thirteen

My first kiss is soft like the comforting hug of a mother to a child. Kai’s normal demeanor is, perhaps owning to his dancing background, y, very y. But this was so alarmingly chaste.

We gaze at the lights side by side before he guides me home. We fly through the night sky and as spirits pass easily into my room. So this was how he could easily break in those other times. I sit on the bed and he sits at my desk. I want to ask about the kiss but he seems no different than he usually is. Was I the one who imagined it?

I lay back onto the bed and I don’t know how I know but I’m conscious of the fact we’re physical again.

“So are all muses spirits?”

“We’re one of the few spirits who can also be flesh without the materialization of a body. It’s like water. It can be liquid, solid, or gas at will. The body of a muse adjusts fluidly through states as quickly as needed. It’s how I can do this.”

He stands and then is behind me on the bed.

“And this…”

He touches his solid hand to my chest.

“And this…”

The hand pushes into me and I gasp, jerking away. My violin case falls off the bed and Kai pulls away as well. I reach down and pick up the case and prop it against the all.

“You can do it too,” he says. “And maybe did it a lot unconsciously as a child.”

I recall nothing like that in my memories and say as much and Kai shrugs.

“Perhaps every situation is different. I wasn’t raised by humans after all.”

----

The weekend is uneventful and Luhan approaches me as soon as I enter our hall on Monday morning. He looks so unassuming in th daylight with his soul gem hidden beneath his uniform he resembles any other student here. I remember Yesung saying he isn’t a hunter but I have to keep up my guard. However there are plenty other students around.

“Sehun, am I correct?”

“You are,” I reply but we both know he knows who I am.

“I’m sorry we missed you yesterday,” he says.

“Missed me?”

Luhan nods, “Yes. At chamber. You came didn’t you> We had already left but someone came in late. That was you weren’t it?”

How did he know? My mind is too slow to conjure up a proper lie as I promptly deny it.

“My sheet music was in a different order. I figured someone must have shuffled through it. The only one I could think of was you. We didn’t invite anyone else. Excuse me if I’m wrong.”

“It’s OK. Maybe another interested person came by.”

Luhan looks at me as if he could see straight through me but he says nothing. It’s then that I decide to risk speaking with Luhan more as he was a friend of Tao’s.

“How’s Tao? He’s been absent.”

“I don’t know,” admits Luhan. “He hasn’t been talking to anyone.”

I know offhand that his friend circle is quite large. I’ve seen him around basically all of the Chinese students in our school, plus he’s friendly with everyone in our orchestra so I can’t help but pry further.

“You asked everyone?”

Luhan shrugs, “It’s only been a weekend. I wouldn’t sound an alarm just because he’s have a day off. But I guess it is a bit curious he hasn’t contacted even you.”

“I… I just met him,” I said.

“Yes,” Luhan smiles widely. “But you’re quickly become his favorite.”

It was true what he said. I know it is, even down to me having become his favorite somehow. But the fact I left Tao on bad terms had me wracked with guilt. I realize it would seem suspicious to worry anymore and back down.

As I walk home later that evening I find my thoughts are still dominated by Tao. It’s idiotic and I never realized how needy or clingy I could be. Perhaps that’s why it’s best I was always so alone.

I continue waking though eventually I begin to sense a presence. I’m no longer at school. I left campus again late and I hope to continue to practice more at home. However, the further away I get the more pronounced the feeling of behind tracked grows.

I stop.

“Kai?” I call out into the evening air.

There is no answer and I remember the advice I was given: stick to main roads, so that’s what I do. I follow the main street but the apprehension lingers. I stop and it stops too, whoever or whatever it is. I start walking again and it does too. The next stop I take the risk of looking behind me and I see a shadow disappearing into an allyway but it’s shape is like nothing I’d ever seen before.

I shiver.

It definitely isn’t human.

With that new knowledge I begin to walk faster but so does my pursuer. I clutch the strap of my violin case and then break into a run. I let my legs take me upwards and into the air.

It’s fluid. My body is like fluid, I remind myself as I transfer seamlessly into my spirit form. I don’t have time to feel any sense of accomplishment though. I feel safe for only one second before my heightened senses catch whiff of my stalker. My awareness of it only becomes more pronounced. I move through the air and even as I disappear up and across the rooftops of buildings at a speed that in my fleshly form would be dizzying, it keeps up.

I’m afraid to look back. I don’t know how close it is but knowing it wasn’t human is enough to know I can’t stop.

I wonder where Kai is now that I actually need him and then curse myself for being so weak.

I don’t want to lead it to my house. I do not know if it’s aware of where I live nor do I want to instruct it. So I end up doubling back towards the school. If there isn’t Kai to rely on I know of only one other person.

As soon as I return the campus the feeling of pursuit leaves me. I let my feet touch down on the school’s grassy lawn and somehow I lose balance and fall to my knees as I become solid again. The place is quiet but now quite empty yet. The most devout of students usually stay until gates close at 8 and some instructors stay even later.

I stand up and set into a run. I find the entrance to the music building. The front doors are locked and I run back down the stairs to the try another entrance. It’s locked too and I let my head fall against the door as my palms lay flat upon it.

I’m exhausted.

Am I paranoid? I never once feared being stalked but now I’m absolutely spooked. I move away from the door and walk again to the side of the building, passing windows of various rooms and offices. I walk and my feet guide me to the window I seek and I stop. It’s Yesung’s office.

How would Kai feel if he knew I were here? Yesung was the one he’s warned me about but my mother knows and trusts him. Kai warns me about every single person I meet besides himself. I decide to trust my mother.

I run my palms along the brick wall. I can get in. Kai’s taught me how and I’ve done it before in order to get away from the thing. I just focus. I hear Kai’s voice instructing me within my mind.

“Just want to be with me.”

It’s not Kai this time but the idea remains constant. I have to want it. I push through, my body dematerializes long enough for me to slip past the brick and insulation to the other side. I open my eyes and I’m inside Yesung’s darkened office.

He’s not here and I feel disappointed. But for now I do feel safe. Perhaps Yesung was right about hunters being wary of hunting in his territory. But if this entire side of the Han river is his territory why was I being stalked in the first place thought the creature dared not enter the school.

Yesung must be close, I conclude. It won’t hunt as long as the older muse was nearby.

I exit his office into the cool hallway. As soon as I do I’m lead by the sound of the piano. It’s a piece I’ve never heard before and after a few bars a clear voice begins to sing. It’s so fresh and pure, unlike the rich voices that have been trending lately. There is a faerie like quality to it and I feel as if I’ve been transported into the bloom of spring.

I follow the voice to the source, the vocal department’s small auditorium, and find Kim Ryeowook, Yesung’s bonded mate, behind a grand piano and singing. His back is toads me but I know for sure who it is because Yesung sits in the front row transfixed. I can easily see why. As soon as I cross the threshold into the room it’s swarming with what I can only explain as controlled passion. It was heavy but doesn’t expand and seep out to engulf every inch of the room or spill out into the halls. Instead it feels concentrated and focused like a bubble around the two radiating soft warmth. I can sense it but I cannot partake of it.

Ryeowook finishes his song and the passion in the air swirls for a few lingering seconds before disappearing as if absorbed into a singular point: Yesung. I do not understand the muse world but I can tell that Yesung is strong.

He doesn’t stand or turn his head to face me. He merely says my name.

“Yes, sir!” I reply with a stutter and self-correct. “Teacher.”

“I smell it on you.”

Was he talking again about fear?

Yesung stands then and crosses the room to stand in front of me.

“You were followed. I can smell their scent on you.”

His eyes look past me to the open doorway behind me and into the hall.

Oh, that. Ryeowook approaches then.

“Something wrong, hyung?” he asks Yesung before also addressing me. “Didn’t we see you the other day?”

I nod.

“Yes, and I don’t know what to do! No matter where I go it follows me! I didn’t see it but it doesn’t feel human,” I explain.

“It’s not,” Yesung confirms.

“I didn’t want to lead it to my home. I didn’t know what to do or where to go so I came here!”

Yesung pushes past me and enters the hall.

“It’s still close…”

“I don’t know,” I say feeling utterly useless. “I don’t think it followed me into the schoolyard.”

Yesung nears a hall window and gazes out.

“It’s roaming outside waiting for you to come out. It’s biding its time.”

“W,what is it?”

“A homer.”

“A what?”

Yesung exits through the wall to go outside and I almost follow but Ryeowook come up behind and touches my shoulder.

“What’s a homer?” I start to ask.

I don’t take my eyes off the window as I watch Yesung outside. I’m entranced as suddenly Yesung throws his arm out and releases a line of sapphire blue light that travels along the grass and through the brick wall surrounding out campus before he jumps up and disappears to the other side.

My question is forgotten and now I just have to get outside. I forget all about my supernatural abilities and run down the hall to the nearest exit. Ryeowook is right behind me.

“Sehun wait!”

I ignore Ryeowook and follow Yesung’s path, trying my best to hoise myself over the wall but my weak physical strength and the violin on the back stops me.

“Sehun!” the small teacher calls my name out yet again.

I look down a couple of feet to see Ryeowook’s worried face but then suddenly a loud roar breaks through the air and in seconds I’m falling backwards as the wall shakes and Ryeowook attempts to catch me. Instead we both fall in a heap upon the grass just as something flies over the wall and lands in front of us.

I groan, holding my head as I lay on the grass and when I look up the sight I see leaves me paralyzed.

There is a heaving dark mass in front of us. It slithers to its feet. Slithers! There was no other way to explain it. The light of the schoolyard illuminates its ghastly features. When it stands it’s easily two meters. It has two strong hind legs slightly bent backwards. It’s covered in glassy midnight colored ridges of rough thick skin all over its body. Arms like blackened bone end in a hands like talons. But the face is what really stops me.

It’s got no eyes on its long lizard like head. Instead it seems to be all mouth, filed with long sharp triangular teeth on the bottom and two oversized fangs coming down in a fearsome overbite. Its nose consists of two flaring holes that pulse with each breath. It’s attention seems to be on me as it takes a step forward and when it does I see it swing it’s club like spiked tail like a whip behind him.

I can barely move and it’s actually Ryeowook who pulls me to safety as the tail smashes down on the patch of grass I had just been on.

We roll sideways and look again just as Yesung sprints in front of the beast. He looks so small but he charges with a yell, tie flapping behind him and fist glowing that bright blue. Yesung’s punch lands firmly on the creature’s chest and it roars in pain, maw widening and black tongue lashing out. It swings its tail.

Yesung has great reflexes and he jumps, landing atop the creature’s head and caving it in with a stomp of his boots. He grabs the club like tail in both arms and pulls, teeth gritting and entire body glowing. His hair even rises with the force and then in a mess of gore never seen to me the appendage is ripped clean off spraying blood everywhere. The creature falls then with a thud and Yesung throws aside the tail and walks back towards us.

Behind him the thing proceeds to disintegrate into the ground with a hissing sound and bubbling black until it was no longer there.

I cannot find my voice.

“And that,” Yesung says. “Is a homer.”

-to be continued-

AN : there ya go! I actually have more written but i'll save it for chapter 14. Kai will explain nect chapter what a homer is and also talk more about himself as well as get close to our little sehunnie. Don't worry taohun fans. TAO is NOT gone from this story. In fact he will be back and be 9000% more awesome no matter how close Sekai gets the TaoHun is NOT forgotten. that is a promise.

thanks for reading! please comment! and sub!

also sorry about that break. i was on summer vac and i always do my writing in school hahaha