The flower that is emotion blooms in a short moment

With not one speck of dust it perfectly overcomes its beginning

An unfamiliar blue light shines, the thing that makes me dizzy

Mysteric

4 Walls- f(x)

It was bone chillingly cold. The dark streets of Prague stank of alcohol and smoke. The streetlights flickered, illuminating the shop signs of the stone buildings for a moment, then plunging the world into darkness once more.

The cobblestone streets winded sickeningly like a maze through the sleepy city.

It was silent.

In the shadows, a boy walked through the streets. His boots clanked against the stone, the only sound to be heard in the quiet. The boy's black leather armor made him impossible to be seen, especially in the gloom of the city.

A rustling sounded. The boy stopped in his tracks and turned around.

The boy walked in the opposite direction, stalking down the narrow, twisting roads toward the sound.

He stopped in the mouth of a grimy alley. The streetlights flickered once more, like lightning across a dim, cloudy sky.

The light shone, brightening the crevice to reveal a few overflowing dumpsters, and a man cowering in the corner.

At the sight of the boy, the man yelped. Dressed in a crisp grey suit and tie, he fell to his knees, his important appearance deceiving to his true cowardice.

The boy strolled towards the business man, towering over him as the lights flickered yet again.

"Please!" The man cried out, pressing himself against the cold stone wall. "Spare me!"

"What is it?" The boy spoke. His voice was firm, but his tone taunting. "A wife? Children?"

The man's eyes lit up in hope. "Yes! A beautiful wife, and three children!"
He took out his wallet to display a family photo, all members smiling genuinely under a glowing sun. "Surely, you understand! Please! Show me mercy!"

The boy was silent, then a loud cruel chuckle erupted from his lips. "Yes, I do understand. They sure will miss you, won't they?"

In one swift motion, the boy planted his foot on the man's chest, with his blade positioned at the man's throat.

The boy's breath came out in a puff of white smoke. "In reality, none of these ideas of family and love are true. Naive hopes and dreams just mask the vicious reality we call life. People exist solely to cause pain to each other, nothing else."

The boy's piercing, steel eyes gleamed in the moonlight, black kohl smudged around his slender eyes.

"Life is beautiful, but terrifyingly cruel. Surely you understand?"

With one quick , the task was done. Blood tainted the man's expensive suit as the boy dragged the blade against his throat, a reminder of one's fatal flaw: hope in a silly wish that was never to be granted.

The boy stood, and as quickly as he came, he disappeared into the night, leaving not one trace behind.

*


The office was calm and tranquil. The boy sat in the lobby, staring at his feet. He sunk into the comfortable leather chair, resting his head against the wall.

"Mr. 060592?"

The boy's head perked up.

The secretary at the front desk smiled. "Mr. Lee will see you now."

The boy stood up, nodding a thanks to the secretary and making his way through the grand wooden doors behind her.

Mr. Lee sat at his desk as usual, all of his papers evenly aligned and his nameplate sparkling, not a speck of dust in sight. He had always been a particular man; not a strand of hair out of place, and not a wrinkle in his suits. He motioned for the boy to sit in the single seat in front of his desk. Though it was the only other chair in the room other than the huge throne Mr. Lee sat in, it was placed at least more than 3 feet away.

The boy grimaced and perched himself at the edge of the seat. Though Mr. Lee employed him and his colleagues, he sure did not want to associate himself with such people.

"Hello, 060592." Mr. Lee's eyes crinkled in what was a false attempt at a smile. "How are you?"

The boy looked him in the eyes and met him with an equally cold stare. "Fine. How are you, Mr. Lee?"

"Just as well as you, I suppose." Mr. Lee folded his hands on the desk. "Another job well done. I've never had a finer employee."

"Thank you, Me. Lee." The boy droned.

"The best in the business. I've never met someone so merciless." Mr. Lee chuckled half heartedly.

The boy nodded his head in response. He's heard this before.

"This is why I'm entrusting you with this case." Mr. Lee motioned for him to stand up and approach his desk.

The boy did so, standing erect, being cautious not to touch the edge of the desk.

Mr. Lee slid a manila folder to the boy. "You will find the details in the case folder. For this case, your name will be Byun Baekhyun. You are a 16 year old boy who is transferring to Jeguk High School, in Seoul."

The boy took the folder gently.

Who was it this time?

Who was it that threatened Mr. Lee and his fortune?

Who was it that stood in Mr. Lee's way?

Who was it that he needed to kill?

"Your mission,"

The boy opened the folder to find the picture of a boy with big brown eyes, an equally bright smile, and large ears.

"Kill Park Chanyeol."

The boy took the picture into his hands, his eyes blank.

"Make it quick, soundless."

The boy tucked the picture back into the case folder and tucked it under his arm.

Mr. Lee waved his hand. "You are dismissed. You know what to do."

The boy strode out of the room, through the doors and out into the world.

*

Baekhyun walked into the Research lab, tossing his favorite leather jacket onto a nearby table. Neat stacks of paper tumbled onto the floor in a heap.

Baekhyun winced, “Sorry, Suho.”

Suho turned around from an equally busy table in the middle of the room, cocking his glasses farther up on his nose. He smiled at Baekhyun, “No, it’s fine. Those are the interns’ applications.”

He burst into sarcastic laughter and Baekhyun smirked. “God, you’re terrible.”

“I know, I know.”

Suho waved Baekhyun over and he obeyed, weaving through the maze of messy tables, topped with computers, books and paper, pencils and pens, and on one table, a box of donuts and cups of coffee. It smelled like a library in here, even with the windows open, but Baekhyun didn’t mind.

Baekhyun stood across from Suho, watching him rifle through his computer files. Suho took the pencil hidden behind his ear and twirled in his fingers, pointing it at Baekhyun and grinning his million watt smile.

“So you’re Byun Baekhyun this time around?”

“Seems like it.”

“Alright,” Suho straightened his lab coat and bow tie and scribbled a few things on the lined sheet of paper beside him. “High schooler, Jeguk High, okay I got it.”

His brown eyes twinkled as he winked at Baekhyun. “Now time to come up with a personality!”

“I have one.”

“No, my friend you do not. I don’t mean to insult you, but you’re as dry as a potato chip. Salty like one also! You can’t compare to that lemon-lime flavor, though, you’re not that interesting-“

“Your point is?” Baekhyun interrupted, crossing his arms.

“Well, you have to fit in with a high school crowd and be unsuspected as a serial killer. I mean,” Suho squinted at his computer. “You’re the same age as this guy. Wow, how depressing. Only 16 years old.” Suho’s shoulders slouched. “What did this boy do to inflict Mr. Lee’s wrath?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Dunno, beats me. I don’t really care.”

“Didn’t expect you to, buddy,” Suho muttered. “But let’s try and stay positive together, shall we? How about we make you a popular kid?”

Baekhyun grimaced. “Do I really have to?”

Suho leaned against the table behind him. “Well, the popular kids are well loved, no one would ever be suspicious of the “in crowd”. But then again it really does depend on who Chanyeol is. Is he an outsider? Is he popular himself? Is he that weird kid with a not-so-secret Beanie Babies collection? Is that why he must be annihilated?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “We know we are talking about you here, Suho.”

Suho’s face reddened. “I did not own a Beanie Babies collection when I was a sophomore! How dare you insinuate your senior of a deed so atrocious?! Though Mystic the Unicorn did sell for a lot, I was able to pay for a lot of college expenses. Back to the point!”

“Let me give you some tips about high school.” Suho clasped his hands in front of him, a look on his face as such of a mother sending he freshman kid away on the first day of school.  “Don’t hang around the wrong kind of people, get good grades, that is a must! Be organized, your pal Suho is a great example! Dress fashionable, like your pal Suho, yet again! Don’t do drugs! Drugs are a no! Don’t curse, that’s bad also!”

 Suho wiped at his dry eyes. “Oh my goodness, my Baekkie is going to high school…!”

“Baekkie?!”

Suho patted Baekhyun on the shoulder. “You’ll do fine! Just be yourself! No, scratch that, we discussed that. Be kind, smart, and unhostile!”

“You’re talking to a brick wall, Suho!”

The two turned around to find Kai, Xiumin, and Lay standing in the doorway, equipment on and smelling of sweat and blood, the usual. They had just come back from a mission, a mass killing of politicians in Canada at a fundraiser party.

Kai jogged to Suho and gave him a brofist, bumping Baekhyun’s shoulder against his own. “We all know 06 isn’t capable of basic human emotion!”

“Give the guy a break,” Xiumin wrapped his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder, giving Suho a high five before hopping onto the table beside him. “Who wants to feel anyways?”

“Yeah,” Lay butted in, gnawing on a stolen donut. “We’re not all perfect.”

“Obviously.” Suho glared at Lay, before motioning Lay to toss him a donut also.

Kai, blonde hair gelled back, and his perfect tan skin was extremely handsome, which he used to his advantage. He killed utilizing his charm, using his godly genetics to get close and comfortable with the target, and striking.

Lay was known for his speed. Most wouldn’t assume him as a killer, with his big, bright eyes and adorable dimples, but he was very handy with a crossbow. When he got into an assignment, there was no way the target could escape alive.

Xiumin was a little bit of both. He was skilled with weaponry, and other methods of murdering that Baekhyun was still unfamiliar with. He was the senior out of all of them, so he was the most level-headed and experienced out of the four. His hair was still dyed a bronze from his last undercover mission, though his dark brown roots were beginning to show.

They were the best employees in Mr. Lee’s service, to be frank, the only in Mr. Lee’s service.

The four had known each other for their whole lives. They were kidnapped at a young age and trained in murder and bloodshed. None of them knew their real families, or had any outside connections. They had all been given code names, except for Baekhyun. Baekhyun insisted on keeping his number instead, it reminded him that he was nothing but a killer devoid of a sense of reality and emotion, not a real human being. He couldn’t have an attachment to living when that was all he was.

“Hey,” Suho piped up, motioning to Baekhyun. “Did you guys hear? 06 is Byun Baekhyun now!”

“Wow, another mission! You never get a day off.” Kai said. “Byun Baekhyun, I like it. 06 is tiring.”

“Who are you now?” Xiumin asked, sipping coffee from a nearby mug. “My last job was exhausting.  I never knew being a Chemistry professor was so difficult! Let me guess, an accountant with an attitude!”

“No, he’s going to high school!” Suho answered for him.

“Wow!” Lay gushed. “You’re so lucky! I’ve never stepped foot inside of a school before.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “It’s just another assignment.”

“You should cherish it, Baek,” Kai smiled. “You’ll have to tell us what high school is like when you come back!”

Xiumin rubbed his shoulders. “We should go, I need to get cleaned up. Being in uniform makes me uncomfortable.”

The others agreed. “Yeah, we can go get a bite to eat or something.”

“I think I’ll have to pass on that,” Suho said. “I still have to get some stuff prepared from your assignment, Baekkie. Good luck, you’ll be alerted when the preparations are complete!”

The four left the Research lab together into the chill Korean air. The area around the building was desolate of any sort of life, including environmental life. Their base and headquarters were purposely stationed in the middle of nowhere, so they would not arouse suspicions.

Baekhyun didn’t mind it here, he could see the stars at night, unlike in the city.

“Are you going to come with us, Baek?” Kai asked.

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, sorry, I had a heavy breakfast.”

Kai nodded. He was used to Baekhyun’s solitary attitude. “Well, see you at the dorms later then!”

Baekhyun bid the others goodbye and walked alone to the back of the Research lab, where the assassins’ dorms were located. It was a plain brick building with an ancient wooden roof that constantly leaked when it rained.

The dorms’ outside appearance was completely deceiving to how it really was inside. The lobby was a living room with an adjacent kitchen, filled with luxurious couches and loveseats, with a Plasma screen constantly blasting the sports channel, which no one bothered watching. The kitchen had state of the art kitchen appliances and cabinets always stocked, whether they were filled with canned fruit or junk food.

Baekhyun made his way upstairs, being careful not to stain the velvet carpeted stairs with the mud on his boots. Not that it would have mattered anyway, there was always a servant on hand cleaning and bending to their every need.

Baekhyun knew they also spied on them. Killers were allowed to live in luxury because in reality, the higher-ups were afraid of them.

Baekhyun chuckled softly beneath his breath. Who wouldn’t be afraid?

Baekhyun passed Kai, Xiumin, and Lay’s rooms on the second floor. He lived in the attic, isolated from everyone else. Though the four killers were very close, Baekhyun was still very withdrawn.

He made it to the end of the hallway and pulled on the trapdoor’s drawstring above him. A ladder descended and he climbed up to his room, tucking the stairs back in with him.

Baekhyun’s room was the most spacious of the four, since the attic took up the area of the entire house. His king sized bed covered in silk sheets was pushed against the far wall, a mahogany nightstand with a lamp stood beside it. There was a stained glass window across the room, and a grand bookshelf took up most of the eastern wall, filled with books he loved and read more than a million times over and over again. A couch with a few throw pillows and blankets was situated in front of the bookshelf, a fluffy maroon rug covering the floor underneath. His dresser and armoire were full of designer clothing, everything fit for a king. The restroom took up nearly half of the room, housing a luxurious bath, shower, toilet, and sink. The rest of the room was plain; there were no decorations, posters, or knickknacks, such as in the others’ rooms.

Baekhyun really didn’t have a need for a dorm room, he was always out on a mission and always roomed at certain secret locations around the globe. Decorations were just immature, and he couldn’t be attached but to his own body and soul.

Baekhyun fell against his bed, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment or two, then let it out.

What was a home?

Baekhyun fell asleep, a dreamless, restless slumber.

*

Park Chanyeol woke up to his alarm clock screaming. He twitched, suppressing the urge to wake up.

“No,” He thought. “It can’t be morning already!”

He rolled over, folding the edges of his pillow around his ears.

“Please, just five minutes.” Chanyeol pleaded, squinting his eyes shut.

But the alarm clock wasn’t having any of it. It continued to screech until Chanyeol became so annoyed he had to get up.

Frustrated, Chanyeol shot up from the bed and smacked the alarm clock. “Be quiet already!” He yelled, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste from his nightstand, stomping his way into the hallway.

As soon as he stepped a foot into the hallway, he was bulldozed into the wall.

“Jesus!”

A pile of kids ran past him, on their way to the hallway’s restroom. Chanyeol sighed, running his fingers through his tousled black hair. “I really should have woken up when the alarm sounded. Guess I’m not showering today.”

Chanyeol turned around and marched down the rest of the hallway, being careful not to touch the white, moldy walls. The wooden floorboards creaked under his weight and he nearly had to crouch as he neared the stairwell. The roof began caving in about a year ago, around the same time Chanyeol shot up six inches.

Chanyeol sat down on the edge of the hand rail, his favorite mode of transportation. He slid down, grinning as he passed the rest of the children on their way to the bathroom. The first floor bathroom had encountered a bit of a problem (a sink exploded and hit a kid in the face.) (No, it wasn’t Chanyeol’s fault. He just happened to be there at the time.) (Okay, he was the one who had bought the fireworks. But how was he supposed to know that fireworks didn’t explode that well in sinks?), so all of the children in the orphanage were forced to share the restroom on the second floor. (God forbid they share the nuns’ bathrooms!)

Chanyeol reached the end of the stairwell and hopped off, not before nearly falling face first into Sister Maria. She frowned at him, wagging her finger in his face as she reprimanded him in angry Spanish.

Chanyeol apologized, bowing his head a few times before bolting through the kitchens. He waved a good morning to the head chef, not before snagging a breakfast biscuit on his way out. Chanyeol sprinted through the kitchen’s back door, nearly tripping over a box of rotten tangerines and skidding on the greasy linoleum tile.

It was a fresh morning and the grass was dewy under his bare feet. The backyard needed a mowing, the grass tickled his ankle as Chanyeol strolled to his favorite bush at the edge of the property. They would probably force him to do it that weekend as penance for whatever havoc he was bound to wreak this week.

Chanyeol winced as he stepped on a toy dump truck. “Stupid kids! Pick up your toys!”

A bit frazzled, but unruffled, Chanyeol continued to nibble on his biscuit and met the bush. Chewing on the biscuit, Chanyeol lowered his pants and relieved himself on the bush. The wooden fence covered him from being seen by the neighbors, so he didn’t care about that.

By the time Chanyeol finished, he had also finished his biscuit. Chanyeol proceeded to brush his teeth in the rusty water fountain by the door.

Chanyeol spat into the grass and bounded up the stairs back to his room. He tore off all of his clothes in a frenzy, picking whichever shirt and pair of pants from his dresser and putting on. He really didn’t care at this point.

He brushed his hair with the broken comb he found at the park a few weeks ago into a somewhat presentable state and grabbed his backpack from the corner where he left it yesterday afternoon.

Chanyeol was halfway out the door when he remembered something he had totally forgotten. He raced back inside and grabbed the multiple papers on his messy desk.

He had worked his off on that essay, until 3 AM to be exact, and there was no way he wasn’t turning that in! Chanyeol ran down the stairs this time instead of sliding, and he was down the hallway and in the foyer in a matter of seconds.

“Thank God for my long legs!” Chanyeol thought, almost out of the door when he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

Frozen in his tracks and heart sinking, Chanyeol turned around to find the short, the frog-like, the only, Head Sister Miriam.

“Good morning, Head Sister Miriam! Your facial rash is looking better today!” Chanyeol greeted, nervously smiling.

Her glasses were foggy, and her lips were folded in a frown. Her foot was tapping impatiently, it was clear to Chanyeol, although her feet were nearly hidden by her long, black robes.

“Good morning, Park Chanyeol. And I was wondering why my beautiful bushes were wilting.”

Chanyeol flinched. “I apologize, Head Sister Miriam. I was about to head off. I’ll see you later, Head Sister!”

“Now, Park Chanyeol-“

Chanyeol fled, throwing the door open and flying. He was down the road in a matter of seconds, with Head Sister Miriam screaming after him. “Now you come back here, Park Chanyeol! I wasn’t finished with you!”

Chanyeol breathed a sigh of relief as he ran down the next two blocks. That Head Sister seriously was a witch! She had been tormenting him for as long as he could remember. Did she have some sort of vendetta against him? What has he done to upset her?

Okay, he wasn’t going to answer that.

He made it to school early, as usual. He didn’t mind being at the Hellhole earlier than he was supposed to, as long as he got away from Hellhole #2 first.

Chanyeol sat a bench lined with bird poop, resting precariously at the edge. Chanyeol watched the bird culprits hop on the cement patio.

“I’m going to get away from here.” Chanyeol thought to himself, smiling at the mere thought. “I’m going to go somewhere far, far away. “

He lifted his head to the sky and enjoyed the gentle breeze on his face. “I don’t know where, but somewhere no one will ever be able to find me.”

*

Chanyeol walked down the packed hallway, side by side with his two best friends, Jongdae and Kyungsoo. They were on their way to their next class, English, which they all, miraculously, had together.

“Chanyeol,” Jongdae smirked, bright eyes squinting mischievously against his high cheekbones. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had nicknamed him “Jongdaesaurus Rex,” due to that time during Biology freshman year when the room was silent as they took their end of course exam, and he roared as soon as he opened the booklet. (He was sent to detention, as always. He’s always in detention, along with Chanyeol. Things never seem to go right when they’re around, especially when they’re together.)   “You’re looking naughtier than usual. What did you do this time?”

Chanyeol sheepishly shrugged. “Nothing…”

“You peed in the bush again, didn’t you?” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. Kyungsoo was the purest of them all. With his large doe eyes and thick eyelashes, he couldn’t be anything less. He actually studied for tests and aced them, and he was on all of his teachers’ good sides.

“Yeah, yeah I did.”

“I’m surprised that bush hasn’t died.” Jongdae guffawed.

“Well, Head Sister Miriam did say it was wilting.”

The three walked into their English classroom, finding their seats. Chanyeol sat at the corner of the room near the door, Jongdae at the opposite corner, (for obvious reasons), and Kyungsoo up front with the rest of the intelligent kids.

“Did you hear?” Jongdae called to Chanyeol from his seat, swinging his legs around his chair backward and leaning forward. “There’s a new kid!”

Chanyeol swiveled his head around. “New kid?” He nearly spat. “Are you being serious?”

“Yeah,” Jongdae nodded his head to the front of the room. “Kyungsoo saw him this morning during Office Aide.”

Since Kyungsoo was smart and had his life put together, he was granted the opportunity of having a period dedicated to helping the staff around campus. First period he was all over the school, he knew everybody and everything going on, so he was indeed a reliable source of information.

“Really, Kyung?!” Chanyeol asked.

Kyungsoo turned around in his seat, pushing his glasses high on his nose. “Yeah, his name is Byun Baekhyun. Apparently, he’s from America.”

They weren’t the only people raving about the new kid. The whole class was in chaos.

“What does he look like?”

“I heard he was from Switzerland!”

“No, I thought he was from Australia!”

“Is he hot?”

The bell rang and all of the students returned to their seats. Their teacher, Mr. Ahn walked in, coffee mug in his hand, late as usual.

“Essays to the front please!” He hollered.

Chanyeol fished the muddle of papers from his backpack and handed them to the person in front of him. Chanyeol was pretty proud, he never really was one to do work, but here he was, turning in a 500 word essay!

Chanyeol patted himself on the back. “You go, Chanyeol!” He mentally cheered.

The rest of the class, Chanyeol’s mind couldn’t stop racing.

New kid, huh?

Daydreaming, Chanyeol couldn’t help but think, “Maybe this kid is my ticket out of here.”

He didn’t know how right he was.

*

Baekhyun arrived at school a few minutes before the bell had rung. Despite his will, he had indeed woken up nervous that day. All of Suho’s warnings had him paranoid, and he mentally cursed him.

He had paced his enormous armoire that morning, scavenging through everything his closet. “What does one wear to their first day of high school?” He had thought, pushing aside all of his black assignment clothing.

Baekhyun settled on a random white graphic T-shirt, dark blue jeans with his comfortable Chuck Taylors. The night before Suho had helped him dye his hair a light brown, so standing in the full length mirror of his bathroom, Baekhyun was startled.

The boy before him looked normal. I mean, that was what he had to transform into, but this was something else. Baekhyun slipped on a light, green zip-up sweater as he felt his skin prickling with goosebumps.

Was this what he would have looked like, in another world? In another universe where he was a normal teenager, who had a family, friends, and was loved?

Baekhyun shook the thought from his head and grabbed his backpack from the couch. This was the bag he usually carried around with him on missions, filled with reference materials, and his choice of weapons and poisons. Now it was filled with spiral notebooks, textbooks, paper, pencil, and god knows what else.

Baekhyun was surprised at the weight of the backpack. God, was this what normal kids his age had to deal with every day? Suddenly very grateful for his lifestyle, Baekhyun opened the trap-door and trudged down the stairs with the burden on his shoulders.

He walked into the kitchen, where Kai, Xiumin, and Lay sat, dressed in regular clothing like himself, untouched plates of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of them. They greeted him happily.

“Good morning, Baek!” Kai smiled, waving.

Xiumin pointed to the empty seat, an identical plate in front of it. “Come on, we were waiting for you. Let’s eat!”

Lay began to stuff his face as soon as Baekhyun sat down. “They’re really good, Baek. I made them especially for you on your first day of high school!”

Baekhyun stifled a snort as he watched Lay shovel the food in his mouth. It was hard to believe the boy in front of him who acted like a 5 year old child was a cold-hearted killer.

Baekhyun dug into his pancakes, nervously swallowing.

“I’m so glad your mission is close to home, Baek.” Kai wiped at his mouth with a napkin. “I miss having you around the dorms.”

“Yeah,” Xiumin sipped at his orange juice, waggling his eyebrows. “It does get very lonely without you, Baek babe~”

“Babe?!”

The room erupted in muffled laughter, as they all tried to swallow their food without choking. Baekhyun embarrassedly jumped up and placed his empty plate in the sink. “I’m leaving, nitwits. Don’t wait up!”

He jogged out the door, not before Kai chortled, “But we have to hear about your first day of school, Baek babe~”

Suho was waiting for Baekhyun once he got outside, leaning against the expensive black car Baekhyun would be driven to school in.

“I thought I’d accompany you to school.” Suho waved. He turned around and opened the door for Baekhyun, his lab coat billowing behind him like a cape.

Baekhyun got inside of the car, Suho after him, and then they were off. Their chauffeur obviously expressed his disgust at Baekhyun’s presence by not even bothering to greet him or ask him where he was going. He had obviously asked Suho before, so he wouldn’t have to talk to Baekhyun directly.

Baekhyun sighed and wrung the hem of his T-shirt between his long, knobby fingers.

Why was it always like this?

*

Suho walked Baekhyun up the front doors of the school. The school looked exactly what Baekhyun imagined a high school would look like. The school was made of brick, towering a story or two, with a grass courtyard and benches, trees, and students.

Baekhyun avoided the students’ curious stares as Suho placed his hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders. “You’ll do fine out there, soldier. Remember what you’re here for. Don’t get distracted. Eliminate the target, and then you’re out.”

Suho ruffled Baekhyun’s hair and bid him a cheerful farewell.

Baekhyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened the front doors and set foot inside of the high school.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he tried to absorb everything around him. He had walked into the cafeteria, and around him there were so many teenagers, just like him, though they were studying, or socializing with their friends.

A huge lump of anxiety rose in Baekhyun’s throat. This was so overwhelming. There were so many people, and they were all doing something different, it was hard to drink this all in-

“06,” Baekhyun stopped his train of thought. “What are you doing? This isn’t you. Get a hold of yourself. You’ve dealt with worse.”

Baekhyun got a grip and walked to the office, directly across from the cafeteria. He approached the middle-aged woman at the front desk, his eyes meeting with a boy across the desk.

The boy had very large eyes and an expressionless face. He watched Baekhyun keenly as he ran papers through the copy machine. Baekhyun diverted his eyes quickly.

“Hello,” Baekhyun smiled slightly at the clerk. “My name is Byun Baekhyun, and I’m new here.”

The woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes, Byun Baekhyun. You’re the new transfer from America, correct.” She clicked the mouse connected to her computer. “I’ll have your schedule printed right now!”

The bell rang, the loud noise causing Baekhyun to jump as it echoed over the speakers in all of the hallways of the school.

“Give him his schedule, Kyungsoo darling, please.”

Baekhyun was brought to his senses as the large-eyed boy ran to the printer and retrieved his schedule. Kyungsoo handed him the piece of paper and Baekhyun looked it over, confused.

Kyungsoo held a hand out to Baekhyun. “Hi, my name is Kyungsoo. I’m in the same grade as you. Would you like me to show you around the school?”

Baekhyun smiled back. “Hi, I’m fine, really. Thank you, though, you seem very busy.” He nodded his head slightly and walked away into the crowded hallways.

For the next ten minutes, Baekhyun got very lost in his attempt to find his first class. Frustrated, Baekhyun cursed himself for refusing the large-eyed boy’s offer. The second bell had rang a long time ago, and Baekhyun wasn’t getting anywhere.

All of the white-tile walled hallways looked exactly the same. This didn’t even look like a school, it looked like a prison! And God had Baekhyun seen his share of prisons.

Sighing, Baekhyun leaned against the wall, letting the cold of the tile seep into his skin.

“Four doors down, to the right.”

Baekhyun opened his eyes to find said-boy staring at him. Bewildered, Baekhyun processed what Kyungsoo had said and awkwardly thanked him.

“Ah, thank you. I’m sorry.”

Kyungsoo laughed quietly. “You should have just taken my offer.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.” Baekhyun ducked his head again.

“Be careful with Ms. Kim, she grades papers very harshly.”

Baekhyun smiled. “Really? Thank you for the information. I’ll see you around, I guess.”

Baekhyun waved goodbye to the smaller male and followed Kyungsoo’s directions. He stood at the door and opened it, about to experience high school for the first time.

*

After class, Chanyeol raced out of the classroom with Jongdae and Kyungsoo in tow.

“Chanyeol, what are you doing?!” Jongdae yelled, attempting to worm his way out of Chanyeol’s steel grip.

“I can’t feel the circulation in my wrist,” Kyungsoo whined.

“We gotta find this new kid!” Chanyeol said, weaving his way through the milling crowd. The juniors had lunch next period, so they had time to waste. Lunch time, Jongdae would argue, but now he had his mouth kept shut, surprisingly.

Using his height as an advantage, he gazed at the students’ faces beneath him. “It can’t be that hard!” Despite his words, all Chanyeol could see were familiar faces.

Kyungsoo managed to wrench his arm away from the taller male. “Chanyeol, stop! You’re going to end up stomping on somebody, and I’m not certain it will be somebody else!”

Chanyeol winced. He reminisced the time he was marching down the hallway to the prinicipal's office sophomore year, for a reason he can’t remember now, during the freshmen’ lunch period. In an attempt not to squish the younger children, he had ended up stepping on his own toe and was forced to wrap it and hobble around the school for the rest of the week. Jongdae had gotten a kick out of that.

Chanyeol stopped in his tracks and decided to heed the older male’s warning, letting go of Jongdae in the process.

“Ow, Park,” Jongdae complained, rubbing his wrist absentmindedly. “That hurt, what’s the big deal anyway?”

“Why are you obsessed with this new kid?” Kyungsoo asked, his face flushed from the rush.

“I-I’m not obsessed!” Chanyeol stammered. “I’m curious!”

Chanyeol was silent. Why was he so mesmerized at the thought of a new kid? For all he knew, he could be another junkie, or another meat-headed jock.

Yeah, that was probably it. The guy was from America, he couldn’t be that interesting.

Jongdae snorted, patting Chanyeol’s arm. “Let’s just go to lunch, alright?”

Chanyeol agreed, taking a deep breath. Why was he so worked up?

Was it because he had a feeling his life would change?

Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae made their way to the cafeteria, joking around as normal. Chanyeol had nearly forgotten about the new kid until they rounded the corner of the hallway.

Chanyeol felt a body bump into him, he stumbled backward, arms splayed to regain his balance. Papers flew into the air, and the other person gripped the wall to prevent themselves from falling. Chanyeol was taken aback. Nobody in this school was strong enough to make Chanyeol stumble. Especially not-

The papers settled on the floor, and Chanyeol’s eyes widened.

A boy with light brown hair, eyes wide and mouth parted slightly stood before him. His hand clenching the wall firmly, he blinked at Chanyeol.

As if a buzzer went on in his head, the boy bent over, gathering all of his papers. Chanyeol bent down also to help, trying to hide the victory in his eyes.

The new kid.

Chanyeol handed the papers to the boy. The boy took them gratefully, smiling. “Ah, thank you.”

Chanyeol nodded, smiling, “No problem.”

He stood back up, offering his hand to the smaller boy. “I’m sorry about that.”

The boy took his hand and pulled himself up. Chanyeol was bewildered at the strength in this boy’s grip. Chanyeol took a double take at the boy.

Who was this guy?

The boy smiled sheepishly. “It's fine, don’t worry about it.”

And as soon as Chanyeol blinked, the boy was gone. Chanyeol spun around, nearly smacking Kyungsoo in the eye with his arm, but there was no sign of the boy.

He had disappeared.

*

Baekhyun was confused. No, not only confused but utterly distraught. Every single class period took forever to end, in the hallways he would be squished like a prune, and the workload!

Every single class, his teachers gave him so much homework that it was ridiculous! Baekhyun nearly fell asleep during one of those teacher’s annoying lectures. Really, what was the point in all of this?

Baekhyun looked at the pile of papers in his arms. What in the world was an exponential function?! Before he began his missions as a teenager, Baekhyun and the other three assassins were taught by an instructor at the headquarters. They had poured over novels and textbooks all day, training in combat and other murderous tactics by night. They were taught everything there was to know about academics and killing in the process.

Staring at the graph on the Algebra II worksheet, Baekhyun squinted. But really, what was that?!

Rounding the corner, Baekhyun bumped into a solid chest. Reflex skills triggered, Baekhyun placed all of his weight on the ground and steadied himself. On a second thought, Baekhyun let his body stumble and placed his arm on the wall. His papers fluttered in the air and he resisted the urge to catch them all and let them fall to the floor.

He couldn’t risk his identity the first day. “Stay on the low radar, don’t risk anything,” He thought to himself, as he achingly closeted his abilities.

Baekhyun looked up at his accidental attacker. He fought the itch to smirk.

In front of him stood Park Chanyeol. In person he was actually very tall, with a very solid chest, Baekhyun noted. His dark brown hair was messy, and his big, deep brown eyes glimmered with naïve hope. He wore a normal grey T-shirt and blue jeans, with enormous sneakers.

Everything about him screamed false security and blind dreams.

He had found his target.

*

“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo slapped Chanyeol’s arm. “You nearly made me blind! What is your problem?!”

“He’s gone!” Chanyeol muttered, biting his lip. How could anyone disappear so fast? That was unnatural!

“I think we should all go to lunch now,” Jongdae tugged on the two males’ hands. “I’m pretty sure the lasagna is getting cold in the cafeteria!”

“Lasagna…” Chanyeol turned around, a thought striking him. “Lunch!”

“Yeah, it’s an allotted time of day when you’re supposed to eat, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo snapped.

“Baekhyun wasn’t heading to the cafeteria, do you think he knows it’s lunch time?” Chanyeol asked, eyes wide and concerned.

Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. “Chanyeol, I’m more than sure he knows that it’s lunchtime. He’s probably just going to the library or something. Let’s go to lunch.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae rubbed his stomach. “I’m hungry! Can’t you hear my tummy’s cries of distress?”

Kyungsoo pulled on Chanyeol’s hand, attempting to drag the taller boy to the cafeteria. “Come on, Chanyeol.”

But Chanyeol’s feet were glued to the ground. Chanyeol looked firmly in Kyungsoo and Jongdae’s eyes. “I’m going to go look for him.”

Kyungoo crossed his arms over his chest. “Chanyeol, you’ve got to be kidding. He can be anywhere! We’re wasting time!”

Chanyeol waved a hand and shook his hand from Kyungsoo’s. “I’m sorry. I’ll catch you guys later!”

Chanyeol ran away, heading in the direction he was sure Baekhyun must have gone.

“Oh my god.” Jongdae murmured absentmindedly.

Kyungsoo pressed his index finger to his temple. “That kid is going to give me a heart attack one day…!”

*

Baekhyun interacted with the target, mentally taking notes of the target’s personality, actions, and movements.

Park Chanyeol stood dumbstruck for a moment.

“One to get surprised easily.”

Park Chanyeol bent down to help him with his papers.

“Caring; too kind, in my opinion. I predict too trusting.”

Park Chanyeol apologizes, offering him a hand.

“Polite.”

Baekhyun weaseled his way out of the situation before he could fully divulge anything about himself. He was a master of disappearing. He could drop a bomb in the middle of a ballroom and get away undetected in the blink of an eye.

Baekhyun finally got a hang of the way the hallways worked. He had mapped out the school in his head as he had walked through it during passing periods. Baekhyun had to intercept with Suho and assess the situation.

Baekhyun crept through the underclassmen’s hallways, being careful not to make any noise that would reveal his presence.

Ha s his way outside and positioned himself in the corner of a wall in the middle of a bush. He took a walkie-talkie from a pocket inside of his backpack and held it up to his mouth. He had had this walkie-talkie for as long as he could remember, a graduating gift from Mr. Lee. A few years ago Lay had covered the device in pastel stickers as a loving prank, and it’s been that way ever since. It had survived bombings in Moscow, a gun fight in Egypt, a wildfire in California, to name a few.

Baekhyun spoke softly, but clearly into the microphone. “Suho, are you there? Over.”

Suho’s voice trembled over speaker. “Yes, took you a while to call. Over.”

Baekhyun gritted his teeth. “Well I can’t mosey out of class just to keep you company, Suho. Over”

“Fair enough.” Suho chuckled. “What’s the happenings? Over.”

“Interacted with the target.” Baekhyun recalled the series of events over in his head. “It’ll be an easy job.  He’s exactly as I thought he would be. A normal teenage boy with no sense of reality. Over.”

Suho hummed over the walkie-talkie. “Hmm, about that…”

Baekhyun’s heart sank. “What is it Suho? Over.”

“Well, Mr. Lee wanted me to tell you…”

Baekhyun sighed. If Mr. Lee ordered him to do something, it was never anything good. “What is it? Cut to the chase, Suho! Over.”

Suho sighed. Baekhyun could imagine Suho’s glasses resting on the cluttered table in front of him, rubbing his hand over his face in frustration.

“Mr. Lee wants you to stake out there for a longer period of time.” Suho added a feeble “Over.”

Baekhyun was confused. “What do you mean, take longer? That’s exactly what he told me not to do! Over.”

Suho sniffed. “I’m sorry Baek. Don’t shoot the messenger. I don’t know why he wants you to do this, I guess it’s a good thing though, so you don’t attract too much attention. Boom, kid dead, boom, another kid leaves. Doesn’t look right. But what Mr. Lee said to me though…I think he wants you to become friends with the kid.”

Now Baekhyun really was surprised. “W-What did you say to me, Suho? I swear, as soon as I get home I am going to strangle you with your stupid bow tie-“

“I said, you have to befriend your target Park Chanyeol or else you’re being let go!”