Another incident. Tzuyu was putting it lightly. Incident sounded more tolerable than murder. More stomachable. Less terrifying.

Over the past year, a series of murders throughout South Korea and other parts of the world were taking place. These murders had very specific targets: mutants.

“Another murder?” Chaeyoung whispered with shining eyes. She reached for Tzuyu’s hand and grasped it in her own, needing some comfort. “Who’s responsible?”

“We all know,” Dahyun replied, face looking grim. Her neck was strained to hear Jihyo, who was standing at the center of the garden, now surrounded by other students nearby.

“It was the HCA again,” Jihyo announced. “They just claimed responsibility for the crime.” Jihyo was looking down at her phone, which was set to update with alerts on any possible crimes involving mutants. “On social media they wrote, 'we will rid the world of mutants, humanity shall prevail.'"

“I hate the word mutant,” Sana whined. “It makes us sound like we’re not even human. Like...we’re monsters.”

“We are mutated, in our genes, but that doesn’t make us any less human,” Nayeon responded, rubbing Sana’s back lightly. “I don’t mind the word mutant, because that’s what we are. That isn’t a bad thing. We’re just different, that’s all.”

“I guess,” Sana nodded, looking thoughtfully at Nayeon.

“When are we gonna do something?” a boy with a head of blonde hair and round glasses asked. “Are we just going to sit here and continue to let this happen?”

“What can we really do?” Jeongyeon replied. “If we do stop them, we’ll be labeled as the terrorists, and not the other way around. If we fight back we’re not the victims anymore. The world doesn’t need any more reasons to fear us.”

At that, the boy huffed and said nothing. What could he say? Jeongyeon was right. A wave of paranoia had begun to arise with the growing number of mutants in the human population. Out of that fear rose the HCA, the Human Coalition Association. It was a group dedicated to preserving humanity's dominance, as they considered anyone with special abilities to be another, threatening, species. Recently, they’d resorted to killing as many mutants as they could, which made JYP's school a sanctuary for mutant kind. Any mutant unlucky enough to be on their own could be another victim if their powers were discovered. There was even a movement within the government to force all mutants to identify themselves and be put on a watch list of sorts.

“We do as we’re told, like always. We’re safe here,” Jihyo assured.

“For how long though?” a younger girl with long black hair asked. “How long before they find us here?”

Jihyo bit her lip and hesitated. “We have each other, right? We’re stronger together than out there on our own. As long as JYP has a deal with the government then we’re fine.”

For awhile, before JYP’s school was even a school, the building stood as a small sanctuary for mutants, hidden from the rest of society. However, secrets cannot remain buried forever, and the building’s existence was discovered. Home to a large number of mutants, the school certainly posed a threat. However, the government feared take over by the mutant race enough to strike a deal with JYP rather than attempt to dismantle what he had built up entirely. Mutants living there were to keep to themselves and not meddle in affairs involving humans. In return, they’d be left alone there.

JYP still helped to train young mutants, but only for times of self-defense or crisis. Sometimes teams were sent to deal with rogue mutants terrorizing humans, but these circumstances were rare.

After everyone had calmed down a bit, Mina had managed to sneak away from Nayeon and appeared at Chaeyoung’s side once again. “Never a dull moment here,” Chaeyoung joked, smiling comfortingly up at Mina, who looked oddly distraught.

“I hate just sitting around doing nothing,” Tzuyu sighed, releasing Chaeyoung’s hand. “I want to be out there, stopping them.”

“I do too,” Dahyun confessed. “But Jeongyeon is right, the world isn’t ready for people like us yet. It will be, one day, hopefully soon.”

“That’s wishful thinking,” Chaeyoung said. “I have a feeling people will always be afraid though. Different will always be scary.”

“Lunch is almost over, I think,” Tzuyu muttered, checking her phone. “Yep, we should head to history.”

“What are your plans for today?” Chaeyoung asked Mina, who was staring absentmindedly at a crowd of students gathered by the door leading back into the school.

“I’m meeting with JYP again.” Again. It seemed that Mina was meeting with him an awful lot. Chaeyoung wanted to ask more, but held back. She barely knew Mina, really, and didn’t want to pester her yet with personal questions. She was sure whatever Mina was doing there it was important. “I should head there.”

“Lunch again tomorrow?” Chaeyoung asked, eyes shining with expectation.

Mina smiled slightly but then furrowed her brow, guilt reflected over her features like a mask. “Actually, um, I might sit with Nayeon tomorrow. She asked me…”

Chaeyoung couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face.

Mina’s eyes widened at the shorter girl’s sudden expression and her stomach twisted. “But how about the day after tomorrow?”

Chaeyoung’s spirits immediately lifted. “Sure!”

The two girls smiled at each other and Dahyun glanced at Tzuyu with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Thanks for letting me join you all today,” Mina replied, smiling at the other two members of the School Meal Club.

“It was nice to meet you, Mina,” Dahyun smiled back politely. She truly meant it though. The girl wasn’t quite as scary as expected, but there was something off about her that Dahyun couldn’t quite put her finger on yet.

“Nice to meet you too,” Mina bowed slightly, waved, and disappeared inside the building, following the crowd of other disbanding students.

“She’s nice,” Tzuyu commented, watching her go.

Chaeyoung simply nodded, watching the older girl go as well. With no backpack on, she stood out among the crowd of students.  

_____________

The rest of the week went by with the buzz of the murder on everyone’s lips and minds. Pictures of the mutant killed in what was labeled a “hate crime” surfaced on the internet. The victim was a young man, probably only a few years older than Chaeyoung. He wasn’t lucky enough to have stumbled upon JYP’s school. For this reason, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty. And she thought of Mina, of all people, having just found the school. What was her life like prior to her enrollment here? Was she out there on her own? Did she have a family that supported her or one the shunned her like Nayeon’s had? All Chaeyoung knew was that she was happy that Mina was here, and that it wasn’t her picture plastered on every news outlet.

Mina quickly fit into Jihyo’s inner circle of friends, sharing words in Japanese with Sana and Momo, who found delight in speaking with another foreigner who spoke the same language. Jeongyeon found that Mina laughed at all her terrible jokes, much to Nayeon’s horror, and immediately took a liking to her. As for Jihyo, the older girl seemed to take quite an interest in Mina, taking the time to show her every corner of the school.

Dahyun still looked at Mina a bit suspiciously as the days past, but gave up on mentioning the girl's "dark past" when she was alone with Chaeyoung after the continous scolding she received from the shorter girl. Even though she'd only known her for a few days, Chaeyoung just didn't believe Mina was capable of harming anyone, even if Mina did have a bit of an unintentionally scary glare sometimes. Tzuyu loved the fact that Mina was so quiet. She actually found comfort in the older girl's silence. It was a nice change from the loud, somewhat obnoxious, behavior of her other friends. 

Because she fit in so well and so quickly, it was only a matter of time before Jihyo came up with the idea of throwing Mina a bit of a welcome party. It was hosted in the room Jihyo shared with Nayeon and Jeongyeon, the normal hang-out spot of the group of friends. Saturday night, everyone gathered for some snacks and board games, squished in a circle on the floor of the dorm room. Mina watched everyone's antics with a sense of happiness she hadn’t felt in nearly two years. It made her ache for her family, and the times she gathered with friends at home. It felt like a lifetime ago. 

"So, how do your powers work, anyway?" Jeongyeon asked Mina curiously. They had just finished a game of Clue. Since the game was only made for six players, Momo and Nayeon played as a team (which meant they argued over who got to roll the dice and loudly whispered to each other which room they should go to next), along with Sana and Dahyun (who were completely terrible, mostly because they paid zero attention to the actual game itself and ended up guessing totally irrelevant murder weapons and suspects). Jihyo sat the game out, as she so often graciously did when there were too many people to play, and instead gave funny commentary the whole time. Mina won, barely outrolling Tzuyu to make it to the center to make her final guess. Tzuyu, who had won the game the past few times they'd played the game as a group, was not amused. 

"Well, I just have to think of something and I can make someone do it. I can also make people believe something is true when it's not. Or, trick them into seeing something that's not really there. Depending on what it is, they might have to fall asleep first, but that's only when what I'm trying to make them do is more involved."

"Damn," Nayeon pressed her lips together and looked impressed. "What if you made someone do something on accident...like I know I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had...malicious thoughts...for other people."

"No, really?" Momo replied, and Nayeon gave her a playful shove. 

"But seriously," Nayeon continued. "Do you really just not think anything negative thoughts? Because if so, you're an angel." 

In response, Mina reached her right hand behind her right ear, snaking her fingers beneath her hair. After a moment, she pulled something metal out from beneath her hair, something that was hidden underneath it this whole time.

“What is that?” Chaeyoung asked, eyes wide. So she hadn’t been seeing things the other day when something metal glinted as Mina brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

“It prevents me from using my powers, like a mental block. It stops anything like that from happening," Mina explained, looking at Nayeon. Before Chaeyoung could get a good look at the thing, Mina quickly put it back behind her ear. Chaeyoung sat back, slightly disappointed.

“Mina, can we see your powers in action?” Jeongyeon asked.

Mina shrunk back into herself lightly, smiling apologetically. “Uh...”

“Could you...make Dahyun think she was a chicken or something?” Nayeon replied, smiling mischievously.

“Hey!” Dahyun whined, putting her hands on her hips. Sana leaned into the younger girl and smiled up at her.

Jihyo, who had been silent up until this point, regarded Mina curiously. “One trick wouldn’t hurt,” she supposed.

“I don’t know…” Mina replied, looking down at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

“Make Momo think she’s a dog!” Nayeon yelled, to which Momo smacked Nayeon lightly. "What, you love dogs, don't you?" 

“I don’t like—” Mina began.

“Guys, Mina doesn’t have to do anything she’s not comfortable with,” Chaeyoung replied, and Mina looked across the circle at her with a thankful expression.

“No peer pressure allowed here,” Jihyo confirmed, patting Mina on the back with one of her sweater paws lightly.

Dahyun and Sana sighed in unison.

“I don’t like using my powers,” Mina explained apologetically.

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Jeongyeon assured.

Mina shrugged. “It’s just, I used them a lot in the past and I hated it.”

Momo nodded her head sympathetically. “Sana and I had to do that too, we understand." 

Sana nodded in agreement and then giggled to herself. “We were the ultimate street duo. We even had a magician’s act and everything when we were kids.”

“The amazing, disappearing woman,” Momo cupped her hands around and announced in a melodic voice. Sana bounced onto her feet and bowed to her friends. She looked at Dahyun and winked, then she snapped her fingers and vanished into thin air.

“Oooooooo, ahhhhhhhh,” Dahyun called, clapping enthusiastically. Momo joined in as well. Tzuyu simply rolled her eyes.

“Whereeeee diddd she goooooo?” Jeongyeon asked in a spooky, drawn out voice. “It’s a mystery!” 

Tzuyu rolled her eyes again and Mina laughed. Nayeon made a look of disbelief in Mina's direction. The girl really did laugh at anything Jeongyeon did, much to Nayeon's dismay. 

Suddenly Dahyun was being pushed onto her feet by an invisible force and then she was lifted into the air, appearing to levitate.

“Wowwwwww!” Chaeyoung cried ironically, smiling in amusement like she hadn’t already seen this act a dozen times. But it was Mina’s first time, and the older girl's eyes were sparking. Chaeyoung's grin grew wider as she noticed Mina’s gummy smile, which was so contrasting to the girl's usual, serious demeanor. It was endearing.  

There was a small sneeze, delicate and soft, and Sana rippled into view once again, revealed to be holding Dahyun around the waist and lifting her up. Everyone laughed, genuinely. Sana was getting better at controlling her powers, but she definitely needed a lot of work to do. Embarrassed, Sana collapsed onto the floor and hid her face in her hands. Momo grabbed her shoulders and shook her forward and backward gently as she whined.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Dahyun replied, eyes turned up into half moons as she uncovered Sana’s face. “It was cute.”

_________________________

Mina’s first few days of classes were going smoothly. Because she had left abruptly during her senior year, she was taking some classes with students a few years younger than her. Luckily there were some familiar faces among them; Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. Mina gravitated toward them without thinking. She wasn’t good at talking to strangers and was even worse at making friends, so sticking near them felt like the right thing to do.

Normal classes went well—history, economics, Korean and English—but then came the last class of the day, the one Mina had been dreading since the start. It was simply titled "Abilities" on her schedule. Talking to Chaeyoung, she gathered it was focused solely on strengthening their powers. “For self defense,” JYP had explained to Mina in his office. He knew how uncomfortable Mina had been using her powers at all. “You can attend but you don’t have to use your powers, not until you’re ready. But, exercising them will only help you control them more. You won’t have to be so afraid once you’ve mastered them.”

It sounded completely logical, and yet, the thought of using her powers on her classmates terrified her. It was just that she didn’t trust herself. One misthought and things could backfire completely. She’d already felt bad about saying no to Jeongyeon when asked to show her powers over the weekend. She didn’t want to be a coward—she hated it actually—but previous events rendered her so guilty that being labeled as such wouldn’t stop her from sitting this one out.

Like all classes she went to, she was promptly picked out by her teacher, a man by the name of Nichkhun this time around, and asked to introduce yourself. Everyone simply wanted to know her name and power and that was it. Students would "ooh" when they heard her say hypnosis, and Mina always felt like sinking into the floor, avoiding eye contact of any kind. She hated being the center of attention. Now, she was standing besides Chaeyoung, who gave her a smile of encouragement when she spoke, and it didn't feel quite as awkward.

Luckily Chaeyoung was in her class due to the similiar nature of their powers; both being mental based. Other classmates who had graduated beyond high school had more classes dedicated to improving their powers in their schedules than high school level students, so Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Jihyo were in more advanced classes, despite having similar powers.

The class went as such: students were to individually face a large robot programmed to attack in different ways in order to demonstrate their abilities. Afterward, students would work together to face the robot set to a more difficult combat level. While the robot acted as the standard target for their practice, Mina was unable to reprogram the mind of a robot, as her power could only affect other human minds and nothing more. Because of this, Nichkhun suggested Mina pair up with another student and try her best to disarm them while they used their powers to fight back. Chaeyoung graciously volunteered to be Mina’s partner, however the older girl quickly shook her head, terrified that the marked target of her powers would be Chaeyoung.

“I can’t—” Mina began, staring at Chaeyoung with wavering eyes.

Chaeyoung insisted though. “Mina, it’s okay. You won’t hurt me, not with everyone watching.”

But Mina continued to shake her head, backing away from the center of the room, flashes of her past dancing around her vision. Nichkhun, seeing Mina moving away, came over toward her.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“I don’t like to use my powers,” Mina began. “In the past I’ve…”

“The past is the past. This will help you so you are able to live outside these school walls normally. Only practice will improve your control.”

Mina nodded, lip trembling. “I know, it’s just...could I only observe for today? Maybe in the future I’ll---”

“You need to get over this fear!” Nichkhun’s voice rose and now everyone else in the class was staring. “You’re perfectly safe here,” he said, voice more soft this time.

Mina bit her lip and stared at the floor. What was she supposed to say? He was right.

“Now, start with a simple thought—”

“That’s enough, Nichkhun.”

Everyone turned at the sound of a familiar voice coming from the doorway. JYP has entered the room soundlessly and was watching intently with his arms crossed.

“Mina, you’re fine to watch until you’re ready,” JYP continued, and Mina nodded graciously, sighing with relief.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly and bowed slightly before him.

Nichkhun simply shook his head but didn’t argue. He knew better than to start something with JYP. Although the man was incredibly kind, it was best not to get on his bad side.

Mina stepped back and simply watched as the other students faced the robot. Much to her surprise, during Chaeyoung's turn, the small girl was able to lift the robot entirely off the ground with her mind, throwing the thing across the room and into a wall with only so much as a wave of her hand. As it tried to stand up, she would simply force it back against the wall with a great amount of force. It was clear the effort took a lot out of her though, as beads of sweat were forming on the girl's head and she was breathing quite heavily despite barely moving herself. Nichkhun clapped as the robot abruptly turned off, signaling that the battle was won, and some other students followed suit, cheering. "You're improving, Chaeyoung," the teacher said, patting her lightly on the back. All of her practice of lifting heavier and heavier masses was paying off.  

After class was over, JYP nodded to Mina to have her come with him. Chaeyoung gave her a supportive look, wanting to say something to the older girl that still looked slightly shaken, but couldn’t get a word out before the older girl was gone.

(Later That Night)

There was a light knock on the door, so quiet that Mina almost didn’t hear it. But there it was, underneath the music she was listening to, which had been lulling her to sleep. Mina hesitantly got up and opened the door a crack, peering out into the hallway.

“Um, hey.” It was Chaeyoung in her pajamas, looking as tiny as ever. She was wearing circular framed glasses, fuzzy socks and boxer shorts. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No,” Mina assured, small smile falling onto her lips, as was habit whenever she saw Chaeyoung. “I was just getting ready for bed.”

They stood their for a moment like that in silence before Mina cleared . “What can I help you with?” she asked.

“Oh! Right,” Chaeyoung started, smiling sheepishly. “It’s just, I wanted to see how you were doing. Earlier in class…” her voice trailed off as she conjured up images of their abilities class from her memory.

“I’m alright, thank you,” Mina replied, looking at the younger girl thoughtfully. “Just a bit embarrassed is all.”

Chaeyoung laughed awkwardly. “Uh, yeah I figured.” There was a pause.

“Why don’t you come in,” Mina said, opening her door more widely. Chaeyoung looked relieved and nodded thankfully. As Chaeyoung entered the room, Mina closed the door behind her. Chaeyoung could feel her heart beating faster, realizing this was the first time she was truly alone with Mina. For some reason the thought excited and terrified her.

Mina sat on her bed, unbeknownst to Chaeyoung’s nervousness. She patted the bed beside her, inviting Chaeyoung to sit down. The room was rather small, and despite the computer chair there was no other seating arrangement other than her bed.

Chaeyoung sat down, making sure to put a comfortable distance between them. Mina regarded her curiously. The knock on the door had certainly taken her off guard. She wasn't expecting to see Chaeyoung peering up at her when she opened her door.  

“You’re kind of a mystery to me,” Chaeyoung began, biting her lip. “With you being a new student and all. It’s just, most students come here when they’re in middle school...so you’re…” she fumbled with her words.

“Different?” Mina suggested. Chaeyoung nodded.

“I just...want to get to know you better. I want to understand you better.” She was speaking bluntly, but couldn’t help herself. She was such a curious person. 

“There’s not much to know about me,” Mina started.

“Sorry, I know that sounded weird. I just thought...we should be friends.”

“I thought we already are,” Mina replied innocently, but then smiled. She was teasing.

Chaeyoung smiled, fidgeting with her own hands. “Without the others around, I mean. Everyone can be...loud.”

Mina nodded in understanding. “Well, like I mentioned before, I came from Japan. It’s where I grew up. My father was….is a neurosurgeon and my mother is a professor.”

“Why did you decide to come to Korea?”

“My father was told about this place...a school where I could be with other kids like me, so he sent me here.”

“But you said you were in Korea for two years before coming here, right?” Chaeyoung asked.

Mina her lip, thinking about her next words carefully. “Yes, that’s true. I wasn’t able to locate the school right away. There were some complications.”

Chaeyoung wanted to know more but she figured she'd change the subject. “I came here when I was thirteen. My parents brought me. They thought it was best for me, and it was, thankfully.” She figured she owed it to Mina to talk about herself a bit. Mina shouldn’t be the only one sharing. “It was around the same time Tzuyu, Dahyun, Momo and Sana arrived. We all got used to the place together.”

“That must have been nice,” Mina commented.

“It was, I mean I’m lucky to have found this place. Everyone here makes me feel normal, you know? I felt like such a freak before, when mutants weren’t exactly mainstream news.”

Mina nodded. “I...felt the same way. I’m really glad I’ve finally found this place.”

“Do you keep in touch with your family?” Chaeyoung asked.

Mina was silent for a moment, pressing her lips together. “No, I haven’t spoken to them since I’ve come to Korea.” She was silent again, and Chaeyoung thought the girl was done speaking on that topic but to her surprise Mina opened again. “It was too dangerous for me to reach out, but I like to think they’re all fine. I hope they know I am too.”

“I’m sure they do," Chaeyoung said, but really she wasn’t so sure. The more she found out about Mina, the more confused she was.

“I’m grateful for your friends, they’ve made my transition here easy,” Mina abruptly changed the subject. “It’s been a few years since I was in school, so I was afraid it’d be difficult for me.”

“They’re a good group. Weird, but good. You know, I still feel bad about the first day we met.”

Mina looked away and smiled. “Yeah, it was under rather unfortunate circumstances.”

“Do you read a lot?”

“I used to, and I figured a book would be nice to get me through a quiet lunch break.”

There was another lull in the conversation, and Chaeyoung couldn’t help but smile at Mina. She smiled back, a bit nervously. “Why are you smiling at me?” she asked.

Chaeyoung shook her head but continued to smile. “I don’t really know, I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Mina nodded, accepting that answer, as vague as it was. Mina studied the younger girl’s face as the girl turned away to glance around at Mina’s room. There wasn’t much to look at but she was looking anyway. Mina had left all of her personal belongings behind back in Japan. She did have a picture of her with her family though, and a stuffed animal penguin her best friend from her old school had gotten her. She didn't have the heart to leave it behind and she'd managed to hold onto it all this time.

It suddenly hit Mina how nice it was that Chaeyoung had reached out to her, and that she was here, albeit interfering with her sleep schedule, but she enjoyed Chaeyoung's presence very much nonetheless. She liked the way Chaeyoung looked at her. It made her feel like she belonged. Wouldn't it be nice if they were even closer?

Chaeyoung’s lips were suddenly pressed against Mina’s. They were soft and warm, and Mina felt like she was slipping, all doubts and worries disappearing. Closer, yes, this was it.

Then Mina's eyes flashed open and she jumped back against the wall, breaking their brief entanglement, with a look of complete horror on her face. Chaeyoung’s eyes opened as well and she nearly stumbled forward, losing the support the other girl had presented seconds earlier. They looked at each other, Chaeyoung with a look of surprise and Mina with a look of fear.

“I’m so sorry!” Chaeyoung cried, cheeks reddening. “I don’t know what came over me, I—I…”

Mina covered with her hand and shook her head. She immediately sprang up off her bed, grabbing the metal chip sitting on her desk, and stuck it in place behind her right ear. Chaeyoung had not moved an inch, but simply sat in shame, watching silently.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Mina explained, unable to make eye contact with the younger girl as she spoke. “I took off my chip. It’s uncomfortable for me to wear it when I sleep…” her voice trailed off and she looked up, searching Chaeyoung’s face for a reaction.

The younger girl remained looking quite alarmed. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wide. “So you...you hypnotized me?” she asked, finally.

“Not on purpose,” Mina replied quietly, eyes cast downward again. “It was an accident. Sometimes when I'm not wearing it my thoughts are strong enough to...” her voice trailed off. She lowered her head and some of her hair fell over her eyes, acting like a barrier between the two girls. She could hide behind it. 

Chaeyoung swallowed loudly and opened . She closed it before she could say anything, as if debating on what to say, then opened it again after some thought. Suddenly she blurted out: “So you wanted me to kiss you?”

Mina bit her bottom lip. She really wished she could have Sana’s power right about now and disappear. Or, better yet, Nayeon's, so she could go back in time and stop this from ever happening. Chaeyoung noticed the other girl’s embarrassment and instantly regretted asking that. “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter,” she declared.

“I won’t make that mistake again,” Mina whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Behind her veil of black hair, Chaeyoung could tell Mina was embarrassed beyond belief. She wanted to say something to help lighten the mood but she felt helpless. Even though she was a bit shocked and embarrassed too, she couldn’t say she was angry. The feelings she had for the older girl were complicated to say the least, despite only knowing her for a little over a week. All she knew is that it’d felt right in that moment, before Mina had jumped back and the cloudiness engulfing her mind faded away.

“It’s okay,” Chaeyoung assured Mina, giving her a small smile. “Really, don’t sweat it.” Chaeyoung internally winced at the phrase that came from her lips but continued smiling regardless.

Chaeyoung slowly got off the bed. They stood there for a moment, awkwardly, with Mina leaning against the side of her mattress and Chaeyoung a few feet away, fiddling with the zipper on her sweatshirt. “Well,” Chaeyoung said at the same time as Mina said “Uh—”.

Chaeyoung couldn’t help but laugh, a product of her nervousness. “I should get going, it’s late…”

“Yeah,” Mina agreed, looking down at her fingernails as if she were inspecting them. “It is late. I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch then?”

“Lunch, yup,” Chaeyoung replied, and began backing towards the door. She took one last good look at Mina before she left. The older girl looked as though she were folding in on herself. Her usual calm demeanor was completely shaken. Although Chaeyoung liked to see more than the image Mina put on for everyone at school, she didn’t like to see this side of her: ashamed, filled with grief and fear. Not fear of Chaeyoung but fear of herself. Why the older girl was so scared, Chaeyoung could only guess. She knew Mina’s past was a bit more complicated than hers, with her coming into her powers so late. There was a story there, something terrible probably. Chaeyoung was determined to find out what that was. She closed the door quietly behind her and dragged her feet, socks slipping along the wood floor, as she walked back to her room.

 

Lunch the next day was a bit awkward, as expected. Neither Mina nor Chaeyoung told anyone else what had happened late last night, and they weren’t planning on it any time soon. As Mina made her way over to the picnic table, Chaeyoung could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. She anxiously started chewing on her food, pretending to be busy. As Mina sat down next to Tzuyu and chimed her usual pleasantries ("hello everyone"), she avoided eye contact with Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung noticed the lack of eye contact, although her other two friends remained oblivious to the subtle fact. It was so subtle, yet enough to make Chaeyoung's stomach ache. Would all of their interactions be awkward from now on? 

Dahyun’s voice began droning on about something no one particularly cared about until Nayeon’s cry pierced the distance between the two adjacent picnic tables. “Tzuyu!” Nayeon yelled, and the younger girl’s head snapped up from her lunch tray with a look of annoyance. “How about you push your table over here and join us?”

“How about you push yours over here?” Tzuyu challenged, not moving an inch.

“I’m comfortable at the moment,” Nayeon whined. To be fair, she did look comfortable. She was seated on Momo’s lap, with Momo’s arms wrapped firmly around her waist. “And besides, you’re the one with super strength.”

Tzuyu sighed and stood up. Mina began to stand as well but Tzuyu raised her hand, signaling her to sit down. “You can sit down, just hang on,” she instructed. Mina returned to her seat and Tzuyu, with both hands on the table, pushed it effortlessly until it was touching Nayeon’s table.

“Look, now we’re one big happy family!” Sana yelled, and Dahyun beamed at her.

The girls resumed their eating for a minute in silence before Nayeon (big surprise) broke it. “So Mina, what’s this I hear about you refusing to use your powers in class?”

Jihyo and Jeongyeon glared at the older girl, who shrugged and smiled apologetically. “What? I’m just curious.”

“Does everyone know?” Mina asked, horrified.

“Well...gossip spreads around fast. Small schools are like that, you know?” Jihyo replied.

Mina sighed and rested her chin on her hand. “I don’t like using my powers…”

“So you actually said no to Nichkhun? Dang, girl,” Dahyun said, impressed.

Momo shifted Nayeon slightly on her lap so that she could see Mina over Nayeon’s shoulder. “Did JYP really swoop in and save the day? He never walks in on other classes.”

“Yeah, he stood up for me, luckily.”

“If he hadn’t have showed up I would have,” Chaeyoung blurted out, and despite her outburst Mina didn’t even give a glance in her direction. "I would've stood up for you."

“Yeah, cause you totally would’ve stood up to Nichkhun.” Tzuyu rolled her eyes.

“I would have!” Chaeyoung yelled, crossing her arms. “I really would’ve done it. He was being a jerk about it.”

Nayeon raised an eyebrow and Mina finally glanced in Chaeyoung’s direction, only for a moment though before her eyes returned to the food in front of her. Jihyo, now seated at Mina’s left, watched the younger girl with a bit of amusement, but said nothing.

“I would’ve paid money to see JYP tell Nichkhun off. Seriously. I bet this was the look on his face.” Dahyun, on que, made a terrified, ugly expression.

Jeongyeon snorted and Sana laughed.

“You seem pretty close with JYP already,” Nayeon said to Mina as she placed both of her hands on Momo’s and traced the girl’s skin slowly in circles with her thumbs.

Mina shrugged. “He understands my situation the best, I guess. He’s been really helpful. Of course I’m so grateful to be here, and for him to take me in.”

"You're not sleeping with him, are you?" Nayeon asked, and Chaeyoung, who was in the middle of sipping her chocolate milk, nearly spit out her drink.

"Nayeon! Oh my god!" Sana cried, slapping the older girl repeatly. 

"Jesus Christ, Nayeon," Jeongyeon scolded, mouth open in disgust.

Mina looked mortified, mouth open in shock. 

"I'm kidding! He's like a grandpa, relax! Gosh, can y'all not take a joke?" Nayeon replied. Everyone else at the table collectively shook their heads. 

Jihyo wrapped her arms around Mina protectively. "Don't worry Mina, no one actually thinks that. Nayeon's just a ert." 

 

When the lunch period was over, and people began to walk back toward the building, Chaeyoung remained standing at the table, feeling too anxious to move. Nayeon and Momo were walking obnoxiously close together, arms brushing each other with every step. Sana had found her way next to Dahyun’s side and was whispering something into the younger girl’s ear that was making her blush. Jeongyeon and Tzuyu were bonding in their collective annoyance at Nayeon and Momo’s PDA, (would they just ask each other out already? They were so obviously whipped for each other it was almost disgusting), and then there was Mina, trailing behind.

Jihyo, who had remained back at the table with Chaeyoung, walked forward and leaned down so that her lips were close to Chaeyoung’s ear. “Go talk to her,” she whispered, and pulled back, giving Chaeyoung a knowing look.

Chaeyoung stomped her feet and wanted to yell at Jihyo for using her powers—god damn it, why did she have to know everything?—but wordlessly started running after Mina, who was wandering into the building slowly, with a rather lost expression on her face.

“Mina!” Chaeyoung called, and Mina’s eyes widened as she stopped abruptly and turned around, coming face to face with Chaeyoung.

“Hi,” she said, shyly. Her expression was a mask.

Chaeyoung took the girl’s arm and pulled her away from the middle of the courtyard, where their voices could go unheard.

“About last night…” Chaeyoung began.

“Can we forget it ever happened?” Mina pleaded, lips pressed together.

“Of course!” Chaeyoung replied. “That’s what I want. I just...I don’t want things to be weird between us. You don’t have to ignore me. Please. I can’t stand it.” It was then Chaeyoung realized her arm was still linked with Mina’s. She unlinked their arms at once and stepped back to look up at the older girl.

“I’m sorry,” Mina whispered. “I...just didn’t know what to do. I’m so embarrassed…”

“Don’t be! It’s okay!” Chaeyoung assured. “I have been told my lips look very kissable.” She smirked and her eyes lit up mischievously.

Mina scoffed, clearly flustered, and whined slightly. “Oh really? And who told you that?”

Chaeyoung’s smirk fell off her face and she clenched her teeth. “Oh, you know...people.”

“Uh-huh,” Mina laughed, and already the atmosphere between them was less awkward. “Who are you, Im Nayeon?”

Chaeyoung looked offended. “No! I’m just saying. I have quite an effect on people, it’s true!”

Mina was shaking her head, cheeks turning red. “Just keep telling yourself that.”

Chaeyoung put her hands on her hips and glared at Mina, who smiled her gummy smile back. Chaeyoung immediately softened up, practically melting.

“Hey lovebirds, you’re gonna be late for class!” Jihyo suddenly called, startling them both as she waved from the doorway.

“We’re not—” Chaeyoung yelled, but stopped mid-sentence as Jihyo smirked and disappeared into the building. Mina crossed her arms and looked absolutely mortified.

“I hate her,” Chaeyoung muttered.

“Oh god, she knows, doesn’t she?” Mina replied, clasping her hands together tightly in front of her.

“Like I said before, you can’t hide ANYTHING with that girl around. It’s so annoying. She is right though, you don’t want to be late on your second day. You’ll get kicked out…”

Mina’s eyes widened and she quickly began sprinting for the door.

“Hey!” Chaeyoung yelled, starting to chase after the girl, but she abruptly stopped, immobilized by the laughter erupting through her chest. “I’m only kidding!”

Mina paused at the doorway, looking back at Chaeyoung with an exasperated look on her face. “That’s not funny, Son Chaeyoung!” she called back, pouting like a little kid.

Chaeyoung quickly closed the distance between them and they walked into the school together, giggling a bit.

“Come over later,” Mina suddenly commanded, and the laughter left Chaeyoung’s lips at the unexpected comment. They had reached the end of the hallway, and Mina’s class was to the left while Chaeyoung’s was to the right. “Later tonight, we can hang out again.”

“Okay,” Chaeyoung nodded, tucking her thumbs under the straps of her backpack. “Sounds like a plan.” The two parted ways, giving each other curt, shy waves before heading off. A huge smile broke out on Chaeyoung’s face and she couldn’t get it off for the next ten minutes, receiving a questioning look from Tzuyu as she settled into her seat in history class, but she was too giddy to care.

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“You’re cute when you’re angry,” Momo whispered, staring at Nayeon with a dreamy look on her face.

“You think I’m always cute,” Nayeon muttered, pout softening slightly after seeing Momo’s intense expression.

“True,” Momo replied. “But you’re extra cute when you’re angry. Your nose scrunches up a bit and your eyebrows crinkle together…”

Nayeon, seeming to have ignored everything Momo just said, sighed. “I just can’t believe we’re stuck here while those people are out terrorizing other mutants. I mean, how many more of us are going to have to die before we actually do something?”

Momo snapped out of her trance and leaned forward. They were sitting in the library after the school day was over, attempting to get work done. However, word had spread that another mutant had been killed and the HCA had taken credit for it. “I know, it’s terrible, but Jeongyeon said—”

“I know what Jeongyeon said, and she’s right, but I’m just getting so tired of this...hiding out here, like we should be afraid, when we could destroy those people if we wanted to. All of us, together, we could put a stop to it.”

Momo reached across the table and grabbed Nayeon’s hand thoughtfully. “We could, but people would be even more afraid of us…”

Nayeon ran a hand through her hair with her free hand, looking frustrated. "Some day, things will be different." 

“Hey, look at me,” Momo said, and Nayeon looked up from her phone where the news alert had been and stared into Momo’s soft eyes. “It’ll be okay.”

And hearing Momo say that, Nayeon knew it would be. She took Momo’s other hand and squeezed it back, feeling herself beginning to cool down.

Nayeon had always been a bit jaded when it came to human/mutant relationships. Maybe it was because as soon as her powers emerged her parents had treated her like a freak. She’d run away from home at the age of 13, having not a clue what she was doing. She had been so upset, so angry with her parents walking out the door, that she’d accidentally taken herself back an entire year. She’d woken up, completely in shock, as a 12 year old kid again, with parents that still loved her because they didn’t know the truth about her yet. She had made sure to do things differently that year, making sure there was no accidental discovery of her powers as there had been before.

She ended up telling her parents about her powers instead, giving them a second chance to react differently. She’d hoped they’d take things differently and accept her for who she was, but instead they were still afraid. They looked at her like she was a monster. She ran again, this time being slightly more prepared. She had a destination in mind, a school she’d heard rumors of, a place for people like her to go. She found it, and had lived there ever since.

Momo, despite being orphaned at the age of 8, had managed to maintain a positive outlook on things. Maybe that’s why Nayeon admired her so much. Momo found wonder in even the smallest of things, and believed everyone was good at heart. She was also really, really cute and actually complimented Nayeon instead of jumping on board the "let's drag Nayeon" train. Nayeon appreciated that.

“Hey, you okay?” Momo asked, and Nayeon blinked, snapping out of her trip down memory lane.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’m better now.” Without thinking, Nayeon leaned forward and kissed Momo on the cheek. The younger girl blinked, looking a bit stunned, and looked around to see if anyone else saw. It seemed everyone was too consumed with their studying to notice. Momo shyly grinned back at Nayeon.

“What was that for?” she asked.

“Just for being you, that’s all,” Nayeon replied, smiling so that her bunny teeth were visible.

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Another chapter done, sorry about the delay! What did you guys think? What do you think happened to Mina the two years she was in Korea before she came to JYP's school? I promise next chapter there will be more Saida scenes and another surprise ship as well! Buckle up and prepare yourselves, because next chapter will be a doozy.