“Mom?” Chanyeol repeated. “Wait, this is your mom?”

“I can’t believe it,” Kyungsoo mumbled. “I don’t want to believe it.”

“Yes,” the woman nodded, her warm smile now regretful. “I’m Dahlia’s mother.”

Dahlia’s gaze was unfocused, forming unspoken words as she tried to come to terms with the situation she had found herself in.

“Hey,” Suho rubbed her back reassuringly, “are you okay?”

“I – I don’t know,” Dahlia admitted. She looked up to her mother, “So…you’re the Mother of the Spirits.”

“That’s right,” her mother replied.

“Wait, is that Oliver?” Dahlia pointed in the direction of the reception room. “He…is he your apprentice?” Her socked expression morphed into one of stunned realization. “That’s why you wanted custody of him after the divorce. He’d already started exhibiting abilities, hadn’t he?”

“Sweetheart,” Dahlia’s mother spoke softly, stepping closer.

“Don’t sweetheart me,” Dahlia hissed, backing up. “You lost that right when you walked out on dad and me. I was seven, mom. Do you know how much that hurt?” She was getting choked up, tears pricking her eyes. “I needed a mom, especially when I – ” she cut herself off, bitter tears turning into angry ones. “That’s why you responded to the email. You saw my name and discovered I was a psychometrist. That’s all that’s important to you, isn’t it? That’s why you didn’t want me.”

“Dahlia, that isn’t – ”

“I need to leave,” Dahlia interrupted her mother once more. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She took the necklace off, taking Luhan’s palm and placed it in his hand as gently as she could in spite of the emotions burning through her. “You guys get what you need; I’ll be outside.”

She pushed through the group standing behind her and walked out of the shop to the sidewalk. Her eyes squeezed shut as she took in deep, stuttering breaths. She felt a pair of arms encircle her shoulders and draw her in; the lack of images told her that one of the psychic guardians was comforting her.  Luhan had the necklace, so it could only be Tao.

“I’m fine, Tao,” she whimpered, sounding anything but fine. “I just need a breather.”

“I’m not Tao,” Kai told her, his arms not moving from their place around her shoulders.

For some reason, his presence unleased the flood of tears she was desperately trying to hold back. Broken, heaving sobs erupted from her chest, tearing at as hot tears burned her eyes. Kai pulled her in closer, rubbing her back soothingly as she wept.

And yet, despite Kai’s presence, all that was running through Dahlia’s mind was, ‘They’re going to leave. They always leave.’

***

Dahlia’s mother shifted uncomfortably under the icy gaze of the eleven young men in front of her.

“Well, I’m sure you’re all anxious to unlock the memories on that necklace, and I’m not going to waste your time trying to justify my decision.” She told them. “May I see the necklace?”

Luhan stepped forward and slammed the necklace on the table in front of the woman’s chair, his jaw clenched as he stepped backwards.

She sighed and took the necklace in her hands, unlocking the blocked memories and letting them wash over her.

“Well?” Kris growled after five minutes of silence. “Where’s the chosen one?”

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she sighed, setting the necklace back on the table, “but your chosen one has passed away.”

Silence. Stunned, disbelieving silence.

“This is so ed up,” Chen muttered darkly.

“Can you tell us how?” Tao asked. “I mean, if the Red Force got to her – ”

“Her death was purely an accident,” Dahlia’s mother informed them. “Your chosen one had stopped at a vending machine on her college campus for a snack. It got stuck, so she began shaking the machine to free it, but…”

“You’re ting me.” Kris growled, the situation becoming more and more ridiculous. “The chosen one – the key to finding our Tree of Life and rebuilding our planet – was crushed to death by a vending machine?”

“I know this must come as a shock – ”

“A shock?” Sehun laughed bitterly. “No, lady, you’ve just dropped a nuclear bomb on us – Dahlia included.”

“We’re done for,” Lay lamented. “We’re never going to find the tree now and any chance of us rebuilding our planet is gone.”

“Now, I wouldn’t say that,” Dahlia’s mother told them as Oliver walked in from the back room.

He set a drawing down on the table, bearing the image of a map.

“What is that?” Xiumin questioned.

“My son, among other things, has the ability known as automatic writing,” she explained. “This map was supplied by your tree via this necklace; I transmitted the image from my mind to Oliver’s, and he drew the map for you. You can still find your Tree.”

“Great, now we can get out of here,” Chanyeol snapped, grabbing the map off the table.

“Wait,” Dahlia’s mother stopped them as the eleven were heading out the door.

“What now?” Tao whined.

“My daughter,” she began. “You’ll look after her, won’t you?”

“Seriously?” Xiumin sputtered. “Are you seriously asking that of us?”

“Do you honestly not realize what you’ve put her through? All that pain that you caused that can’t ever be taken away?” Lay accused. “And you think you have any right to involve yourself in her life, no matter how indirect