“Congratulations! You graduated high school! How do you feel, son?” My mother held a giant pink frosted cake that spelled out ‘Happy Birthday’ across the top. The room was decorated with party accessories that made our apartment seem festive. My father stumbled into the room, landing on his face.

“Son! You’re home!” He stood up and fixed his glasses. “I told the cake-lady to write out ‘Congratulations’ on top of the cake! Not ‘Happy Birthday’!” My father looked around the kitchen in a panic.

“Honey, it’s alright!” My mother let out a giggle and accidently dropped the massive cake onto the floor. “Oh, dear.”

Quickly, I stuck my finger into the frosting and the pink sugar. My mother and father stared at me like I was crazy, but then let out a giggle and we ate floor cake.

“I hope you’re ready for orientation tomorrow.” My father’s face was bright and cheery.

“Totally excited! I can’t wait to show off my magic trick.” I stood up and pulled a bouquet of roses out of the sleeves of my shirt. The roses gave off a soft garden smell, adding a nice aroma to the room. I set the bouquet next to my mother and she clapped.

“Well, you two should go to bed now. You both have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.” My mother stood up and began sweeping up the cake mess. I gave her a goodnight, went into my room and stared at the ceiling from my bed.

I wonder what this school will be like. Will I meet the love of my life? OOOH! If I do, I hope he has the power to spit fire. It’d be really attractive to see a man have an ability that can stop my own. Not that I like to get beaten up or anything; I just think it would be cool to burn down a forest. . . . What am I talking about?

Anyways, considering my father is the Principal at the Institute of the Talented, I wonder if that will help me become one of the popular kids. It’s nice that he has a reasonable job that helps my mother to not have to work so hard. He’s a great father.

“Yes, I am. I can be. If you just give me the chance. We can start over. We can have the life you see all around you.”

Memories of my real life started flooding back: all of my friends sitting at the table for lunch, every teacher helping me to become the student I am today, my twisted father kidnapping Mingyu and Melissa. Rage built up in my stomach and I felt sick listening to the voice in my head. To stop the voices from continuing, I dug my head deep within the pillows.

“Don’t be like that. I just want the best for you.”

“FINE, FATHER. THEN TELL ME: WHY IS THIS SCHOOL SO EVIL?” I took my head out of the pillow and sat up in my dorm room. Vernon was half-way up the wall and breathing like he saw a ghost. A pair of underpants rested on the top of his head as he stared at me with fear in his eyes. I looked around the room and realized that it was just a bad dream. “I’m sorry. I had a nightmare.” I got out of bed and made sure Vernon wasn’t permanently traumatized.

“Why were you crying in your sleep?” Vernon’s hands found my shoulder as I pulled the blankets to cover him.

“Cry? In my sleep? What are you talking about?”

“I heard a muffled crying sound and woke up. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was you crying or if it was just DK staying up late and watching a drama. Soon enough, your crying got louder and I tried checking up on you but you threw me against the wall and then screamed about the school being evil or something of the sort.” Vernon got comfortable in his bed as I sat next to him. I apologized to him and waited for him to fall asleep before I went back to my bed and waited for morning to rise.

. . .

Dear Jeon Wonwoo,

You have won your third match against Seungkwan and now you get to fight Minghao from the sophomore class. Unlike Seungkwan, who took on the abilities/form of demons, Minghao has the ability to instantly solidify anything he wishes. However, there is a way to stop him. Since he is a sassy child, he typically only solidifies his own skin, making it impenetrable. To beat Minghao, you had better hope that he doesn’t sit there like a statue and tire you out. This may seem like an unfair advantage but don’t fret just yet, I’m not finished. Unlike the letter after your first and second fight, you get a description of how he might try and fight you.

Ever since freshman year, Minghao has had a difficult time morphing objects into impenetrable forms. Instead, he just turns his skin into this unbreakable substance. Currently, the school is unaware of what makes him invulnerable to just about anything. However, when a part of his body is impenetrable, he will be unable to move.

Professor Suarez has tried teaching him how to transfer his ability onto weapons but so far, he has made very little progress. Instead of practicing, he spends his time with his boyfriend, Jun, the leader of the martial arts unit. I don’t know what Jun has taught this sassy child, but if he has taught him anything, you had better be careful.

The fight will take place tomorrow at lunch in the North Gym. Get a lot of rest and work on your game plan!

-Principal Nguyen

P.S. Every student received a letter with information on their opponent’s powers and weaknesses. You’re not special

. . .

“WELCOME TO THE—”

“WE GET IT ALREADY! LET’S SEE THE FIGHT!”  The audience interrupted the announcer.

The waiting room in which they placed the contestants in was much smaller today. Not the room, the amount of people that were in it. By the looks of it, maybe seven people would be on this special unit. I scanned the room for familiar faces, Mingyu, that one Angel guy, and Minghao were the only people who I spotted immediately.

“Jeon Wonwoo, come over here.” Principal Nguyen called me out of the waiting room. “Wear this ring or forfeit the match.” She extended her hand to reveal that dreadful ring.

“What is so special about this ring?” I asked in hopes she would tell me.

“It’ll protect you.” She shoved the ring onto my finger. It felt like a normal ring, but I knew I had to take it off before my finger ended up like the vine that held the ring. How will it protect me if it melts my finger off?

I flashed a fake smile and walked back into the waiting room, slamming the door in her face. Minghao gestured me over to him and Aubrey. Minghao had that look of a model that stepped right out of the shower and had perfect hair. Just by looking at him, you wouldn’t see his sassy side. Of the time I have attended this weird Institute, Minghao is by far the sassiest, if you don’t include Seungkwan or Yoolhee into the running.

“Alright, you two. You know the drill: good luck, have fun, break a leg.” She said as if we were putting on a show. We stepped out into the gym when the announcer told us to wait. The audience looked just about as confused as we did.

“Since this is the final round, we will be adding new rules. If you want to be in the ‘Special Unit’, you need to prove yourself worthy. For this match, you will switch powers with your opponent. Good luck adapting.” Professor Suarez smirked as we made our way to our positions.

Switching powers would be a huge disadvantage for me. When I first discovered I had powers, I couldn’t control them at the slightest. Now I have to learn how to use someone else’s power or lose the match. What makes things worse is that Minghao’s power isn’t really meant for ‘fighting’ whereas it should be for ‘defending’. From the letter we received, it did mention something about Minghao being able to transfer his indestructible coat onto something else. That’s my best option.

 The match begun and the audience went dead silent. Minghao and I made eye contact as we both stood in place. Neither one of us knew how to approach the situation. From the corner of my eye, I managed to see Minghao’s fingers wiggling around.

“So, Wonwoo. Figure out how to use my power yet?” Minghao yelled from across the gym.

“I have, actually.” I bluffed.

“Oh, so you shouldn’t have a problem with this then.” Minghao’s hand rose and I took a step back. My back felt small pressure points all around. Somehow, he managed to grow a Saguaro behind me, without me noticing. “I knew you haven’t figured it out yet.”

 I forced myself to move forward and out of the saguaro’s grip. Suddenly, my peripherals spotted two shadows coming in at a high speed on both sides of my body. Instinctively, my body froze as the Saguaro’s arms slammed against me, hugging my tightly. My eyes could move just fine, but the rest of my body was frozen solid. I glanced down to see my skin had changed into a darker pigment of itself.

“Oh, you figured out how to use it? Well then, let’s see how long you can keep it up. As soon as you let go, you can expect a grand-ole hug from your Saguaro buddy.” Minghao laughed and sat down on a stump he managed to grow.

For the next hour, my body slowly started to vibrate as the protection started to wear off. It wasn’t that it had a time limit; my body was genuinely becoming exhausted.

“Let’s make this a fair fight, shall we?” I panted as Minghao looked up from the lovely rabbits keeping him company.

“I really want to be a part of this ‘Special Unit’. I’m hoping it’ll give me the chance to be working alongside with Jun, my boyfriend. So, “No” to your request of a fair fight.” Minghao smiled and continued playing with the rabbits.

Soon, this skin would become vulnerable and the cactus would crush me. Is this how Minghao would lose if we actually fought? All I would have to do is trap him via saguaro cactus?

Didn’t the letter mention something about the possibility of Minghao spending a lot of time with Jun? Does that mean Minghao knows a form of martial arts? If this doesn’t work, I will lose the battle right here.

I allowed my protection to depart as I used the ground as a spring, jumped through the arms of the Saguaro and fell onto my face. The cactus slowly began moving towards my direction. I looked over to Minghao, who was too busy feeding the rabbits some carrots he grew from a nearby garden he tended to earlier.

This is my chance.

I ran up to the distracted boy and kicked him across the face. Before he could react, he flew back a couple of feet. His hand met his face as he wiped off a line of blood dripping from his lip.

“Don’t underestimate me.” I wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead.

“Did you just use the power my BOYFRIEND taught me?” Minghao’s face went from adorable to horrifying in two point five seconds. All around, rabbits repopulated, forming a fluffy army of carrot wielding maniacs. “SEIZE HIM! KEEP HIM AWAKE! I want to torture him.”

The rabbits hopped onto on another, forming a tsunami of rabbits. They left their carrots on the floor and I picked one up for defense. I held the carrot in front of me and it suddenly became increasingly heavy. The color of the carrot changed to an almost bronze color.

Did I just do what Minghao couldn’t?

I held the carrot like a long sword as the massive wave of rabbits swirled around me.

QUESTIONS:

Do you think Wonwoo should accept his father’s offer and start a new life?

Now that Wonwoo is wearing the ring, what do you think will happen?

Who will win the fight? Minghao or Wonwoo?