I was on vacation and now I'm back!!!

A long time ago, the supernatural world was no secret to humans. The creatures that lived in that world thrived. They were kinder than the humans were and knew the secrets to life. To the changes in the air, the way the wind moved, how earth twisted and turned itself the way it did. How it always found a way to heal itself through treacherous times. They lived in harmony and beckoned at no one’s call. And humans, being it in their nature, became jealous. They hated this harmony, hated how powerful the supernatural world was. How easily they could overthrow the humans if they ever wanted. And as such with humans, these thoughts grew into whispers and these whispers into fear.

And as such with fear, when it grows, it grows.

The larger it becomes; the more dangerous humans are.

***

Dead leaves and grass crunched underneath their feet as they walked. The air was getting colder, they could tell. It was crisper and cooler, left a chill down their spines and goosebumps rising from their skin. The wind speed was slowly increasing day by day. The seasons were changing. Those hot summer mornings were leaving them, ceasing to exist. Like the earth always does, it was turning and changing and adapting to yet another year, another month, another week. But were they? Adapting? The notion of their lives ever being able to conform to any sense of the word normal—even in supernatural terms— was slowly scrunching in on itself day by day. It was a good thing the next couple of weeks were a break before they were forced to go back to school and act like the violence and mysticism of their second world didn’t exist.

Their walk was silent. The four had snuck out of home grounds against their guardians’ wills.

Back when the days of their pack included Hyuna and Amber, there was a secret getaway tunnel that the two packs had created outside where the training grounds were. Those were early highschool days, when all they had to think about was becoming a stronger and more solid pack. Now look where they were. Trudging through the forest yet again, on their knees and toes because they were defying the adults yet again, that could wind them up in a heap of trouble that included a centuries-old Elder—yet again.

Luck was evasive lately.

Before sending Kai back to his post, Taemin informed him of their plan and more was added when Key and Onew came back with news about Luna’s family. After a burst of anger from Kai for the two leaving the Hallasan wolves unattended, he listened to what everyone had to say and while there was no definitive proof—only mere speculation that Luna’s family had to be the last existing family the wolves were speaking of—Kai leaned his ear closer, trusting them a little more. Of course, only staying truly loyal to his best friend, cousin, and alpha, Taemin. And as much as he wanted to hate the Tribeless, he trusted the four of them, as a whole, more so than the adults. It was agreed that their tactics, the adults, weren’t going to let them win and what better way to show their strength as a pack, than going outside the box. In this case, quite literally. Kai wished them safe travels and went back to his post. The four of them took the secret tunnels made by Minho and Taemin’s old pack, and out they were.

Now, they traveled suspiciously, Onew keeping them cloaked, and the rest making sure their footsteps were quick but quiet. They didn’t want to alert Donghae, wherever he was. Key’s speed was much faster than the rest of them, so, while he tried to stay at the same pace, the other three had to keep tapping him back so as not to break Onew’s invisibility. He wasn’t sure how far it could be stretched. When they were safely out of the woods, they kept themselves invisible, passing streets when they could and always looking around sidewalk corners as they traveled.

It wasn’t until before they left, that Onew realized he’d never been to Luna’s house before. Then again, why would he? She was annoying at school and he had no desire of seeing her out of it. So when they finally arrived, he was quite surprised at how visibly looming it was. It stood a statement of powerful people.

A little too modern for them to be evil though.

Her house was mostly white with dark grey accents and stone running along the left side in jagged textures. The windows were wide and deep with lights illuminating each portion of the acute rectangular building. It was surely more horizontal in its features, but the garage was big and glass, a dusty gray that reminded him of the color of dust lingering on cobwebs. Near the top, which he guessed was the second or third floor, outside was a balcony that had a clear glass protector around its edges. The front door was accompanied by grey slabs of stone and to get there they had to walk up a somewhat long driveway that curved like a hill upwards. They didn’t move though. As much as Taemin hated it all, the three of them pushed Onew forward while they hid behind some of the thick trees surrounding the building. Luna’s family definitely didn’t let up on nature. There were plants encased and embedded near the top of the steps were the door met, shrubs aligning the foundation, small spiky plants that actually lead up the driveway to the steps, and thick dark wooded trees surrounding the whole area. If it wasn’t for the straightforward directions Luna had given him when he texted her, one would never notice it hiding amongst its own forest.

He looked back at his friends with a knowing feeling in his stomach. He liked their plan of course, but it almost felt wrong. Like he was using Luna rather than attempting to be friends with her. She was so nice during their date. She was a nice girl. Yeah, she had annoying tendencies, but didn’t everybody? But even then he couldn’t really say whether or not he was using her. And now, here he was again, texting her before they left to see if she was at home and if her family was too. If she’d said yes to both, he was going to ask to meet somewhere else, as per their group agreement when they were coming up with ways to talk to Luna. Onew was automatically pushed into the lion’s pen for already having gone on a date with her and the crucial component; that she had a crush on him. A crush he couldn’t give back and a crush that made Taemin’s face turn red.

Key patted his friend on the back when they were back in the training grounds. He felt Onew’s pain. Literally now. How the man felt about using Luna no matter how annoying she was. But, it was the only way for them to find out something more. The four of them had agreed that, by the sounds of it, it didn’t seem like Luna actually knew anything about her family. Only stories. And they were really crossing their fingers at the hope that it was the truth. That she wasn’t as cunning as her sister when it came to hiding things and that her crush for Onew would make her spill the beans a little easier.

Now, when they pushed Onew forward again, and again, he hesitated. The sweat built up in the center of his palms. Key came forward, rubbing his hands on his brother’s shoulders.

“Calm down Onew,” he whispered next to him, “I know it but it’s the only way we can find out something.”

“Right, right,” his response was cold and heavy.

When did he get so out of breath?

“There’s no one at her house besides her. It’s the perfect opportunity. Just, relax a little bit, slouch your shoulders down. You’re seriously getting tense.”

“Thank you for that bright deduction,” Onew retorted.

He breathed in a large breath, his chest puffing upwards and then slowly outwards as he released it, closing his eyes and waiting a moment before he opened them back up.

“Okay, alright, okay.”

“Remember, we’ll be hiding behind the trees.”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember.”

He dusted his pants off and started to move up the driveway. All in the same moment, Key and the rest of them hid behind the trees and Luna opened the front door.

“Oh…” Onew startled.

He hurried his footsteps, meeting her under the sunroof as it cast thin layers of shadows over their pale faces.

If it weren’t for his slightly heightened senses, especially since he and Key’s connection had deepened after his massive transformation, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the moment her heart skipped a bit when she saw him or the way her eyes lit up under the shade. They gleamed in their corners with an alabaster spark and the heat in her skin flushed slightly with a warm rosy glow. These weren’t things he noticed before, let alone cared. But, after the first date and how she was so different from school during that time, he couldn’t help but notice.

“Hi,” her voice was soft…but, was that a hint of cautiousness behind the settlement of her tone? Also something he’d never been able to catch under the light of his normal senses.

Onew didn’t respond, but only because he was still flustered a bit by her sudden appearance at the door and immediately, it was as if she’d read his mind.

“S-Sorry, I was just coming out to see if you were near but….um….here you are. I didn’t expect you to be walking up my driveway so soon.”

“Were you…” Onew drug out the word, “waiting—”

“No, no,” she spat with a nonchalant shrug but he could almost feel the skip of a beat as her heart pulsated once again, “So, you said you wanted to ask me some stuff, about last time we talked?”

“Yeah,” he scratched the back of his head, “it was about those stories you told me about. Ya know…the ones with your family.”

Her eyes spanned wide like the word family was a trigger itself.

“S-Sorry,” he stuttered, “I didn’t know I was hitting a—”

“No, it’s not that,” her voice lowered, close to a whisper, “my family, they’re…umm…”

“I thought you told me they weren’t hom—”

“Can we go talk somewhere else?” She stretched a smile on her face, but it wasn’t as genuine as the ones before. It was almost plastered on there…like someone was watching her and she needed to put on a show. Onew knitted his brows together. Did she know something was up? Or was this act connected to an entirely different subject?

Luna looped her arm around his so that they were twisted together like a knot and pulled him away from the house, closing the door behind her in a harsh thud. The sudden forward of his feet almost made him stumble but he caught himself and matched her pace.

“Luna, what’s wr-“

“I want to take you to my favorite place to walk. It’s stuffy inside,” she giggled, but—again, it didn’t seem real. That giggle was just another act she was putting on and it made him weary. Had they made a mistake? Did they underestimate her too much?

Onew looked back for a second, but of course, he saw nothing. Hopefully, they were paying attention and were following them. She made the two of them walk some ways out, crossing the street a couple of times, taking a route and….well wait. Weren’t they going in the same direction that the four of them had come from to get to her house? A moment’s realization answered his question. They were indeed going towards the forest. 

He narrowed his eyebrows.

“Um…Luna. You do realize—”

“Don’t worry,” she giggled again, but this time, it sounded a little more real, “I just like walking along the edge. Never have the heart to actually walk in the woods. Ya know…all those stories and stuff.”

She sighed.
“And then that night I experienced. Definitely never want to walk inside,” their pace began to slow, and her steps became strides, her hands tied behind her back by the lace of her fingers.

“You’re thinking,” it came out more of a question from his lips than he meant it to. He bent over a little, and the expression on her face changed. She became…grim. Like, whatever she was thinking was of haunted her brain. This wasn’t the Luna he was used to. The goofy, theory crazed Luna. Something had taken that away.

She laughed.

And then she sighed.

And then she lowered her eyes to the ground.

He could feel the slow of her heartbeat the sadder she became. Like a light was dying in her. It was depressing to witness. No matter how much he despised the way she annoyed him about her theories —now not under the ignorance that they weren’t true —it was still an odd comfort during their crazy adventures. But now... now a piece of her was missing.

And he knew what that felt like.

“Luna…what’s wrong?” He asked.

“My-family…aren’t what they used to be like. They’re—” she struggled on the word, “different.”

“Different? Like attitude-wise? Luna, what happened? You don’t seem…like yourself.”

She scoffed.

“I guess a dysfunctional family will do that to you,” if his hearing hadn’t become better, he’d never heard the words mumble from her lips. Not with his human ears at least.

“Luna-“

“Plus,” she said loudly with a smile. He looked faintly in her eyes and noticed a shimmer—a sharp glistening, “I thought you hated my annoying self anyway. So…at least that’s a blessing.”

“Luna,” Onew stopped walking and grabbed her by the wrist. She looked up suddenly, somber written in her irises. Behind them, down in the grass pass, he heard the crack of a fallen branch. “Yeah, I hated how much you had those conspiracy theories and what not. I’m a school nerd, I liked coming into class and getting class started. I-“

He looked away for a second.

“I-I was wrong for being so mean about something you liked so much.”

She chuckled.

“Mean?” She wiggled her wrist from his lock. “Onew, what’s this about? What did you want? I’m a conspiracy nut, I’m not oblivious.”

Her eyes lingered downward again as if she caught herself saying something.

“At least…not anymore,” she whispered.

“Luna, what happened? What did you find out?”

“You first,” she quickly retaliated, “you’re hiding something. I told you—conspiracy nut, not dumb.”

He bit his lower lip.

“Luna, I-I need to trust you and I don’t know—”

“Funny, that’s the same thing my sister said when I confronted her—” she stopped.

“Your sister?” He questioned. “Z? What did she-“

“You first!” She shouted. “I thought I could trust you too but you’re acting just as sketchy as my sister. Both of you are liars. If I can’t trust her, I definitely can’t trust you.”

She began to step back.

“Luna, wait-“ he grabbed her arm again.

“What?”

“You can trust me, because I trust you. Can I trust you?”

He felt a panic in his heart, a quickened pace in the pulse of his veins, but…that wasn’t his. The feeling didn’t belong to him at all.

It was Key’s. Key was wondering what the hell he was thinking, what was he doing? Was he out of his mind? Luna turned around, her body facing his.

“Why?”

Onew closed in their distance and grabbed her hands.

“Luna, please don’t make me regret this.”

“Onew…what are you talking about?”

“Come out guys,” he said quietly.

“Onew who are you—"

But from the distant trees, the ones that aligned the edge of the forest itself, three bodies emerged from behind bark. Key, Taemin, and Minho. Each, with a concerned look striking their faces, each with pursed, worried lips.