***

Crap. She really is a girl... 

Crap. Why does she make me nervous?

Crap... She's cute...

Chen was buzzing with energy when he saw the newbie for the first time in her full uniform, but at first he had blamed his excess of energy on that time of the month. He had more trouble controlling his antics and was explicitly more sensitive to the electricity in the air. It didn't help that the weather on the island was so mild during this time of year. He wished it would rain. Not only would he be able to let loose and play with the thunder and lightning, the rain might do Suho-hyung some good as well. Peeking at Suho, he could sense the tension coming off his older brother. But Chen knew that it wasn't just because full moon was coming.

It was her. 

"Your locker giving you grief, Newbie?" he had said casually, after witnessing her struggle with the door. However, it didn't go by him unnoticed that she jolted back due to static electricity. Suho had glared at him for that, but Chen wasn't even aware that he did anything. The locker door suddenly opening, however, that was Luhan all the way. If he didn't know any better, Suho would have probably burst if it weren't for the newbie standing right in front of them.

Chen wasn't naturally one to be thrown easily off balance, in fact, usually it was the other way around. He had often heard that he knew how to catch people off guard, get on their vulnerable sides and push buttons. All for his own amusement of course, but at the same time it was a way for him to show that he cared. Teasing others was a natural thing for him to do and it brought him trouble more often than not, but it never stopped him. He liked catching people off guard and toy with them, the same he was doing to the Newbie, simply because he still didn't know how to read her.

And Chen didn't like that.

Luhan, anything? Suho's voice sounded in his head and Chen looked to his older brother. He tried not to burst out in laughter when he caught the look of constipation on the usually handsome hyung's face. The laughing fit passed when Luhan replied to him. 

Nothing. She's closed. 

How was that even possible?! Luhan had always been able to read inside other people's heads as though they were open books. Even the most rigid of personalities were not safe from Luhan-hyung. It didn't take him much effort at all, so what made this girl special? Maybe Suho was right to worry about her?

He calmly ate his lunch whilst keeping an oblique eye on the girl named Jae, surrounded by girls, comfortably chatting with all of them, blending in. Whilst yesterday, Chen remembered, she was an awkward, scrawny guy that stood out because of his odd behavior and appearance. He'd even made fun of her pants. He wasn't easily tricked but that girl...He had no idea that she was female. Chen didn't like that that was probably the first impression she had of him, but he wasn't sure why he was so displeased. 

She has a cute smile... 

Blinking at the thought, he forcefully tore his gaze away before Luhan might pick something up. 

"Full moon is coming soon," Kai noted, finishing his chicken. Honestly, that kid never ate anything else at the school cafeteria. "Just a few days left." 

"Yeah, we know. What's your point?" Suho asked, still in a foul mood. 

"Are you planning to go out tonight?" Kai asked, picking at a chicken bone. 

The brothers all gazed at Suho, who was focused on his meal. Chen glanced over at Kris, knowing that usually he was the only one that knew exactly how to handle Suho during the time of the month. Kris was watching their leader quietly himself, simply waiting for him to answer, instead of gazing in anticipation at him. He was always so calm and controlled. Chen felt like zapping him just for the heck of it. He was feeling antsy and wouldn't mind going out tonight. 

"No," came Suho's short and disappointing reply. 

"Wae, hyung?" he immediately protested, lacking a filter through his mouth. Chen startled when it was Kris that cast him a warning glance and subtly shook his head, but it was too late for him to take back the words. 

"You know why," Suho snapped. "I'm tired having to explain it over and over again." Chen leaned back at seeing the sheen of red flash briefly in his hyung's eyes and he looked away. 

"Well, I don't like the new girl either, but that doesn't give us any reason not to go out tonight," Kai stubbornly continued, not so easily intimidated by Suho's foul mood. Then again, he often butted heads with the leader, so he was used to go against him. Kai had always been more rebellious than the others. Chen figured it was because he was the first. Kai was here first. 

"It gives us every reason to stay put, and since when are you so eager to hunt anyway? You never want to hunt," Suho pointed out. 

"That's not true. I only resent going out when you have all of us hunting for something that doesn't exist, hyung," Kai answered, still calm though his frustration was showing. "We need to blow off steam, hyung. If we wait for the first full moon, I can't guarantee I'll be holding back. You know how all of us get once that moon is here," he argued. 

"There's no harm to go out tonight is there? We've got club activities anyway. We could roam for a while and be back for dinner before any of our parents notice," Kris suggested calmly, flaring up his eyebrows when Suho turned to glare at him accusingly. 

"Did you know that E.T. Corp has started setting up their so-called animal-friendly protection systems?" Suho shot back, dropping the news like a bomb. He scoffed. "If any of you ever picked up a newspaper instead of comic books and dirty magazines, you would've known this," he groused, the brothers paling. 

Chen suddenly slammed his hand against the table, startling his brothers. "I thought I sensed something strange in the woods the other day, like a massive source of electricity buzzing around, but I couldn't understand where it came from," he elaborated. 

"Electricity? How is that animal-friendly?" Tao questioned, looking worried. 

"It's not, that's the point," Suho answered. 

"So, we could just avoid those systems and Chen could disable them if we happened to stumble against one of them," Chanyeol piped up easily, carefully shrinking back when he caught Suho's glare. 

"I don't know if I actually can," Chen started carefully. He knew how Suho felt about them using their abilities blatantly. 

"Wait. If those systems were put up in the woods, wouldn't other animals get hit by them, too?" Lay suddenly asked, a look of worry on his face. 

"Electric fences don't tend to discriminate what they hit, Lay," Luhan answered gently, especially when Lay appeared to have paled even more. 

"Whoa, but there are more animals in the forests than wolves alone. What if rabbits get hit? Or a deer? Birds could fly against them too!" Lay's face stood worried, his lips pouting a bit as he thought of all the animals at risk with the new security system. Leave it to Lay-hyung to think of other creatures first before even considering his own safety. Honestly, Chen couldn't imagine anyone else more fitting to be able to heal others than their Lay. 

Kris patted him on the shoulder, but Lay still looked a little concerned. 

"Don't worry, hyung, perhaps the system isn't that bad," Sehun tried, not being able to stand the pouty expression of the older brother. Chen made sure not to mention that the electricity he sensed was quite strong. Those systems were put up to hurt and cause pain, that much he was sure of. 

Lay only nodded vaguely, though it appeared as though he was ready to run off to head to the forest to heal any injured creatures. 

"I still agree with Chanyeol, though. Especially if Chen can sense the electricity, we can just avoid them alltogether," Kai prompted again, pushing the matter. 

"And the new girl?" Suho started again, causing Chen to inadvertently glance at her. She was talking and laughing with those other girls, just like a normal student. Except that there's something about her that isn't normal... 

"What about her? I'm sorry, hyung, but I don't see why you're so worried about her. So her father works for E.T. Corp, big deal. It's not like that makes her evil, or something...right?" Tao dared to ask. 

When Suho sighed deeply, Kris finally stepped in. "Let's drop the matter, okay? Look, we all can't deny that there's something about that girl that's strange," he said in a soothing voice. "Luhan, for whatever reason, can't look into her thoughts. None of us had the faintest idea that she was a girl when we first saw her, while we're usually able to sense someone's present, smell their scent. She's sensitive to the static electricity whenever Chen is near," he noted, which made Chen jolt up. "And it wouldn't surprise me if she happened to be sensitive for anything else." 

"What are you saying, Kris?" D.O. asked, a question burning in his eyes. Chen caught Luhan suddenly looking at Sehun and he exchanged a look with Baekhyun himself. 

"I'm not sure, but Suho is right to worry," Chen followed Kris' gaze as he looked at the newbie as well. His older brother then leaned forward over the table, speaking in a quiet tone. "What if she's like us?" he suddenly interposed, surprising his brothers, but mostly Chen, who couldn't help but blast out a laugh after hearing something so ridiculous. 

"Ah, Kris-hyung, don't be like that," he laughed, but Kris was 100% serious. 

"I mean it. Sehun mentioned it before, about her being number thirteen to our 'dirty dozen', and I don't know whether you meant it or not," Kris looked at the youngest one, "but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe she's not part of us, but she could be like us. It would explain a number of things."

"But wouldn't that mean that we shouldn't worry about it then? I mean, if she is like us, then she would understand who we are, right?" Xiumin tried to reason, but the look on his face betrayed his confusion. Chen wasn't sure whether he understood either. 

"Or it means that she's dangerous," Suho opted instead.

"But she doesn't look like she knows anything," D.O. argued, which Chen found a little strange. D.O. usually didn't care all too much when they were discussing things, and barely spoke up unless he was firmly against something. 

"Which might make her even more dangerous," said Suho determinedly, he jerked his head towards her. "She's already starting to become curious," he grunted exasperatingly. 

Chen strained himself to hear through the noise of the cafeteria and he regretted not having the self-discipline and focus like most of his brothers to listen at one particular voice or sound to be able to hear. As soon as he heard her voice however, he felt his heart betraying him and for a moment, Chen was scared. 

"How did they become so close, though? I mean, different years, different personalities..." she asked, obviously talking about him and his brothers. 

"They're always together, almost like they're long lost brothers, or something. It's a little strange, but it's so adorable." 

"Adorable. Right... So, eh, do any of you notice them sometimes behaving a little- I don't know...different? Maybe a bit- unusual?" 

Chen's eyes widened a little at that. Did she sensed something about them, or were they too obvious towards her? Was she like them, after all? 

"Unusual? How do you mean?" 

"I don't know, don't they seem a bit- um...mysterious? Like they may have something to hide?" 

"You're a little silly, aren't you, Jae-yah? Of course they're mysterious, that's part of their charm!" 

"Maybe you could give an example?"

"An example? Uh, okay... Well, like, I don't know... Luhan, for instance. The way he looks at you, as if he can read your mind, or something. It's very- uh - intense." 

Startled, Chen looked over at his brothers. Had they been listening as well? 

"Lucky guess," D.O. offered, though he didn't sound convinced by his own words. 

"Or instinct," Suho glanced at them all before he started talking again about his worries and how they should be careful. Chen felt static electricity at his fingertips though, and he didn't listen to what their leader said. He was distracted. Very much so. He knew that he was the first to have seen her, to have spoken to her. That was a secret he kept to himself. Jolts of energy vibrated throughout his body, whilst he purposely tried to listen for her voice again. 

He subtly and discretely turned to look at her again, but felt his heart skip a beat when her eyes met his evenly. Chen was struck by lightning at that moment, confused and flustered as to why she had such an effect on him. How could she meet his gaze so evenly? She blinked as though she may have been startled by the direct eye contact as well, but then she shyly gave the tiniest of smiles before looking away and Chen hurriedly did the same. 

"Suho-hyung is right," he blurted out, interrupting said brother in the middle of his monologue. Eleven pairs of eyes directed themselves at him and Chen swallowed, sure of his statement. "She's dangerous. I can wait till full moon, or until we know more about her, whatever works," he rambled, rapping on the table with his fingers. He bobbed his head while his brothers just gawked at him. "What?" he asked. 

"That was sudden," Baekhyun noted. "Lay-hyung, see if there's something wrong with Chen-Chen." Chen moved away from Baekhyun's hand as it touched his forehead. 

"Why are you like this with me?" he whined. "I'm fine. I just agree with Suho-hyung. She's too nosy. We shouldn't do anything rash while she's taken an interest in us," he shrugged, though his heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Well, I'm glad someone agrees," Suho decided. "That's it then. We wait a little longer."

Chen seemed to be the only one to nod his head fiercely, his eyes automatically trailing towards Jae. He paid attention when she tugged a strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lips while she was listening intently to one of the girls at her table. He started gnawing on his own lips and turned away to look at his plate of food. He lost his appetite. Chen's eyes moved towards her just one more time. Or did I?