“It’ll be okay, we’ll get through this together, Eunji.”

There was at least two long minutes passing during which nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen on the plaza. I didn’t have a very clear view from the crack of the trap door; I could see about half of the eating area since it was occupying one of the far corners of the plaza, but the crack was so tiny I had difficulty focusing. I mostly had to rely on my enhanced hearing, and I was glad I didn’t need to stare at somewhere to activate it unlike Baekhyun and most of our species.

Everyone seemed to eat and discuss normally like before and I started doubting the arrival of potential danger. Even Jia had a complete control on herself, not once staring into the distance. She talked with the people at our table and on the side Baekhyun and I were both previously sitting, everyone gathered toward the middle, eating as if no one had ever joined their party.

Somehow, I wondered how many times they had to put up a scene like this in front of the government. How many things did they hide from the rest of the city?

The sound of cars started being heard in the distance, but no one reacted just yet and I figured my hearing captured the newcomers before others could. The vehicles came to a stop and many people came out from the numerous steps on the ground. They seemed to come from the other side of the plaza, so I continued watching the tables, waiting for everyone to react.

The steps got even closer and I started noticing heads lifting up and staring somewhere, eyes widening slightly before glancing down immediately. I frowned a bit, not expecting that kind of reaction. I thought there would be hostility or anger in the eyes of the villagers, but all I saw was a bunch of people intimidated by the person they had crossed eyes with.

“What’s happening?” Baekhyun asked me, probably noticing my frown with the slight ray of light passing through the crack of the door. I stared his way but I could only see the faint contours of his face, my eyes too used to the light coming from outside to see in the darkness.

“They’re here.”

When I looked outside again, I spotted three guards all dressed in navy and white, their hands behind their back and the eyes staring into the distance. I shivered and looked back at my mother just in time to see someone else arriving. He was dressed differently from the guards and by one simple look, I recognized him. It could have been the odd flower pinned on his navy suit that hit the most, but I found myself pushed back 8 years prior to the simple stare at his face.

His skin was white and his short and fancily placed hair a dark brown color. He probably was just another American like any other, yet there was something different with him. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

As I looked at him again, there didn’t seem to be much of what 8 years would do on a man. From him emanated strength and power, he was a confident man and everyone who would look at him would know immediately. I was tempted to look at his eyes again, to be amazed by their golden color once the dark brown would fade away, but I knew better this time.

Jia and Max seemed to be the only two people to keep their eyes up when William arrived in front of them. I could only see his back from where I was. From the side, I saw my mother standing up and crossing her arms in front of her. She was surprisingly looking collected, but I could feel the hatred coming from her and I easily understood why. In front of her was standing the man who had taken away from her husband and daughter.

The plaza had been quiet for a minute or two when I heard William hum. His hands were behind his back and he started pacing in front of Max and my mother. “I thought I could lend you a little visit as I have been waiting for special visitors, recently.” His voice was deeper than I expected, words rolling on his tongue like honey, and it made me dislike him more. “But, you see, I strangely lost contact with them a bit after they wandered in the forest, and their last position was rather close to your little…” William seemed to search his words for a few seconds, almost spitting the word “…clan.”

Jia didn’t react to the name at all, but I noticed one of Max’s eyebrow raising, not appreciating the term the other had used to describe their village. “What’s your conclusion, William?”

The man continued his pacing, “I have nothing about your little persona, Jia, don’t get me wrong, but it’s very tempting to believe that you put your hands on your daughte-“

“My daughter is DEAD, William, when will you ever get that in your head!”

I gasped and instinctively moved back, Baekhyun’s hand reaching for me at the speed of light. I was certain he had heard Jia speak those words considering how loud they echoed on the entire plaza. The conviction in her words made it hard to believe otherwise and I felt like I had received a knife right in the stomach. I knew that William didn’t believe a single word, though.

Moving back prevented me to see what happened next, but when I slowly leaned back toward the crack to look through it, the First Superior was facing Jia, slightly leaned forward and, on my mother’s side, Max seemed even more tensed than he was before, probably ready to jump at William’s throat if he ever was to make a move.

“You know very well that she isn’t dead. Stop lying as if your life was depending on it, or it might actually come back to you. Saying the truth could save you from so many things, I don’t understand why you keep being so stubborn. I should have locked you down like I did with your husband.”

The atrocities that came from the man’s mouth where absolutely nauseous. Were those the words of the leader of our species? What kind of person was he, to speak to his population like this?

I heard Baekhyun scoff quietly beside me and I turned my eyes toward him, vaguely seeing his expression. I was glad he thought the same as I did.

“Search the houses.”

The three words seemed to reanimate the guards who had been standing motionless in the different corners of the plaza. I bit my lip and instinctively leaned away from the crack, just staying close enough to see if anyone would be approaching. Steps scattered around the place but everyone stayed quiet, Jia not saying anything about the men invading their privacy.

I looked in Baekhyun’s direction, silently asking him if he heard and he simply nodded his head at me before putting his index in front of his lips. I gulped and nod my head in understanding. I tried getter further away from the door, but staying close enough to still be able to look outside.

At least five minutes passed in complete silence. I could hear steps around the village if I used my enhanced hearing, but no words were spoken at all. I shifted a bit on the stair I was sitting on just as a guard made his way toward the side of the house where the trap door was and the wooden plank chose that moment to crack.

I barely had the time to open my mouth to gasp, Baekhyun had jumped my way, one of his arm keeping me still while his other hand clamped on my opened mouth to keep me quiet. The steps outside stopped a meter away from the door, waiting.

I hoped with all my mind that the guard wouldn’t hear how loud my heart was beating in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was the area that was completely quiet or if it was my ears that, out of panic, had blocked every sound. It seemed like we were frozen in time for a good minute, our destiny pending and holding onto such a thin string I was almost sure we were doomed.

I finally heard the guard hum and his steps slowly faded, the man probably heading back to the plaza. My whole body relaxed and I closed my eyes, sighing. It’s only then that I realized what position I was in. While I was practically sitting on his lap, Baekhyun had one of his hand resting on my waist to keep me still while his other one was still covering my mouth.

It probably took him around the same time as me to come back to reality and he quickly retracted himself, making me almost fall down in the process. I grabbed onto the ramp and sat back on the stairs to have a better view of the outside.

I heard Baekhyun wipe his hand on the tissue of his pants and I rolled my eyes. He was staying completely quiet and I figured that what had just happened wouldn’t ever be part of a conversation, which was perfectly fine for me. I p