The Connection

Lana sat at the edge of the bed and stared down the wooden floor. Her heart became heavy and a pang of loneliness hit her suddenly. Judging from the newly encounter people; she wasn’t particularly welcome by some. She could feel it. The way they were looking at her, some with interest but most were rather hostile. She recalled the stories Uncle Lee told her every night before bed while she was still a kid. It was supposed to be something unimaginable, a kind of fantasy but his words always came off as real. Of course, it was the truth after all. She has never seen her parents before, only by a photograph which she kept in her wallet all the time. She heard that they were different; one was a vampire while the other, a werewolf.

Lana eventually realised why she was treated indifferently by the guys. If they were EXO, then they must be the wolf pack Uncle Lee mentioned about and if so, well it was only normal that they viewed her with disgust. As much as she was still very human in every aspect, be it physically or mentally, she was still the child known to have born from the cold-blooded kind. It was just impossible to comprehend the situation, but yes, Lana’s existence just meant even more trouble. She was considered forbidden in the eyes of the wolves whereas she was an immortal child in the eyes of the vampires.  Either way, she wasn’t welcomed into the world.

A huge sigh escaped her lips as her thoughts traced back to the new house, new room and new people she just met. She didn’t exactly know why she has to be here, living with them for the rest of her life. All she remembered is, Uncle Lee mentioned that when she has turned 18 years old, she has to be taken somewhere for protection. Protection from who or what? She wasn’t sure. When asked, the only answer she received was, there were many unwanted kinds, specifically creatures that might cause her harm. Was she afraid? Maybe, maybe not... Lana was aware right from the beginning her life was already so messed up.

Lana felt the softness of the bed before noticing the bags lying in front of the wardrobe. She sighed in annoyance and mumbled. “Now, I have to unpack everything.”

She stood up and walked towards the bags, however she decided to make a turn and headed for the balcony. The balcony had sliding doors which were unlocked, so she slid it open and took a step out where there was sunlight. The view from the balcony was nothing but the greenery of the trees. She inhaled deeply the fresh outdoor air, stretched her arms and closed her eyes.

“Hyung, catch!”

“YAH! Must you throw with all your strength?!”

“Hey, don’t break the Frisbee!”

Her mind was disrupted by the sound of guys laughing and yelling. Immediately, she opened her eyes and walked forward to the balcony ledge. Curious, she peeked to see what they were doing. The guys whom she just met earlier, they were throwing Frisbee around and were playing like kids; giggling and laughing. Her expression remained straight as she watched them in silence. The boys seemed ordinary to her, nothing special as yet. They looked happy and energetic, a total opposite of what she was feeling at the moment.

Suddenly, Tao noticed her from the open space from the first floor. “Hey! Do you want to join?” He shouted. Tao was tall, a little tanned and his hair was lightly browned. Lana realised he was the same guy who carried her bags up.

However, she didn’t answer. Instead, she kept on a poker face until he did a flipping stunt swiftly and landed on his feet firmly on the ground as he tried to catch the Frisbee. Amazed, her eyes widened and she stared at him but instantly, the next second she erased her sudden interest and reverted back to her usual poker face expression. Meanwhile, Tao actually did the stunt on purpose. He wanted to show off and display his skills in front of her. Satisfied that she saw, he gave a smirk. Yet, as soon as he showcased his skill, hoping she would be amaze and maybe fell for him; she walked away and went inside her room. It was as though it didn’t have any effect on her.

Tao: What? I did everything and she remained unaffected?

Slightly disappointed, Tao stopped playing the Frisbee and joined Jongin and Kyungsoo who were sitting on a thick wooden log. Kyungsoo laughed and hit the back of Tao’s head playfully.

“Were you trying to impress her? Really, Tao? She’s only here barely two hours and you already pushing your luck on her?” Kyungsoo chuckled since he obviously has heard Tao’s thought.

Tao grunted. “Whatever... She’s not my type.”

Kyungsoo: Liar! I can hear your thoughts, stupid. She smells great and your heart is beating so fast.

Tao: Speak of yourself, Kyungsoo! She smells great to you too! What? You were even describing her as a sweet smelling rose. Hahaha! That’s really corny.

Kyungsoo: Shut up!

Jongin watched as the two of them bickered constantly; well technically he was listening to them in his head. Just like them, he found it hard to resist her scent. She was exceptionally enticing. Everything about her was delicate and alluring. He knew it wasn’t just him. The rest of them felt the same way. Never did they ever come across such a sweet smelling scent. Furthermore, she was unreadable, which made her even more intriguing.

However, there was something more which Jongin felt about her. He didn’t know why but he sensed sadness and loneliness. It wasn’t his emotions. It was from her. He just felt it. Also, there was this additional sound; a rhythmic sound which kept beating inside of him. He was sure it wasn’t his own heartbeat. Compared to his heartbeat which was always loud, rough and thumping, this sound, it was like music to his ears.

“I don’t think she’s happy being here.” Jongin muttered out of a sudden.

Luhan heard and came closer to him. “How would you know? She seems fine to me.”

Jongin shrugged his shoulders. Yes, she seemed fine but he could feel the sorrow and pain she was feeling.

“I don’t know. I’m just guessing.” He replied. It would be strange if Jongin tells the rest of the guys that he could sense her heart and feelings. Hence, he would like to regard the special connection he shared with her as a responsibility for him, only for him.

Dinner finally arrived and Lana has changed her outfit. Wearing denim shorts with a loose baseball shirt, she unlocked her bedroom door and timidly peeped outside before going out of the room. She swallowed nervously as she made way down the staircase. Her ears picked up laughter and noise. It was loud which made her even more nervous. Everyone was already there and it was only left with her. She didn’t like excessive attention so when she entered the dining room, her heart stopped briefly as all eyes immediately went to her.

“Oh Lana, come take a seat.” Mrs Yoon gestured a seat and instantly Lana smiled and took the seat.

She was sitting in between Yixing and Minseok. Of course, she didn’t know their names yet and was hoping she would get a seat at the corner instead of right smack in the middle of the guys. The two guys, thankfully, were ignoring her. She would rather be ignored than to have them staring at her awkwardly.

Mira was sitting at the opposite beside a tanned looking guy, with a serious expression. Lana looked at him but when he noticed her stare, she looked elsewhere immediately. The eye contacts with the guys were somewhat intimidating so she just focussed on the plate of food before her.

While Uncle Lee and Mrs Yoon were having conversation throughout dinner and then the rest of them were just eating and talking out loud, Lana noticed the huge portion of food on their plate. There was so much food and the guys kept on eating as though they haven’t eaten for years. She stopped whatever she was doing and stared at them intently with a curious frown.

Jongdae picked up a big burger and ate it all up in just three bites. Then, we had Kris who was on his third serving of Spaghetti with meatballs. Joonmyun was downing the whole chicken all by himself. Sehun was at the 8^th slice of pizza and he looked like he could eat another 10 slices more. Surprisingly, they were eating casually without feeling sick. Lana felt full just by looking at the way they ate. As compared to her portion of food on her plate, which consisted of a chicken chop with mashed potato and the salad by the side, hers looked quite pathetic even though it was supposedly the normal portion.

Mrs Yoon caught Lana’s stare at the guys and chortled. “Guys, I told you to eat decently right? Sorry Lana, it can be a little messy when we have meals.”

Lana turned her attention to Mrs Yoon and shook her head. “It’s okay.”

EXO guys stopped for a while and looked at Lana with some of their mouths full of food. Embarrassed, they slowed down and gently picked up the food mannerly. She stared down at her plate of food and ate it slowly. However, she wasn’t really hungry.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Luhan asked in concern when he saw that her plate of food was still untouched. His voice was calm and gentle. Lana looked up to examine his face. He was undeniably handsome with nice facial features and blonde hair.

“I’m not hungry –“ She replied with a smile and added. “I’m sorry but can I be excuse? I’ll be in my room.”

Mrs Yoon nodded and said. “Of course, go ahead. You must be tired.”

With that, Lana left the dining table. Yixing looked at her plate of food and commented. “How could she possibly just eat that? I can barely survive –“

“Stupid, you’re a wild wolf while she’s a girl and quite a beauty!” Minseok slapped Yixing’s head from the back.

Minseok’s remark earned teasing calls from the rest of them. “Whoa I see someone is already smitten.” Joonmyun said and laughed.

“Well, I find her kind of cute too.” Chanyeol inserted. Some of them nodded, agreeing to his statement.

“And she smells absolutely good.” Baekhyun continued. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m having a hard time resisting her. She’s so tempting.”

“Me too...”

“I feel like I can eat her up, not literally though.”

“Same problem, Hyung...”

Kris slammed the table and snarled. “Stop it, you guys! You’re not supposed to scare her. Control yourselves!”

The rest of EXO looked down in shame. Being a wolf had its shortcoming, one of which was, their animalistic nature might get the best of them. Their hormonal level wasn’t like humans. When they craved for something or someone, they would do anything to possess it or her. Because everything about Lana was fascinating, they couldn’t help but feel drawn towards her. It wasn’t really ually driven, though some might have that tendency at times but they were still gentlemanly enough to avoid such distasteful thoughts. They were still at a growing phase and needed time to control their lust. It was more of a physical yearn, like holding, hugging and just being around her all the time. They would like to view it as a protective instinct over her.

“What the hell?” Mira muttered after listening to her conversation. “What’s so nice about her scent? You guys didn’t have such reaction on –“ She stopped abruptly.

“Because you’re not her...” Kyungsoo replied with a wink. Even though, she didn’t say it out loud, Kyungsoo could read her thoughts.

“Anyway Mira, Lana will be going to the same school as you from now.” Mrs Yoon blurted.

“What?” Mira responded unhappily.

“Yes, she’s of the same age as you.” Mrs Yoon added. “So, I hope you look out for her in school. Everything will be new to her.”

Mira grunted and pushed the plate away. She lost her appetite out of a sudden. “I’m not a baby sitter. I thought she has them to look after her.” She said while pointing a finger at EXO.

“Everyone else graduated, silly.” Jongdae clarified. “We can’t be on the school ground but we’ll be outside. So, I hope –“

“Yeah whatever...” Mira mumbled.

Joonmyun sighed and explained in a serious tone. “Mira, we mean it when we tell you not to cause any trouble for her. You know about Lana’s situation and we hope you could help us out by not creating unnecessary trouble. If you don’t intend to help, then don’t cause more problems too.”

Mira glared. “You’re telling me I’m the problem now? Who’s the cursed child here? It’s her not me!”

“MIRA!” Mrs Yoon scolded.

Mira ignored the glares and stood up abruptly, leaving the dining table. She felt so pissed that she has to bear the responsibility looking after Lana. Who was Lana to her anyway?

Mrs Yoon shook her head, saddened by the way her own daughter behaves. “I’m sorry about Mira –“

“Don’t be sorry, Mrs Yoon. It isn’t your fault. We’ll figure out a way.” Tao comforted.

“As much as I hope my intuition is wrong, I want you guys to look out for Mira as well, not because she will be any kind of danger but mostly because I have the feeling she might cause problem to Lana. She’s my daughter and I know her too well.”

“We’ll keep a look out for the both of them.” Jongin assured.

To be continued

Alright new chapter done! ^__^ Thank you subscribers and readers! I'll try to update as many chapters during the weekends.