[Year 19 of Exile]

“I have nerves of steel. I have nerves of steel. I have–”

“Jen, shuddup.”

I in my cheeks and threw an offended glare at Kai who was walking beside me. He held his hands up like a criminal caught red-handed, a grin on his tanned face. “Can’t I at least comfort myself?”

“No.” His tone was serious but the expression on his face proved otherwise as his eyes twinkled playfully, daring me to engage him in a fight right there and then. In the open. Out on the empty streets. With the moon bathing us in its silver light.

“Well someone’s awfully strict tonight.” I pouted, hands pulling away from Aran’s golden back where I had been him out of pure nervousness. The retriever whined but knew better than to demand for my hand to resume its caress. Next to Kai, Levre snorted and my spirit animal shot the black jaguar a glare.

“I have to be.”

I looked at him, and this time his expression backed up the tone his words carried. “I have to be strict tonight, Jen. And you know fully why.” He broke the contact first, eyes looking straight ahead, at the backs of the boys, though I know that in actual fact, he had his eyes on me.

I looked to the front as well, my eyes focusing on a particular back whose skulking stature overshadowed his same-aged friend’s and ignoring the gaze from Aran that flitted between my friend and I, perhaps wondering why are we quarreling when we were about to die.

Yes, our deaths are upon us.

“Let’s go, tonight.”

Twelve wide-eyed faces glanced up at me as I paused behind Xiumin, my spatula scooping up an omelette that I had wanted to place on the boy’s empty plate.

"It's too soon." Kris replied almost immediately, his eyes leaving my face first. He resumed his breakfast, his cold countenance expressing his opinion on this matter.

"Kris is right," Jongdae seconded, his eyes leaving my face next as they rested on the pancakes on his plate. Maple syrup flooded them, for the boy had drowned them just before. "It's too soon."

"That's not what you said three days ago." Luhan rebutted, his eyes leaving my face to flash at the seventh eldest who daringly ignored his hyung's glare. "You said we ought to–"

"I know what I said." Jongdae flared up, his palms slamming the table, the liquids in our glasses shaking due to the impact. "But it's too soon."

"Then when would be the right time to act?" I placed Xiumin's omelette on his plate, my feet taking me to the next chair where I did the same for a sullen Sehun. The boy shot me a grateful smile and motioned for me to sit next to him, which I did. "I have to remind you, Jongdae, that time is running out."

The boy had a conflicted expression on, and I knew he was considering the options. I took this chance to further ruin his thoughts, wishing to run over his train with my own.

"Your opinions matter not if you're not agreeing with me. With or without you, I'm storming his household tonight. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

And nothing was done.

[Kris]

When Len suggested that the place where the adults were held captive would be obvious, I never expected the location to be so darned in-my-face.

"I don't think we can come out of this place alive." Zitao whispered, his hands gripping tightly onto the long sleeve of my black sweater.

Jongdae had told us to don black outfits, as ninjas would when they're on a mission so as to blend into the darkness much easier. But in our hearts we knew that these black outfits won’t save us from our impending suicides, they would only prolong them.

The time controller's words shook the resolve that I barely built up during the walk to this location. Now that it's crumbling, I found my hand returning Zitao's grip and we unknowingly closed the gap between our bodies as we both looked up at the towering mansion that greeted us.

It was huge. It was attractive. It was majestic. It was a place fit for the human ambassador to the aliens to live in, and needless to say, it was more than fitting for the principal of Sky College. The windows of the mansion were lit, and even though the outer appearance of the building seemed silent, its lawns undisturbed by intruders or patrol teams, I could feel the energy within its walls.

The energy waiting for us.

"Kris." I turned to the voice, and Luhan's undeterred countenance greeted me. "What do we do now?"

I looked at him, prying my hands out of Zitao’s grip, earning myself a light smack on the forearm as the boy left to join the rest who were standing under balding trees, the spirit animals loitering around them. The humans were much more restless than their spirit counterparts.

"You’re older, so why don