[Year 19 of Exile]

[Kris]

“Kris-hyung, could you pass the syrup?”

I looked up from my pancakes and slid the teapot of maple syrup over to Zitao who grabbed it just before it fell off the table. He wiped imaginary perspiration off his forehead before drowning his pancakes with the syrup.

The kitchen was silent. No one dared to make a sound unless necessary, and that included the sounds of cutting your food up and chewing it.

It was breakfast time. The grocery team had left and Jen was still nowhere to be found.

We tried. We searched, searched, and searched.

That girl wasn’t anywhere.

“We would have probably found her if only you allowed Kai to join our search party.” Xiumin remarked as he absentmindedly poked at his pancakes, holes appearing all over the innocent food. “But no, you were worried about the boy’s already-healed psychological state.”

It was unpleasant to hear your friend doubt your actions but I stood by my decision. Kai most definitely cannot withstand another trauma; that boy would fall apart and might never recover. Yixing wouldn’t be able to do anything either; he healed physical wounds, not psychological ones.  

I sneaked a glance at the boy. He was soundlessly munching on his pancake as he gazed outside, no doubt thinking about either Jen or Sehun.

My eyes skimmed through the remaining six faces and I couldn’t help but feel depressed at the repeated expressions of misery and frustration on them. She really is a large part of our lives, that princess.

I felt a stare on me and I found Jongdae gazing at me. His eyes flickered and uncertainty appeared briefly on his face and it vanished just as quickly as it came. He broke the gaze and went back to his plate, leaving me in confusion and curious.

“Kris-hyung. C-Could you gather the boys at the porch, please…?”

Jongdae’s voice came from beside me and I realised with a small jump that the boy had somehow silently entered my room without me knowing. And without knocking as well, the nerve of the lightning user.

“Why? Is there something you would like to say?” I threw the shirt I had been folding onto my bed and in a large step, I was in front of the younger boy who stood at my room door.

“Not exactly…” He rubbed the back of his neck as he pointedly avoided my eyes. “There’s just something that I want to–”

A loud bang echoed and the cabin shook.

“KRIS-HYUNG!”

I heard Zitao scream my name and in an instant, I ran out onto the corridor but my eyes widened in shock when I saw what had happened.

The back of the cabin was on fire.

The frightening yellow amber raged at the front of Xiumin and Jongdae’s shared room, and judging from how their room door had detached itself from its hinges and smoke emerged from their room, it was a goner.

Wait.

Xiumin is sleeping in that room.

“!”

I barely took a few steps towards the blazing flames when I felt arms circling around my waist.

“Hyung! What are you doing?!” Jongdae shouted as another loud bang pierced my eardrums and the cabin reverberated once more. “You will die if you head in there!”

“Xiumin is in there!” I growled and I tried to shake the boy’s arms off. It was no good, somehow Jongdae had a very tight grip on me.

Fine, so be it.

I stomped towards the flames with Jongdae still trying to pull me back. But I forged forward, determined to save my same-aged friend who was probably still in that room.

Please, please, please. Please be alive and awake. Use your power to freeze the flames or something. Please Xiumin.

As if my prayer was answered, a burst of ice crystals shot out from the door and the flames that raged at the entrance were pushed back momentarily. A figure emerged from that temporary exit and my eyes lit up when I saw that it was our own Jack Frost.

“XIUMIN! XIUMIN!” I screamed as the oldest keeled over and I noticed how blackened his body was. “C’MERE!”

He held a hand to his mouth and I could barely recognise his face for his features were covered with soot from the fire that had ravaged his room. His clothes were burnt off in some places and I couldn’t help but fear for his life if he hadn’t woken up and tried to escape. Heck, I’m glad that he has the power of frost even though it would probably be useless against such a frightening fire.

But where the hell did the fire come from? Who the set our cabin on fire? And why?

My friend crawled his way over to me and I ran to meet him halfway. Together with Jongdae, I heaved him up and was about to lug him towards the stairs when a blood curdling scream froze my movements.

Kai.

Wasn't he downstairs? What is he doing up here!?