"So, you are a Psionic?" Soo Jin keeps abreast with you as she asks.

"I'm a Power Negator or Nullifier, to be precise. Psionic is part of my discipline. And you?"

Soo Jin bides her time before answering.


"I'm a Hybrid. Strength and Shape-shifting."

"No kidding!" You exclaim. "That's very rare in S.M."

"Well, I'm the norm in E.X.O." She smiles and shrugs like it isn't a big deal.


"So you can assume the shapes of any being and object?"

"Well... I'm not very apt at inanimate objects really, but people and animals, yes."

"Really? So what animals can you do?"

"Well," Soo Jin's forehead creases a little as she breaks into thought. You think that looks absolutely adorable. "Mammals and birds mostly."

"You can turn into a bird?"


"Yeah, I mean, I've tried that and yes, I can turn into an eagle or canary if I will."

"So why didn't you do that just now?"

"Do what?"

"When we are running away from the school, why didn't you just turn into a bird and fly away instead of running on foot?"


"Because I fathom since you are running on foot, I can't very well fly away on my own isn't it? That's not very fair."

You pause in your steps to give her an appreciative look.



"That's really nice of you to do that, really. Thank you."

She smiles abashedly and waves a hand, "It's nothing."

"Well, don't be humble, you are really a great friend back there, you know, trying to hook up your friends and all."

"It's not like it's intentional."

Realizing what she has said, Soo Jin hastily cups .


"Not intentional, what do you mean?" You stare at her.


"Well... I'm sort of... Not supposed to do something but I did and they knew about it so they held me up on that and... I am to introduce them to your friend so... Yeah..." She ends sheepishly.

"Oh man, so they are jerks." You scoff.

Soo Jin quickly jumps to defend her friends.

"No, no, it's not like that. Kai and Sehun are actually pretty decent kids, well, save for a little immaturity. Especially Kai, he looks like a player but he's really faithful to his girlfriends. He doesn't attract the right girls though, not too wise with his selections as well. A little too much heartbreak and disappointment hardens his resolve to be a bit more liberal with his choices. And Sehun is just young."


You snicker.

"Sounds like you've known them quite a while. Surely one of them has tried to woo you?"

Soo Jin's eyes spark wide in surprise and then as if remembering something, quickly resumes the conversation again.

"Not really. They are... Not my type."


"And you don't look the type."

Her eyes go into the deer-in-the-headlights mode again.

"What type?"


"The type that will get intro trouble, you know, doing bad things?" You wriggle your eyebrows.

"Oh... that. It's not a bad bad thing."

You wait for her to elaborate as the two of you continue strolling on the quiet street under the starless night.

"Well... I went into the school's vocal practice studio without permission, when I have no business in being there at all. My disciplines are Shape-shifting and Strength, not mimicry. Though it's probably related to my morphing but... It's not in my module. But I just... like to sing."


"You mean sing as in, real singing with stage and performances so on?"

"Maybe not the stage part, but yeah, real singing. But it has nothing to do with my Abilities." Soo Jin gives a sigh as she directs her gaze to her canvas shoes. "I've always wondered how it'd be like to be just doing something that I really like and not something that other people expect me to do. It's like, if you are a Super Agile you are expected to be in the basketball team or if you are a Telepathic, people assume you'll help them interpret thoughts. What if you actually hate basketball? Or that you don't really bother what other people thinks?"


"I've never really thought of it like that before. I mean, my power negating abilities actually saves me from worrying what I wanna do. Cos I don't actually know what I wanna do after I graduate." You muse. "Too many choices confuse me."

"But there's different possibilities in every choice, don't you wanna know what it leads you to?"


"Maybe. I'm curious but..."

Suddenly, you are wondering why you're having such an intimate conversation with a person you've just met barely an hour ago. There's just something about her...


"Maybe you just need to try." She breaks your train of thoughts, an encouraging smile in tow.

"And maybe you can just sing for me." You relax and respond cheekily.

"Like right now? Nah... Maybe next time." She chuckles.

"You sound just like Kris, that's his pet phrase."


"The too tall for his own good Kris? You mention him alot. You have a thing for him?"

You gurgle with disgust.

"No... But my best friend does. She's Amber, the short haired girl sitting beside me just now."

"That's... An interesting combination. So you don't have anyone in mind?"

"I just... Don't have much faith in relationships."


"Oh."

"Amber likes to joke I have a vendetta against men."

You laugh out louder than usual, sensing the topic turning too serious again. What's up with you?

"You do?" Soo Jin glances at you.

"Aren't you glad you are a girl?" You quip.


"Er... Yeah... So any place in particular you wanna go now?"

"Not really. I just wanna get out of there. It's a weak attempt at placating hot-headed students with too much powers on their hands. I won't wanna be stuck in one of the broils which I'm pretty sure is happening like right about now."

You shrug.

"Probably not. The beverage was drugged." The Shape-shifter comments casually.


"What?!" You shriek in horror.

"You drank it?" She mirrors your shock.

"Yes! I took a sip, what's going to happen?"

You feel up your throat.


"You only took one sip? That's not enough to warrant a reaction."

She looks relieved.

"What reaction?"

"That drink is a concoction of behavior regulating hormones and pheromones. To curb the recent aggressive incidents I suppose, and pheromones... Well, it triggers a social response to the opposite ."


"No wonder it tastes so... Fishy! I knew Dr Lee is too cunning to just organize an innocent summer party, but what the hell is triggering a social response to the opposite suppose to mean?"

"Erm... It increases your ual attraction to the opposite ?"

"For what?!"

"I... really don't know. Hoping students will fall in love and that love will prevail over violence? Principal Kim is quite the romantist really." She suggests weakly.


You palm your forehead.

"Wait, how do you know about this?"

"Morphing into live animals does require us to understand a bit about biological responses, so I've had some lab practices and knew when I held the drink close."

"Urgh, no wonder those two guys approach me at the party just now."


"What guys?"

"Never mind... We should look for something else to drink around here."

"Right, sure."

You watch her eyes disappear into half moons, pretty lips curled up into a blinding smile and you wonder whether the drink affects your attraction to the same gender as well.