The infirmary was completely empty when I walked through the crème coloured door. Sunlight streamed through the partially opened windows, and empty cots lined the room in neat single rows. It was completely quiet, the stillness almost calming, but my mind still felt like it was a complete mess. After Suho and Kris' explanation and Sehun leaving so abruptly, the rest of us were told to go back to our classes and leave Sehun to Kai. So I just left, my mind not really being able to comprehend anything that was going on.

What Suho and Kris said, could it actually all be true? The Wars and the Gatherings, were they really apart of our history? And had Sehun actually imprinted? That…was that even be possible at this point?

Letting out a sigh I grabbed a chair and sat down at one of the open tables in the centre of the room. The quiet was comforting; I could have some time to myself to think. Leaning back I stared at the ceiling, counting as the lights above my head flickered obsessively. What were we going to do now? An imprinting had happened, with a human. This was not going to go over well with the elders. That I could be sure of.

“LAY!” A voice burst from within my mind. I jerked up, nearly falling out of my seat..

“Kai?!What's wrong?!” I didn't get a response, and new anxiety began to settle in. All twelve of us had the ability to communicate telepathically, but it wasn’t something we typically depended on. Call it for the sake of privacy, but none of us tended to veer into each others train of thoughts. Not unless it was to tease, or because there was danger.

I was on my feet, my body half turned towards the door as if I could somehow see through the concrete and plaster walls. Was it Sehun? Were they hurt? I was about to call out again to him when suddenly a shimmering ink mirage drew up in the centre of the room. It grew quickly, widening in size and height while its depths remained undecipherable. I watched the dark matter twist and turn until a silhouette formed, and then a face.

Kai, and he wasn't hurt. I let out a sigh of relief, about to get closer, but I halted. In his arms was a girl, unconscious and limp. Her uniform was crumpled and tattered, her arms and legs lined with angry bruises and cuts. Blood dripped from her palm and from her knees, as if she had scraped them. For the first seconds I was mute. Kai looked agonized, his eyes flickering between myself and the girl in his arms. But that wasn’t what threw me off guard the most.

His eyes were blazing a brilliant golden brown. Illustrious and bright, they looked foreign on his distraught face. Still, they were beautiful. Dizzying and terrifying, but beautiful enough to make me speechless. He looked at me, those thunderous eyes pleading, before they turned again to her. I followed his gaze, too stunned to do anything else. Her face was hidden, buried into Kai's shoulder, her black hair flowing over in long waves. I said nothing, my head in a daze, but I could feel a burning gaze searing into me.

"Fix her," Kai's voice sounded strangled, afraid. I met his gaze, holding it with my own.

"Put her down on one of the cots." I murmured. He complied, taking long strides and setting her down gently, as if she would shatter from his touch. I followed quietly behind him, my eyes glued to the wounds.

Rising my right hand I placed it just above one of the gashes on her legs. An aquamarine glow of light grew from my outstretched fingertips, enveloping my hand. The warm light spread, travelling down to the torn skin. Almost instantly the wound closed, the damaged skin stitching itself back together. Scarless, with only traces of dried up blood remaining. I moved on, turning my attention to a large purple-blue bruise that was rapidly growing on her ankle. It was silent, the girl lost in unconsciousness and Kai hovering over nervously. I never had so many things I wanted to ask, but the the look on his face said I wasn’t getting a decent explanation until this was done. Soon her legs were wound free and I moved to the other side of the bed.

Kai remained rooted in his place, his eyes trained on her. I watched him carefully for a moment, contemplating. His eyes were golden. How had it happened? When? Where? He hadn't done this earlier, or else it would have been him rushing in with burning eyes. My gaze flickered to my left. She was still unconscious, her head turned towards him. Who was she, and how had she gotten these injuries? How had Kai found her when he was supposed to be watching Sehun? Gently I picked up her hand, holding it within both my own, and wrapping it within aquamarine light. The deep gash in it slowly disappeared. I placed her hand back down at her side and turned, nudged Kai. He jerked up in surprise.

"Move a bit." I pushed him by the shoulders lightly. He obeyed, giving me a smile. It was tight, more like a half grimace. Though, he seemed a bit better now, less unhinged. I focused back on the girl.

Her breathing was slow and measured, as if in a deep sleep. Her face was still partially covered by her hair, but I could still see the sticky red blood caught between her left cheek and the thin pillow. As gently as I could I cupped the sides of her face and turning it towards me. A few strands fell away revealing the hidden gash on the side of her face. Slightly she stirred, lashes fluttering, but she didn’t wake. Lightly I traced the tips of my fingers over her cheek, letting small streams of aqua light heal the flesh wound over. Soon it vanished. A small sigh escaped her lips, as though she could feel the effects of my power healing her. I smiled a little, able to see her face.

And then I was falling. But that was impossible, I was in this room, standing on solid ground next to this solid, real, bed. It didn’t make any sense. But the longer I stared, the more it literally felt like my surroundings were crashing down, everything being away into nothing. Like I was becoming hollow from the inside out. The sensation was so abrupt I had no time to be confused, afraid, or try to back away. It stopped, and I was empty. But that was only for that one, single moment. In the next, I could feel myself being filled again. By her.

A small face, surrounded by beautiful black hair. Sun-kissed skin that was soft and smooth. I knew because I still hadn’t retracted my hands from cupping her face. But I couldn’t. I was all too lost in her. I couldn’t even look away, my eyes suddenly desperate to drink her in.

Plump, full lips; the color of raspberries. Cheeks that held a rosy glow, as if she had been out in the cold too long. Little ears almost completely hidden in a curtain of ebony. Hands small and delicate, and in half fists at her sides. Her scent was so good, like nothing I had ever smelled before. Sweet and feminine, cherry blossoms. She was hypnotizing, and it made my heart beat faster and faster, to a point where it was almost painful but I didn't try to prevent it. I couldn’t. Deep down, I could feel my inner wolf awakening, as if it too could sense the human that was so near, and could feel the feelings I felt now. It was all so sudden and intense, I could barely keep pace with my emotions. What was happening? I couldn't tell, I didn't know. And it was scaring me.

"Hyung?" a voice called out to me faintly, and I snapped up. Returning to the present, the infirmary, and my brother. Kai, who had been standing very close, moved back a bit in surprise, his golden eyes widened in shock. I was shocked too, and immediately apologized to him, but my mind was still running a mile a minute.

What had I been thinking? And so suddenly!

"...hyung. " Kai was watching me, a peculiar look on his face. As if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

"What's wrong?" I asked. My heart wouldn’t slow down, even when I was looking away from her it only seemed to beat faster. He didn't answer for a moment, just looking at me. His mouth was slightly parted, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

"Lay...your eyes."

What? My eyes? Wait, oh no. No... no, oh god please let it not be that. Sliding past him I ran across the room in a burst of inhuman speed. A small round mirror was perched on a nurse’s desk. I swiped it off the table, holding it in front of my face, praying somehow I would be wrong.

I wasn't. The person I saw was nearly unrecognizable. It was the same facial structure, the same nose, ears, lips, and hair. But instead of the chocolate brown orbs I had grown so used to seeing, I saw Kai and Sehun's illustrious golden yellow eyes reflected back at me. Bright and livid the color was like a flame, shifting constantly within different hues and shades. It made the person in front of me look foreign. A stranger.

"How...is this even possible?" I whispered, barely breathing. Footsteps approached, and Kai appear next to the stranger in the mirror. Both pairs of eyes were alive, flickering with light. I put the mirror down on the desk, my hands slightly shaking. "I, I-I don't," She was there. Even with my back turned away and my thoughts a storm, she was still there, in the back of my mind. I couldn't stop being aware.

"Who is she?" I wanted to know but then I didn’t. My emotions surged violently from one to the next, crashing against each other like waves on a rocky cliff. I didn’t know what to think – what was okay to think. This wasn’t supposed to be happening in the first place.

"Sehun's mate." Kai’s voice was so low I almost didn't hear it. I went rigid there, boring holes into the wall.

“She isn’t.” That was impossible. There was no way this girl was that girl. There was no way. I shook my head, disbelieving. “You have to have seen things wrong– “

“I didn’t.” His gaze was equally conflicted as mine. Somehow it made the hues within his orbs more intense and cutting. “I had found her with Sehun. She–” for a second he paused, his gaze falling back to the occupied bed “She was beaten.” I didn’t turn around, not allowing myself to see her a second time. Still, my stomach twisted sickly at his words.   

"It’s not possible,” I took a deep breath, trying to slow my heart rate “if this is… the girl then we– I mean I w-wouldn’t have– “ Before I could finish I heard it. A large ripping sound; the sound of wind.

It violently hurtled through the air outside the room, vibrating through the walls in a dull, powerful roar. Neither of us had anytime to react before the doors of the infirmary burst open. A gust of wind whipped in snapping our clothes back at the force. Both me and Kai turned sharply, finding an anxious looking Sehun standing at the doorway, his hair a mess and his eyes blazing. I stared at him a moment, completely lost for words. I hadn’t sensed him at all as he approached. All at once I thought of my eyes, and I felt my chest clench.

“It’s okay.” Kai spoke, his voice low but it still made me want to jump. “Lay healed her. She’s fine.” I didn’t move, waiting for his gaze to finally lift and lock with my own. Seconds past, but he didn’t notice me.

Taking long strides he crossed the room. Passing the both of us he stopped just before the occupied cot. The girl was shifting in her sleep. Her eyelids were fluttering, as if on the verge of consciousness. All of us grew deathly quiet, listening and watching. She continued squirming, as if uncomfortable. And then her eyes blinked open.

Bright...light. I could feel it seeping through my closed lids and awakening my senses. I squirmed a little, realizing I was on my back. But this wasn't my bed. The material beneath my body was rigid and hard. There wasn’t even a blanket. A shiver went through me at the realization. It was cold in here. Slowly I squinted open my eyes, the bright light above momentarily blinding me. Blinking rapidly I tried get my eyes to adjust.

Harsh white lights attached to the ceiling glared down at me. I stared at them for a moment, my mind not comprehending. I didn’t recognize this. Where was I? Very slowly I tried sitting up, not wanting to make any noise. The bed creaked a bit under my weight, but I was able to sit myself up properly.

It was then I was able to become highly aware of two things, one more so than the other. One, I was in the school's infirmary. The diagrams of the anatomy of the body and the many identical cots lined up one after another made that very clear to me.

Two, I wasn't alone.

~~~