Junhong wakes up on Saturday feeling uneasy and exhausted, as usual. It is impossible for him to get any sleep anywhere near the castle, where the feeling of being watched, hunted, follows him everywhere.

He rolls over in the lazy mid-morning light to see Sehun sprawled across his bed, awake and smiling like an idiot.

“Looks like you’re in a good mood,” Junhong says, a weary smile spreading across his face despite everything. “You must’ve had a good night.”

Sehun blushes – actually blushes. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well, the stupid grin and the hickeys are pretty good clues,” Junhong teases. Sehun’s hand flies up to his neck, where a series of reddish-purple bruises mar the pale flesh. “So I take it your date with Luhan went well.”

“It wasn’t a date,” Sehun protests without much conviction. “It was just practice for the dance showcase.”

“More like practice in how to ,” Junhong laughs.

Sehun flushes again but doesn’t deny it. Instead he changes the topic. “It’s the athletic festival today.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Junhong groans, pressing his face into the pillow. “Why they think it’s a good idea to force us to be athletic is something I will never understand. I’m planning on skipping.”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “It’s mandatory, Junhong. I know you don’t go to class too often, but surely even you know what ‘mandatory’ means.”

“Please, I could probably kill somebody and still not get kicked out,” Junhong grumbles. “They let me do whatever I want.”

“Except leave,” Sehun points out.

A heavy silence follows this statement, both preoccupied with thoughts about the demon that’s been stalking Junhong.

Eventually he gets up, trying to shrug the eerie feeling off. “Let’s just get dressed. I want to eat before I’m forced to run in the hot sun.”

So they get dressed in their gym uniforms – issued to everyone whether they’re currently taking gym class or not – and go down to the cafeteria for breakfast. It’s pretty deserted at this hour since most students have already made their way out onto the Bailey for the athletic festival. They scarf down a few bites of breakfast and then meander out into the courtyard.

It’s a bright, sunny day, perfect for an athletic festival if one was into that sort of thing. Junhong most definitely is not, so, after saying goodbye to Sehun, he sidles around the corner of one of the outbuildings to hide out until the festival is over. It’ll be a few hours, but it’s shady behind the building and he might be able to get another hour of sleep if he’s outside of the castle.

He walks around the corner only to stumble upon two upper classmen intimately entangled with one another, their mouths locked together, one with his knee wedged between the thighs of the other.

One of them looks up, arching an eyebrow at Junhong as if silently asking him to piss off.

The second one isn’t so silent. He breaks the kiss long enough to shoot a glare in Junhong’s direction. “You got a problem, kiddo? Move along.”

“Aren’t you the student council president?” Junhong directs to the first guy. “Park Jungsoo? I saw you at the opening ceremony.”

Jungsoo smirks. “I am pretty hard to forget, I’ll admit.”

The second boy, Heechul, rolls his eyes. “Whatever. I guess I’ve got stuff to do, too.” He brushes past Junhong, a slight blush in his cheeks. Jungsoo grins cheekily and follows, leaving Junhong alone in his hiding place.

Sighing gratefully, he sinks to the cool ground and puts his arms behind his head. Definitely a good time to catch a few more Zs.

He wakes maybe half an hour later to discover that he’s no longer alone in the shade behind the building. Yongguk sits beside him, a textbook spread open on his knees and headphones over his ears. Junhong yawns and stretches.

Yongguk notices that he’s awake and removes his headphone. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. You still having trouble sleeping in the castle?”

“Pretty hard to sleep when there’s an evil force trying to kill you,” Junhong answers grimly, straightening his shirt.

Yongguk rolls his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” He closes his textbook. “So you’re hiding from the festival.” It’s a statement more than a question.

“So are you,” Junhong shoots back. “Not athletic?”

“My talents lie elsewhere,” Yongguk grins. He stretches lazily. “It’s too nice of a day to do homework.”

“Every day is too nice of a day to do homework,” Junhong retorts.

Yongguk laughs. “It’s really a wonder you haven’t gotten kicked out yet, kid.”

“If only,” Junhong replies wryly.

He doesn’t see much of Yongguk the following week, though he’s not sure why he’s disappointed by that. He’s thinking about the upper classmen on Thursday when Kyung and Minwoo approach him.

“Secret meeting,” Kyung whispers to him. “During lunchtime.”

“Off campus,” Minwoo adds, equally conspiratorial. “We don’t want to be overheard by anyone or anything.”

Junhong nods. Getting away from the castle is always appealing to him, and it’s not like he cares about missing classes. The sooner he gets expelled, the better for everyone, he thinks miserably.

So, instead of going to his next class after lunch, he shoulders his bag and walks towards the front gate. It’s a drizzly day, so there’s no one else around to watch him lope up the path. He’s not sure anyone would try to stop him anyway.

He’s the last to arrive at the gate. It’s not just Minwoo and Kyung, though. Sehun, Jonghyun, Kibum, Minho, and Taemin are also there. Everyone looks a bit uncomfortable, shifty eyes all around.

“What’s all this about?” Junhong begins, but Minwoo stops him.

“Not here,” he says cautiously, looking around quickly as though to make sure they’re not being overheard. “I know a place nearby. Let’s go.”

Minwoo’s place ends up being a little café nearby. Because of the weather, it’s practically deserted inside, so the eight of them squeeze into the biggest booth in the back corner. They order some drinks to appease the cashier, but nobody has much of an appetite.

“Okay, we’ve called everyone here to let you know that we’ve created a group to combat the demon,” Kyung begins.

Minwoo interrupts. “Well, we didn’t technically create it,” he amends. “It’s called the Benandanti, and it’s been around for ages. Centuries, even.”

“It’s an organization whose sole purpose is to fight off demons,” Kyung continues. “And we’ve joined. I guess we’ll call it the Peritia Academy branch. Anyway, we wanted you all to join. We trust you guys.”

Junhong doesn’t hesitate. “I’m in,” he says grimly.

“Me too,” Kibum agrees with a fierce determination. “That thing has to pay.”

One by one, the others agree. It’s frightening yet exhilarating at the same time to finally be doing something.

I'm alive, I promise OTL