SEVENTEEN.

REBOOT.

Dev doesn’t greet me when he opens the door.

“Where’s Jin?” he grunts.

“On his way, I think,” I respond, walking in.

“You think? I thought you two were BFFs. How come you don’t know?” He pauses. “Is that his ing lacrosse jacket?”

I give him a withering look. “Can you cut it out? I had a really ty night, okay?" 

Dev looks at me in utter disgust. He opens his mouth, about to say something, when someone loudly clears his throat.

“Well, who’s this?” a booming voice says behind me. Dev rolls his eyes as we both turn around. A short, balding man wearing a Bluetooth and a polo shirt is grinning at me. Before I can react, he grasps my hand in a firm handshake.

“Ajay Murthy. Nice to meet you,” he says, vigorously pumping my hand up and down. “So nice to see Dev bringing home his friends from school- so many lovely people living in this city. What’s your name?”

“Jooyeon Jung,” I smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Mr. Murthy’s eyes light up. “Oh, Jooyeon Jung! Are your parents Sarah and Paul Jung from Moore, Jung, & Lipton-,”

“She’s a scholarship student,” Dev says, cutting him off.

He visibly deflates. “Ah. I see.” Clearing his throat, he steps back. “Well, it was quite nice to meet you, Jooyeon.”

“Thanks,” I awkwardly reply. Dev rolls his eyes again, grabs my arm, and drags me through the foyer.

“ing ,” he mutters.

I look at him in shock. “That’s your dad.”

“Whatever. If you’re not a part of some wealthy, well-connected family, he doesn’t give a about meeting you. The only reason he introduces himself to people I bring home is to network.”

He leads me to the grandiose, high-ceiling living room, which is bedecked with plush sofas, a diamond chandelier, and Moroccan carpets: so lavish it almost seems gaudy. Framed photos line the walls: Mr. Murthy and his wife grinning in front of the Great Wall of China, Dev and his mother smiling at a ski resort, Dev and a beautiful girl posing in front of the Eiffel Tower. I take a closer look at the photo.

“Who is she?” I ask, pointing at the picture.

Dev visibly stiffens. I see his jaw clench.

“My sister,” he utters coldly.

I blink at his hostile tone. “Oh. Cool. Didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Let’s just get started.”

I eye Dev as he takes a seat on the sofa. This boy is nothing like how I thought he was upon first impression. He was always smiling, flirting, joking around. But over the last few weeks, I’ve realized how... angry he is. About everything. He hid it under witty jokes and idiotic comments, but holy , he has a chip on his shoulder the side of a log.

We work in silence. As I Google factoids about magic, I think about how I could really be learning about magic right now. Man, if the three of us could write a legitimate report about magic, we would knock it out of the park. A small smile curves my lips as I think about the look on our classmates’ faces as we presented our report. Most of the people in our class would know exactly what we were talking about... and then have Dev and I butchered for knowing too much.

Suddenly, the sound of a glass shattering to the ground echoes through the air. Dev and I turn around in shock. A thin, wispy woman is astonishedly staring at me with wide, teary eyes, as if she has seen a ghost. I recognize her from the pictures- she is Dev’s mother. But the pictures showed a happy, smiling woman, not a frail lady who looks like she is on the verge of collapsing.

“Mom,” Dev breathes, quickly standing up.

Her hands are shaking as she slowly raises her arm and points at me. “I- I thought... I saw the... the long hair, and I saw the two of you sitting on the couch together...,” The woman trails off. Tears begin to fall down her cheeks. Dev quickly rushes over to her.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs softly. “Just go back up to your room. Okay? Have you eaten today?”

The woman slowly shakes her head. I stare at the scene in a combination of embarrassment, guilt, and horror- I feel as though I have witnessed a scene I was not supposed to. Dev glances over at me- I can tell he’s thinking the same thing.

“We’ll go get you something,” he says. “Takeout from Susan and Jane’s. Your favorite strawberry cheesecake pancakes. How does that sound?”

“I love you, sweetie,” she sniffles. She kisses Dev’s forehead. “Be safe, okay? Keep her safe. Don’t let anything happen to her.”

“Yeah. Of course. I’ll see you soon.”

Without another word, Dev paces over to me, grabs me by the arm, and drags me out of the house.

 


 

We are silent as we walk through the forest (“There’s a shortcut this way to town,” Dev said). The sun is setting, its rays illuminating the thick trunks of the trees in an orangish glow. There is a lump in my throat; I feel like I am going to start crying at any moment.

I keep thinking about Mrs. Murthy, and then I start thinking about my own mother, and wondering how terrible if Mom was in the same... emotional state as Mrs. Murthy. I want to ask Dev about it but I know I can’t, of course- this is something I was never supposed to see.

“Did you text Jin and tell him that we’re not at home?” Dev says quietly, breaking the silence.

I swallow. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Dev shakes his head. “God. This was such a ing mistake.”

“I’m really, really sorry, Dev.”

He turns to face me, his eyes blazing with anger.

“You know who did that to her?” he says.

I shake my head.

“Sorcerers. That- that was because of magic.”

“What do you mean?”

He looks at me for several long moments, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

“Get out of this town before it ruins you,” he says in a low voice. “This place destroys everything.”

“Dev...,”

“I’m serious. No one’s gotten away unscathed. It’s only a matter of time before you suffer, too.”

Chills run down my spine. Dev doesn’t look like a high schooler- he looks about a million years old, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder. I step closer towards him.

“Tell me everything. Please.” I whisper.

He closes his eyes.

“Two years ago,” he begins-

But then I see a shadow move behind him. My eyes widen.

Dev!” I scream, yanking him backward.

Two gnarled, stumpy green creatures with pickle-green bodies jump into the space where Dev was just standing. One of them emits a low, bloodcurling snarl as it grins up at us with its jagged teeth. Terror pulses through my entire body; I clutch Dev like a lifeline.

“The- that- it’s a g-goblin. Right?” he stammers, his eyes wide. “The body... the teeth... just like the diagram Tom showed us-,”

“Okay,” I squeak. The two of us stare at the goblins, paralyzed with fear, as they come closer and closer to us.

“Wait,” I say, straightening up. “We’re both wearing our amulets. And I have my knife on me.”

“Same here,” Dev breathes. He withdraws his blade from a holster tucked under his pants. “We can... defend ourselves.”

“Y-Yeah.” Taking a deep breath, I pull out my knife. The goblins leer as the two of us stare at them in trepidation.

“Should I go first or should you?” Dev whispers.

“Wait. Let me try something.”

I stare at the goblins. Visualize them. Learn them. Memorize them.

Then... move them in your mind.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dev yells. “You look like you’re constipated. Snap out of it!”

I wince. “Never mind. Let’s- let’s attack at the same time.”

“Count of three?”

“Sure.”

“One... two... three!

The two of us lunge at the goblins. I slash my knife through the goblin’s skin- and retch when I feel how human the goblin feels- holy , it feels like I’m stabbing a real person. The goblin emits an unearthly hiss and staggers backward; without allowing myself to hesitate another moment, I stab the goblin again- this time in the neck. A goopy yellow substance spurts out of the cut and I have to force down my vomit. The creature collapses to the ground. A few seconds later, it has dissolved and evaporated. Exhaling in relief, I turn to look at Dev-

And freeze.

Rows upon rows of goblins stand in front of him, ogling him with those horrifying, evil smiles. Dev is staring at them in sheer terror. My jaw drops.

“Holy ing ,” I breathe. “Where- where did they come from?”

“The hiss was a cry for help,” Dev responds shakily. “The goblins have come to defend their brethren- who are, unfortunately, dead, thanks to us. Which means we’re ed.”

“N-No,” I stutter. “We have the amulets. Right?”

“Yeah. Of course. We’re... we’ll be fine.” Dev swallows hard.

The goblins slowly surround us, until all we can see in a 50-foot radius in every direction is goblins. I brandish my knife.

“If we killed two, we can kill the rest,” I tell Dev.

“Definitely.” He raises his knife. “They can try to hurt us. We’ll just- !

We stagger backwards as the goblins charge towards us in full force. I desperately whip my knife through the air, attempting to fend off as many goblins as I can-

Ow!” I scream. A goblin has sunk its teeth into my skin. In the next moment, however, it collapses to the ground, screeching in pain, but its cries merely invigorate its kin. They charge at me with a vengeance, slicing and biting and cutting me in fury. Agony pulses through my body- I stagger backwards, my knife falling out of my hands as a goblin pierces my wrist with its teeth.

“Why isn’t the amulet working?!” Dev shouts. I look at him in horror- he is bleeding profusely, his clothes soaked in blood. My mind cannot process anything but panic and fear and the growing realization that , no, we’re going to die, these creatures are going to kill us, I’m going to go out like this-

Help!” I scream as loudly as I can. “Help us!

My vision begins to blur- out of the corner of my eye, I see Dev fall to his knees, spitting up blood- something piercing through my stomach and I collapse to the ground as the world begins to spin-

And then there is a blinding light.

The goblins’ shrieks fill the air as the light floods through the air and envelops everything in sight; I cannot see anything but white. The teeth lodged in my skin fall away and the heaps of goblins surrounding us disappear.

Footsteps padding through the leaves echo through the air. Painfully, I turn my head to see who our savior is.

Jin is standing above us, an appalled look on his face.

“,” he mutters.

 


 

When I regain consciousness, I am lying faceup on the forest floor. The sky is inky black, but a strange yellow glow illuminates the air. My head is pounding; I feel feverish and sick. As I slowly sit up, I realize that there is an orb of light surrounding me.

“Hey,” a voice says behind me. I whip my head around. Jin is looking at me, a grim smile on his face. My breath catches in my throat.

“Oh my god,” I utter. “What happened?”

He grimaces. “Let’s wait till Dev is awake.”

“Dev!” I see another orb of light behind Jin, and I quickly scramble over to Dev. He is passed out on the ground, his skin marred by ugly scratches. I look down at my own arms and realize that I am covered in wounds as well.

“They’re thankfully not infected with poison,” Jin tells me. “Your amulets protected against that. The actual cuts, though, might take some time to heal- my spells made them not so deep, but you’d have to sit in the orbs for another hour or so to get ‘em fully healed.”

My eyes are the size of quarters. I open my mouth to begin barraging him with questions but Dev lets out a soft groan. My gaze snaps back to him. Jin and I watch as he woozily sits up, dazedly blinking up at me.

And then he registers Jin’s face next to mine and he bristles.

“What the hell?” he rasps.

“I’m sorry I got here so late,” Jin tells us. “I’m happy I found you two before things got too out of hand. Goblins are nasty little things.”

“Hang on.” I hold up my hands. “Wait. How did you know about our amulets? Do you know... that we know about magic?”

“He knows about our amulets?” Dev says, his eyebrows furrowed.

Jin sighs. “Yeah. I’ve known that Dev’s known about magic for... a while now.” He glances at Dev, who looks at him in bewilderment- before realization dawns on his face.

“Of course you do,” Dev says, a contemptful sneer on his face. “Because of what you all did to my sister.”

Jin’s jaw tightens. I look at Dev confusedly.

“What about your sister?” I ask.

“It’s about time I talked to you about that,” Jin quietly tells Dev. “There’s something I have to confess-,”

“Were you the one who killed her? Was it one of your friends?” Dev says, his eyes burning with hatred. “Or maybe you forced her to kill herself. Please, do tell. I’ve been dying of curiosity for the last two years.”

I gawk at him, horrified. “Your sister was killed?!”

Dev’s spiteful smile widens. “The official record says that she killed herself. The essay she left behind explaining how she discovered magic was real led us to believe otherwise.”

Wait. My mind flashes back to that fateful day, when Lucy, Tom, and Dev had killed the Bratz and then told me what they knew about magic at IHOP.

“There was this girl,” Tom says slowly. “Uh, she was a sophomore. Absolute genius. The crown jewel of Windsong. Well... one day, we all got an email that she’d posted something on our seminar’s online forum. When we went to view the message, though, it was gone. A few hours later, she was found dead in her bedroom. Suicide.”

“We thought he might’ve left a final message or something,” Lucy says.

“So Dev-,” Tom glances at him. “-spent... a really long time trying to access cached copies of the website, find what she had left.”

“She left this essay about how she had discovered magic was real, and everything we had been doing in seminar was to help sorcerers advance their power.” Dev says, his eyes focused on the table. He is trembling with anger. “It was the worst day of my life.”

“Oh my god,” I whisper, clapping my hands to my mouth in horror. “That was your sister?

“Oh, yeah. And this piece of -,” he says, gesturing towards Jin, “is a sorcerer. Part of the heartless group of bastards that killed her.”

“Dev-,” Jin begins to say, but he cuts him off.

“How did you know I knew about magic? Why did you wait so long to tell me? Was it fun to see me suffer all these years?”

Dev’s voice is rising with every sentence he speaks. His fists are clenched as he continues yelling at Jin.

“Tell me. Was it sad making her die? She was adored at Windsong- the poster child for a high-achieving human. I’m sure it was quite disappointing you had to get rid of her in the end.”

Jin clenches his fists. “I don’t-,”

“Dev, stop,” I murmur, but he ignores me.

“Why did you save us? Was it so you could kill us yourselves? Huh? Get rid of anyone who knows your secret and could threaten your power and take you-,”

You weren’t the only one who cared about Meena,” Jin says in a low voice, his eyes pulsing with intensity.

Dev looks at him, stunned.

Jin stares down at him, his eyes pulsing with intensity. I become distinctly aware of a warm glow radiating off of him and I am reminded of the way Taehyung quietly exudes his anger- except Jin doesn’t seem angry at Dev.

What?” Dev utters.

Jin takes a deep, shaky breath. We watch him in anticipation.

Jin swallows, the pain apparent in his expression. “One day, I was called in by the administration. I don’t know what exactly happened, but they told me she’d found out about magic and we had to get rid of her.”

I hear a sharp intake of breath. Dev is looking at Jin as if he has never seen him before.

“How did you even know her?” he whispers.

“She was my bio tutor freshman year, and- well- she was Meena.” There are tears welling up in Jin’s eyes. “She was one of the best people I knew. And when the administration told me that... god, I did everything. I tried casting protective barriers around her, I begged my friends and my parents and the administration to save her, I- I tried getting her on a plane to ing California... but I failed. I couldn’t save her. They killed her in the end, and made it look like a suicide.”

I stare at Jin in horror, chills running down my spine.

“I know you saw her letter, Dev. I’m the one who saved the copy and made it just accessible enough for you to retrieve- Meena had told me you were amazing with computers, and I knew you’d be able to find it. I thought you deserved to know the truth. All this time, I’ve been looking out for you and making sure you’re okay. Same with Tom and Lucy, since they were your friends, and now Joo- especially since she’s living in the lion’s den.”

Jin walks up to a shellshocked Dev, crouches down beside him.

“I’m sorry, man,” he utters in a thick voice. “I’m so sorry.”

Dev simply looks at him.

And then his face crumples and he starts crying. He buries his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs. This causes Jin to start crying even harder, too, and the two of them simply sit by each other and allow their emotions to take full hold of them and dissolve into their grief. The sight causes my chest to tighten with a piercing, terrible sorrow; my throat constricts and I sink down besides them, utterly stunned.

Taehyung’s conversation makes sense now. They want to get me out of Windsong so I escape the same fate as Meena Murthy. They don’t want to see Jin hurt again. They don’t want me to die. The realization is jarring- it’s odd to think that they care about my wellbeing- even if it is mostly for Jin’s sake.

But why didn’t they include Jin in these discussions? Why doesn’t Jin trust them? And why did Taehyung say Jin has hated him for years?

Dev finally straightens up beside me, turns to look Jin square in the eye.

“I’m sorry,” he says hoarsely. “I’m sorry, Jin.”

Jin looks at him with bloodshot eyes filled with utter sorrow. He sniffles, wipes his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

“I’m sorry, too,” he whispers.

 


 

I stay at Dev’s house that night.

 

I can’t bear to go back right now. Not after what just happened.

 

My mind feels numb. The three of us stay in Dev’s room the entire night, utterly dazed. I am lying on Dev’s bed in between the two of them, staring up at the ceiling as the clock ticks on. My mind is racing at a million miles per hour.

 

I want to go home. Back to Lindsborg.

 

I haven’t talked to my mom, Becca, Rob, or anyone else back home in ages. What if they find out I know about magic tomorrow, and I die without getting a chance to properly say bye to them?

 

I want to go home.

 

My throat wells up again and I pull the blanket above my head.

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PrincessVivi
almost done editing/revising this story (which i'm super satisfied with) but its like 3:33 AM and i have work tomorrow............... we ing live in a society bro

Comments

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wedseaday
#1
Chapter 71: This is my second time re-reading this story and I was left speechless after reading the whole book, but now that I’ve got my jaw gathered. The feeling of reading the book was like listening to Jin’s The Astronaut for the first time over and over. I seriously love how all of them — Lucy, Jooyeon and Sofia are aware of the toxicity of their relationship with their significant other. It saddens me that Jooyeon and Taehyung will be spending time apart but I think it’s for their best. There’s so much to fix, heal and grow. But what I’m afraid of most is Jimin. He sounds broken but thrives for power, and would choose that over anything—love, friendship. GOSH AND JIN HERE IS AMAZING. Love love him. I like how Jungkook is part of their group now too. Thank you so so much again, love. You have the talent and have captured my mind and heart. 💕
wedseaday
#2
Chapter 71: This is so good. You are amazing. Thank you so so much for this.
atasiwi #3
Chapter 71: OMG
asami-sohma #4
holy rubi you're outdoing yourself again 💞 I remember being a desi high-schooler DMing you and I'm about to graduate college in May :)

I am so so excited for you and these big new chapters in your life, and if you need anything please feel free to reach out. we love you and missed you so much, and hope you're well, healthy and happy like another wonderful comment said 🥰
dukkuu
#5
Chapter 71: hey, i'm a few months late but i just read this update, and your a/n. so happy that you got your dream job, and that you're excited to move to new york ♡ i hope the show has stopped by now, or you've found ways to cope with it. i'm kinda sad and pensive right now, and i guess this comment is just a shout to the void. but i hope you're doing well, healthy, and happy ♡
Redlocks #6
Chapter 71: Most hateable person in windsong: j-man
Love_Mark
#7
Chapter 71: amazing writing aside, i'm so glad that you're doing well!! moving to nyc is so exciting, i'm just really happy for you and proud of you :))
AiiSoo #8
Chapter 71: This chapter is quiute short but impactful. It is heartbreaking but they both needed this.
Thank you for this update!! I’ll anticipate the next 2 chapters..!
pramithia #9
Chapter 71: Oh man this was a very emotionally charged chapter. I’ve been waiting for this blow up to happen honestly like there was too much between Joo and Taehyung that they didn’t tell each other and I’m glad they were able to vent their frustrations to each other a bit before taking space and time apart. Like I know holding a suicide attempt over someone’s head is toxic af but like... Taehyung needed to know how absolutely horrible it was for Joo to be here. And how much she went through and how little his protection worked?? Still, as much as they need this it doesn’t mean I’m a not little sad that it had to be this way for them lol.

Man I really wanna love Lucy and all but she just keeps disappearing like this 😭 I know she has a lot to deal with and a lot to work through and being in the presence of Jimin doesn’t really help but like... YOUR FRIENDS ARE ALSO GOING THROUGH ! THEY ARE SO WORRIED!!! At least stick around for a little longer,,, idk man I hope she’s alright and I know they’re all having a hard time right now but I just can’t help but think it’s kinda selfish she just keeps disappearing on her time and time again... especially considering everything that Joo and Dev went through was for her sake. They’re not even magical beings like there is no reason they should have had to go through all that under normal circumstances.

Bro you’ve been busy with work for so long that’s such a rip that your dream job ended up causing so many complications for you, I’m sorry. Hopefully it gets better as you work longer. Do you mind me asking what job it is? Just out of curiosity.

Moving to NYC sounds so scary omg I hope it goes well for you!! Does this mean you’re switching jobs too? NYC sounds like such a cool place to live, I love big cities. And lol I’m so jealous you’re already vaccinated, Canada’s vaccination rollout plan has been one big mess and nobody understands what’s going on right now tbh... I feel like if I get vaccinated by the end of the year I’ll be lucky lol.

Super looking forward to see how this wraps up!! This fic started in my last year of high school and now I’m on the last legs of university... crazy!! So much has changed but it was definitely super fun to read this throughout that journey.