At School In The Physics Classroom...

A loud buzzing sound went off, indicating that the second bell had rung and that students should've reached their next class. With loud or rather  boisterous voices, the cluttered students pushed each other around the classroom, laughing. I slumped down in my seat, feeling deflated from the previous period, physical education. I was worn out and put my head on the table, knowing sooner or later, our teacher would slam her textbook on a nearby desk. I wasn't too keen on being reprimanded and spending an extra hour at school for detention.

It had taken our teacher another two minutes before she slammed her textbook onto a desk and told us to stay put and quiet. Lazily lifting my head up, I eyed the piece of paper she head in her hand.

Before I could even think of a question, someone blurted out, "did you already assign us our partners?"

Ah, so that's what the paper was for.

"Yes, I have. And please raise your hand next time, Dylan." She narrowed her eyes at him and turned back to the paper. "Once I assign the partnerships to you, I want you to find your partner and sit together, got it?" Nodding our heads, she proceeded to clear and began to list the partnerships. "Dylan and Jack." 

"YES!" Dylan jumped out of his seat and made his way to Jack, giving him a fist pump and slinging his arm over the shoulder of his friend. Jack was grinning from ear to ear as they exchanged looks and talked about sitting in the back. I could tell this partnership wasn't going to work out well- after all they were both known for being lazy and getting almost the worst of worst grades.

"Katherine and Gloria." Sitting next to Katherine, I could hear her groan and mutter a few curses under her breath. Afterwards, she turned around and made eye contact with Gloria, a short Chinese girl with straight dark brown hair and clothes that looked like it came from a 1950s' movie. Katherine sent Gloria a fake smile as Gloria, oblivious to the hate emitting from Katherine, sent back a genuine smile.

"Victoria and Lillian." Victoria flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and sent Lillian a sneaky smile, while pulling out a couple of nail polishes from her backpack and pointing to the back of the room. Lillian brushed her wavy light brown hair from her face and sent Victoria a thumbs up before getting up and heading for the seats in the back. I let my eyes wander off to Hailey and I shot her a smile.

"Jim and Becky." Unknowingly, my eyes wandered over to Ava as I continued to shake my head at the thought of her being the same age as Chunji- I mean, Tyler. I watched as a smile formed on her lips, but something seemed off. 

"Lisa and Kyle." Furrowing my eyebrows, I shook off the weird vibe I was getting from her and turned back to the teacher, crossing my fingers in hope of getting paired with Hailey. Of course I had other good friends at this school, but Hailey had been with me through thick and then. For example, when my mother nearly beat me senseless because of my new hair color.

"Sera and Ava." My hopes were shattered as I tossed Hailey a sad look and she shooed me off with her hand. I made eye contact with Ava and she smiled brightly at me, picking her backpack up and making her way over to my table. Taking Katherine's seat, she beamed at me and placed her binder on the table.

"Hey Sera!" Being polite and exchanging our greetings, Ava continued the conversation. "We haven't talked much, but I hope we can get along well!" 

"Hm? Yeah, I hope so too. I think we'll be great friends." It was so awkward. Being extremely polite and nice. And being paired with Ava.

"Oh, yeah. I saw you and your brother the other day. You know, in the elevator?" I nodded my head in response as she continued to talk. "Oh and for the project, do you think we could do it tomorrow? I have other things to do this weekend. Which only leaves me available tomorrow and Friday."

"Hm, sure." I said, humming a bit in response. I wasn't too enthusiastic about it, but I guess it meant that I could enjoy a stress free weekend.

"So, let's work at your place. Is that okay with you?" Ava asked, cocking her head to the side. I bit my lip, hesitating a bit as she suggested it. I wasn't too sure that I had wanted her to come to my place. After all, I had rarely invited Hailey to my place.

"My parents won't allow me to bring any friends home either. So, the only place we can work on our project is your place or the library. And as you know, the closest public library is far from here. Not to mention the school library is too cramped. There's only space for books." Ava grumbled, slightly peeved at the thought of the school library. If you knew what we were talking about, you'd be peeved as well.

The school library was nothing like its name. The people in the school library acted as if it was not school property. Hence, they did whatever they wanted to. From making out with their other half to going on Facebook and other popular sites, the list could go on forever. The school library didn't even look like a library for the most part.

Especially since they had yet to find a new librarian after five year, which was disappointing. The library was half filled with books as no one had really bothered coming to library ever since the librarian had retired. Occasionally, students came in and took the book they needed, resulting to the loss of certain books. Most of them were dusty and the library was decorated with chewing gum of all colors and flavors. Not to mention the unknown bluish green molds of the food people have left there.

Cringing, I responded. "Okay, but don't expect my apartment to be neat or anything." I warned, ridding my head of all thoughts regarding the school library.

"It's not like my apartment is neat either." Ava chirped cheerfully as she opened her binder for class. "So I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow afterschool? I guess we can go home together tomorrow then!"

"I guess," I replied, feeling a bit anxious. My heart was beating wildly and it was clear that I was scared of something. At least, it was obvious for me. It was the feeling of knowing that something was going to happen and you weren't going to like it. The type of feeling that drives you to the edge and steals a few hours from sleep. Shaking my head and biting my lip, I turned back to the teacher who had already started the lesson despite the loud classroom.

Everything was going to be alright.

You know that quote, "Don't judge a book by its cover"?

Well, I should've known better than to judge this book by its cover.

Seven At Night...

Sighing and closing their eyes, the figure leaned back onto the wooden chair. Feeling a tiny bit frustrated, the figure slammed the book shut and ruffled their hair. After four long hours of research, it had almost resulted to nothing. There was almost nothing in the books that they didn't know already and it made their effort seem meaningless.

Holed up in their room, the figure sat in silence, biting their lips. It was obvious that the spell keeping the two of them safe wasn't going to waver any time soon. In fact, it seems to be getting stronger. It was rather already unnerving for the figure, but it's become even more so. Things weren't going to become easier from here on out, but harder.

The people they were out after, apparently tucked away their memories and have no recollection of who they really are. More importantly, they have no recollection of where The Book is.

The Book was basically a book filled with the secrets of Korea's greatest leaders. Every great leader has written their secrets in the book and it was only a matter of time until the book was taken upon the new uprising group of Korea; Lee Group.

Though the group was uprising, the power of The Book enabled full control. It was very much literal when the scholars of the future had mentioned that anyone with the book could conquer other countries- entirely. The Book hid various of secrets to winning wars and battles (amongst the groups) and also what should happen once you take control. It was almost a how-to book. 

And the Lee Group needed this book. To gain even more power in Korea, people needed to know that they have the book and just how powerful they were. The Book symbolized the power to destroy anything that stood in your way. With that book in hand, any person who refuses to join the Main Group of Korea could be sentenced to death. Though that isn't how the Main Group should be structured, it didn't stop the Lee Group from taking that approach.

Not that it mattered how the Main Group was structured anyways as time went by. What was important was holding the book in your hands. And that was what the figure wanted to do. To secure their position as the Main Group. In order to attain the book as of now, the figure had to find a way to bring back their memories. And so far, the figure has found nothing. 

Opening one last book before going to bed, the figure skimmed the pages. About to close the book due to all frustration, the figure caught sight of something.

Memory Holders.

Quickly reading the page as the figure was due to meet with him, the figure felt their muscles relax knowing this bit of information. With a smile plastered on their lips, the figure slipped into bed and closed their eyes.

When the figure opened their eyes, it was blinded with the bright lights of the room. It was odd how the room had gotten brighter than the last visit as the owner of the room was one who preferred to be in the dark as it seemed calming. The owner of the room was unaffected by the lights and sat at the desk once again, feeling distant. Upon the coming of another presence, he stood up and faced the figure.

"Are you not going to say anything? I don't have all day to waste." The figure was taken aback by how cold and indifferent his voice was. Burying the surprise they felt, the figure kept a poker face on while concealing how nervous they were. Trying to find some courage, he scoffed and turned his back to the figure, ready to leave.

"Memory Holders." The figure managed to spit out before he could leave. His body stayed frozen for a mere four seconds before he turned around again. He raised an eyebrow as to tell the figure to continue. "I'm sure you remember how it was for us- to travel back in time. We chose to keep our memories rather than letting the past memory- or the memory we have now in this life to take over. I'm sure they used the same method except they chose to hide their memories."

"In other words, we chose to merge our memories from our life and this life. They chose to hide their memories and keep the memories of this life." The figure wasn't going to lie. For someone who hadn't been educated properly in the future, he was fast at picking things up. Not to mention, he was smart. "How do we know that their memories have been discarded?"

"There's no such thing as throwing your memories away. Even the people who suffer from Amnesia haven't truly forgotten their memories. It's just been tucked away, waiting to be triggered. Sadly, in some cases it's never triggered and they're unable to recover their memories." The figure watched as he nodded his head and slowly made his way back to the desk. "In other words, I find their case no different. It's tucked away in the very back of their minds. However, I believe that it will be harder to trigger their memories as it will require the object they have entrusted their memories to."

"That means we'll have to find their object and force them to interact with it, doesn't it?"

"Precisely. Which is why before you leave for America, you should visit him and try to find the object. As for me, I'll try to find the object before you arrive." He stood up and stretched, picking up a picture from his desk.

"This should be easy." A smirk crossed his lips as he placed the picture of an ex-idol on his desk. 

"It should be, but there is a reason to why they chose a certain object to be their Memory Holder otherwise known as their trigger. They must've hidden it somewhere close to them, yet far from their reach. They can't risk accidentally touching it because they can only hide their memories once." He turned his back to the figure and the figure continued. "In other words, it may be harder than it seems. However, I believe that they would've entrusted their memories in an object that has meaning to them. In which case, I mean an object from our time."

"Her sword." His voice was soft and at that very moment, the figure saw how weak he looked. 

"Excuse me?" He turned around and straightened himself out with a determined look plastered on his face. 

"Her sword is her memory holder." He said clearly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. "She won't be easy to trick even without her memories. I'm assuming that she still has her abilities and is still as cautious as she was then."

"I'll take that into mind." The figure was hesitant as he turned back around and faced the window.

"You can go now." He waved his hand to show the figure he wanted them to leave. Taking a deep breath, the figure sent him one last concerned look and closed their eyes,

On The Other Side Of The World In Seoul, South Korea...

Pushing the clean glass doors open, I hear the wind chimes clang together. Stopping to admire the wind chimes and their bell-like music, I heard a cough.

"And what do you think you're doing here again?" Turning my head, my lips were pulled upwards into a smile as I waved at him. Kibum was left unamused as his arms were folded together and his eyes were cold.

"Why? Can't I be here?" I pretended to be hurt as he glared at me.

"I'm sorry, but no. You can't be here anymore. After what you've done to my poor Piro Piro." Kibum pushed his glasses up a bit, intensifying his glare. Squinting at him, I cocked my head to the side to remember what I had done. Suddenly remembering the incident, I was thrown into a fit of laughter.

"Hey, consider yourself lucky! It was either the Piro Piro or it was you. Your choice!" Kibum's face flushed red and he picked up a towel and pushed me aside, wiping the counter furiously.

"Xander hyung, I advise you to lay off of the alcohol or not come into my shop when you're drunk." Kibum hissed as he wiped his already spotless shelves. "I don't want you to stumble into my shop again and scare away the customers or even worse, scare my Piro Piros."

"Hey, I happen to turn slightly affectionate when I'm drunk. My sister says that's one of my charms." Kibum sent me a look and I shot him a grin as he tried to hide his inner child.

"Well- no more kissing them! You should just get a girlfriend if you're just going to cause trouble on my turf." Kibum growls as I pout and send him a hurt look.

"You know how incapable I am when it comes to finding a girlfriend!" I grumble, picking up a Piro Piro pencil case. "By the way, I don't think I'll have the time for one, seeing that my schedule upon arriving here in Korea is nearly full. Not to mention, I also have to check up on a few things back there!"

"It'll be fine." Kibum answered, throwing the rag aside. I can tell that he's lying and he clearly nervous about the tension building up in Seoul. It would be a lie if I said I didn't feel the same way. Of course, this was very much a burden and the thought of it was enough to pull my quirky and weird self down a bit. Without bothering to conceal my frown, I leaned against the wall painted with a dark orange.

"You're just as worried as I am." I stated without hesitation. "You're worried that they'll get to the place, aren't you?" Kibum frowns and plops himself onto a chair and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to find a way to relieve stress.

"To be completely honest, yes. I'm scared. Many people depend on us to find their happiness and the place is their only light." Kibum muttered, closing his eyes. I know what he's talking about. I stay silent for once and shove my hands in my brown sweater pockets. It didn't look good on me, but hey! It was a fan gift and I wasn't about to break the hearts of my fans. They're my light.

"The tension isn't only rising here though, Xander." My attention flickers from how terrible I look in the sweater to Kibum, who looks up and makes eye contact with me. "It's also rising somewhere in America. Two places at once. If that doesn't spell trouble, what will? It's only a matter of time before their tension gets to the place."

"There are bound to be troubles occurring soon. We'll overcome it. You, me, and the other kids. We'll just let it be." I shrugged, trying to think realistically. Realistically speaking, I doubted that there would be anything we could do to prevent it from coming our way. "As for the tension rising in America, I'll go check it out, okay? At least until my schedule in Korea clears up. Should clear up in two weeks or less."

"Perfect timing." Kibum suddenly stands up and rushes past me to grab his phone. Scrolling through his calendar, a smile spreads across his face as I watch him. Clearly not understanding his outburst, he pushes past me and grabs his laptop, flinging it into my hands.

"Buy a plane ticket to New York exactly two weeks from now."

"Why?" I know that Kibum has a justifiable reason to why he'd requested me to buy a plane ticket on a specific day, but as his hyung I should be able to know his thoughts, right?

"Simple. Shin Dong Ho is going to America on that very day. If our suspicions are correct, we may be able to find out more about time travelers like him. Especially since they've taken the liberty to come to our time." Kibum breathes out and glances out the clean store window. There were people shuffling back and forth from the front of the store, yet not much customers came in. Turning to look at the sign, I realized that the store was supposedly still "closed".

"Okay, so you're telling me to keep tabs on Dong Ho by myself?" I questioned. I hated doing solo work. Which was why I forced Kibum into collaborating with me in up keeping the place. He does most of the work anyways.

"Yes, I can't leave Korea." Kibum answers with ease. "One of us has to be watching the place. I trust them, but to the very end they can be a bit-" He pauses and blinks. "Stupid. Not to be mean or anything, but they can easily over look things."

"But that doesn't make them stupid." I said defensively. Kibum shrugs and flips the sign over as people begin to pile in with kids.

"Let's not forget what they did with the forest fire, shall we?" Kibum reminds me. The kids are quick to make their choices to which Piro Piro item they wanted and make their way to the cashier with their parents. "You should get going. Don't you have a schedule at the Arirang Radio?"

"Sheesh, let me purchase the flight ticket first! I'm assuming they're taking the flight at nine o' clock at night right?" As soon as I heard a muffled 'yes' from Kibum, I purchased the flight ticket and handed his laptop back.

"Make sure you notify Soohyun of the happenings here. I'm sure he would like to know." I call to him as I take my leave. Kibum gives me a nod as he hands five dollars back to a mother with her child, clinging onto the doll like her life depended on it.

The girl reminded me of my fears. Following Dong Ho? I felt like I was getting myself into something I wasn't supposed to.I felt like my life depended on this. And I was certain that whatever happens, will change lives.

I can only hope it doesn't change too much of our lives.

A/N: Well, I found Kibum and Xander's bit- boring? Sorry if it turned out that way. I'm just really tired and this chapter was actually meant to be out a week ago. And I got a new poster from LulluExotic! Honestly, LulluExotic is one of my most favorite poster makers of all times! (Granted that I've gotten three posters from her.) I'm always fangirling over her posters. xD But hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter!