’s wrong?! *

“Fine,” I pouted in annoyance and quickened my pace to join Lay who supported the front of the stretcher. “Do you know what’s wrong with Luhan?” I asked him in a hushed voice.

“He’s probably just sensitive because of his brother,” Lay suggested. “Give him a few days.”

I looked down at Sehun’s angelic face. He really did have the most beautiful nose I’d ever seen. At any moment I expected his eyes to flutter open and a smile spread across his lips.

“Do you think he’s going to make it?” I inquired.

Lay finally replied after a prolonged silence, “I’ve done a lot of things, but never have I had to deal with a case this severe.”

I bit my lip at his heart wrenching words. We all knew that this was an intense project for Lay, but hearing the doubts from the healer himself was almost like confirming Sehun’s death.

By the time we reached the city we had about three hours of daylight left. We took refuge in an abandoned movie theater, providing us with plenty of exits and lots of space. The place was filled with cobwebs and dust, so we immediately set to work cleaning it up a little and organizing our belongings.

“I’m going to take a look around,” I informed D.O. who was setting up his “bed” in the corner.

“Alright,” he nodded. “Just don’t get into trouble.”

“When do I ever?” I laughed and headed out the door.

The front lobby was huge. One wall was covered with windows, letting in plenty of light. I stepped behind the ticket counter and began rummaging through the drawers. I didn’t know what I expected to find; it was more of just curiosity pushing me forward.
I glanced around the room and noticed a door that read “maintenance only.” Having never seen what the upstairs of a movie theater looked like, I hurried over to the door. Thankfully it was unlocked. The staircase behind it was filled with cobwebs, but I simply shoved them out of my way and forged on.

The top of the stairs opened up into a long room with multiple little windows along the inside wall. I carefully made my way over to one of the openings and peaked out. Below was the room we had claimed. My friends were organizing their things and didn’t even notice me.

“It feels like I’m in a spy movie,” I laughed to myself and pulled my head back inside. Next I examined the projector beside me. To my surprise, there was still film inside. I clicked a few buttons and jumped when the film began to spin. I peaked out the window again to see the introduction for some old movie being projected onto the screen.

“What the heck?!” someone exclaimed from down below, then looked up to where I stood in the window.

“Phoebe!” Chen exclaimed.

“It’s so cool up here!” I shouted down to them with a laugh and pulled my head back inside. As I turned away from the window, I was startled when I bumped into someone.

“Oh!” I exclaimed. The person had a familiar aura about them. I cautiously lifted my gaze to the person’s face, which belonged to no one other than Luhan. I tore my eyes away and awkwardly stepped to the side. Luhan raised his line of sight to take a quick look at me, then lowered it again while biting his bottom lip.

“You shouldn’t bite yourself like that,” I said, still not making eye contact with him. “It’s not healthy.”

He quietly walked over to the little window. I turned and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Luhan, I’m sorry for whatever it was I did. Can we just talk about it?”

“What is there to say?” he shrugged. “You should’ve just told me how you feel about Xiu Min.”

“What do you mean ‘how I feel about Xiu Min?” I asked in puzzlement.

“You guys went out and had that talk together. Xiu Min’s confession was probably really something. Even if I had confessed before he did, it wouldn’t have been as great as his,” he looked down at the ground.

“Confession?”

“Yeah, Xiu Min confessed to you didn’t he?”

“Well yes-,”

“See,” Luhan cut me off. “I just wish I’d said something earlier.”

“Luhan, hold on a second. Just because he confessed, it doesn’t mean I accepted him.”

He slowly raised his head and looked at me hopefully. “You mean, you two aren’t an item?”

“We’re just friends and that’s all I ever want us to be,” I smiled.

A giant smile spread across his face and he took my hand in his. “Then I guess now is as good a time as any. Phoebe, I-,”

“Luhan!” Chen suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase.

“Aish,” Luhan growled, turning toward Chen. “What is it?!”

The lightning powered boy was awfully pale and out of breath. “It’s Sehun,” he panted.

Luhan let go of my hand and immediately ran down the stairs. I stood there, staring at Chen who looked back at me worriedly.

“Come on,” he motioned for me to follow him down the stairs.

We sprinted into the theater room together to see everyone gathered around Sehun down in front. I pushed my way through the group to see Lay kneeling on Sehun’s right and Luhan on his left. Lay had his eyes closed and his hands rested on the young boy’s body. He mumbled something under his breath, most likely some sort of healing chant.

Luhan knelt by his brother’s side with tears in his eyes. He held Sehun’s hand in his, putting another to the weak boy’s face angelic face.

“Please, please Sehun. Pull through for umma and appa. Pull through for me; for all of us. I know you’re in there somewhere,” he whispered as a tear slipped off his cheek, then glanced up at Lay. “His pulse is still dropping! Why aren’t you helping him!”

Lay ignored the remark and kept meditating over Sehun.

“Listen to me!” Luhan screamed. “This is my brother! You’re supposed to be a healer! Why is he not better yet?! How can you just sit there and-,”

“Luhan!” Kris barked. “He’s doing everything he can!”

Luhan fell silent and looked back down at Sehun whose face was now whiter than ever. No longer being able to stand seeing him this way, I hurried over to Luhan and knelt next to him with a hand on his back. He didn’t respond, but at least I felt like I was doing something.

Lay’s mumbling got louder and more desperate. His grip on Sehun tightened and his eyes squeezed so tightly shut that they barely existed. Suddenly the chanting stopped and Lay hung his head.

“Why did you stop?” Luhan snapped.

“I’m sorry Luhan,” he shook his head and looked down at Sehun’s body. “I tried; I really did.”

“No,” Luhan whispered. “No!” He jumped up and would’ve tackled Lay if Chanyeol and I hadn’t held him back. “How can you be a healer if you can’t even save my brother?! You’re a fake! You liar!”

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears as Chanyeol and I fought against Luhan. Seeing him suffering like this broke my heart.

“Luhan,” I pulled back on his arm. “Luhan!”

Suddenly he stopped fighting. He turned around and faced me without saying a word. His eyes were red and swollen and his face was wet with tears. Without saying a word he fell into my arms, holding onto me tightly. I tried not to cry so I could be strong for him, but it was too hard of a job. Tears slipped down my cheeks while sweet, innocent Luhan cried into my arms like a baby, screaming for his brother.

We held onto each other like that for some time. Nobody spoke a word. A door slammed, but I didn’t pay it any attention.

“My brother,” Luhan whispered as his sobs lessened. “My little baby brother. He didn’t even have his powers for a full year yet. I should’ve made him stay with us. Why did I let him go?” He broke down in another round of tears. “A good big brother would’ve been there for him. I’m a terrible person! I should be the one on that stretcher.”

“Don’t say that!” I exclaimed, holding him tighter. “You didn’t know. Not even the best big brother could’ve.”

“I should be dead. Why am I not dead?”

“Luhan!” I pulled back and look straight into his eyes, cupping his face in my hands. “If you die too, then what would be the point of any of this? Sehun didn’t give up his life just for you to carelessly do the same. He did it so you could fight for everything he loves; you, the clan, this planet. If you give up now, it will all be for nothing.”

Luhan stared at me emotionlessly before falling back into my arms again. “I’ll do it for Sehun.”

“There you go,” I ran my hand through his dirty blonde hair. “Shhh, it’s okay. We’re going to make them pay.”

“Yes,” Luhan whispered. “They will pay.”

Suddenly I got a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d only felt something like it once before when Kris got attacked.

I pulled back from Luhan with big eyes. He clearly had no idea what was going on, but I didn’t wait to explain. Without a word I grabbed Kris by the wrist. He looked at me as if I was going crazy. After a few seconds I ran out the doors of the theater. When I got outside, my feet led me to a tall building about three blocks away.

----------------------

“Don’t do it,” I shook my head and stepping toward Lay.

“Stop!” he put a hand up and glanced to his left to see the empty street far below us. “I have to do this. What use am I to you anymore? Luhan said it himself; I’m a failure. I couldn’t even save Sehun.”

“Nobody could’ve saved him,” I took another step toward the edge of the building where Lay stood. “You and I both know that. Everyone does; even Luhan. Please Lay, we still need you; we always will. Think of all the lives you’ll be taking if you take your own? Who will heal us if we fall in battle? We need you.”

Lay peaked over the edge again, then back at me. He wore a confused expression, but behind it I knew he understood me. There was no way he was going to jump. I began to relax a little.

“You promise I’m needed?” he asked cautiously.

“Why do I even need to promise? You are one of, if not the most valuable person we have. Plus, are you going to make us suffer the loss of another loved one? I don’t think I could do this without you and your encouragement. You’ve helped me so much; treated me like a sister.”

A smile spread across his face and he started off the ledge. “Honestly you remind me of my sister before she died. Maybe that’s why I-,”

“Lay!!!” I screamed as he lost his balance, tumbling over the side of the building. I wasted no time in throwing myself over the edge as well. Willing myself to go as fast as I could, I approached Lay at lightning speed, swooping in to save him just as Kris had done for me.

When we landed, Lay let go of me slowly. He was still shaking and his face was as white as a ghost.

“I didn’t mean to,” he whispered. “I really didn’t.”

“I know,” I gave him a comforting hug. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” he nodded, the color beginning to return to his face.

“You sure?”

“Yes,” he looked a little more confident with his answer this time. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Well of course!” I exclaimed. “You can’t escape me that easily,” I smiled, then nodded in the direction we’d come. “We should head back now. I kind of ran out of there without an explanation.”

“How did you know I was in trouble? And how did you fly anyway?” he asked as we began walking back toward the theater.

“Well before I ran out I quickly took Kris’s flying power. I don’t know why; I just had a feeling I’d need it. Just like I simply had a feeling that you were in trouble,” I shrugged.

“A feeling,” he stated, weighing the idea in his head. “Well whatever it is, it must be good because it saved me.”

“Yes,” I smiled. “It most definitely must be. By the way, what were you saying about me reminding you of your sister?”

“You really do remind me of her!” he smiled. “She had the same smile and determined personality as you.”

“What was her name?”

“Dao Ming.”

“That’s so pretty!” I exclaimed. “What happened?”

“Well, she went to this training camp to become more advanced in her power. She could create these awesome force fields. On her third day in training there was an accident. A student was practicing his fire skills after hours and caught the dorms on fire. Dao Ming… she…”

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Lay.”

“It’s okay,” he looked away. “But when I see you I think of her and it makes me happy.”

“Well if brother is happy then I am happy!” I smiled.

“Just like her,” he laughed as he reached for the handle of the theater door.

“Wait,” I put a hand on his arm.

“What is it?” Lay asked in concern.

“I don’t want to go in there.”

“Come on,” Lay took my hand. “We’ll be strong together and pull through this.”

I gave what smile I could manage, “I missed your pep talks.”

When we entered the building we found everyone waiting around in the lobby. All heads turned toward us, upon our entrance. However, they relaxed a little when they saw it was just us.

“Where did you guys go?” D.O. asked.

Lay gave me a look of uncertainty and I covered for him quickly, “Oh, we just needed to clear our heads is all. What’s happening here? Where’s Luhan?”

“He wanted some alone time with Sehun,” Xiu Min informed us.

“Oh,” I glanced at the theater room door.

“Do you remember that night we snuck out on the roof and laid there looking up at the stars?” I asked Sehun, laying next to him on my back and staring at the ceiling with my hands behind my head. “You were so little then. It was when you wanted to be an astronaut. You told me that you’d be the first Exan to make it to a new galaxy. It would be named after us.”

“You wanted it to be called Hunhan, but I said it should be Hanhun because I’m older,” I chuckled. “That was always my excuse wasn’t it? When you wanted to see the midnight showing of the “Brotherhood of War”, but I insisted we see “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” just because I was older.”

“To think, a few years ago we were in this exact theater room. We shared a bucket of popcorn and an extra large coke. You didn’t know it at the time, but I made sure to take the purple straw so you could get the green one. I guess I felt bad that I’d bullied you into watching what I wanted.”

I turned onto my side and smiled at my brother. “We sure had some good arguments didn’t we? Like that time when umma kept yelling at you for leaving your backpack in the middle of the floor. She didn’t know that it was me moving it there from across the room. But you knew, didn’t you?” I bit my bottom lip and stared curiously at Sehun.

“Why didn’t you ever tell her it was me? I’m the big brother, so I’m supposed to be the one that gets in trouble, right? Maybe that’s why I did those things to you. I was jealous. Sometimes I thought umma liked you more than me.” My hand slipped into Sehun’s which was strangely cold and lifeless. “I’m sorry.”

I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling again. “We had some great times though; like that time we went to Galaxy World for your twelfth birthday. There were those two blonde twins there and you kept saying how pretty they were. I told you to go talk to them, and you asked them to play Star Busters with you,” I laughed in memory of the embarrassing moment. “You dragged me into it too. But we sure whipped their butts didn’t we? We won all those tickets; enough to buy that rocket kit you’d been wanting for months, but instead you bought twin dolls for those girls. Aish, bai chi!” I shook my head.

“The next day you complained to me about how much you wished you’d gotten that rocket. You should be thankful I went back and won enough tickets to get it for you for Christmas. The look on your face when you unwrapped it that morning was priceless!” I sighed, “My brother just can’t think straight around pretty girls. That’s something we have in common.”

I looked over at my brother’s still body. “There’s just something about being with Phoebe, you know? It’s like when I’m with her I always feel happy. Even when I should be sad, there’s a tinge of happiness that won’t leave no matter what I do.”

“Do you think she’s the one for me Sehun? I mean, we’re in the worst situation possible. A war has started; the planet in practically dead… how could something as good as Phoebe just happen? I’m really just not sure about anything anymore… But at least I have you to talk to! You always listen to me, even when you’d rather be playing video games or practicing your power. For being my little brother, you’ve sure given me a lot of advice.”

“You’re really a great brother,” I sat up and brushed a hand through his hair. “I wish I could’ve been as great of a brother to you. I love you so much… it’s just hard for me to express it, you know? You always had a way with words and feelings so it was nothing. But me; I struggle and keep everything bottled up. I wanted to be like you Sehun. I really was envious of you. You were the perfect son and a reliable friend. Most of all, you are a flawless brother.”

I lay my head down on his chest and closed my eyes. “But I promise you now,” I whispered. “I will fight my hardest and make it all up to you. I won’t stop until the last Anon stops breathing.” My mind slowly drifted and my breathing slowed. Soon enough I was asleep and dreaming of a world where Sehun lived, Phoebe loved me, and Exopil was buzzing with life once again.

-------------------

I woke up to feel someone brushing their fingers through my fringe. My eyes flicked open and Phoebe’s face became visible above me. However, her beautiful face was outlined with worry, so I put a hand to her cheek.

“Smile,” I encouraged her sleepily, but her expression didn’t change.

“Luhan,” she placed her hand on top of mine. “It’s time for the burial.”

The smile slipped from my face, along with my hand from Phoebe’s cheek. I sat up and shook my head in protest. “I’m not ready yet. Sehun isn’t either! He hates the dark. He can’t be down in the cold ground all alone-,”

“Luhan,” she gave me a meaningful look and squeezed my hand. “He’ll be safe there.”

I looked down at my brother then back at Phoebe. “Alright,” I whispered.

Baekhyun and Kris brought in the makeshift coffin they had created from old crates they’d found in the maintenance closet. It wasn’t what I’d imagined my brother getting buried in, but it was something. They set him in the “coffin” and were about to slip the lid over it when I stopped them.

“Wait.” I put a hand on Sehun’s face and smiled at him as a tear slipped off my cheek. “You’re safe now Sehun, just like I promised. Nothing will hurt you anymore. You just sleep well and dream of happy things, okay? No more war, no more death; just happy memories.” I leaned down and gave his cheek a kiss. “I love you brother.”

“Ready?” Kris asked.

I glanced up at him and nodded, then watched my little brother’s face disappear behind the wood, never to be seen again. Tears began welling up in my eyes and my heart felt like it had been stabbed. Someone placed their hand on my arm and I turned to see Phoebe standing next to me.

“You can do it,” she forced a smile.

I simply nodded as a few tears slipped down my face. We followed Baekhyun and Kris, who carried the coffin, out of the room. As we passed through the lobby, the others joined the march behind us. The bearers of the coffin led us outside to a hole which D.O. had managed to dig with his powers, despite the rock hard soil. Carefully, the two set the coffin in the ground.

“Goodbye,” I choked out, then turned and walked away from the sight. I simply couldn’t take it anymore.

--------------------

“If you give up now, it will all be for nothing.” Phoebe’s words rang in my ears as I lay staring into the dark. Everyone else was probably asleep by now, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep would not take over me. I was stuck in reality.

“I have to be stronger than ever now,” I whispered into the darkness, then glanced over at Phoebe who lay a few feet away from me, sound asleep. “I can’t lose you too.” My hand reached out and gently brushed over her cheek. “I-,”

Suddenly my ears picked up on a noise, making me sit straight up. After listening for a few more seconds, I got up and ventured toward the door through the dark. I cracked open the door quietly and peaked out into the lobby. My heart almost stopped at what I saw out the windowed wall. I pulled my head back inside and ran back down the isle toward my friends.

“Kris!” I exclaimed in a hushed, fearful voice. “Kris!” I fell down on my knees next to him and began shaking his arm.

“Yah,” he slapped at me sleepily.

“Kris, they’re here,” I said, trying to hold myself together.

“What?!” he was awake now, and sitting straight up.

“A-Anonymous! They’re outside the theater right now. They-,”

Kris grabbed me and covered my mouth as the sound of the theater’s front door greeted our ears. *They’re inside.*

“Wake the others,” he whispered. “Quietly!”

I scrambled away and we both started waking the others up, into this real life nightmare. I quickly explained to them what was happening, told them to be quiet, then moved onto the next person.

“Phoebe,” I whispered, shaking her arm.

“Wha-,”

I put a hand over her mouth to stop her.

“Anonymous is in the theater. It’s finally time,” I slowly lowered my hand from her mouth.

She sat there in silence for a minute, just staring at me. Suddenly she grabbed the collar of my shirt and a warm, fuzzy feeling developed in the pit of my stomach as her lips made contact with mine.

“Just in case something happens,” she whispered, pulling away. She then stood up as if nothing had happened and grabbed her sword.

I sat back in stunned silence. However, it was short-lived because Kris grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet.

“Get ready lover boy,” he murmured, pushing me toward the emergency exits. “We’ll come back in through the front door and spring the attack on them.”

The group split, some taking the right door and some the left. I pushed open the door on the right, but stopped dead in my tracks, causing the others to run into me.

“Yah!” Chanyeol remarked in annoyance. Though the noise was small, it was enough to get the three Anons’ attention. We stood there for a minute, staring at each other eye-to-eye.

Everyone reacted at the same moment. I charged toward them while they began shouting to the other Anons around the building, warning them of our presence. My friends went at them with me. I took a swing at one of the ugly creatures, but he ducked to avoid it, chuckling as if mocking my skills. That did it for me.

“For Sehun!” I shouted, faking him out and driving my sword right between his eyes. I looked at the other four guys who joined me. They stared at me with wide eyes.

“I knew you had it in you,” Kris smirked. However, our celebration was over in an instant as more Anons burst out the exit door behind us.

“Yah!” I swung my sword viciously at the Anon I was currently in combat with. He was an exceptional fighter, and the small duel had been going on for too long. “Ugh!” I grunted, spinning and kicking him in the chest. He flew to the ground and my sword immediately took care of him.

I had exited the theater with Tao, Lay, Xiu Min, and Baekhyun. At first the battle seemed pretty fair with just a few Anons, but reinforcements came and we were easily outnumbered. Every time I took out one of the aliens, another would take his place. It was like a never-ending flood.

The new Anon I was fighting wore an annoying smirk and seemed to be entertained by the fact that I was a girl. I glared at him as our swords clashed. Suddenly his face changed to a look of terror.

“Over here!” he shouted as he fought me with wide eyes. “It’s-,”

Unfortunately for him he’d let his guard down, giving me the opportunity to stab him in the heart; that is, if Anons even had hearts. However, due to his outcry, multiple Anon heads turned toward me. Some looked puzzled, some scared, and some anxious.

“Is it really her?” one of them asked, but was taken out by Lay’s blade before he received an answer.

An Anon charged me. He must have been one of their best fighters, because he posed a challenge for me. My mind raced through all the moves I’d learned before picking the best one for the situation. I pretended to show signs of fatigue, sending a smile across my opponent’s ugly face. With each deflection I appeared to grow weaker. I could tell he was getting comfortable; the one thing Tao had warning me not to do. Without hesitation I jumped and spun, working around his blade and sending mine through his stomach. The other Anons stared in fear, enabling my friends to knock out quite a few during that time.

“It’s the girl!” one of them shouted. “The others don’t matter. Just get her!”

*What the heck is going on?!* My mind raced as a crowd of Anons rushed at me. My friends jumped in front of them to fight. Though they were probably just as confused as I was about why they wanted me, they didn’t hesitate in defending me. Though I was the target, I didn’t let that stop me. I joined their fight with new energy. It was like I could move quicker now. I read their body language and automatically knew what they were going to do.

We were doing exceptionally well, but it was still not enough. Anons were continuing to close in on us. It was only a matter of time before we’d be too overrun to take them.

“Tao, take Phoebe!” Lay shouted over the chaos.

“Come on,” Tao grabbed my arm and began pulling me. We slowly fought our way through the Anons as we continued toward the back of the theater building. Our progress was slow, but at least we were getting somewhere.

“Agh!” A cry came from somewhere behind us, followed by a flash of light.

“Baekhyun,” I whispered under my breath, but I could tell by the tug in my heart that he was already gone.

“Keep going!” Tao encouraged me as he pulled a wushu move, taking out three Anons at once.

I forged ahead with him, fighting my hardest. We finally broke past the majority of Anons and began running. A large number of them chased after us. We passed the other side of the building and I looked down the alley to see the same situation that we had. I somehow found Luhan in the mess. A fire burned behind his eyes as a fought ruthlessly. Our eyes made quick contact and a million feelings passed between us in that moment.

“Keep running!” Tao demanded.

He stopped and swiped at an Anon that was hot on our heels. The enemy fell to the ground lifelessly. Tao quickly caught up with me. In fact, it was a little too quick. It was then that I realized he was effecting the time. He scooped me up in his arms and continued to sprint away from the fighting. We turned onto the main road, but didn’t stay there for long. He took multiple turns and back alleys to ensure the journey to find us would be a difficult one.

Finally he slipped me into an old factory building through a broken window and followed in behind. I felt time resume to its normality and he took me by the hand.

“This is the safest place we have for now,” he said, pulling me through the factory and up a staircase. “But it’s only a matter of time before they find us.”

It was obvious that he knew the building well since he walked through very sure of himself. When we got upstairs he pulled me into an employee closet and hurried to the back wall.

“Have you been here before?” I asked as he searched for something along the floor boards.

“My father worked here. When I was little I’d come here after school and hang out. I got to know every square inch of this place,” he explained. Suddenly something clicked and a portion of the wall popped inwards. “Even this,” he smirked, pulling me into the hidden room.

“Why didn’t we use this earlier?” I asked, staring up at the glass ceiling. It had a ridge in the middle, then slanted down on either side.

“There aren’t enough exit routes,” he pointed out as he shoved a cabinet in front of the hidden door. “However, it is great for hiding.”

“Hiding,” I scoffed, sitting against the wall. “How can we just hide when our friends’ lives are in danger?”

“Anonymous doesn’t want them. They’re after you,” Tao reminded me, taking a seat next to me and trying to catch his breath. “By the way, why are they after you?”

“I don’t know!” I threw my hands in the air. “But it’s seriously annoying! Like, I know some guys are desperate these days, but is a war really necessary for just one girl? Especially one that doesn’t even know who she is!”

“There has to be something,” he shook his head. “You don’t remember anything about your past?”

“No,” I shook my head and sighed. “This is hurting my head.”

“Well at least we know what they want now,” Tao pointed out. “And don’t worry; I talked to Kris about having this safety spot ahead of time in case of a retreat or whatever might happen. He knows that if we’re anywhere, we’re be here.”

“Aigoo, I hate just waiting here like this,” I complained, standing up and wandering through the room. My eyes had adjusted by now with help from the moonlight streaming in through the glass ceiling.

“It’s the best thing we can do at this point,” Tao sighed. “Just-,”

“Wait,” I froze as a scene played out in my mind like a movie in front of my eyes.

“What?” Tao whispered.

“I can see them,” I put a hand on his arm. “They’re on their way over here now.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked in confusion.

“I know they are, I can see it happening right now,” I said, still in my vision. “Kris, Lay, Chanyeol, Xiu Min, Chen and… oh thank goodness, there’s Luhan! But they’re on their way too.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if you’re right then we have to get out of here now. There’s no way out besides the way we came in. We’ll have to be-,”

Suddenly glass went flying as something crashed into the room from overheads, followed by two others. When I lifted my eyes, three Anons stood before us.

“Get out of here!” Tao demanded.

“But Tao-,”

“I can take them! Now go!”

I began to pull out my sword, but Tao shoved it back and shoved me toward the door. “GO!”

I pushed the cabinet out of the way and pulled open the door which thankfully had a handle on the inside. I looked back at Tao who was now facing the Anons. My hand reached for my sword, but stopped at the remembrance of Tao’s words. Finally I obeyed Tao’s command and hurried away from the room feeling awful.

I burst out of the building feeling safe, but found myself in an even worse situation. An army of Anons stretched out in the street before me. My friends were in a bunch right in front, though there were only six of them now. Each had a sword held to their throat.

“Let them go!” I screamed to whoever would listen.

“Haha, hello there Celeste,” a voice cackled from somewhere to my right. I turned to see what was obviously the Anonymous leader. “You’ve caused us a lot of trouble.”

“Me?” I remarked. “What the heck have I done?! You’re the ones that decided to start a war just to get a girl that’s too young for you anyway. Haven’t you heard about online dating?”

“Quiet!” he slapped me across the face. I opened my eyes to see Luhan struggling against the Anon who held him. He was furious and looked at me in desperation. However I knew he’d only struggle to death, so I told him to calm down with my eyes, then turned back to the leader.

“Would you mind at least explaining why you want me so much? I mean, I should at least get to know the reason behind my death.”

“Death?” the Anon chuckled. “Why would we tear apart dozens of planets just to kill our prize, Celeste? How does that make any sense?”

“Why do you keep calling me that?!” I stomped angrily.

“Let’s see if I can refresh your memory,” he smiled. “You see, one hundred years from now, the discovery of your planet will be celebrated. But a few months later, so will its destruction.”

“My planet… Earth is already discovered you ding-dong!”

“Ahhh, but you’re from Seraphina, Celeste! A planet unknown to this galaxy now, but will someday be recognized for their advanced fighting skills and wisdom.”

“What?” I scrunched my nose.

The Anon smiled, “My army’s fighting grew predictable for you, didn’t it?”

“…yes,” I nodded, remembering how easy it was to read their body language.

“That’s because, for you, it is an old fighting technique. It has been picked apart and taught to you, along with many other types of fighting. The type you are used to is much more advanced, thanks to one hundred years of experimentation,” he explained.

“Are you trying to tell me I’m from the future?” I gave him a skeptical look.

“I’m not trying to tell you; I am telling you. You know it too. Just think of some of the odd things that have happened; weird feelings that something will go a certain way, or knowing where things are before they get there. All of this is history to you. In your brain, it has already happened.”

“That’s ridiculous!” I shook my head.

“Think about it.”

Suddenly events began to fall into place. Those strange feelings I got and even the vision while I was in the factory with Tao… There was no other explanation.

“Well, if I really am from the future,” I went on cautiously. “Then why am I here?”

“Didn’t I already answer this? Your planet was destroyed; well, will be destroyed. Your father was a scientist who experimented in time travel. Since you were to die with your planet anyway, they figured the only chance they had in keeping you alive was sending you back in time. Even if it failed, at least they tried right?” the Anon explained.

Memories came flying back to me at the speed of light. The scene began to take shape in my mind; entering the time machine. I remembered there being water and a chair and lights, and then everything going black.

“I- I’m still confused as to why you want me though,” I said, trying to keep up my tough image as more memories hit me. “What use am I?”

“So naive,” the leader shook his head. “For obtaining immense knowledge, you are blind to the obvious.” He noticed me glancing at Luhan and smiled. “Blinded by love too I see.”

“Get on with it!” I snapped and he pulled out his sword. My first reaction was to grab mine, but then I remembered he needed me alive, so there was no way he was going to kill me.

“Watch your tone,” he glared. “Because with one flick of that warrior’s wrist, it’ll be lights out for your little boyfriend.”

My heart wrenched at his words and I took a deep breath. The Anon smiled a sick smile, enjoying his control over me. I tried not to think about it and moved on.

“Please, answer my question,” I put my hands on my hips.

“That’s better,” he sheathed his sword. “Because you are from the future, you already know what will happen. You also have immense knowledge and fighting skills to begin with. You’re the prefect weapon all wrapped up in a cute little package.”

I rolled my eyes. “So what? You want to use me to take over the universe because I hold “secrets to the future” or something?”

“Now she’s catching on!” he remarked to one of his fighters. “We’ve had to destroy many planets during our search for you, but finally our work has paid off!”

“You what?!” I shrieked.

“Well what did you expect? Finding one girl in the whole universe is more difficult than you think. Plus, we couldn’t risk the chance of another planet finding you first. It was better this way.”

“Better this way?! How is death ever the better option?!”

“You tell me,” he raised an eyebrow, glancing at my sword.

I bit my bottom lip and stared at him icily, wishing I could take some of Xiu Min’s power to freeze this guy.

“Wait,” I suddenly thought of something. “How do you know all of this? Are you from the future too?”

“Oh no Celeste, I am from this time. However, the story of how I obtained this information is actually quite interesting. You see, your parents sent a note back with you and gave you specific directions to find a certain man. Your father had spoken with him through a device he’d made that enabled time travel for messages. In the letter you came with, he explained what had happened and asked for the man to take care of you.”

“And that man is…?”

“You’re closer in relation to him than you think,” he smiled. “Take a look at your friends over there,” he nodded toward the group and I looked over at them. All of their faces were written over in confusion and worry. All, that is, except for Kris’s.

“Kris,” I whispered under my breath.

“Don’t feel too harshly toward him,” the Anon spoke up. “After all, it wasn’t him, but his father.”

“I didn’t know the whole story until now,” Kris spoke up, but the Anon guarding him only pulled the sword closer against his throat.

Suddenly Tao burst out the doors of the factory. He had a black eye, but otherwise he was okay. A soldier immediately grabbed him and brought him to join the group.

“What the…” he mumbled, taking in the surroundings.

“You’re just in time to for the show,” the leader Anon smiled. “You see, Mr. Wu was very good to Celeste. He kept her safe in a hidden room in his office. He never mentioned anything to his family, for fear of the secret slipping out. You can imagine how many species would be after her if they found out about her existence. One day, Mr. Wu’s secretary walked into his office while he was in the secret room with Celeste. He had left the secret door open, and the secretary discovered the secret. Mr. Wu thought he could trust her, but it’s funny what alcohol can to do you. That night she went out for a few drinks, and ended up revealing the secret to the whole bar. Most probably shrugged it off, but it just so happens that one of my men was visiting Exo Planet that night and happened to be in that exact same bar. He reported what he had heard to the mother ship and we immediately began to investigate.”

“I found Mr. Wu getting ready to leave his office the next night. The building was empty except for him. Well, long story short, Mr. Wu was no hero. He was nothing more than a coward who feared for his own life more than the existence of his species. I simply held my knife up to him and he confessed everything. He told me where you were from and what you were capable of. It’s funny how he thought it would save his life,” the Anon chuckled.

“He told you what you wanted!” Kris shouted. “Why did you kill him?!”

“I was only doing you a favor,” he smiled. “What child wants a coward for a father?”

“I was there when you killed him!” Kris screamed. “I was hiding around the corner and listened to his sorry cries. I had to listen to you choke my own father to death! Phoebe,” he looked at me. “I swear I didn’t know it was you! I knew my father had let out secrets for his life, but believe me when I say that I had no idea you were what they were talking about!”

“Well Celeste was there too,” the Anon sighed. “Thanks to your knowledge you knew what was happening and escaped. We searched all over for you, starting with this disgraceful planet. We tore apart the galaxy! Who knew you’d been here all this time.” Suddenly his face darkened. “But enough talking. It’s time for us to take our prize and leave.”

“You can’t take her!” Luhan shouted.

“Really?” the Anon turned to him. “Because, I think I am!”

The two Anons reached for my arms again. However, I reached for my sword and took them both out in one motion. I turned around to face the leader, but instead found myself at the point of his sword.

“If you come easily, we’ll spare the lives of your boyfriend and his friends. Oh, and of course the son of the man who betray you,” he smirked.

I wanted to stab my sword between the Anon leader’s eyes so badly, but risking my friends’ lives just to relieve my anger was not a mistake I was willing to make. I glanced over at the group. Luhan was shaking his head and mouthing the word “no.” Lay wore an expression similar to Luhan’s. Chanyeol’s and Chen’s expressions were unreadable. Xiu Min stared at the ground, and I was surprised to see desperation in Kris’s eyes. His lips mouthed to words “don’t” but I had already made up my mind. I looked back at the Anon before dropping my sword at his feet.

“That’s a good girl,” he smiled. “Now let’s go.”

“Phoebe! No!” Luhan screamed. The sound of his desperate voice ripped what was left of my heart out of my chest. I couldn’t even look at him. I just had to keep telling myself that this was the only way to save him and the others.

Suddenly a strange sound came from behind me and I couldn’t help but look back. Chen’s body lay lifelessly on the ground.

“Chen!” I screamed, struggling against the strength of my captors. “You said you wouldn’t kill them!”

A smug grin spread across the leader Anon’s face, “I lied.”

“That’s it!” I screamed, finally releasing all the anger that had built up inside me. Sehun’s wind power rushed through my veins as a dust tornado sprung up in the middle of the Anon army, consuming them by the dozens. Everyone began to scatter.

I ripped away from the two Anons’ grasp and ran to my sword. Nothing was holding me back from giving them all I had. Anons didn’t stand a chance against me anymore, falling like flies at my feet before they even had a chance to swing their swords. With a quick glance I saw that my friends were fighting as well.

“Be safe,” I whispered under my breath as I continued to fight.

My whole body was being used; my feet, my hands, my back, and even my head. I could battle multiple warriors at the same time and not lose focus. Anon bodies littered the ground, but I stepped knowingly around them. It was as if my mind was working on ten different tasks at once.

Fire lit up the night sky, while on my right a frost nipped at my body. I catch glimpses over Kris swooping down from overhead. Things were being thrown around, and time flickered in chaos.

A large portion of the Anonymous army had been wiped out by now. Many of them were retreating and a smile spread across my face. However, my happiness faded when I saw a certain body in particular laying on the blacktop.

“No,” I whispered, running over to him and kneeling by his side. There was a large gash across his chest and he was struggling with every breath.

“Lay,” I whispered. I quickly turned and took out the Anon that had been approaching from behind, then fell to my knees once again besides my brother-like friend.

“Just like my sister,” he smiled weakly.

“No, Lay. No,” I shook my head as tears slipped from my cheeks.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered and shakily slipped his hand into mine.

“You’re a healer. You can heal yourself,” I said hopefully.

“It doesn’t work that way,” he said softly. “Take my power.” His hand tightened around mine.

“But-,”

“Are you going to argue with your big brother on his death bed?”

“Lay,” I put a hand on his forehead while my other absorbed his power.

“Be a good girl, okay?” he smiled as his eyes closed.

I shook my head, whispering, “Lay…”

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” I nodded.

A soft smile appeared on his face and his eyes closed.

“No, stay with me!” I put my hands on his body and focused on the healer power he’d given me. Now that I had the power, I realized how difficult it was. Even though I put in all my strength, the feeling of Lay slipping away only became greater. His raspy breathing grew shallower and shallower until it finally came to a stop.

“L-Lay?” Tears blurred my vision and his silence concluded he was gone. I slowly lowered my head as tears slipped off my cheeks. All I wanted to do was sit there and cry. Life didn’t seem worth the fight anymore.

“If you give up now, it will all be for nothing.” My own words rang in my ears. I thought about Luhan. He had lost his real brother, but didn’t give up. Slowly, I lifted my head and wiped away my tears. I leaned in and placed a kiss on Lay’s forehead.

“I promise,” I whispered. The fire returned to my eyes and anger burned inside me.

“Yah!” I jumped up and dove fiercely back into the fighting. I didn’t want to stop until every Anon was dead, to ensure that whoever took Lay’s life got the same thing in return. My sword clashed fiercely while I kicked an Anon and punched another over my shoulder. I chased after the Anons that were retreating, taking out every one I saw. My mind wasn’t in control anymore. My body was fighting wildly, randomly swiping at anything it saw. I swung my sword as hard as I could, knocking my opponent’s weapon out of his hand and pushing him down to the ground. I was about to lower my sword on top of him, when I heard a shout.

“Phoebe!”

I opened my eyes to see the tip of my sword only inches away from Luhan’s chest. He stared at me in fear, then glanced at the sword tip. Slowly I came down from my wild high, though my breathing was still heavy. I threw my sword onto the ground. Luhan stared at it, then back at me.

“Phoebe?” he asked cautiously sitting up.

I fell to my knees and fresh tears stung at my eyes. He put a hand on my shoulder and brought his face close to mine.

“Lay?”

I nodded and my lips trembled, trying to hold back sobs. Luhan wrapped his arms around me and I embraced him tightly.

“Why did any of this have to happen?!” I cried. “Why didn’t my parents just let me die with my planet? They never should’ve sent me back here!”

“Hey. Hey,” Luhan pulled back and looked into my eyes. “You sound like me when Sehun died. Remember? I didn’t want to live. I would’ve taken my own life if you hadn’t reminded me that I have something worth living for.”

“But what do I have? No matter where I go, I’ll always be chased. I can never be safe anymore.”

“Then we’ll live on the run,” he said. “We’ll just keep moving from planet to pla-,”

“I’m not putting your through that,” I shook my head.

“What other choice do we have?”

Our eyes stayed locked together as I mentally concluded our only option. I grabbed his knife and thrust it toward him. “Kill me.”

“W- no- Phoebe!” he exclaimed. “Y-,”

“Kill me!” I shouted. “If I die then all of this ends. There will never be true settlement while I’m still alive.”

“I can’t-,”

“Please,” I begged. “This way I know you’ll be safe.” I put the knife in his hands.

“I don’t want to just be safe,” he shook his head. “Not if you’re not there.”

“Just do it, please!” I exclaimed. “If you care about me you’ll do it.”

He stared at the knife in his hands, bringing it up to eye level. We both stared past it into each other eyes. I closed my eyes, waiting to feel the weapon’s stab in my heart. My grip around Luhan’s hand tightened and a tear escaped my eye.

“I’m sorry…”

“I’m sorry…”

Instead of a stabbing pain, I heard a clanking noise and opened my eyes to see the knife thrown across the pavement. I looked at Luhan and shook my head. “Luhan! Why can’t you just listen to orders for once?!”

Tears dampened both our cheeks as he leaned his forehead against mine. He put his shaky hands up and I slipped mine into them. A forced smile fought against his tears.

“If you die, then I have to die to,” he choked out. “Because now you’re all I have to live for.”

“But we can’t be together,” I closed my eyes, wishing he understood. “If you stay with me you’ll always be in danger.”

“I know,” he bit his bottom lip. “But I’d rather risk my life to be with you, than live a day without you by my side.”

“Luhan, please,” I whispered.

“I love you, Phoebe… Celeste… whatever your name is and wherever you’re from; I love you regardless!”

He pressed his lips against mine. As much as I wanted to kiss him back, I knew it would only be encouraging him. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away from me.

“Don’t! It’ll only make it harder,” I cried.

“Nobody has to die Phoebe,” he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Do you love me too?”

“That’s not going to-,”

“Do you love me too?” he asked sternly.

I stared back at him and slowly nodded my head. “I do…”

A smile spread across his face and he put a hand on the side of my neck. “Then no matter what happens, we’re going to be together. Whether we die within the next hour, or we live together for eternity, I’ll never leave your side.”

Our lips met again and this time I didn’t stop him. For some reason I believed Luhan’s words. I trusted him, even though I’d been trained to do the opposite.

We broke apart and I smiled with shaking my head. “Falling in love with each other like this is by far the stupidest, most dangerous thing we could do, but right now it feels like the best thing that has ever happened in my life.”

He returned the smile and was about to reply when I felt a sharp pain in the side of my neck. “Phoebe!” Luhan’s face got became written over in panic.

I put my hand up to feel the dart sticking out of my skin. Within seconds my vision began to blur and Luhan’s voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. I was so drowsy that I didn’t even have the energy to fight the sleepiness with Lay’s healing. Finally my eye closed and all consciousness was gone.

---------------------------------------

My ears were the first to respond to my new surroundings, picking up on odd machinery sounds and murmurs. Next were my eyes. Even though they were open, everything looked glazed over and fuzzy. My hands wandered across the floor which was cold and metallic feeling. As my eyes began to focus, I saw steel bars in the foreground, surrounding me on every side. In the background were tables, machines, and Anon feet. I lifted my body off the floor, but only got as far as sitting up before I was hit with a pounding headache.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” I looked up to see the leader Anon standing outside my cage with a smug grin on his face. “It must be hard to believe; the fact that we finally captured you.”

“Ughh,” I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall.

“It was quite easy actually. I just did a quick snipe, took care of your boyfriend and you were mine!”

My eyes shot open and I jumped to my feet, grabbing the wall to keep myself from falling over. “What did you do to him?!” I screamed.

“Oh, don’t worry, it was nothing too terrible. I personally think being thrown off a cliff is less painful than being burned to death. We really gave him the easy way out.”

“YOU KILLED HIM!!!” I screamed, thrashing between the bars in an attempt to grab the leader and choke him to death.

He took hold of my flailing wrist and twisted it backwards, causing me to shriek in pain.

“Not so strong anymore are you,” he scoffed at me. “You won’t regain all your energy for some time thanks to that dart.”

“You have me, why couldn’t you just leave him alone?” I glared at him.

He pulled my wrist further in response, making me cry out again. “He would’ve died on that barren planet anyway. So again I say, I only did him a favor.”

Finally he released his grip on my arm and I fell backwards against the wall, grabbing my hand. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down; focusing on Lay’s healing power. Thankfully some of the pain subsided.

“You think after all of this I will just give you what you want,” I shook my head. “You sure are something.”

“I’ll give you one chance to cooperate like a good girl,” he raised an eyebrow. “If you choose to be difficult, I’ll have to force the answers out of you. Now, who is currently the most powerful planet in the universe?”

The answer screamed inside my head, but I kept my mouth shut and stared at the ground. “I’d rather go down with pride than be a traitor.”

“Fine,” he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked my cell door. “We’ll do things your way.”

He stepped into the barred cage and grabbed my arm. The thought of an escape crossed my mind, but I knew better. Now that I was on the Anonymous ship, it would take a fully thought out, elaborate plan to get out of here in one piece.

The Anon pulled me across the room to a strange looking machine. He shoved me into the chair and locked in my wrists and my feet.

“This isn’t a physical torture, so you don’t have to worry about your appearance getting ruined.” He explained as he lowered a helmet over my head.

“Wow, thanks for thinking about me,” I rolled my eyes. “It really touches my heart.”

Suddenly a loud irritating buzzing sounded in my ears.

“What the heck is that?!” I exclaimed, trying to break my hands free and put them to my ears.

“Even if you could plug your ears, it wouldn’t help,” the Anon spoke as I squirmed in irritation. “It’s a metal sound wave, designed just for the mind. The more you think about it, the more painful it becomes.”

I tried to think of anything but the high pitched ringing; my planet, powers, Luhan… but every time my mind returned to the sound.

When it finally shut off I gasped in relief. I hadn’t realized that I’d been holding my breath and my knuckles were white from balling my hands into fists.

“I’ll ask you again,” he brought his face up to mine. “What is the most powerful planet in the universe?”

I glared at him as the answered tucked at my mind. Rather than words, all that left my mouth was spit which ended up in his face.

“Well,” he stood back up, wiping away my saliva. “Maybe you’ll answer now.”

The ringing returned and I cringed once again. My mind searched for anything else to think about. For being one of the most knowledgeable species in the galaxy, my mind sure seemed blank.

“Just tell me and it’ll stop,” he prodded. “It’s that easy.”

“I- I’ll never tell you,” I struggled, fighting against myself.

“Just one name will set you free from this irritation, gnawing at your mind and driving you to madness.”

I closed my eyes and tried desperately to think about Luhan. My mind created scenarios of how he could still be alive and what he was doing right now. My lips quivered, begging to release the three syllable name.

“You can do it,” the Anon smiled evilly. “Almost-,”

Suddenly everything jolted, sending him flying across the room. Sirens began to sound and the smell of smoke filled the air.

“How can we be hit?!” he exclaimed. “What could’ve hit us?!”

I struggled to break out of my shackles, but the Anon hurried back over to me and turned a knob on the machine. The piercing sound increased, making me gasp and squeeze my eyes shut.

“Tell me now!”

Smoke filled the air while the squealing filled my mind. Every part of me begged to tell him the answer. It was such a simple answer; so small, yet so precious.

“A- Ah- I…”

A door suddenly burst open, stealing both our attention. My eyes widened in shock when I saw the person’s face.

“How…” the Anon leader stared.

*Meanwhile*

I fought against my captors who carried me in a bundle of ropes. A cloth had been stuffed in my mouth and my whole body tied so there was no chance of escape. When I noticed what direction we were headed I knew exactly where they were taking me. I was to fall to my death, splattered across the bottom of a canyon for whatever critters were left on this planet to pick my bones.

Finally we stopped at the edge of the cliff and they set me down on the ground. The Anonymous leader approached me. Phoebe was in the arms of two others a few feet away. It killed me that she was there so helplessly, and I could do nothing.

“It’s sad really,” the Anon said as he stopped in front of me. “The prince doesn’t get to save the princess, or even say goodbye.”

I glared at the ugly creature, mentally burning him with my eyes. It was then that I really wished I had Chanyeol’s fire power.

“But I guess that’s reality, isn’t it. There’s never any real closure, just loose endings. The story doesn’t have to be complete for an ending to come; it can just stop where it is. No goodbyes, no last words, just a few last thoughts on your death bed.”

I winced as he kicked my stomach, curling up into a ball and squeezing my eyes shut.

“She shouldn’t have expected much from such a weak prince anyway,” he scoffed, then looked back at Phoebe. “Take a last look, Flower Boy, and be thankful I’m even giving you that much.”

I stared at Phoebe, longing to take her in my arms and wake her up. My promise to never leave her side would become a lie if I let this happen. I had to be with her and protect her, yet I lay there helplessly on the ground waiting to die.

“I guess this is your goodbye,” the Anon laughed, grabbing my feet while another took my shoulders. They brought me to the edge and swung me once…

*What can I do? It all can’t end like this! Sehun, Chen, Lay… all of them counted on me. I can’t let their deaths be meaningless.*

Twice…

*I’m sorry Phoebe. I’m sorry that I can’t keep my promise, nor be your knight in shining armor. You deserve better than this, please forgive me.*

Three. They let go of my body and I soared over the edge, plummeting into a freefall.

…………

My mind was blank. The ground approached as quickly as my last seconds of life slipped away, yet I couldn’t think of one thing.

As the ground beckoned me toward it, ready to take my life at any second, one last thought popped into my head. I closed my eyes, gathered up all my strength, and thought of one thing… levitation.

I opened my eyes to see the rocky canyon floor only inches away from my face. In my time of death I’d done the unthinkable and levitated myself. All my life I’d wondered if I could perform telekinesis on another person, but not once did it cross my mind to try it on myself. My body slowly lowered itself until I was securely on the ground once again.

I lay there for a minute, breathing deeply and still trying to wrap my mind around what I had done. Then another thought crossed my mind. Was I the only one left? Were Kris, Chanyeol and the others still alive?

After some work I managed to spit out the cloth. Anonymous was surely gone by now, so I decided calling for help was the best option I had; that is… if anyone else was still alive.

After about twenty minutes of yelling, my throat became sore. I tried rolling over to a rock and cut the ropes with that, but it wasn’t going very well.

“Luhan!”

Just when I thought all hope was lost, I looked up to see Kris flying in above me. He began untying my ropes as soon as he landed.

“I thought you were dead!

“And I thought you were dead,” I replied, shaking out my sore wrists and rubbing my ankles.

“We lost everyone else back there, he informed me, throwing the ropes to the side. “Where’s Phoebe?”

“They took her,” I boosted myself up onto my feet.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m not just going to sit here. I have to go save her.”

“Are you nuts?! She’s on the Anonymous ship now! There’s no way we can get her back!”

“Look,” I said straightly. “I didn’t save myself so I could live an unhappy life alone on this planet. I did it so I could save Phoebe. She means the world and more to me. I’m going to save her, or at least die trying.” I began walking down the canyon, trying to figure out how to get to Anonymous’s ship.

*Could I levitate myself into space? That’s a little crazy… I barely caught myself just now. Maybe-*

Suddenly someone grabbed under my arms and my feet lifted off the ground.

“You can’t do this alone,” Kris shouted above the wind. “Plus, a leader needs to stick with his troops until the end.”

“I could hug you right now!”

“I’d rather you not.”

I smiled to myself; same old Kris.

“So how do you plan on getting to the ship?” I asked.

“It’s a good thing you have me,” he sighed. “Because you’re too love struck to think straight.”

I was about to protest when I saw the mushroom rocks ahead of us. My mind raced back to the night Phoebe and I went exploring, and I realized how stupid I was not to have thought of this sooner.

We hit the ground running as we entered the cave, praying the fighter ship was where we had found it the first time. To our relief it was still there, though neither of us were sure it would even work.

“Have you ever driven a ship before?” I asked as we climbed in.

“Nope,” he replied, flicking on the lights and finding the engine starter. “I suggest you buckle up. This will be a bumpy ride.”

I made sure the belt was securely fastened around me and held my breath as the engine gained power. Kris flipped a few switches and pressed some buttons.

“There’s the windshield wipers,” I observed. “Too bad it hasn’t rained in three years.”

“Will you shut up and let me drive,” Kris snapped, switching off the wipers and turning on the headlights.

“Fine,” I sighed, “Now just- ahhh!”

The ship jerked forward and we shot through the cave at the speed of light. It was a miracle we even made it out of there, but once we were out we headed straight for the sky.

“We’re coming Phoebe,” I whispered under my breath. “Just hang in there. I’ll be your knight in shining armor.”

A door suddenly burst open, stealing both our attention. My eyes widened in shock when I saw the person’s face.

“How…” the Anon started.

“Miss me?” Kris smiled, holding up his sword.

“I killed you!”

“No, but now I’ll kill you!” Kris charged the ugly monster and the two engaged in a furious battle.

My mind screamed to be let loose from my ringing torture as I watched the two fight. Each second drove my crazier and crazier to the point where I wasn’t sure I could take it anymore. I was barely breathing and all blood was surely gone from my hands and feet.

I felt a hand on my arm and managed to catch a glimpse of someone by my side.

“Phoebe, what is this?” Luhan asked in a hushed voice.

“A- I’m… turn it off,” I pleaded, relieved and shocked to hear his voice.

“How?” he hurried over to the control panel and looked around frantically.

“Red… switch…”

The sound came to an abrupt stop and all my muscles released at the same time. I gasped for oxygen and tried to blink away the blurriness in my eyes while Luhan released me from the machine’s grasp.

“No!”

We both looked up to see the Anon charging toward us. Kris lay on the floor against the wall holding his stomach. I slipped Luhan’s knife out of his belt and held it up just as the Anon reached me. His face dropped and froze. His eyes slowly made their way down to the knife sticking out of his chest. Luhan and I watched as the Anon’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed at our feet.

Luhan opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him, throwing my arms around his neck and placing a kiss on his lips. “I thought you were dead! They said they killed you!”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he smiled, placing a hand behind my neck. “I’m supposed to be your knight in shining armor; remember?”

I smiled, kissing him once again in joy. However, I pulled away suddenly, remembering our fallen leader. “Kris!” we both ran over to him, kneeling by his side.

“How bad is it?” I placed a hand on his shoulder. The wound looked worse from closer up. It had probably punctured vital organs, leading to the obvious.

“I’m o-okay,” he struggled.

“You can’t go too, Kris,” Luhan pleaded.

“I can heal you!” I exclaimed, putting my hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t be silly,” he shook his head, using the wall to push himself back up. “I’m fine. We need to get out of here. I came up with a plan of how we can use that torture machine to wire a bomb. Thank goodness I learned how to make a bomb during military training.”

“You were going into the military?” I questioned, helping him across the room with Luhan’s assistance.

“Yup,” he nodded, propping himself against the machine as he set to work. “My father wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I enlisted instead. It was always my dream to help protect my planet. Luhan, can you watch that far door? The last thing we want right now are unexpected visitors.”

Luhan hurried across the room with his knife to stand guard.

“We’ll you’ve done a good job,” I said.

“A good job doing what?” Kris inquired, cutting a wire and tying it with another.

“Defending your planet. You’ve probably done more in the past five months than other soldiers have done throughout their entire careers.”

“Well,” he grunted, struggling with something inside the machine. “I hope this bomb is what it takes to end it all.”

“It’ll work. I know it will!”

“I hope you’re right,” he sighed.

“Two Anons coming this way!” Luhan whisper-shouted, getting in a ready stance with his knife. I drew my sword and joined him by the door. Within seconds the Anons were through the door, standing at our sword points.

“Don’t move-,”

The Anons reacted at the same time; drawing their swords and attacking our own. I took mine out in a second, then assisted Luhan with his.

“You really need a sword,” I shook my head, staring at his knife. “Here.” I picked up one of the abandoned Anon swords and handed it to him. “Keep it with you all the time.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, slightly embarrassed.

“It’s ready,” Kris informed us, hobbling across the room. “We should have five minutes; but I can’t guarantee anything. The ship’s hanger should only be about three minutes away by foot if we don’t get lost. We’ll have to hurry.”

“Let’s go,” I pushed open the door with my sword ready.

We hurried down the first corridor without encountering a single Anon. In the second hall I took out one wandering enemy with ease, enabling us to continue moving on unnoticed.

After about two to three minutes, we came to a short hallway. At the end was a sign that read “hanger.”

“We made it!” I smiled, running toward the large, double-doored entrance with Luhan on my heels. We were about to swing open the door when I looked back, immediately stopping in my tracks.

“Kris,” I ran back to where he’d collapsed on the floor. “We’re almost there! You have to get up!” I propped him up against the wall.

“You did well,” the leader forced a painful smile, shaking his head. “Finish strong. I know you two can do it.”

“Don’t talk like that!” Luhan exclaimed. “We can make it; all of us!”

“The wound is deep. It’s already too late for me.”

“I can heal you,” I said, placing both hands on his body and concentrating.

“There’s not enough time,” Kris shook his head. “You two go. Someone has to make it out alive.”

“We’re not leaving unless you’re with us,” I stated.

Kris rolled his head back, leaning it against the wall. “Phoebe, I’m sorry-,”

“Don’t even!” I snapped. “It wasn’t your fault. You aren’t your father. He was a good man who made a bad decision. I don’t hold anything against you or him, so you shouldn’t either.”

“Aigoo, you’re something,” Kris let out a tired chuckle.

“That’s what they tell me,” I mumbled, focusing on Kris’s slowly healing body.

“There’s not enough time,” he repeated, closing his eyes.

“Shut up and heal you bai chi!” I shouted, using so much energy that it was even making me tired.

“Wow,” I heard Luhan whisper under his breath. “It’s actually working!”

A smile flickered across my face as I continued the healing. Kris kept telling me to stop, but hearing each request get stronger and stronger only encouraged me to keep going.

“The wound is practically gone,” Luhan shook his head and I opened my eyes. In place of the big, bloody gash was a small cut.

“How do you feel internally?” I asked.

“A lot better,” he replied. “That was incredible.”

“Come on,” I grabbed both their hands, pulling them to the door. “We’ll be in pieces if we stand around marveling about it!”

We ran to the nearest ship, hopping inside. Kris took the driver’s seat while Luhan and I sat behind him.

“Quick, start it!” Luhan exclaimed as Kris flicked a bunch of switches. “Not the windshield wipers again! Why do you always-,”

“Shut up and let me drive!”

I didn’t even have my buckle on when we shot forward.

“The exit is the other way,” Luhan shouted.

“Who says that’s the only way out?!” Kris shouted back as the whole cabin shook.

“Kriiiiiiis!” I screamed, grabbing Luhan’s hand as we barreled straight toward the side of the ship which was made fully of glass.

Luhan squeezed my hand and I closed my eyes. This could either be our ticket home, or our death sentence. But no matter what, it was the only way.

Glass shattered as we broke out of the ship. After a second or so I opened my eyes to find us all still alive.

“We made it!” I exclaimed joyfully. “K-,”

A giant shock wave hit us as the Anonymous ship exploded in a giant mass behind us.

“Go! Go! Go!” Luhan shouted as the balloon of fire reached out toward us.

Our little fighter ship was going at its fastest speed, but it still didn’t look possible for us to make it. However, Kris was a better driver than I anticipated, and out of some miracle we made it out of the wreckage.

“Thank goodness!” Luhan hugged me. However, our celebration was short lived.

“We’re going too fast!” he said, pulling away and staring out the windshield. “We’ll crash!”

“Who ever said we were going to Exo Planet?” Kris smiled, jerking us in a different direction.

“What?” Luhan furrowed his brow.

“Exo Planet has nothing to offer us anymore,” Kris replied. “We’d be going back to nothing.”

I stared out the back window as the planet grew smaller in the distance.

“Thank you,” I whispered under my breath. My friends had given up so much to keep me alive. “If things worked out as I hoped they would, then wherever you are, please be safe.”

“So where do you expect us to go?” Luhan asked.

“We can go to my planet,” I turned back to face him.

“But how will that work?” he inquired, “You technically haven’t even been born yet.”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But I do know it’s the only place we have at this point. Plus, they’ll have to accept us when they see I’m one of them, right?”

“…Let’s hope,” Kris sighed.

“Hey, now we’ll get to see your grandparents as children!” Luhan pointed out.

“That’s true!” I smiled. “And Kris!”

“Yes?”

“The girls from my planet are really pretty and love tall guys, so you shouldn’t have a problem fitting in.”

A grin spread across his face and he sat up a little straighter in his seat.

“What about me?” Luhan pouted.

“Together for the next hour or for eternity, right?” I held up my pinky.

“For eternity,” he smiled, locking pinkies with mine.