Mina

“Chanyeol goddamn Park.” I hiss, my fists beginning to shake with anger. “What did you do?”

The said man stood before me, a look of panic on his face. He releases a nervous laugh, slowly stepping away from me, bumping into his nightstand in the process. The lamp on top of it shakes, threatening to tilt over and fall to the floor. It doesn’t.

“What did Suho say?” I ask, eyes hardening into a glare. I point to the second bed—Sehun’s bed—in their shared room where it’s black-stained and full of ash residue. “What did he say?”

Chanyeol is looking everywhere but my direction, knowing fully well I was ready to kick his . My anger only heightened as I awaited his response. A moment passes and he his lips before speaking.

“Don’t practice our Abilities in the bedroom.” He recites one of the first rules Suho tells every new recruit on their first day here.

“And what did you do?”

“Practiced my Ability… in the bedroom.” His words are filled with bashfulness as he finally meets my gaze. He flinches upon locking eyes with me and once again, looks away.

“Look what you did!” I yell, stomping my foot on the ground. “Out of all things to set ablaze, it was my brother’s bed!”

“I said I was sorry!” Chanyeol whines. “Mina, please forgive me.”

“Sorry doesn’t give him a place to sleep,” I huff. “You know how limited we are with furnishings but you just had to play with your dumb fire.”

“He can take my bed—”

“Damn right he is,” I interrupt, nodding. “In the meantime, try fixing whatever’s left of that,” I point to the bed’s remains, “before Suho or Minseok walk by. I don’t want to be anywhere near here if they happen to come across this.”

“Why don’t you want us in here?”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Chanyeol’s face drains of all color and I turn to see who’s behind me. Suho’s eyebrows are raised in question and I grasp the door’s handle. I begin to slowly close it in order to hide the scene from him. But to Chanyeol’s dismay, Suho pushes past me and walks into the room. He takes one look at the mess and turns to the culprit.

“Chanyeol goddamn Park.”

␛␛␛

I don’t see Chanyeol for the rest of morning and I fear Suho may have actually killed him this time. It wasn’t the first time my dimwitted friend messed up and Suho’s fake gray hair is beginning to slowly transition into his actual hair color. Poor guy. Suho, not Chanyeol. Chanyeol needs to be taught a lesson, the idiot. I grin fondly at Chanyeol’s idiocy and shake my head at the past actions he’s done.

“Is there a reason you’re smiling by yourself while walking down the hall?” Yixing questions, catching my attention.

“I’ve never seen someone so happy to be looking at walls before.”

My smile widens, “It’s a great way to pass the time.”

He snickers at my response and that’s when I notice he’s still in uniform from the facility.

“Any luck today?” I ask, trying to keep my hopes low. Yixing’s only been there for a few days and so far, they’ve had him do minimal tasks; cleaning the examination rooms, filling the syringes, nothing that’s helpful enough to figure out where my brother is.

“Yes, actually. I was on my way to Suho’s office,” he nods down the hall to back up his words. “Want to hear it?”
 

“Of course,” I excitedly say.

“Let’s go somewhere more discreet. Suho and Minseok still aren’t willing to let everyone know what’s going on.” He walks me down to the training room to my surprise. I was expecting to be taken somewhere else, honestly.

We both stroll to the new punching bag that was replaced, courtesy of my forcefulness the other day. He pushes the bag and watches as it swings back and forth. I patiently wait for him to begin speaking although, I can’t help but think the way he’s acting is a bit out of the norm.

“Uh, Yixing?” I call out to him.

“Hm? Oh, right, sorry.” He offers an apologetic smile. “I tested on my first ‘patient’ today.”

I’m taken aback by the news and don’t know how to react. I was shocked by the calmness of his voice.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t actually do anything bad to him.” He clarifies and I sigh in relief. “We faked everything. I was told beforehand that they weren’t going to be analyzing any tests I did, they merely wanted to see how I acted with him.”

“That’s a bit weird.” I comment and he nods in agreement.

“You’re telling me… His name was Kyungsoo,” Yixing says, a hint of fondness in his tone. “He was very cautious of me at first, especially when I tried explaining I was there to help him.”
 

A selfish part of me wonders why he is telling me this if it didn’t have anything to do with Sehun. Another part of me wants him to continue because the details on how they treat Holders are critical in our mission.

“He was cooperative after that,” he continues. “He knows Sehun.”
 

My head whips up after finally hearing what I wanted. “Is he… um, you know, okay?”

“Kyungsoo says he’s a hopeful brat.” I laugh at this because it sounds just like my brother. Always full of hope and never understanding realistic circumstance until it hits him square in the face. “I asked him to pass a message to Sehun, how we’re coming for him soon.”
 

I wish it was Sehun that Yixing had actually encountered rather than this Kyungsoo kid. Things would have been much easier if my brother were to know what the actual breaking out plan was. But a random kid fell into the position of messenger and I can’t complain due to the circumstances we’re all under. We’ll take what we can.

“Sooner or later, we’ll be getting into something we won’t be able to back out of.” Yixing mumbles and I purse my lips together. “Are you really ready for this, Mina?”
 

In truth, I wasn’t. Minseok mentioned we could go into war, us Holders against the Norms. I’m nowhere close to being proficient enough with my powers to protect myself or the ones I cared for. But I wasn’t going to admit this to anyone, especially Yixing who was close to our leaders.

“I am,” I put up my usual defensive front—the one I show when I don’t want anyone to see the real emotions and feelings I’m feeling. It was easier to hide them away rather than show them. It was a form of weakness I learned when

I was first came here.

Yixing’s smile seems forced this time and he pats my head. “Lying is for youngsters, try to steer away from it.”

With that, he walks out of the training room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I dig my hands into my jeans' pockets and shuffle out of the room, in my bottom lip to chew it. A walk could do me some good and what I really want right now is some fresh air.

I make my way to the hideout's only entrance, a bulkhead that was hidden behind a run-down building. The two guards, one boy and one girl, that are there both stomp their right foot in greeting.

"Reason for stepping outside?" the girl asks, looking me directly in the eye.

"Errands." I easily reply.

"For who?" this time, it's the boy who questions me and I raise my eyebrow.

"Suho."

"We didn't receive word of him sending anyone out." The girl says, head tilted to the side and I hold in the sigh that's threatening to come out..

"It was a last minute thing, there's no need to waste all this time. You know how he can get if someone's late, especially if it involves him," I try. The two share looks before the girl nods to her companion. They step aside, allowing me to pass them. "Thanks, guys."

The bulkhead creaks as I push it open, poking my head out to see the surrounding area. When I see no one around, I crawl out of the opening and carefully close the brown door, making sure it's completely shut. Walking around the building's corner and leading myself into an alley beside it, I begin my walk.

It wasn't long before I'm stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the pedestrian sign to come on when a middle-aged woman walks pass me, completely ignoring the car that's coming down the street as she types rapidly on her phone. My body reacts quicker than my mind and I lunge forward in an attempt to grab her arm.

I miss by mere centimeters and watch as the car increasingly closes the distance between the two. Was the driver not paying attention at all?!

"Look out!" I call out, and push her out of the way.

I stumble forward and fall, landing painfully on my knees as I watch her trip onto the sidewalk. A relieved smile spreads onto my face and it's only then that I remember there is a speeding car coming my way. I look to my left and widened my eyes at how close it has gotten. I'm too shocked to move and close my eyes instead, awaiting for the impact.

When I don't feel the force of the car mowing over me and hear the crushing of metal instead, I reluctantly open my eyes. The scene before me takes any breath of air that was once in me and leaves me shell-shocked.

The front of the car is smashed in where it would have hit me, the bumper and other pieces crushed and mangled. I shakeningly rise to my feet to check on the driver, seeing him passed out against the airbag. Hopefully, passed out.

I feel myself beginning to shake more with the realization that the driver may be dead from the impact I created. Tears well up at the corner of my eyes and I look over to the woman that's still standing off to the side.

There is no need for her to say anything because her expression says it all.

"U-um," I can't find any words to say to her.

She most likely knows what I am and I have every reason to run away right now. But my legs aren't working like I want them to and I'm beginning to panic with every second that passes by with her giving me the same look every Holder gets once being discovered.

"A Holder," she gasps, eyes holding nothing but fear in them.

"N-no, um, please," I hold a finger up to my lips in an attempt to shush her. I make the mistake of finally taking a step forward.

"Get away from!" She holds up her hands defensely and stumbles backwards. "Don't come anywhere near me."
 

"I just helped you," I feebly state, hands finding each other to wringe together.

"I didn't ask you to." She bites, venom in her tone. She looks around at the ground, "The authorities, I need to call them."

"No, wait," I call out, "you don't have to do that. Please."
 

"Don't talk to me like that!" She screeches, and I'm taken aback by her outburst. "Dont act like you're allowed to just go about our streets and do anything you like."

"I saved your life," I repeat, my fear deminishing and anger filling its spot.

"That doesn't matter," she hisses, pressing her fingers against her phone, dialing a number. "Monsters like you have no right to be here. No right to be anywhere."

Monster.

My heart wrenches painfully. It doesn't look like I'll be able to change her mind, and if I don't act soon, I'll be in W.O.M.A.'s custody. A fate I am not prepared to face at any point in my lifetime.

So I choose the most convenient choice I have. The only thing I know how to do.

I run away.