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South Korea was in a state of chaos. For the first time, a mutant had committed mass murder and caused extreme destruction to public and private property. It was most people’s worst fear come true. Protesters flooded the capital, calling for the Mutant Registration Act to be pushed forward.

“I want my children to grow up somewhere safe,” a woman holding a picket sign reading “MUTANTS, OR MONSTERS?” said. A news reporter was holding a microphone up to . “Nowhere is safe when mutants can be anywhere. Humans deserve the right to know if their neighbors, colleagues, even friends, are mutants. It’s for everyone’s safety.”

“They might look like us and sound like us, but we can’t let them fool us. They have the power to destroy and kill with the snap of their fingers. How can we stop a threat if we can’t even identify the perpetrators? Why is it that mutants don’t want to register if they have nothing to hide?”

“That girl just lifted a car like it was nothing and threw it across the road. I’m lucky to even be alive,” a man, who happened to witness the rogue mutant attack, told the news reporter.

“A registration list will only further alienate mutants and put them in danger. A public database would allow discrimination, and also allow terrorist organizations like the HCA to target specific individuals easily,” a mutant activist stated. There was a diminishing number of people fighting for the rights of mutants, as they often got accused of being mutants themselves, but there were still some well-known speakers.

The nation was clearly divided on the issue, but a growing number of people were beginning to believe that registration was a step in the right direction. The HCA’s plan of driving fear into the hearts of the country’s citizens had worked. In fact, it seemed public opinion across the world was beginning to sway more in the favor of taking rights away from mutants.

Only minutes after the news of the rogue mutant broke out, Nayeon and Momo wandered JYP’s school, looking for Tzuyu herself. Eventually they ran into Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Sana and Jeongyeon, who all seemed to be just as confused as they were. Tzuyu wasn’t answering texts or phone calls, and neither was Jihyo or Mina, so they decided to search every viable inch of the school they could think of. Instead of Tzuyu they found Mina and Akari in the health wing of the school.

It was slightly awkward for Nayeon, to see both of them there—especially Akari, who gave Nayeon a pointed glare as soon as she entered the room—but there were more important things to worry about then some petty drama from a few days ago. Besides, Momo was there beside Nayeon, holding her hand and resting her chin on Nayeon’s shoulder. Momo made Nayeon feel safe.

After a brief explanation of what happened, Jihyo, Tzuyu and JYP made there way into the room, catching everyone off guard.

“Tzuyu!” Momo cried, and pulled the taller girl into a hug. Tzuyu squeezed back, feeling slight relief to be surrounded by friends that knew she wasn’t responsible for all that destruction being repeatedly shown on the news. “Are you okay?”

“I’m alright,” the girl whispered, but she looked tired and a bit worried. In all honesty, the fact that someone else wearing her face was running around killing people terrified her.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake,” JYP stated, giving Akari a nod. “Can you tell me a bit more about your encounter with the super mutant?”

Akari took a breath. “She had all my powers and more, like Momo’s super speed and Tzuyu’s strength, and she looked exactly like Tzuyu, but really that’s all I know. I would’ve been dead if I stuck around any longer.”

JYP nodded.

“Super mutant?” Nayeon asked. “What’s that?”

“A genetically engineered mutant. We believe the HCA created this being to cause destruction.”

“How does it have Akari, Tzuyu and Momo’s power?” Jeongyeon replied, crossing her arms. “If the HCA genetically engineered this thing…”

“They must’ve collected DNA samples,” Dahyun guessed.

“Did you...collect Momo’s DNA for them?” Nayeon asked, staring Akari down. The two locked eyes and there was a clear tension building in the air.

“Of course not!” Akari assured, looking disgusted at the accusation. “Not knowingly, anyway. They did ask for her phone though after I...erm, froze her and used it to lure you all to the warehouse. It seemed trivial.”

“That’s where they found the DNA then,” Mina replied.

“This has been their game plan for awhile,” Jihyo observed. “Since they started working with Akari they must’ve began constructing that thing.”

“Why does she look exactly like Tzuyu?” Momo asked.

“They want the world to fear us. It’s easy to make that happen when a murderer is wearing the face of someone you’re supposed to trust.” JYP leaned back against the wall, looking like he was deep in thought.

Jihyo rubbed her temples in circles, still trying to wrap her head around what JYP was saying. “How did they create this thing?”

“My best guess is that they edited the DNA of a mutant already in existence. They inserted DNA taken from Tzuyu, Momo and Akari. Because of this, this mutant must be extremely unstable. She’ll be hard to control, even for the HCA themselves.”

“How are we supposed to stop her if she has all of Akari’s powers and more?” Nayeon had her arms crossed and looked a bit dejected.

Everyone was silent for a moment. “There’s one person here we know has the power to take down any mutant.” JYP looked at Mina, and the rest of the girls followed suit.

Under all the gazing eyes, Mina clasped her hands in front of her and looked down at the ground. She managed to take down Akari, yes, but they’d gotten lucky. She’d had Nayeon to turn back the clock if anything went wrong. “I may be able to do something if I can get close enough to her.”

“That’s assuming this thing will go on a rampage again,” Jihyo replied.

“It will,” Akari spoke up. “The HCA will use it to terrorize all of Korea until the government passes the Mutant Registration Act.”

JYP’s phone ran out loudly, making everyone jump. He answered it immediately. He nodded a few times as the person on the other line spoke. “Alright, we’ll be right there.” He looked at Tzuyu solemnly. “The police have arrived. Tzuyu, will you come with me?”

Tzuyu, who had remained silent up until this point, nodded. She began to follow the man out the door.

“Wait!” Jihyo called. “What are they gonna do to her? Please don’t let them hurt her,” she begged.

“I’ll be okay,” Tzuyu promised. She spun around and walked to Jihyo swiftly, wrapping the girl up into a hug. Jihyo squeezed her back tightly, burying her face into Tzuyu’s chest. “I’ll be okay,” she repeated—this time to assure herself.

“You girls need to get Miss Suzy. She’ll have special instructions for you,” JYP said, rather vaguely. JYP and Tzuyu disappeared out of the room, leaving the rest of the girls alone. Jihyo knew exactly what these instructions were, being able to read JYP’s thoughts rather clearly, but she kept it to herself. Nayeon gave Jihyo a knowing look but said nothing.

“We have to find her,” Jihyo said. Akari began to move off the bed but Mina put a hand on the girl’s shoulder and pushed her back down. Akari gave Mina a surprised look and Mina simply gazed back firmly.

“You need to stay here and rest. We’ll go find Suzy and let you know what she says.” Mina patted Akari on the head and the older girl huffed, but knew better than to argue. Her body still did ache all over, even though Suzy healed her most extreme wounds.

“Jihyo, can you tell where Miss Suzy is?” Jeongyeon asked.

Jihyo nodded, stepping forward. She used her powers to located Suzy by sensing her thoughts, which were radiating like sound waves. “Way ahead of you. She’s actually headed our way now, she’s in the hallway.”

“Let’s meet her there then,” Nayeon suggested.

 

 

JYP’s school became chaos. Most students had no idea what was going on—they’d only seen the news footage of a girl that looked exactly like Tzuyu destroying Seoul. The professors and teachers had gathered the small student body into the mess hall.

Miss Suzy, however, had a different task. JYP had given her special instructions in case of an emergency, and this certainly qualified as one. She began to walk back toward the medical wing where Akari was being kept, knowing that that was where the girls probably were. They met Suzy in the hallway on her way there. Each girl had a face filled with curiosity and a bit of fear.

Without any more than a “follow me” the girls were trailing behind Miss Suzy as she headed toward the east wing. At the very end of the wing, there was a door everyone knew about, but what was on the other side was a bit of a mystery. JYP was rumored to go inside every once in a while, so many guessed it was a secret hideout of sorts.

“I was instructed to give you each something in the case of an emergency where JYP was away.” On a keyboard next to the door, Suzy typed in a code, and the door unlocked. She pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit room. As soon as Suzy stepped inside, fluorescent lights came to life, erupting each wall in a brilliant glow.

Jihyo was the first to enter, followed by Jeongyeon. The rest of the girls followed suit. Mina hesitated, however. Chaeyoung noticed how Mina lingered by the threshold of the door, staring inside the room with a look of nervousness.

“What’s wrong?” Chaeyoung asked, staring at Mina in concern.

Mina shook her head. “I’m not sure. I just got this feeling...that once we step through that door there’s no going back.”

Chaeyoung reached out and took Mina’s hand in her own. “We’ll do it together then. Nothing bad can happen when we’re together, right?”

Mina smiled at that—how Chaeyoung believed that to be true. Mina wished that were the case. Squeezing Chaeyoung’s hand, Mina stepped forward with Chaeyoung at her side. As they entered, they both heard gasps coming from the girls ahead.

“This is...amazing!” Dahyun exclaimed. “Dibs on the green one!”

“Actually, JYP had one tailor made for all of you...even Akari.” Suzy stood back and let the girls examine a row of ten glass display cases, each containing a mannequin with a one-piece, sleek looking black outfit with a horizontal stripe of color going across the chest and the edges of the popped collar. “The orange one is for you, Dahyun.”

“This is like straight out of a superhero movie,” Chaeyoung muttered with wide eyes, staring at each suit as if they were a piece of artwork in a museum. In some ways, they were. They were clearly rather expensive and custom made.

“Why did he make these for us?” Jihyo asked. She’d known about the suits since the moment JYP had thought about it as he left with Tzuyu, but she wasn’t able to figure out why he had them made.

“This is the time when your training will be put to the test. He wants you to work together as a team to stop the threat—in this case, this rogue mutant.”

“He trusts us to go out there and fight it?” Jeongyeon exclaimed, a bit surprised. “Isn’t there people more qualified in this school? Like you and the rest of the teachers and professors?”

Suzy smiled slightly at that. “Your powers compliment each other better than any other team that could be put together here. You each make up for each other’s weaknesses. You love each other too, and sometimes that is the most powerful weapon of all.” Suzy couldn’t help but laugh at her own corniness, but she continued.

“He believes you’re ready, and that if you each use your powers together then you can defeat any threat. I know you’ve begun to work as a team in the past and you’ve proved to be successful already. Sneaking out to the HCA headquarters today…” the woman trailed off. “Pretending to be me and tricking the guards, that was smart.” Suzy gave Mina a knowing look and the younger girl quickly bowed her head in embarrassment.

“That was my idea!” Sana bragged, smiling brightly. Dahyun gave her a pat on the head and Sana looked pleased.

“When this super mutant attacks again, you need to be ready. You have to suit up and work as a team to take her down. Wearing these outfits should help make you seem more professional. The material was also specifically designed to be durable, comfortable and also protective.”

Momo placed her hand against the glass pane in front of a suit that was lined with pink.

“JYP is so extra, but I love him for it,” Nayeon commented. The other girls agreed.

Suzy pointed out which suit belonged to which girl. Dahyun had orange, Mina white, Chaeyoung red, Momo pink, Jeongyeon yellow, Jihyo green, Nayeon yellow, Tzuyu blue, Sana purple and Akari silver. “You can all take your suits. Be ready to be called out when there’s another attack,” Suzy instructed. “And yes, they are machine washable.”

Dahyun and Sana cheered.

They each collected their suits from the mannequins they were displayed on by ping the zipper in the front. Even though Tzuyu wasn’t there, Jihyo made sure to grab the girl’s suit for her. Mina did the same for Akari’s suit.

“So if the mutant attacks again, we’re supposed to go out there and fight it?” Jeongyeon asked.

Suzy nodded. “You’ll have permission to take a van and leave. The government has allowed this school to exist in case of a mutant attack like this—the police are powerless against this mutant so it’s up to you.”

The girls looked around at each other—their teammates. They’d be fighting side by side against an enemy that could easily be the most powerful mutant out there. Could they do it?
 

“So are we supposed to be superheros now?” Chaeyoung asked. Her and Mina were headed back to the medical wing with their suits tucked under their arms, along with Akari’s. They’d separated from the rest of the group, who headed back toward their dorm rooms.

Mina smirked at that. “I guess we have to be, for everyone’s sake.” Her smile suddenly faded though and she looked solemn

“I don’t feel like a superhero,” Chaeyoung replied. She hadn’t really once stepped up and done something important yet. She just felt like plain old Chaeyoung—still finishing her last year of high school.

“Me either,” Mina admitted. She felt more like a supervillain. Taking on a rogue mutant that looked identical to her friend would surely be a challenge. Were they truly ready to take on this responsibility? There were certainly other mutants more qualified, weren’t there?

“What are you thinking?” Chaeyoung asked, eying her girlfriend, who looked lost in thought.

“I feel like a lot of this is falls on me...to stop this girl, I mean. I wish it didn’t have to be me. Why couldn’t it be Jihyo...or Jeongyeon...or Nayeon…?”

Chaeyoung put her arm around the older girl’s shoulder. “Because you’re Myoui Mina and you’re a badass.”

Mina let out a laugh and Chaeyoung smiled, staring at the way Mina’s eyes curled up into half moons.

“I like to think things happen for a reason. You have these powers for a reason. No one else was supposed to have them.”

“Why me?” Mina asked.

“I’m not sure, honestly...but you know we’ll all be by your side every step of the way, right? You’re not going at this alone.”

Mina nodded, feeling reassurance from Chaeyoung’s words. “If you’re by my side I’ll find the strength to do this.”

“You don’t need me,” Chaeyoung scoffed.

“Actually, I do. I do need you, indeed.” Mina looked down at Chaeyoung intensely for a moment before she grew shy and looked away. Chaeyoung’s heart felt like it gonna fly out of her chest.

They arrived back at the medical wing, where Akari was patiently waiting. As soon as they entered the room, Mina released Chaeyoung’s hand without thought. Chaeyoung felt her stomach drop—she knew Mina wasn’t ready to let Akari know that they were together.

Akari was sitting up in bed and looking grumpy because she wasn’t able tag along. “This is for you,” Mina said, gently placing Akari’s suit down on the bed beside the girl. Akari immediately snatched it and inspected it closely.

“What…?”

“JYP made these for each of us. He wants us to work as a team and take down this rogue mutant,” Chaeyoung explained.

“But this girl is incredibly powerful. Going after her might be suicide…” It said a lot that Akari herself was scared of this girl. “She nearly killed me, I’m lucky to be alive.”

“That’s why we have to work together,” Mina replied, taking her own suit and hugging it to her chest.

“We can’t just let this girl take out the entire city. We’re the only ones who can stop her,” Chaeyoung added.

Akari was silent for a moment before she finally nodded. She tossed her long, brown hair over her shoulder before she set her lips determinedly. “Okay, this will be interesting.”

 

Everyone waited anxiously for word of another attack. Tzuyu was in the custody of the police, and JYP remained there with her as she was questioned. It was hard for Jihyo to stomach the thought of her friend in that situation after just being kidnapped by the HCA.

Nayeon put an arm around Jihyo’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” she assured Jihyo. They were sitting side by side on Jihyo’s bed. Ever since the day where the rogue mutant attacked, Jihyo had been more on edge than anyone else. Nayeon knew it was because she missed Tzuyu and was worried about her. “They’re not hurting Tzuyu. If anything, they’ll probably just run some tests to prove that her powers are gone.”

Jihyo nodded, knowing Nayeon was right. She trusted JYP to protect Tzuyu, but she really wished she could be with her while she went through all this. “We’ll take down this girl and then Tzuyu will be released, okay?”

It was one of the rare times when Jihyo remembered that Nayeon was actually older than her. She leaned her head against Nayeon’s shoulder and found comfort in her presence.

“We should come up with some sort of game plan,” Jeongyeon said. She was laying down on her own bed, constantly updating social media in case there was a news alert about another attack.

“Well, I’ll be useless,” Jihyo muttered.

“You don’t know that!” Nayeon poked Jihyo in the side.

“What am I gonna do? Read her mind and use all her insecurities against her?” Jihyo rolled her eyes.

“You’re more powerful than you think, or else JYP wouldn’t have included you on this team.” Jeongyeon rolled onto her side so she was facing Jihyo and Nayeon.

“We need to make sure Mina can do her thing, that’s the end game of our plan,” Nayeon replied, pressing her lips together and thinking hard about their best way to approach the rogue mutant. “And she needs to be relatively close to this girl to make her unconscious, or whatever it is Mina will do.”

“This girl can make people’s heads explode if she wants to, we need to be careful,” Jihyo replied thoughtfully.

“We need to distract her while Mina gets close. I think that’s the only way.” Jeongyeon was always full of good ideas. Nayeon and Jihyo nodded. “Let’s get everyone together and brainstorm.”

The next day, everyone gathered in Sana and Momo’s room. Packed onto the two beds, the desk chairs and the floor, the girls looked tired and anxious. Akari had even joined everyone this time, getting the okay from Suzy to return back to her old room. She had basically healed entirely—you would’ve never known she was nearly beaten to death only yesterday.

“We need to distract this girl so Mina can get close to her and do her thing,” Jeongyeon announced. “It’s gonna take all of us because this girl can practically incapacitate us in a second.”

“I can hang back and make sure nothing bad happens...I can keep going back in time as many times as we need,” Nayeon said. Her arms were wrapped around Momo and she was snuggled into the girl’s back.

“Jeongyeon, Nayeon and Jihyo are our protective measures,” Mina concluded. “There in case things go wrong.”

“And Jeongyeon can probably whack the girl a few times. After all, if I can’t prevent time from being stopped, neither can this girl,” Akari added. “The trickiest part will be attacking before she does, because it’ll be very easy for her to knock us down like dominoes.”

“We need the element of surprise, that’s the only way.” Jihyo crossed her legs and leaned forward on Sana’s bed. Her fingers drummed against the neatly pressed comforter...she wanted nothing more than to hold Tzuyu’s hand in this moment.

“I can be a distraction,” Dahyun volunteered. “She can’t take out 10 of me at once.”

Sana looked at Dahyun with a frown on her face. Was that worry?

“I can take offense,” Chaeyoung offered.

“This isn’t soccer, Chaeng,” Sana scolded. “This is serious business.”

“I can throw some things at her while she’s being attacked...send her flying off her feet.”

“I can take offense too. I’ll do whatever I can to put her down,” said Akari, piggybacking off Chaeyoung.

“Put her down?” Momo asked with wide eyes.

“Well, we have to kill her,” Akari stated plainly, with her face expressionless. At everyone’s silence, Akari looked around from face to face and scoffed. “What, did you think we were all going to sit in a circle and sing kumbaya?”

“I was going to knock her out and wipe her memories, just like I did with you.” Mina turned to look at Akari.

“Yeah, cause that turned out so well the first time,” Nayeon muttered more loudly than she meant to. Akari snapped and glared at her.

“The government will probably want her. They’ll deal with her and end up executing her anyway,” Jeongyeon said while running a hand through her hair.

“I don’t want that blood on my hands,” Mina whispered. “I’ll let the government be the executioner if they want to but I won’t do that.”

“She’s killed innocent people, Mina,” Nayeon exclaimed. “The easiest and safest bet is to just finish her. That way she can’t hurt anyone else.”

“For once, I agree with Nayeon,” Akari admitted. The two shared a surprised look of solidarity. “If you won’t kill her, then I will.”

It was settled then. A rough game plan was established. Nothing was set in stone though, as the girls had no idea what to expect. Anything could happen.

 

 

Everyone was on edge, constantly checking the news for any sign of the mutant attacking again. Classes were suspended until JYP returned, so there was only an uneasy anticipation settled over the school like a thick fog.

“The wait is killing me,” Sana muttered, cheek smushed against her pillow. Dahyun was laying beside her and the two were eye to eye. They had the room to themselves—Momo was off with Nayeon somewhere, probably pacing the halls because Nayeon couldn’t keep still.

“You wanna go out there and fight?” Dahyun asked with wide eyes.

“No, but we’ll have to get it over with eventually. I’d just rather get it done sooner than later, you know?”

Dahyun hummed and nodded her head. Sana looked at the other girl with a small smile on her face. Sana’s eyes were shining so brightly that Dahyun could only stare back with her lips slightly parted.

“You still like me, right?” Dahyun asked.

Sana looked flabbergasted. “Of course! How could I ever stop loving you?”

Dahyun’s eyes widened and Sana continued to stare back with a determined look on her face. There was a beat.

“OH! Did I say ‘love’? I meant like—how could I ever stop liking you? Haha, stupid auto-correct.”

“Sana...this isn’t a text conversation and this isn’t an incorrect quotes post either.”

Another beat.

“Ha ha, the autocorrect in my head. You know? My brain trying to form words….sometimes they come out wrong. And for your information, those incorrect quote posts are usually pretty accurate,” Sana’s voice sped along as she rambled, and Dahyun realized this was the first time she’d seen the older girl so flustered. It was endearing.

“It’s okay,” Dahyun assured, giving Sana a smile.

Sana sighed with relief and gave a slightly nervous smile back. “Anyway, it’s only been a few days since you asked me that in the first place. What could have changed since then?”

Dahyun shrugged. It looked funny because she was laying down on her side. “It’s just hard for me to believe, I guess, this whole “you liking me” thing.”

“Why?” Sana reached out and cupped Dahyun’s face with her hand. Dahyun in a shaky breath.

“I’m just...me. And you’re you.”

“Well, I’d be a little worried if you weren’t yourself and I wasn’t me,” Sana teased.

Dahyun huffed. “You know what I mean. I’m just...dorky and awkward. You’re so beautiful and smart and funny…”

“Dahyun...you’re all of those things too.”

Dahyun scooched closer to Sana slightly. Sana took a loose strand of Dahyun’s hair and twirled it around her fingers. “Really?” Dahyun asked.

Sana nodded dramatically. “Yes, that’s why I like you. I feel lucky to know you and to be your friend.” Sana turned back to face the ceiling. “You know, Chaeyoung and Mina are a thing now, right?”

Dahyun nodded. Chaeyoung had told her with a giddy smile on her face somewhere in between all the chaos.

“Well...maybe it’s time…”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“A hundred times, yes!” Dahyun replied. She was staring at Sana’s side profile, mesmerized by the girl’s amazingly cute nose.

“You’ll go out with me?” Sana gasped, turning her head to look at Dahyun. The movement was so quick she nearly collided her own head with Dahyun’s.

Dahyun smiled brightly, practically glowing, and Sana couldn’t help but giggle as the girl nodded.

“Ah, you’re all mine now,” Sana said, reaching over and pinching Dahyun’s cheek, tugging on it playfully. “You know, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to do for awhile now…”

Sana’s eyes lowered to Dahyun’s lips.

It was Dahyun’s turn to feel flustered this time.

Her heart raced, and she could feel every pulse expanding and contrasting, her whole body was on fire. It was just a kiss, but it held so much in it’s short time span. Sana’s lips were soft and warm—Dahyun wanted to hang onto them forever.

It felt liberating and exciting. The two girls pulled back, staring at each other shyly. Sana’s eyelids were slightly closed, and Dahyun could make out each of her long eyelashes. Sana’s right hand was tracing the muscles on Dahyun’s neck, ever so gently.

 

Nayeon and Momo were pacing the halls, exactly as expected. Nayeon was nervous. So was Momo. The two girls figured some physical activity was the only way to tire themselves out and drown out their worry. They walked hand and hand, quickly, around every inch of the school. They both smiled and waved as they passed by any student or professor. They’d become what some might consider overnight celebrities—the whole student body looked to them with interest—the chosen few destined to take out the rogue threat and return order to their country.

They made it to the library, which was deserted as usual. They decided to pace the aisles and point out interesting book titles. About halfway down the large room, the two girls began to hear some whispers. Nayeon and Momo exchanged curious looks. Nayeon raised her eyebrows and her lips slipped into a mischievous smile. She put a single finger to her lips and pulled Momo along, sneaking closer to the sound.

There were two distinct, hushed voices. Nayeon and Momo peered through the gaps in the bookshelves, able to view the aisle next to them where the voices were coming from. It was hard to see the faces that belonged to the voices though. After about a minute of spying, Nayeon could pick out one of the voices. It was none other than her roommate Jeongyeon. A few more seconds and a figure stepped into view. Nayeon could make out her roommate’s yellow hoodie as clear as day.

“...and I’m not sure what she’ll do. I mean, she said she doesn’t want to kill this girl but if she doesn’t Akari might finish the mutant off instead,” Jeongyeon was saying, facing someone that was blocked from Nayeon’s view.

“It’s kind of sad, isn’t it?” It was a guy’s voice. It sounded familiar but Nayeon couldn’t quite think of who it belonged to. “This girl...she was probably manipulated by the HCA. They could’ve experimented on her, tortured her…”

“Probably,” Jeongyeon agreed.

“But not everyone can be saved, can they? Some people are just too far gone.”

A few books collapsed and Momo grimaced, she looked at Nayeon apologetically as Jeongyeon cried out on the other side of the bookshelf. Momo hadn’t meant to knock them over but...well...it happened. The books between her and Jeongyeon were on the floor, so Jeongyeon could clearly see Momo’s spying eyes on the other side. Momo immediately ducked down and Jeongyeon pressed her lips together, shaking her head.

“I can see you, you know,” Jeongyeon mused. “Come on out. Both of you.”

“Hey, how did you know I was there too?” Nayeon whined.

“Where Momo goes, you follow.”

“Right,” Nayeon muttered. Her and Momo walked to meet Jeongyeon in the next aisle over, face to face. Nayeon was a bit surprised to see Jeongyeon was with Wonpil—another student at the school who was studying for a master’s degree.

“Hey Wonpil,” Momo waved, looking embarrassed.

“Hey Momo, Nayeon,” he nodded to the two girls.

“We heard voices and got curious,” Nayeon explained before Jeongyeon could ask.

“We were just talking about your mission,” Wonpil said, casually.

Nayeon gave Jeongyeon a knowing look. The girl shot a look back at Nayeon that seemed to say “don’t say a word.”

“Well, we’ll leave you two alone then,” Momo replied, smiling slightly. She took Nayeon’s hand and pulled her away.

As the two fast-walked away, they both giggled to each other. “So that’s who Jeongyeon’s been wandering off to see recently,” Nayeon observed.

“I can’t believe we spied on them,” Momo laughed.

“You’re a terrible spy.” Nayeon linked her arm with Momo’s.

Momo pouted and Nayeon laughed. The two stopped walking—they were alone in the hallway. It was getting late and most people had retired to their rooms, probably playing video games and watching Netflix.

“You’re the one who distracted me!” Momo whined.

“Me? How?”

Momo unlinked her arm from Nayeon and crossed them in front of her chest. “Your side profile…”

“Yes?” Nayeon leaned forward expectantly.

“It’s...pretty.”

Nayeon’s smirk broke into a full out grin. She put her hands on both of Momo’s hips, sliding her hands back until she was pressed against the other girl completely. “Really?” Nayeon asked. Their faces were very close. Momo uncrossed her arms and wrapped them around Nayeon as well. Nayeon gently pushed Momo until her back was against the wall.

Momo looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Instead she watched Nayeon with smitten eyes. Nayeon leaned forward slowly, alternating looking between Momo’s eyes and her lips. Momo didn’t say anything so Nayeon continued leaning forward until their lips met. Nayeon’s hands traveled to the back of Momo’s neck and her chin. There was just enough force behind the kiss to make Momo moan slightly.

“Nayeon,” Momo exhaled after a minute, with her lips still partially pressed against Nayeon’s.

“Hm?” the older girl hummed.

“Someone could see us.”

“So what?” Nayeon’s voice was playful. She leaned forward again and began to kiss Momo’s neck softly.

“Ugh, fine.” The kisses continued, and Momo could start to feel her legs getting weak.

Nayeon planted a few more kisses on Momo’s face, teasingly placing them anywhere but on the girl’s lips. After brushing up against the corner of Momo’s mouth, Nayeon pulled back and looked at Momo’s blissful expression with a smile on her face. “Alright, I think that’s enough for now.”

Momo nodded and reached for Nayeon’s hands. Their fingers intertwined perfectly. “Your hands are so big,” Momo observed as she played with her girlfriend’s fingers, brushing them against her own.

Nayeon laughed. “I have piano player’s hands, that’s what my father used to tell me, anyway.” She was silent for a moment, thinking back to the happy childhood she so often tried to forget. Knowing her parents loved her up until they found out their daughter was a mutant was still a hard pill to swallow.

“Hey,” Momo whispered, lightly brushing a strand of Nayeon’s strawberry red hair behind the girl’s ear. “You know I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

Nayeon looked down at the ground and nodded.

“Let’s head back to my room, okay?”

The two girls walked back into Momo’s room to find a sleeping Sana and Dahyun tangled up on Sana’s bed. They were under the covers, snuggled up against each other. Momo and Nayeon looked at each other and giggled at Dahyun’s open-mouthed expression. When Momo and Nayeon crawled into Momo’s bed, the two other girls didn’t even stir. Momo reached up and flicked off the light switch and the room was covered in darkness.

 

Mina couldn’t sleep. She was laying in darkness, staring up at the ceiling of her small bedroom. Even playing some of her favorite songs on the iPod JYP had given her when she’d first arrived at the school hadn’t helped. She figured he’d given it to her to provide her with some sense of normalcy. Most girls her age would have their favorite music at their fingertips, so why shouldn’t she? Mina’d been without music for two years and before then she didn’t realize how absolutely essential it was in her life.

That’s why she listened to it every night before she went to bed—an assortment of top hits JYP had put on there. Chaeyoung had even showed Mina how to (illegally) download more music so she could put any song she wanted on it. It was mostly filled with slow ballads and songs from the early 2000s that reminded her of her childhood. Boy, things were simpler then.

Truthfully, the reason she couldn’t sleep was because the pressure of their looming big mission was eating away at her. What Chaeyoung had said earlier had helped—all of her friends would be by her side the entire time—but she was still worried something would happen resulting in another injury or even death. She knew Akari and Nayeon wanted her to kill this rogue mutant...but how could she do it when this girl looked just like Tzuyu? She might have killed someone once, accidentally, but she could barely squash a bug, let alone force the life out of someone willfully.

Ping~ a message notification popped up on Mina’s iPod. Recently Chaeyoung had downloaded a messaging app on Mina’s iPod as well, to at least use until she could get an actual cell phone.

Mina looked down at her screen while squinting her eyes at the bright light.

Chaeyoung: Can’t sleep...are you awake?

Mina smiled to herself, finding comfort that she wasn’t the only one still worried about their mission.

Mina: Yeah, I can’t sleep either. Wanna come over?~

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Mina wandered through the darkness and searched for the light switch with her hands. She opened the door and there was Chaeyoung in her pajamas. Mina had a strong feeling of deja-vu, thinking back to the first time she’d opened the door at night to find Chaeyoung outside, wearing her pajamas. Mina remembered that night clearly—it was the night she felt like she might actually feel at home at JYP’s school. And there was the kiss with Chaeyoung, of course. The accidental one. Just thinking about it made Mina wanna fan herself.

“What are you smiling about?” Chaeyoung asked with a smile on her face as Mina stepped aside and let Chaeyoung in.

“It’s nothing. I was just remembering the last time I saw you in your pajamas.”

“Oh, right,” Chaeyoung’s smile grew. She nervously fidgeted with her glasses and after a moment sat down on Mina’s bed.

Mina sat down beside Chaeyoung but scooted over so that her legs were on either side of Chaeyoung and the younger girl could lean back against her. “What if something goes wrong when the next attack happens?” Mina asked suddenly. “What if someone gets hurt or worse…”

“We always have Miss Suzy,” Chaeyoung replied thoughtfully. “And I guess that’s a risk we have to take, you know? No one else can stop this girl but us.”

“I just don’t want anything to happen to someone else because of me,” Mina murmured. “If anything happened to you I don’t know what I’d do…”

Chaeyoung reached behind herself absentmindedly and Mina grabbed both of the girl’s hands. “I’ll be okay. I’m pretty tough, you know.” Chaeyoung released one of Mina’s hands and flexed her bicep—Mina couldn’t help but laugh. “Worrying will do you no good at this point. Your best bet is praying for the best and making sure you’re mentally prepared to take this girl on.”

Mina nodded, even though Chaeyoung was facing away from her and couldn’t see her. She leaned her head into the back of Chaeyoung’s neck and took in the girl’s fresh scent—the shorter girl must’ve just taken a shower recently, as was evidenced by her slightly damp hair.

“Can we just stay here forever?” Mina asked softly, closing her eyes. There was almost a pleading tone to her words. Chaeyoung’s heart felt heavy in her chest.

“I wish,” Chaeyoung replied. The feeling of Mina’s soft and warm breath against her neck sent shivers down her spine. “I’d want nothing more than to cuddle with you for the rest of eternity.”

Even though Chaeyoung couldn’t see Mina’s face, she could tell Mina was smiling.

“I don’t want to kill her, Chaeyoung.”

Chaeyoung swallowed hard. She leaned her head back against Mina’s shoulder. “Then don’t.”

“But if I don’t, then Akari will.”

Chaeyoung was quiet. She didn’t quite know what to say. Mina was right, Akari would surely kill this girl. “You can’t save everyone.”

“I have to try,” Mina whispered.

Chaeyoung scooted forward and twisted around so she could see Mina’s face. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

Mina pursed her lips together and looked at her wall, which was completely devoid of any decoration. “I won’t.” She leaned forward and kissed Chaeyoung’s nose.

Chaeyoung knew she couldn’t tell Mina not to do anything—the girl would do what she wanted and no one could stop her. Chaeyoung could only hope that Akari took action before Mina ended up getting hurt. She’d never tell Mina, but she actually agreed with Akari and Nayeon. This rogue mutant girl was too dangerous to keep around.

 

It was after midnight and Akari was awake—thinking and calculating. Akari knew what she had to do. She had to kill this girl before Mina had the chance to do anything stupid while trying to save her. Akari refused to lose Mina that way—trying to save some girl that didn’t deserve to be saved.

Did she herself deserve to be saved though? Probably not, and yet here she was, offered a second chance. At least she didn’t kill total innocents like this rogue mutant had. She killed government employees, both Japanese and Korean, depending on her mission. Some HCA members too. And okay, she had stabbed Sana. Akari did regret that very much, considering how much she liked Sana now. And she had nearly frozen Momo to death...but Momo was fine now too. That didn’t make her a monster, did it?

Akari hadn’t always been this way. She had been a kid once, complaining about high school as if taking classes was pure torture. Now she new what real torture felt like, and she wished so badly to return to her childhood days—to rewind time so that she would never be taken by the Japanese government in the first place and turned into their walking weapon. She yearned for those lost years they took from her—she’d never even gotten to graduate, after all.

Akari thought of the person she used to be and wondered what this person would think of who she was now. With a slight smile on her face, Akari thought that Mina would’ve liked the person she used to be very much. Akari clenched and unclenched her fists, staring up at her ceiling and waiting for sleepiness to take her. As she drifted off, she thought of her and Mina meeting in another life where superpowers didn’t exist.

 

The alert came in the afternoon—an inconvenient time when a lot of people would be out and about in the city. The Tzuyu look-alike came strolling out onto the street, eying the world around her as if it were a blank canvas and she were an artist with an epiphany. Immediately she picked up a few cars and tossed them aside like rag dolls, laughing as she did so. People began to run in terror and call the police.

Jihyo was the first one to receive an alert, thanks to notifications set up in her phone. She jumped up for her bed and yelled at Jeongyeon to get suited up. After putting on her own suit, she dialed Nayeon’s number. Luckily the girls in Sana and Momo’s room had received the news too and were already working on slipping into their coordinated outfits. Nayeon called Chaeyoung, who immediately ran to get Mina and Akari. The girls changed with lightning speed and met outside in the hallway.

“Wow, we look…” Sana began, surveying her friends, all wearing their matching outfits.

“...like superheroes!” Dahyun cried out, striking an action pose.

“We need to get there, now,” Jihyo replied with a straight face. She took Nayeon’s arm and began pulling her toward the front of the school. The rest of the girls followed suit. Nayeon would be driving a van in which they all squeezed into, headed straight toward the location the rogue mutant was terrorizing.

The guards seemed to be awaiting their arrival. They stepped aside as the girls passed and wished them luck. Wonpil happened to be on guard duty. He exchanged a glance with Jeongyeon—what was it, nervousness, fear?—before they both nodded at each other and Jeongyeon disappeared inside the school van. Nayeon started the car and drove out of the garage quickly, flooring it.

Jihyo had input the location of the attack in her phone’s GPS and guided Nayeon there. There was heavy traffic headed away from the direction they were going in—it seemed everyone was scared of this rogue mutant, and they had every right to be. “Let’s park a block away and try our best to take her out stealthily,” Akari suggested. Nayeon found a spot along the street and shut off the van. The girls piled out, already hearing screams and the sound of crushing metal.

“Showtime,” Jeongyeon breathed out, stealing a nervous breath.

“Alright, Dahyun, Sana, Chaeng, Momo and Akari, you distract her. Jeong and Nayeon, stay back but be ready to help at any moment. Mina, stay with them until you have a clearing and then get close enough to her to do your thing.” Jihyo had her hands on her hips, looking determined. If they could stop this girl then Tzuyu could be released, and she wanted nothing more than that right now.

The offensive team moved out, ready to begin taking on the rogue mutant head on. “Don’t die, okay?” Nayeon called out. The girls turned around and nodded.

Mina crossed her arms as she watched in anticipation, sending out a silent prayer that everyone would be safe. She moved slowly behind the offensive team along with Jihyo, Nayeon and Jeongyeon.

“Remember, she can make your brain fry in a few seconds. We’re gonna have to make sure she can’t focus on just one of us,” Akari whispered.

As they walked into the street, they saw a glimpse of the rogue mutant. She was walking through the middle of the street, arms at her sides, and everything around her was chaos. Cars were thrown on their sides and flipped over, crushed. Some of the cars had people in them, and the seriousness of their injuries were unclear. Street lights were on the ground. Shards of broken glass littered the pavement. There was also a trail of snow and ice falling from the girl’s fingertips. Bodies of people unlucky enough to get too close to her were frozen solid.

People inside the buildings nearby stood by windows, peering out. They were trapped in their buildings, too afraid to leave. The police were forming a blockade of the street, not allowing anyone to get near this girl who was destroying everything. However, it appeared they were too scared to get any closer to the mutant. They’d fired a few shots at her but she’d dodged them all effortlessly.

“I’ll try to throw some punches, cover me!” Akari said. She began running forward before she disappeared, jumping through space until she landed directly behind the rogue mutant. She jabbed the mutant in the back of the head with a thud. The girl staggered forward, but caught herself before she fell to the ground.

Before the rogue mutant could spin around and face Akari, Momo ran directly in front of the girl. “Hey, over here!” Momo taunted, sticking her tongue out at the girl before she began to run away in circles and erratic patterns—she was a blur.

Chaeyoung lifted her arm and one of the fallen street lights levitated into the air. She pushed her hand forward and the light hurled itself directly in the rogue mutant’s direction. Akari landed a kick before the girl narrowly avoided the street light using her super speed—she was now looking directly at Chaeyoung with an icy glare.

Chaeyoung’s breath caught in as she saw how much this girl really looked like Tzuyu. She was a dead-ringer for her friend. But she’s not her, Chaeyoung reminded herself.

“You came, just like they said you would,” the girl said in a voice that sounded eerily like Tzuyu’s. “But where are the rest of you?”

Sana disappeared, turning invisible, she slowly made her way closer to the girl. Meanwhile, Dahyun closed her eyes and concentrated on duplicating herself—she was trying to make as many copies as possible to better distract the rogue mutant.

“Remember me?” Akari said, letting her arm wind up for another punch. As she shot her fist forward, the girl spun around and caught Akari’s hand with lightning speed, blocking Akari’s punch.

“You’re the one I almost killed. You won’t be so lucky this time.”

Akari’s eyes widened as she struggled to free her fist from the girl’s grasp, but the girl was much too strong. Akari began to cry out when it felt like the bones in her hand were about to snap as the Tzuyu look-alike squeezed harder and harder with her super strength.

“Hi-yah!” Sana cried out as she kicked the back of the girl’s knees, causing the girl to buckle and release Akari’s hand.

The rogue mutant’s head snapped back in Sana’s direction but she saw nothing, as Sana managed to remain invisible.

A chorus of “heys” rang out as the Dahyun copies began to run around the scene. “Over here!” they all taunted. Some of them ran around while others attempted to rescue any people trapped in cars or frozen with ice.

Akari saw her chance and extended her hand, holding it out near the girl’s head—she tried to make the pressure inside the girl’s head increase using her willpower.

The girl clenched her fists and let out a piercing scream as her head was about to pop.

Akari’s nose scrunched up in concentration as she increased the power of her attack. The girl began to sink to her knees with her hands on her head. From a distance, the defensive team cheered. Would this be much easier than they thought? They hadn’t even had to use their powers yet.

But then the girl’s closed eyes shot open, and she stopped screaming. She stood up, looking at Akari blankly. Akari grunted as she attempted to blow the girl’s brains out but it was as if her powers were being blocked.

Chaeyoung lifted her hands again, this time sending a car flying in the direction of the mutant and Akari. Momo acted fast, grabbing Akari and speeding out of the car’s path. The rogue mutant was quick too, dodging the car at the last second. The car landed with a crash, echoing down the street and cracking the pavement beneath it.

“Watch where you throw things, Chaeng!” Akari cursed out, glaring at Chaeyoung.

“Sorry,” she called back. “I knew Momo would save you.”

“Enough chit-chat,” the rogue mutant growled. Her fingers began to curl as frost began to spread out from the ground beneath her feet. In an instant, a flurry of ice shot out from around her. Momo and Akari braced themselves for the onslaught, but Sana, closest to the rogue mutant, was hit hard by the wave of ice. She flickered into view and collapsed, covered in snow.

In less than a second, Momo was at Sana’s side, dusting the snow off the girl. The rogue mutant laughed as she looked down at the two girls. Nayeon got ready to use her neuralizer to bring everyone back a few moments and warn Sana about the impending freeze attack. It appeared Sana was okay though, so Nayeon held off.

A pack of the Dahyun copies pummeled the Tzuyu look-alike, throwing punches and kicks. “Leave my girlfriend alone!” some of them cried.

The rogue mutant grunted but quickly screamed out and all of the copies around her collapsed, cradling their heads in their hands. It seemed she was about to get into the heads of multiple people at once, whereas Akari with the same power could only cause one person pain at a time.

Akari was on her feet now, running at the girl. She teleported briefly, timing it so that she would land a jump kick—but just as she teleported so did the rogue mutant. Akari nearly landed on her face, tucking her chin so that she somersaulted when she hit the ground.

“Where’d she go?” Chaeyoung cried out, scanning the era. “Did she retreat?”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Akari replied, trying her best to spot the girl too.

Momo and some Dahyun copies helped Sana onto her feet. Other than being wet and cold from the ice and snow, Sana was fine, luckily.

The girls heard some shouting coming from a side street. Momo took off toward the screaming and Akari was right behind her.

It was Jihyo, Nayeon, Mina and Jeongyeon—the rogue mutant had found them somehow. She had teleported directly behind Nayeon, throwing the girl aside before she could get so much as one pen click in—all thanks to the mutant’s super speed and strength. Nayeon’s head hit the pavement and her pen scattered to the ground, feet away from her. The Tzuyu look-alike took out Jeongyeon next, focusing on stopping the girl from freezing time. She had been told by her creators that Nayeon and Jeongyeon were the ones to take out first, for they would make things quite difficult.

By the time Momo got there, Nayeon was on the ground, seemingly thrown aside like a rag doll. Jeongyeon and Jihyo were on their knees, screaming as the mutant made their insides feel like they were on fire.

Mina was the only one left standing—staring the mutant down and gritting her teeth. It seemed her and the rogue mutant were at a stand still as they each tried to use their powers on the other.

Momo ran to Nayeon’s side, picking up her girlfriend’s limp body in her arms. “Nayeon?” she asked, brushing strands of hair out of her girlfriend’s face. “Hey!” The girl was clearly still alive, but was knocked unconscious. Momo let out a sigh of relief as soon as she could feel Nayeon’s steady breathing against the fingers she held just below the older girl’s nose.

“What’s your name?” Mina asked, looking the Tzuyu look-alike directly in the eye. It was clear the girl was struggling, but could not break from Mina’s control. She was rooted to the ground where she stood.

“Name?” the girl asked, as if Mina had asked her exactly how many stars there were in the night sky.

“You do have one, don’t you?”

The girl looked at Mina dangerously, through narrowed eyes. “N-no. I just have a purpose...a mission. That is what defines me.”

“This mission...is it to make people fear us?”

“Filthy mutants,” the girl spit out, avoiding the question. “Monstrosities that must be exterminated.”

“You’re a mutant, too.”

The girl shook her head. “I’m not one of you.”

“You are—and you can stop this now. We want to help you.” Mina reached out her hand toward the girl. She knew what Akari had said earlier, about needing to put this girl down, but Mina still held onto the hope that she could be saved. If only Mina could overpower her...but the girl was beginning to make Mina’s head pound unpleasantly.

The Tzuyu look-alike began to hit the side of her own head, as if quieting her thoughts. “No, no, no. It’s you that needs help.” Her breaths began to become labored, it was clear she was trying extremely hard to break free from Mina’s hypnosis.

Mina took a step toward her opponent. She could feel her own energy draining as she tried to keep her hold on the girl. The girl was resisting the hypnosis, nearly successfully. “You remind me of someone I care about very much,” Mina said, softly. Her eyes were large and looked sad. “She was manipulated by bad people, just like you. Even though she did some very bad things, I forgave her.”

Off to the side, Akari was watching the events unfolding before her closely. She could feel her breath catch in once she realized Mina was talking about her. She wanted to step in, but also didn’t want their opponent to snap—Mina and the other girls nearby could easily be killed. Jihyo and Jeongyeon were still at the mercy of the rogue mutant’s powers after all. Make the girl made and their brains could explode...literally.

“I forgave her because I’ve done bad things too,” Mina continued, while taking another step forward. She was attempting to bridge the distance between her and the rogue mutant. “When I first got my powers, I accidentally killed my best friend.” Mina’s voice was shaky, and her eyes were starting to glisten, but she held her chin high. “And when someone needed me the most, I abandoned her. I left her behind.”

Chaeyoung, Sana and Dahyun made it to where the showdown was happening. Chaeyoung nearly ran forward but Akari put a hand on her shoulder and tugged her back. The short haired girl dug her nails into the palms of her hands, staring at Mina intensely. It was up to Mina now.

“So you must understand, it’s never too late to do what’s right. We all do bad things, that’s what makes us human. But admitting these mistakes and trying to be better, that’s what makes us good. It’s not easy, but it’s possible when you accept that you deserve to be forgiven. No one is perfect, not by a long shot.”

The girl looked at Mina, perhaps a bit taken back. She looked like a robot that had short-circuited—certainly not expecting to hear these words from someone who was supposed to be her enemy.

Mina took another step forward. They were only feet apart now. Up close, Mina could see every detail of the girl’s face, identical to Tzuyu’s. “There’s a place for you in this world,” Mina promised. “It’s not with those people who are making you do this.”

“They didn’t make me do anything,” the girl growled. She tried to move her feet but they were still rooted in place due to Mina’s will. “They created me for a single purpose, and I am fulfilling it. Without them, I am nothing.”

“You were someone before all this,” Jihyo called out, despite the pain in her head making it feel like she was going to explode. “I can see it in you. Your thoughts and memories, hidden deep down inside. You had a life, and they took that away. They turned you into this.”

“I can’t...remember,” the girl replied, hitting the side of her head again. “There’s too much noise.”

Mina turned back to look at Jihyo. The older girl gave her an encouraging nod. “Just sleep for now...the noise will go away,” Mina said.

The girl’s eyes began to droop, but she gritted her teeth. She shook her head and growled, shaking the sleepiness away. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” she screamed.

She threw her arms forward, with the end of her palms pressed together, aimed directly at Mina. Akari recognized that technique immediately—she’d done it many times in the field. Without thinking, Akari leapt forward and jumped through space—

—appearing directly in front of Mina almost instantaneously.

There was a sharp intake of breath and the sound of ripping flesh.

Mina flinched back in surprise at Akari suddenly teleporting in front of her. Akari was standing between her and the rogue mutant. Taking in Akari’s broad shoulders, which were tensed up, Mina’s eyes lowered until she noticed the large ice shard poking out through Akari’s back.

It took Mina’s brain a moment to process what had happened before she let out a scream. Akari dropped like dead weight, face down on the pavement. The rogue mutant began to extend her hand in Mina’s direction, forming another ice shard, but Mina was faster, letting out another blood-curdling scream as she stopped the girl’s body from moving any further using her hypnosis.

There was resistance from both sides. The rogue mutant fought against Mina’s paralyzing hypnosis as Mina fought the urge to pass out from pain as her brain felt like it was catching fire.

Mina could hear Chaeyoung, Dahyun and Sana yelling. She looked down at Akari’s still body at her feet. Mina’s eyes began to roll back into her head and her mind felt cloudy, but she held on.

Another scream—this time from Chaeyoung. Using her telekinesis, a gun was ripped out of a cop's hands all the way from behind the barrier where the policer officers stood, watching. He yelled as the thing soared directly into Chaeyoung’s hands with lightning speed. With trembling fingers, she lined up the sight, squinted one eye, and fired.

The bullet kicked the rogue mutant back. She crashed onto the pavement with a thud. Mina’s brain no longer felt like it was turning to mush. She lifted a hand and the thrashing girl on the ground stopped struggling—she was surely dead. Chaeyoung had shot her directly in the chest and Mina had ensured the girl wouldn’t wake up.

Chaeyoung ran to Mina, just barely holding her up before the girl stumbled. Trying to hypnotize the girl that looked like Tzuyu had nearly taken everything out of her. But Mina wasn’t worried about herself. Mina ripped herself from Chaeyoung’s grasp and collapsed onto all fours on the ground beside Akari, who hadn’t moved.

“Akari,” Mina tried to say, but and lips felt numb, so it sounded more like gibberish. Mina gently rolled Akari onto her side. Mina saw the girl’s eyes were closed.

An inhuman sound escaped Mina’s throat as she shook her friend carefully. “Akari?”

There was nothing.

Tears began to spill down Mina’s cheeks. “Akari...take my shapeshifting….I never wanted it in the first place, take it!” Mina cried. “Take it back! It’ll heal you! Take my energy!”

Stillness.

“Please…” Mina buried her head into Akari’s chest, feeling herself shake as sobs erupted through her body.

“Hands on your head!”

Mina felt hands on her back. It was Chaeyoung, forcing her girlfriend to stand as the cops who had formed a barrier around the fight finally came forward, surrounding them.

“She needs a doctor,” Mina cried, motioning to Akari, laying on her side on the pavement. “She needs to get to a hospital!”

“I said hands on your head!” the officer shouted, aggressively pointing his gun directly at Mina. Mina let out a sob but did as she was told.

“We just saved you all!” Sana screamed out angrily. “Why are you arresting us?”

“You’re all coming to the station,” a cop shouted. “Do not resist us.”

“My friends, they need help!” Momo cried out, nearly in tears. She was still holding Nayeon in her arms. “We need to get them back to our school nurse—“

“Let’s go, all of you, move!”

“Momo, you need to run Akari back to Suzy—” Mina began to say, but a cop instantly shushed her. His gun was still pointed at Mina dangerously.

Mina looked at the cop squarely, beginning to wave her hand by her side—instantly Jihyo knew what she was about to do. “Mina, you can’t. There are people watching...everywhere.” Jihyo was right, a crowd had formed around the girls, and people had come out from their buildings to get a look at what happened. Mina couldn’t hypnotize the cops, not when it’d only make mutants look worse in the public eye.

“But Akari...” Mina sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Chaeyoung held onto Mina tightly.

“Just do as you’re told,” Jeongyeon whispered. Her and Jihyo had risen back on their feet. “We can’t fight them.”

And so the girls were escorted into multiple cop cars. Mina took one last look at Akari, who was now covered in blood that was spilling from her sternum—still laying in the same position she had left her. Medics were coming, attending to both Nayeon and Akari, as well as the innocent people the rogue mutant had hurt. Mina was clinging to Chaeyoung and shaking with every step.

“I didn’t want to kill her,” Chaeyoung said, rather numbly as a cop guided her into the backseat of the police cruiser. She looked at Mina, who looked nearly as dead inside as Chaeyoung felt. “But she...she was gonna kill you.”

“You saved my life,” Mina whispered—eyes looking glassy and far-away. “You both did.”