The next week at school was a bit tense for every one. By the end of the week they were going face-to-face with Cho-Young High for their annual battle. This year things were a little different and the group had a lot to be concerned about.

Monday rolled around and the group were sitting at lunch. Hye Su and Maki made up with a bottle of soju and the group was back to 'normal' again.

Maki winced as she sat with her back against the chair. Jae Joong watched her carefully, "Yah...are you SURE your dad checked her out thoroughly?" Jae Joong asked Hye Su.

"Yes, he even gave me her report." Hye Su said.

"Yah! Isn't that a conflict of interest or breaching of contract with a patient's privacy?!" Maki asked.

"No...you're not my dad's patient...and I'm daddy's little girl." Hye Su grinned at her.

"Aish..." Maki muttered. The group giggled as the girls bantered like sisters.

"Who would've thought Maki would be sitting with us and dating Jae Joong hyung." Changmin thought outloud.

"What? I can go back to sitting over there by myself." Maki said with a grin and pointed to the now empty table. That three new students had occupied only months before.

Changmin just stuck his tongue out at her and Jae Joong just sat there grinning.

Maki's phone rang and she pulled it out. It was a text message from Sayuri, "So this week will be a true test of your abilities and your loyalty. It will all end this Friday...and you will become mine once and for all. Who will you choose? Your friends or your family? Ahhh, I wonder where your Appa is today? Should I make another home visit?"

Maki stood up out of her chair so fast that it fell back and clattered against the floor. Everyone stared at her. She quickly dialed her dad's phone, but there was no answer.

She called Uncle Won's house, Boa picked up on the third ring. "Yobeoseyo. Boa? Boa?" Maki started to panic...how was she suppose to get ANYTHING out of a two year old. Suddenly she heard her Uncle take the phone.

"Yoboseyo?"

"Uncle Won!" Maki literally screamed into the phone.

"Yehh...Maki?"

"Yeah, is Appa still there?"

"No...he left this morning."

"What?!" Maki screamed. "Why didn't he call me?"

"Call you...he said your friend Sayuri, called and said you got really sick and needed him to come home right away. She said Jae Joong had to leave the house..."

"How long has he been gone?" Maki said through clenched teeth. Her free hand was clenched into a fist so tight that she could feel her finger nails starting to cut through the first layer of skin.

"Most of the day...whats going on Maki?"

"Nothing...just a miscommunication. I'll tell Appa to call you later, sorry for bothering you. Tell Boa I miss her." Maki said and quickly hung up the phone.

She looked at Jae Joong and he stared right back at her, his face expressionless but his eyes were clouded with a thousand questions for her.

"Catch up if you can." She said to him but loud enough for the whole group to hear. She grabbed her messanger bag and quickly bolted out of the cafeteria. Jae Joong did not even take a second to process the thought of running after her...the rest of the group quickly on their heels.

Maki ran the five miles back to her house. She didn't care that her whole body felt like it was on fire and that it was killing her to breathe. But with every step she took she felt like it was a second lost. She felt her whole body aching in pain with every motion but she had to hurry up and get back home. Finally she ran up the hill to her house and thats when she started to feel the panic and dread slowly creeping up on her. Jae Joong was paced behind her keeping his focus on her and her only. He didn't know what the hell was going but he had a feeling he was going to find out soon.

As Maki reached her house she saw the dark cloud of smoke...the sirens and flashes of red lights and other people runni