It was a normal Sunday afternoon, Seulgi was sitting on her bed with the Japanese bestiary she borrowed from Wendy. She kept staring at the kitsune page. Her mind drifted to Irene; the girl had been acting weird and Seulgi legitimately saw that Irene had a fox shaped aura.

It can’t be.

It can’t be Irene. She’s not the thief.

Seulgi tried so hard to keep things about Irene to herself instead of sharing it with her pack as she was sure it was just a coincidence. They were not even sure yet if the thief was indeed a kitsune. And the voice that she heard that night, it didn’t sound like Irene. She knew how Irene sounded like—because she loved listening to Irene’s voice.

She grabbed her phone and dialled Irene’s number; she got up and open her blind a little bit to see into Irene’s room.

Weird.

Because Irene’s blind was always open, but that day it was closed. The weather was really good that day, and Irene loved the sun. Something was not right. And Irene did not even pick up her phone, as far as Seulgi knew Irene was always on her phone. She ran outside her house and went to Irene’s house; immediately knocking on the door until Irene’s mother opened the door, confused.

“Seulgi? Are you okay?” the woman asked.

“Hi, Mrs. Bae. Is Irene home?”

“Uh, yes. She has been sleeping all day, maybe she’s still sick. What’s wrong, honey?”

Seulgi sighed in relief.

“Everything is fine, Mrs. Bae. I’ll be going home now, thank you.”

Seulgi went back to her house and directly went inside her room. She was about to close her blind that was wide open, but something made her eyes widened and she almost tripped on her bed because she was so shocked. Irene’s blind was now open, and the girl was standing there doing nothing; just staring at Seulgi with no expression. So, Seulgi reached for her phone and called Irene. She kept staring at the latter and waiting for her to pick up, it took her five minutes to finally pick Seulgi’s call.

“Hello? Irene?”

“Hello.”

This is not Irene.

Her voice sounded so monotone. It sounded as empty as the look on her eyes; it made everything creepier because Irene was just standing there while staring at Seulgi with no expression at all. Seulgi could see Irene’s lips moved as she answered.

“Are you okay?”

“I am.”

And she hung up; Irene hung up on Seulgi as if she didn’t want Seulgi to ask her more questions. The older girl’s back was facing Seulgi, so Seulgi took the chance to shift her eyes into her werewolf mode to see the fox. Instead of seeing the fox, Seulgi saw another girl standing beside Irene who had the fox aura. It confused Seulgi. The girl turned around and revealed her face.

Seulgi gasped, “what?”

That girl seemed to whisper something into Irene’s ear and Irene walked to her window and harshly closed her blind.

Impossible.

“There are two Irenes?”

---

Seulgi had so much on her plate now. First, the thief, and then Irene. It was impossible, there couldn’t be two Irenes. But, Seulgi had seen it no matter how badly she wanted to deny it. Moreover, she didn’t know why she felt like it was her responsibility. Though it was dark outside, she decided to take a walk. She needed some fresh air. So Seulgi grabbed her hoodie and headed downstairs. She went pass the living room and told her mother she’d be back soon, but as soon as she opened the door, a girl was standing before it, with a luggage.

“Soojung?”

The girl—Soojung was throwing herself onto Seulgi; giving her a tight hug. Jung Soojung; she was Seulgi’s childhood friend—beside Irene—the girl was always there for Seulgi when Irene was too busy playing with her same aged friends and that was when Soojung came into the picture, until Soojung and her family moved to America.

“Seulgi, who’s at the door?” Seulgi’s mother said as she got up to see it for herself. “Oh my God! Soojung!” The woman gave the latter a hug.

“How long has it been?”

“It’s been too long, aunty.”

Seulgi’s mother noticed that Soojung carried a luggage, and Soojung did too, so she said,

“Oh, this…um…Seulgi and I were planning a sleepover. Since, I’ll be joining her to school tomorrow.”

“I was?” Seulgi asked in confusion, earning a glare from Soojung, “oh…yes, yes we were planning on doing… that.”

“That’s great! Come on in, just put your stuffs in Seulgi’s room and I thought you’re going out?” Her mother asked.

“I am, Soojung will come with me.” Seulgi answered, then she mumbled, “I guess.”

---

Seulgi and Soojung had a lot of catching up, they were just wandering around the neighbourhood while talking about the stuffs that had been going since the last time they had seen each other.

“It’s still so dark in this neighbourhood.” Soojung commented.

“Well, yeah. Nothing much had changed here.” Seulgi chuckled. It sure had been a long time, Soojung had grown beautifully, although the cold glare and everything were still there.

Nothing much had changed, indeed.

“Yeah,” Soojung said. “But, you have, right?”

They stopped walking as Soojung said that.

“What do you mean?”

Soojung turned around to face Seulgi, while staring at the girl from head to toe.

“I mean you look hella great, Seul.”

Seulgi wheezed while mumbling, “thanks.”

What Seulgi did not expect was what Soojung had said next.

“Yeah, well, I’ve always thought claws and fangs suit you.”

Seulgi froze.

“What?”

“Come on, Seulgi.” Soojung laughed. “I knew.”

Damn, right. She knew.

“How?”

Soojung was surely take times to answer as she skipped to the park they used to play in when they were kids and sat down on the slide. Seulgi was waiting for an answer. But instead, Soojung replied her with another question.

“Do you know anything about banshee?”

Seulgi shook her head.

“Should I?”

Soojung blew hot air through her nose while glaring at Seulgi, making the other girl chuckled.

“Basically, we’re the bridge to supernatural world. We’d know if someone, who is close, is dying or in danger.”

“Wait, wait.” Seulgi frowned. “We?”

“Seulgi, why do you think that I came back to Bexley?” Soojung asked.

Seulgi gave her a shrug, “because you missed me?”

Soojung laughed softly.

“Well…that. And,” she stood up, “The sorcerer I was working with predicted that there is a pure alpha in Bexley, when I heard that the name is Kang Seulgi, I wanted to see it.” Soojung’s look softened as she stared at Seulgi. “Oh, yes. You probably can use a banshee’s help to find the spirit you and your pack had been stalking for the past few weeks. We’re good with spirits.”

Seulgi’s expression lightened when she heard the last sentences Soojung threw at her.

“In one condition,” Soojung added.

“Let me be in your pack.”

---