5

The secret side of me, I never let you see
I keep it caged but I can't control it
So stay away from me, the beast is ugly
I feel the rage and I just can't hold it

I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster

Monster (by Skillet)

Back in the mansion, the remaining guys were as tensed as ever. They couldn’t sit still and every time they heard sounds coming from outside, they thought it was them. Sadly, it was just their imagination. It had been almost four hours since the guys had left and was almost six hours since Lyorin was last seen at home. It was already one in the morning, but their eyes were still fully alert.

Sehun stared at the map on his laptop. The light blinked, informing him that Lyorin was coming towards them. He flashed a small smile, knowing that his brothers would never fail. In a matter of minutes, he would get to see her.

True enough, the roaring sound of the car engine erupted the silent atmosphere. “They’re back!” Xiumin shouted.

Even without his call, Sehun, D.O, Baekhyun and Chen were up on their feet. They dashed out of the mansion and waited at the porch. The car stopped right in front. Kai then appeared at the side, with Tao and Chanyeol. Seconds later, Kris descended from the night sky. Sehun scanned their faces. Even though their expressions were dark and solemn, he was glad that they were unscratched or seriously injured.

Lay got out of the car and pulled open its back door. Kai and the rest crowded. Sehun was puzzled because he had not seen Lyorin. He came closer to see what was going on.

Suho came out and then he turned around only to lift Lyorin in his arms. She was pale and light but what scared Suho and the rest of the guys the most was, she looked lifeless. She looked empty. Her eyes were tightly shut, her breathing was slow and unstable and she looked like she was in pain; in so much mental pain.

“Suho, what happened to her?!” Xiumin rushed.

When Sehun finally saw her, he hurried towards Suho. “Hyung! Hyung! What happened?! Is she okay? Oh my God, she’s not moving!” He only had negative thoughts in his head at the moment.

“Sehun ah, don’t worry. She’s fine. She’s just a little tired –“ Suho tried to ease the youngest worries.

Of course, Sehun didn’t buy his words. “Why i-is she, why is she so whi-white?” He stuttered.

They had entered the mansion and Suho was bringing Lyorin straight to her bed. When he stepped on the stairs, he called out for Sehun. “Sehun, bring me a towel and warm water.” Sehun scrambled to prepare the things as ordered.

“D.O, please cook some porridge.” Kris added. D.O understood and went for the kitchen to prepare a nice warm porridge for Lyorin. She could eat it once she had woken up.

Kai stayed by Suho’s side and kept his eyes on her. “Hyung, please hurry.” He was impatient. The guys kept asking questions but all he wanted is for Lyorin to be treated quickly. He pushed the door to her room and made space for Suho to walk without any hindrance. He tidied the bed and took a step back, allowing Suho to place her carefully on the bed.

After placing her and adjusting the bed covers, Suho called out for Lay. “Lay! Check whether if she has any physical injuries. Try your best to heal as many injuries on her okay?” He patted his back and let him do his job.

Sehun came in with a towel and a large bowl of warm water. Kai took both things from him and went over to the other side of the bed. He sat beside her on the bed, and looked down at her. He brushed the strands of hair on the forehead and placed the warm towel on her. He watched her affectionately and let out a sigh. He sympathised for her knowing how frightened she had felt. He was glad they found her fast because if anything bad had happened, he would not have anything worth living for.

“Guys, she’s fine. She is probably still in shock over what happened.” Lay revealed.

“Thank God, nothing serious.” Chen sighed in relief.

It was Kris’s turn to come closer to her. He sat by her side and her cheeks gently. That was the frailest he had ever seen her. She had always been tough and strong and would never display any signs of weakness. However, that night he realised she was brittle and vulnerable like any other. He was more determined to protect her with all his life. His heart was bleeding especially when she had to watch their monstrous acts.

Enough of watching her, he needed to solve the mystery that happened. He looked at Kai and said, “Kai, you’ll stay here right? I need the rest of them downstairs.” Kai nodded without saying anything. He wasn’t going to leave her side. He left her once and he would not let it happen again.

Kris got up and straightened his clothing. Suho laid his eyes on her the last time before calling the rest of the guys out. “Everyone, gather in the living room now.” 

They left her under Kai’s care and exited the room. Kai had a serious expression plastered and he made sure the towel was warm enough and changed it every five minutes. He checked on her temperature by feeling her neck and adjusted the room’s heater. At times she winced and flinched with her eyes still closed, as though she was having a scary dream. It was agonizing for Kai to watch every time she did it.

~*~

In the living room, EXO gathered for discussion over that night’s incident. Thankfully, Lyorin was not hurt and they managed to settle it without having to involve the police or the public for that matter. However, it was more than just a simple abduction. It was not as straightforward as they thought it to be. The unknown guys; who were they? None of the EXO guys could recognise and identify them. They appeared out of nowhere, searched for Lyorin and demanded something from her.  Sure, they wanted her identity but what was their real intention?

Chen fixed the projector and switched on the large screen. They had to report to Mr Lee. There were too many unanswered questions in their heads. Baekhyun dialled for Mr Lee. At two in the morning, they video called him. Before this, the guys who didn’t join the fight had already updated him. Mr Lee was already kept informed.

The call successfully went through and Mr Lee’s face appeared on screen.

“Ah EXO! I was about to give you a call. Kris, how’s the situation like? Is Lyorin safe?” The man with glasses and grey hair asked.

“Yes, we managed to reach to her in time and get her out safely. We have cleared up the mess and disposed off the bodies.” Kris reported.

Mr Lee gave a nod, pleased at how EXO successfully handled the situation. “How many of them were there? Who are they?”

Suho frowned. “Mr Lee, that’s the main problem. We don’t know who they are. We haven’t seen them before.”

“It could be just random guys trying –“

“Mr Lee, they possessed powers.” Chanyeol interrupted.

Immediately, Mr Lee’s eyes widened. “BAP?”

“We recognise BAP but these guys, they’re new.” Luhan clarified. Obviously, they would have known if those guys were BAP.

Mr Lee shook his head, left and right. “It can’t be. I mean, the only ones with powers are –“

“BAP and BTOB.” Tao ended his sentence.

Sehun went nearer to the camera. “We have photos of them. You can take a look. Maybe you might recognise them.” He then flashed the photos in front of the camera so that Mr Lee could view it from his side.

Mr Lee scanned the photos. These guys; they were foreign to him.

“Oh, there is something we need to show you. See this?” Suho pointed at the photo of the neck of one of the guys. “All of them had this same symbol on them.”

Mr Lee examined the symbol. It looked like a crescent. He remembered seeing it somewhere but could not quite get where he had seen it. Tried as he might, he could not recall the place or, maybe who was the person who had this symbol before. It was familiar yet rare.

“All of us have stars. We have the 12-pointed Star on us; BAP has the 6-pointed while BTOB has 7.  But this –“ Xiumin stated. “This is the first time I see a crescent symbol.”

Chen suddenly came up with something quite odd, “Does it have something to do with the moon?” The guys gave him weird stares, including Mr Lee. “Oh never mind.” He gave up on his idea.

“I will try to check out on the meaning behind this symbol. Regardless of who they are, now we know there are more of our kinds out there. At least those who used to be under the fraternity have rules and code of conduct that we need to strongly adhere to. However, for this group of people, we aren’t sure what kind of people they are. Based on the incident, it seems like they aren’t afraid to show off their powers, even in the public. This; we can’t let it happen. Their recklessness could risk exposing us. Do you understand?”

EXO nodded their hands in understanding. They had kept their secret safe for decades. They weren’t going to let this unknown group that emerged out of nowhere, get their way so easily.

“Meanwhile, I will check the symbol and update you guys on any new finding.” He continued. He searched and noticed Kai was not there. “Where is Kai?”

“He’s with Lyorin.” Kris replied.

Mr Lee suddenly remembered Lyorin. “How is she doing? What happened to her?”

“Sh-she’s resting now but she seems to be in trauma.” Lay stuttered. He didn’t want to reveal exactly her condition to him.

“Trauma?”

“Because she saw everything –“ Suho spoke out.

“She saw the side of us that we never wanted to show.” Luhan added.

Mr Lee understood. “Ah I see. What a pity. She’s so young yet she has to experience all these.” He let out a sigh. He felt sorry for her. To make things worse, Mr Lee had so many he wanted to tell her. However, if she already was having a hard time coping with all that had happened, he was afraid that everything else might be just too painful. “Avoid using your powers in the meantime. Take her out, go somewhere and enjoy yourselves. Do what other young people do.”

“Yes sir.” The guys chorused as a whole.

~*~

Kai never left Lyorin’s side despite being extremely exhausted. His eyes never once tried to close. The nights when he was away, he didn’t sleep a wink. All he did is to roam everywhere, teleporting to places he had never been. He wanted peace, or so he thought. The last time he was this tired is when he found out on Sori’s extra affair. He left her and stayed out for almost a week. Eventually, it took a toll on him and the rest of EXO had to search for him because he got really sick. However, this time, he didn’t care whether if he ended up like before.

He clasped her right hand while listening to the soft sound of her breathing. As long as he the sound kept ringing in his ears, that would be the true definition of peace to him. Suddenly, he felt movements and noticed Lyorin was tossing and turning. Creases could be seen on her forehead and she looked like she was in so much discomfort.

“D-don’t…d-d-don’t k-k-kill. S-st-stay away f-from me.” She mumbled incoherently.

Kai became attentive and immediately, he reached out his hands on her. “Lyorin, wake up. Wake up! It’s only a dream.”

Instantly, she opened her eyes and shot up to a sitting positing. Her eyes met Kai’s, but it was only causing her to shiver even more. Kai looked at her fearful frantic eyes. He was expecting the worst.

(To be continued)