Seolhyun hated Shin Hyejeong (if that was even her real name) with a vengeance that equaled the solar power of a thousand suns.

You’re barely glowing now. What the hell? She left after that, grabbing her shirt off the floor and sauntering out of Seolhyun’s house.

The son of a blew up her laptop.

That was what had been smoking. Her alien mojo apparently had a major affect on lights and most electronics. Now Seolhyun had to rely on TOU computers to watch AOA Channel Ep. 4 on YouTube. Ugh! And she had spent a good hour after she peeled herself off the couch, replacing light bulbs in the house. Luckily, the TV hadn’t been fried.

But her brain had. What had Seolhyun been thinking? Doing? It had to have been all the arguing between them. That was the only explanation for why there was such a massive explosion from such a heavy make-out session. And Hyejeong wasn’t as unaffected as she pretended. No one could fake that.

Seolhyun’s glow had faded to a small trace, much to everyone’s amazement. Imagine trying to explain how that happened? She was sure Hyejeong couldn’t wait to share the info.

She hated her.

She now had to wait until her birthday for a new laptop, or the fact Mina was highly suspicious of how her glow faded, but because of what Hyejeong made her feel, for making her admit  it out loud, too.

And if Hyejeong poked her in the back with a pen one more freaking time, Seolhyun was going to throw her in front of a Kloom.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she sat on the couch. Without looking, she knew it was another text from Joongki. For the last week he’d been texting his apologies over and over again. He didn’t dare talk to Seolhyun in class or public, not with Hyejeong’s threat looming over his head. Seolhyun wasn’t forgiving him anytime soon. Drunk or not, it wasn’t an excuse for being an overbearing .

“Do you want more pizza?” Mina offered, staring at the last slice with such longing that Seolhyun was beginning to think that she and Minhyuk needed to re-evaluate their relationship.

Anyway, as always, Mina looked amazingly beautiful. Today she’d worn skinny dark denim jeans and a lightweight turtleneck. With her glossy hair and bright eyes, she was stunning. Her smile was wide and friendly, but it quickly faded as she realized Minhyuk considering the last slice.

“Seolhyun?” she said again.

“Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.” Seolhyun blinked. “What’s up?”

Mina cleared . “Are you avoiding me?

Seolhyun had been avoiding all of them, which was hard. They lived next door. They were in her classes. They sat with her at lunch. But she missed Mina, so that’s why she decided to hang out at her place after class. “No.”

“Really, because you haven’t been very talkative since Saturday,” she pointed out. “Monday you didn’t even sit with us at lunch, claiming you had to study for a test. Yesterday, I don’t think you said two words to me.”

Guilt twisted her tongue. “I’ve been... out of it.”

“It’s too much, isn’t it? What we are?” Mina’s voice was small, childlike. “I was afraid this would happen. We’re huge freaks–”

“You’re not freaks,” Seolhyun said, meaning it. “You guys are... more human than you give yourselves credit for.”

Mina seemed relieved to hear that. She darted in front of her. “The boys, featuring my sis, they’re still looking for Jin.”

The Culpa blade bounced around in the side pocket of Seolhyun's backpack. Carrying it had made her feel like she was going to shank a student or something. “Ah, that’s good.”

Mina nodded. “They are going to continue searching and keep an eye on things, and both you and Joongki barely have any traces on you now.” She paused. “I’d still like to know how that happened so quickly.”

Seolhyun’s stomach twisted. “Uh, yeah, there was a lot of... physical activity.”

Mina’s eyebrows inched up her forehead.

“Anyway,” Seolhyun said quickly. “That’s all good, the trace fading from Joongki, especially since he has no clue about any of this, so I’m glad, creeperness aside.”

“You’re rambling,” She said, grinning.

“Yeah, kind of.”

Mina sat down next to Seolhyun and took a sip of her soda. “What happened between you and Hyejeong?”

“Nothing happened, Mina.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I know better, Seolhyun. You would’ve had to do major running around to burn off most of the trace in one afternoon.”

“Mina–”

“And Hyejeong has been acting grumpier than normal. Something happened between you two.” She brushed her hair out of her face, but the curls sprung right back. “I know you said you guys didn’t do anything that one time, but...”

“Seriously, nothing happened.”

Mina nudged her leg with hers, gaining her attention. “Are you feeling okay?”

If Seolhyun had a dollar for every time Mina asked that question, she would have a new laptop already. It wasn’t like she didn’t know she was lucky to be alive, and she should be suffering from post-traumatic stress, but she did feel fine. She never felt physically better, to be honest. She felt like she could go out and run a marathon or climb a mountain.

Someone cleared his throat, jarring Seolhyun out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Mina and Minhyuk staring at her expectantly. “What?”

Mina smiled a little too brightly. “We were wondering how you were handling things? If you are worried about there being more Kloom.”

“Oh, do you think there will be?” Seolhyun immediately responded.

“No,” Minhyuk reassured her. Ever since the battle with Jin Brothers, he actually started talking to her. It was a nice change in things. Chaeyeon and Yonghwa were a different story. “We don’t think so.”

Seolhyun shifted uncomfortably and her skin itched. She wasn’t sure how long she could sit here with them staring at her like she was an experiment gone wrong.

“I thought you said Hyejeong would be back soon?” Minhyuk settled in the recliner.

Mina’s eyes shifted from her boyfriend to Seolhyun. “Hyejeong should be here any minute.”

Seolhyun hadn’t seen Hyejeong since that morning. She had asked Mina several times where Hyejeong had gone, but she never answered her sister. Eventually, Seolhyun gave up pestering her.

The two of them started talking, making plans for holiday break coming in a few weeks. Seolhyun zoned out, like she’d been doing for the last three days. It was strange. She couldn’t concentrate. She felt off, like she was missing a part of her.

Warmth slipped over her skin, like a warm breeze. It came out of nowhere. She looked up, seeing if anyone else noticed what she’d felt. They were still talking. She shifted on the couch as the feeling increased.

Mina’s front door opened, and Seolhyun’s breath caught in .

Within seconds, Hyejeong entered the room. Her hair was a tousled mess and there were shadows under her eyes. Without saying a word, she dropped onto the couch, her heavy lashes hiding her eyes, but Seolhyun could feel her stare.

“Where have you been?” She asked in a voice that sounded shrill to her own ears.

Silence fell while two more sets of beautifully odd eyes settled on her. Seolhyun felt her cheeks turn hot and she leaned back, feeling like an idiot. She folded her hands and kept her eyes pinned to them. What a way to draw attention to herself.

“Well hello, baby girl, I’ve been out boozing and ing. I know, my priorities are pretty off.”

Seolhyun’s lips thinned at her sarcastic response. “,” she muttered.

Mina groaned. “Hyejeong, don’t be a jerk.”

“I’ve been with another group, searching the whole damn state to make sure there aren’t any Kloom that we’re not aware of,” Hyejeong said, her deep voice soothing a weird ache within Seolhyun at the same time she wanted to thump her upside the head.

Minhyuk leaned forward. “There aren’t any, right? Because we told Seolhyun she didn’t have anything to worry about.”

Hyejeong’s eyes left Seolhyun’s briefly. “We haven’t seen a single one.”

Mina hooted happily and clapped her hands. She turned to Seolhyun, her smile genuine this time. “See, nothing to worry about. Everything is over.”

Seolhyun smiled back at her. “That is a relief.”

She heard Minhyuk talking to Hyejeong about her trip, but it was hard to pay attention. She closed her eyes. Every cell in her body was aware of Hyejeong, like that morning in her living room but on a different level.

“Seolhyun? Are you even here, right now?”

“I think so.” She forced a smile for Mina’s sake.

“Have you guys been driving her crazy?” Hyejeong asked, sighing. “Bombarding her with a million questions?”

“Never!” yelled Mina. Then she laughed. “Okay. Maybe.”

“Figured,” Hyejeong muttered, stretching out her long legs.

Unable to stop herself, Seolhyun turned toward her. Their eyes locked. The air between them seemed to stretch with heat and electricity. The last time she’d seen her, they’d been kissing. And she had no idea where that left them.

Mina shifted next to Seolhyun, clearing . “I’m still hungry, Minhyuk.”

He laughed. “You’re worse than I am.”

“True.” She hopped to her feet. “Let’s go to Diner Dash. I think they are having homemade Bulgoggi.” She edged around Seolhyun, leaned down, and gave Hyejeong a peck on the cheek. “Glad you’re back. I’ve missed you.”

Hyejeong smiled up at her sister. “Missed you, too.”

When the door shut behind Mina and Minhyuk, Seolhyun let out the breath she’d been holding. “Is everything really okay?” she asked.

“For the most part.” Hyejeong reached out with one hand, running her fingers over Seolhyun’s cheek. She in a sharp breath. “Hell.”

“What?”

Hyejeong sat up and leaned closer, her leg pressing against Seolhyun’s. “I have something for you.”

Not what Seolhyun was expecting. “Is it going to blow up in my face?”

Leaning back, Hyejeong chuckled and reached into the front pocket of her jeans. She pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it to her.

Curious, Seolhyun pulled on the little string and carefully emptied the pouch into her palm. She glanced up, and when Hyejeong smiled, she felt her heart turn over. It was a piece of Culpa about three inches long, polished and shaped into a pendant. The glass was shiny white. It seemed to hum against her skin, cool to the touch. The silver chain it hung from was delicate, spiraling over the top of the pendant. The other edge was sharpened into a fine point.

“Believe it or not,” Hyejeong said, “even something as small as that can actually pierce Kloom skin and kill them. When it gets really hot you’ll know a Kloom is nearby even if you don’t see one.” She carefully picked up the chain, holding the clasps. “It took me forever to find a piece like this since the blade turned to crap. I don’t want you to take this off, okay? At least when... well, for the most part.”

Shocked, Seolhyun pulled her hair out of the way and twisted around, letting Hyejeong hook the necklace around her neck. Once it was clasped, Seolhyun faced her. “Thank you. I mean it, for everything.”

Hyejeong nodded. “The er has got to fade or we’ll be back to square one.”

A slow heat built inside Seolhyun. Not the good kind. “And what is square one, exactly?”

“You know, us being... stuck together until the damn trace fades.” Hyejeong’s gaze flickered away.

Stuck together? Seolhyun’s fingers dug into her denim knees. “After everything I’ve done, us being around each other is being stuck together?”

Hyejeong shrugged.

“You know what? Screw you, buddy. Because of me, Jin didn’t find your sister. Because of what he did, you almost died. You healed me. That’s why I have a trace. None of this is my fault.”

“And it’s mine? Should I have left you to die?” Hyejeong’s eyes burned now, like pools of black sea. “Is that what you wanted?”

“That’s a stupid question! I don’t regret that you healed me, but I’m not dealing with this hot and cold from you anymore.”

“I do believe you protest too much with the whole liking me part.” A wry grin twisted Hyejeong’s lips. “Someone sounds like they are trying to convince themselves.”

Seolhyun took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As much as it bothered her to say this, because there was a part of her that wanted Hyejeong, she did. “I think it would be best if you’d stay away from me.”

“No can do.”

“Any of the other Felix can watch over me or whatever,” she protested. “It doesn’t have to be you.”

Hyejeong’s eyes met hers. “You’re my responsibility.”

“I am nothing to you.”

“You’re definitely something.”

Seolhyun’s palms itched to have a close encounter of the -slap kind with Hyejeong’s face. “I dislike you so very much.”

“No. You don’t.”

“Okay. What to do if I’d be glowing like a comet again?”

A wicked smile played over Hyejeong’s lips. “Maybe we can try making out again. See what that will do to this trace. It seemed to work last time.”

Seolhyun’s body liked the idea. Seolhyun, however, did not. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen again.”

“It was just a suggestion.”

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