Chen remembered the day Lay came very clearly. It was no more than two days after the incident. Chen spent that day at home alone with the intent to relax his still frayed and frazzled nerves, which had become so hypersensitive that at times he barely knew there was a difference between left and right or up and down; he knew there was no difference between being numb and feeling fine.

It was in the news but no one knew the full story. No one believed it. The papers headlined the story “Boy Hit By Malfunctioning Generator” but they all explained that Chen had been barely touched by it. When the paramedics came they claimed that Chen only suffered minimal damage and must not have been hit directly by the stray electrical pulses. Chen knew better, and Lay must have as well, because he showed up at Chen’s door the day after he left the hospital.

The path he walked with Lay was made of stone and cut through such a thick blanket of trees that Chen could not see a single bit of sunlight hit the ground under them. Neither Chen nor Lay spoke but it was a comfortable silence, with only the sound of a slight breeze occasionally blowing leaves to break it. With so many thoughts running through Chen’s mind, like what living in this place would be like or whether or not his parents were still angry he left,  he was thankful Lay gave him the chance to try to sort it out. His nerves would have eased completely if not for a strange shift of pressure and the appearance of a dark cloud of smoke that startled him.

“They’re driving me nuts in there.”

Kai.

He was the first person Chen met after Lay. The dark haired boy had the ability to teleport and since Lay had a tight schedule for the day and could not waste time taking an airplane, Kai came to transport each boy individually as close to Light’s Refuge as he could without completely draining his energy.

“You guys are walking too slow and they’re waiting,” he whined with his baritone voice.

“They’ll have to wait just a little bit longer. We are almost there.” And they were. Chen could see the top of what looked like an old mansion’s tower peeking out above the layer of trees. Kai nodded and disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared not a moment before.

“Don’t be so nervous. Everyone here is helpful. You will be well taken care of.” Lay listed off the things Chen should do when they arrived, like find his roommate and introduce himself to as many people as possible on the way. He explained that there were certain people who roamed the halls specifically to guide anyone who needed it, and that Chen would receive a map and a list of anything he might need to know once they reached the entrance. And when they did get there, Kai was waiting for them with the small bundle of papers.

“So I just read this map and find my room?” Chen unfolded the crisp piece of paper. Eyes widened as he caught the overall plan of the grounds; it was much bigger than he thought. The mansion had five floors, a massive garden, and fields surrounding it. The forest on each side of the entrance path also belonged to Light’s Refuge, as did a large bit of forest behind it. It was only in that moment that Chen realized he had absolutely no idea what part of the world he was in or if civilization existed in close proximity to this place. The mansion could be on an island off an island for all he knew, and that made him feel a little sick. Lay seemed to notice.

“It’s not as intimidating as it seems, I promise. I will take you to your room so you can relax.” Lay gave a short bow to Kai and gestured Chen further into the mansion.

The halls on the way to Chen’s dorm were dark wood and covered with art that looked like it must have cost millions, yet every so often there would be a section of work that was done by students. Self-portraits by older teens and paintings done by children found their places among the professional works as if they were one and the same.

Chen and Lay did not see many people roaming the halls but the few that did pass bowed to Lay and greeted him, to which he smiled brightly and returned the favor. Chen had the feeling that Lay must be very important, if not just by rank, by the feelings his peers had for him. If the constant cheer seen on the faces of those that passed him was any indication, Chen was pretty certain in his assumption that the whole school loved Lay. So far he had no reason not to like Lay himself.

They turned into another dark wood hallway, this one with a full length window at the end. Ceiling lights lined the hall but most of the light came from the window, even with trees attempting to block it. Lay stopped at a door directly in the middle and gestured to Chen. “This is it.” He left Chen there with a smile and a soft-spoken “enjoy yourself.”

Chen never thought about what the dorms would look like but he could not have predicted what he found. The walls were a sky blue with a pattern of white dashed lines and a white block that measured about three feet from the floor in thickness and bordered the whole room. Amongst the blue were scattered shelves, though neatly packed with books and items that seemed random yet completely in place. Most of these items were shaped blocks or home-made scientific instruments. A giant globe on a wheeled stand sat on the left side of the room. Intricate lines were drawn all over it. Next to it was a small desk with a sign posted to it, depicting nothing but an arrow pointing up. Chen followed this direction and found stars and planets hanging from the ceiling above it. There were words on the ceiling as well but they were either in a different language or an unreadable font. The right side of the room had two full sized beds, one with blue and white striped sheets and the other a solid, almost black.

To the far right was a closet, doors folded open, and an orange-haired boy walking out of it. The boy looked Chen up and down with a sort of contemplative expression that made Chen a little uncomfortable.

“You’re the new guy?” Chen simply nodded while the boy threw a book on the striped bed. He took it as a signal that it belonged to his new roommate; Chen also took note that the book was a text on physics, which further explained the decoration in the room. His roommate was a science nerd.

“I’m Xiumin…” The boy’s brows furrowed a little as he took in Chen’s expression, then one lifted in distaste. “Is that a face you usually make? Because I have a gorilla mask in the closet that might look a little better.”

A science nerd and a smart .

**********

Despite being a little annoyed with Xiumin, Chen was glad his roommate took the time to drop his homework and tell Chen everything he knew about Light’s Refuge. “Only about two-thirds of the people here are students. Everyone else is staff or just living here.” He gestured Chen down a hall before continuing.

“Most of us get here just after our abilities show up. That’s usually within the first year or two of high school. Yours showed up late. You’re like twenty, right? I’ve been here for nine years.” Chen’s head tilted a little, surprised that Xiumin had been there so long. If he had spent nine years in Light’s Refuge it must have meant his powers came while he was still in middle school; Xiumin had to be a little older than Chen was.

“Next semester I might be teaching beginner’s physics. A lot of us end up teaching classes even though we’re not technically registered teachers. A lot of things we do are unofficial but still good quality. We work with what we have.”

They moved to the gardens, though Xiumin did not take Chen too far into them. The scent of roses, moss, lilies, and tens of other flowers and plants that Chen could barely name brought a smile to his face. Walls were covered in ivy and thick bushes and thin, winding trees lined the path he and Xiumin were on. Chen had never seen a more thriving garden in his life—and he never imagined he would. Later he would have to roam the gardens on his own.

“These gardens were here at the beginning but they didn’t look like this until about two years ago. A student did all of this.” Xiumin displayed a small smile as he spoke but his voice softened a little. Before Chen could question it, Xiumin started moving back inside.

As they rounded the corner to head to the dining hall Chen could hear the buzz of excited voices. It sounded as though Light’s Refuge must have had more inhabitants than he originally thought, and Xiumin must have known what he was thinking. The orange-haired boy laughed. “It’s loud because it’s lunch time. Everyone moves to the dining hall at about the same time for lunch.”

By the time they reached the double doors Chen could make out bits of conversations as people passed. Groups of two, threes, and fours took up places at rectangular tables in the middle of the room or circular ones along the sides. Two single file lines were stationed along one wall, which was where Chen assumed the food was.

“How’d you get conned into showing him around?”

Kai’s half smirking, half smiling face came out of nowhere. He wrapped an arm around Xiumin’s shoulder and flashed his grin at Chen, who frowned in response. “Kidding.”

“He’s my roommate,” Xiumin cut in. “And he doesn’t like sass very much so you should be nice to him.” Somehow, Chen understood that Xiumin’s request was sass disguised as a kind gesture. That thought was confirmed when Kai’s nose scrunched up and he let out a soft cackle. The next second Kai was gone. Little bits of smoke lingered around Xiumin.

“Kai brought you here, right?” He did not wait for Chen to answer. Instead, Xiumin pointed to where Kai had reappeared. There were two other boys with him. Both were very tall and thin, though with athletic builds. One looked a little more intimidating; he had a bad boy vibe complete with eyes that looked like they belonged to a gangster or an assassin and piercings lining his ears. The other looked like a prince. His hair was colored a mixture of baby pink and platinum. Chen saw a few girls and guys in the distance murmuring and staring at these two and Kai, who together made a band of pretty boys.

“Those three right there are part of what we call ‘The Honors Students.’ They’re also my friends but being friends with them doesn’t mean you’re one of them. We call them that because their gifts are powerful and they’ve all learned to control and use them so well. Sehun, the pink-haired one, can create tornadoes just by sighing. Tao can manipulate time. The thing about him is that no one has ever seen what he can do except Lay, but Lay says that Tao is extraordinary and everything Lay says is law around here. And what you saw Kai do today was nothing compared to what he can do. If he seemed a little tired it’s just because he’s been having a really off… few months. There’s one more member but he’s been gone for a little while.”

Xiumin continued the habit he had of cutting Chen off before he could ask questions by pivoting toward the food lines.