I feel like a terrible person. I sat here thinking that I uploaded this only to realize that I didn't. I am so sorry. How does that even happen? Anyways, here is the thing.   -K

Kyungsoo sat in the forest located outside of the small town he lived in playing with the earth in front of him. Only, he wasn’t picking it up and moulding it in his hands or drawing in the dirt with a stick, oh no, he was doing something different; he was holding his hand only inches above the ground and watching the earth create spikes as he lifts his hand. Sometimes Kyungsoo tried different shapes like cylinders, cubes or spheres, but his favorite shape was the long, thin piece of earth that came to a perfect point at the very tip; the spike.

Kyungsoo had known that he had been able to do this since he was very young; 7 to be exact. And even at that young age he knew he could tell no one. So, he found a secluded spot in the forest at the edge of town to play with the earth. This spot made him feel calm and relaxed. He often came when he was stressed or worried; expressing how he felt though the shapes he made in the ground. He loved how the trees always swayed in a rhythmic way and how the breeze lightly rustled the leaves, how there were never any birds to break the hypnotizing silence, and how no one else knew about his spot.

But that is where young Kyungsoo is wrong. Somebody else does know about his spot; a young boy named Jongin and he is only one year younger than Kyungsoo. Jongin never says anything when he watches Kyungsoo play with the dirt, he just stares silently in awe.

Originally, the spot where Kyungsoo sat was where Jongin himself stood. For he himself had a special ability; one he had been hated for. Unlike Kyungsoo, Jongin didn't learn to control his ability fast enough and in one short moment of fear, the people’s perception of him was changed. People feared him, his parents didn’t want him in their home, and all of his friends abandoned him at the request of their own families.  All this happened when Jongin was just eight.

Now, at the age of 16, Jongin had learned to fully control his ability and tried to live a quiet existence. He couldn’t go to school as he was not welcomed anymore so he spent most of his day in the forest. He had learned pretty quickly how to hunt and scavenge for food, although some days he still had trouble finding something to eat that night. For showers he finds his way into public shower rooms in gyms until he is recognized, often by people that knew him before the incident; his old friends.

Jongin missed his old life, the one he had before. He missed the way his mom would always give him a hug when he got home from school, how his dad come home just in time for dinner and to hear about Jongin’s day. He missed the stories about alternate worlds his dad would tell him after his mom tucked him into bed. He missed the kisses on this forehead and the cuddles when he was sick. He missed it all. He would give anything to go back in time and change what happened; to prevent the incident that started the snowball of fear and hate.

Jongin often found himself envious of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s family and friends didn't know about his ability to move and mould the earth around him. But Jongin doesn’t want any of that to change. He doesn’t want anyone else to have to go through the same things he did. So Jongin just stood there and watched Kyungsoo.

But of course, in Jongin’s life, all good things come to an end.

On this particular day, Jongin’s legs had gotten tired from standing still too long. Jongin had moved his foot back to lean against the tree behind him and when he went to place it back on the ground, crack. A twig had been sitting at the base of the tree and Jongin’s foot landed on it. When the sound rang out, Jongin froze, eyes wide, staring at Kyungsoo. He was scared Kyungsoo may have heard the sound. Jongin watched carefully as Kyungsoo stopped shaping the dirt in front of him. He watched as Kyungsoo placed his hands, palm down, flat against the ground. Jongin had seen Kyungsoo do this before, but he didn’t know why Kyungsoo did it; until today. Suddenly the ground beneath his feet rose up around him forming, what could be described as, a cocoon around him. Jongin stayed calm as the last stream of light disappeared behind the wall of dirt.

On the other side of the wall, Kyungsoo opened his eyes and removed his hands from the ground. When his hands were on the ground he was able to sense what is around him. When Kyungsoo felt the presence of another person, fear struck him. Was it a family member? A friend? A stranger? Kyungsoo had never used the dirt to make something like a bubble around anything, but it felt natural to him. Normal even. Carefully walking over to the dirt cocoon he created, he stood in front of it. Mentally preparing for who might be inside. Lifting his hand he moved it in a parting gesture. Slowly a small area of dirt moved away, making a hole in the cocoon where a person’s face would be.

Kyungsoo’s face contorted into one of confusion when the hole opened and nobody was there. The cocoon was empty.

Crack.

Kyungsoo spun around quickly, towards the sound, but he couldn’t see anyone. The trees were thick and blocked Jongin from Kyungsoo’s eyes. Thinking quickly Kyungsoo put his hands to the ground and raised them rapidly; spikes forming under his palms. With a fast swing of his arm, the spikes went flying. Speeding towards Jongin’s location.

Jongin’s eyes widened when he saw them flying towards him. He looked up, saw a branch that could hold his weight and closed his eyes. For a millisecond, Jongin felt nothing as if he were floating in space, then suddenly there was a hard surface beneath his feet. Laying his hand on the tree trunk, Jongin looked down at where he was standing before, sighing in relief when he saw a dirt spike embedded in the tree where his neck would have been.

From Jongin’s vantage point he was able to see Kyungsoo through the leaves of the tree, but Kyungsoo couldn’t see him. Adjusting his weight caused the branch to shake, catching Kyungsoo’s attention. Jongin watched as Kyungsoo’s knees bend and his hands move towards the ground once again. Quickly glancing around, Jongin was unable to see any other place he could stand and be hidden from Kyungsoo. So as Kyungsoo’s hand rose, spikes following, Jongin closed his eyes.

Kyungsoo, now more irritated than angry, froze when two warm hands grabbed his wrists from behind. With Kyungsoo’s loss of concentration, the spikes he was forming fell into piles of dirt, no longer solidified in their threatening state.

“Stop.”

The word echoed in Kyungsoo’s ears.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Kyungsoo felt numb.

“I promise.”

With those two words, Kyungsoo’s knees buckled from underneath him. Jongin released his wrists and watched his body shake as a myriad of emotions went through Kyungsoo. Jongin moved in front of Kyungsoo, kneeling down. When Kyungsoo calmed down, he looked up at Jongin’s face.

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

Kyungsoo just nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence.

And so Jongin walked Kyungsoo home, occasionally supporting his arm when he tripped over his own feet. Although it was Jongin who was supporting Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo lead the way. When he turned into the driveway of his home he expected Jongin to let go but he didn't. Jongin helped him to the front door and only nodded his goodbye when Kyungsoo had opened the door and stepped into his house. Jongin then turned and started back down the driveway, planning on going back to the forest.

Jongin had made it one third of the way down the driveway when he stopped and looked down at his feet. A dirt rope had wrapped loosely around his ankle. Turning his head and shoulders he looked back at the house were Kyungsoo stood with his head down and arm outstretched. Kyungsoo’s lips moved, forming a single syllable that rang in Jongin’s ears.

“Stay.”