Random Rambles: Long chapter, buwhahaha ^^; I should try to write shorter chapters so I have more time to update more quickly, but I just can't seem to do that (kkaepsong~) Hope y'all don't mind too much though OTL <3 (<< just realized that this looks like a bowing person let out a heart-fart... oh man oh man, it's late where I am, or early, depending on one's perspective...ahh, sleep, what is that anyway? xD)

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"Oh God, this is it! The end of the wooorld!" Chen bouldered over the roaring thunder, yelping even louder when Suho had smacked him on the back of the head. 

"Will you stop it?" the leader sighed, shaking the excess of water from his hair, giving me a tiny smile. "Are you okay, Jae?" he asked quietly, flinching along with me when lightning struck not all too far away. 

"I think so," I answered, hugging my knees tightly while looking outside at the downpour of rain, whipping violently to the whims of the wild winds. The storm had become so brutal that walking back into town was too much of a fuss. Instead, D.O. pointed out that there were caves nearby that we could take refuge in, so we dove into the first one that was big enough for thirteen people and all that was left to do was wait until the storm would lie down. 

"Here, noona, so you won't get cold," Chanyeol placed a flickering flame in front of me and it danced strongly, giving off a pleasant warmth. 

"Thanks, Chanyeol," I said gratefully, since I was shivering like a drowned cat. 

"No problem," he smiled brightly, wet bangs sticking to his forehead. 

I looked up, a little bewildered when I felt something plop over my shoulders and D.O. sat next to me with a lopsided grin. He readjusted his jacket on my shoulders to make sure that I was covered. 

"I dried the jacket first, noona," Sehun said from beside me, a proud look on his face, and I chuckled. 

"Thank you," I murmured a little shyly. It was nice being taken care of like this, a bit awkward, sure, but nice. Back home I had a lot of girl-friends and not that many guy-friends and usually I was the one that would look out for others. To suddenly be the one that everyone takes care of takes a little getting used to. 

"Wow, I hope everyone got out of the storm alright," Lay piped up when he looked outside. his clothes had stuck against his skin and his hair was spikey due to him pushing his bangs out of his eyes. In the light of the fire, they were a warm chocolate brown and they stood genuinely concerned. 

"Is it storm season?" I asked, wrapping D.O.'s jacket a little tighter around me. 

"No, too early," Sehun replied, pursing his lips when he heard the wind howl. He had tried to calm down the gale somewhat, but this wind wouldn't listen. It reminded me that even though these guys are able to do amazing things, even they couldn't tame Mother Nature. Chen had managed to keep the lightning at bay, but he couldn't stop it either. Having him around during a storm was a comfort though. He assured everyone that he wouldn't let the lightning hit anyone. 

I bit my lip when I thought back to what the boys once said to me, when I first found out that I was a wolf like them. They insisted on keeping an eye on me out of fear for possible consequences. Suho mentioned something like a tsunami, D.O. talked about an earthquake... I didn't know what they meant back then, but that was different now. I understood completely, despite not being that sure at all. 

Tao said that I was like him. I didn't freeze when I was supposed to, and then Luhan told me that I was like him, not like Tao, because I heard his thoughts when I shouldn't have and I made him feel strong. I wasn't even aware of any of this. If I had a power, then I should at least notice something, right? I winced again when the thunder crashed outside, the wind whistling loudly through the opening of the cave. 

"Is this-," I hesitated. "Is this because of me, somehow?" I asked softly, looking around. The boys fell silent as a dozen pair of eyes watched me. 

"What are you talking about, Jae?" D.O. asked quietly, a stark contrast to the noise outside.

"The storm," I pointed out, tilting my head to the opening of the cave. "I don't know how this power thing works, but if Tao and Luhan think that I can, uh-," 

"Reflect," Kai commented from the shadows. 

"R-right, reflect," I nodded before continuing, "could it somehow affect the natural order, or something? I mean, I don't even know what I do to turn it on or off, or-whatever... I can't even feel when I'm doing it. What if this storm is on me?"

"It's not, don't worry about it, Jae," Kris said in his deep voice that seemed to calm the anxiety of the storm when he spoke. "Sometimes a storm is just a storm." 

The orange glow of the fire cast a golden aura on the boys. The flames were nice and warm, but the light was dim in the dark cave. Every time lightning flashed, it brightened up the place just for a few seconds, reminding me just how dark it really was. And, every time the thunder roared, like it was ready to rip everything apart, I flinched, hugging my knees tighter, lowering my face into D.O.'s jacket. 

"Are you afraid of thunder, noona?" Sehun asked, obviously having taken note of me twitching as soon as thunder sounded. 

"N-no, I just don't particularly like the sound of it when it's this loud," I explained. "And it's really dark- you know, considering the time of day," I added in a whisper. 

"Dark, huh?" Baekhyun noted and a glint of playfulness shone in his eyes. He scooted towards me until he was sitting close and I wondered what this boy was up to now. 

"Hey, hyung, back up a little," Sehun complained, pushing against Baekhyun's knee. 

"What? I want to try this thing out with Jae-noona," Baekhyun suddenly announced, sitting cross-legged in front of me, his hands casually outstretched towards me. 

"Try what out?" Xiumin asked, peeking from behind Baekhyun. The boy didn't turn away from me, that cheery smile continuously on his face. 

"Well, if Luhan-hyung and Tao got to be connected with Jae-noona, why can't I?" he asked innocently. 

"Yah! Why should you be next, hyung?" Sehun immediately protested. 

"Uh, I really don't have any intentions of trying this reflect-thing anytime soon right now," I interrupted before they started a discussion. "Like I said before, I don't even know how I do it- if I do it," I said. 

"Well, since we're all stuck in a cave for the time being, no better time than the present, ne? Don't worry about a thing, noona, with all of us here, nothing can go wrong," Baekhyun coaxed, holding out his hands again. 

"Maybe you shouldn't be the one to do this first, Baekhyun. Why not let Luhan do it again, so we can see how this thing works," Suho suggested instead, the smile on Baekhyun's face dropping immediately. Seeing the disappointment on his younger brother's face, Luhan chuckled. 

"It's alright, Suho. Let Bacon-ah give it a shot. We're here to make sure nothing bad happens," he smiled kindly and winked at an elated Baekhyun. 

"Yes! Come on, noona," Baekhyun immediately piped up, wriggling his fingers. 

"Wait, are we really doing this?" I asked, still a bit hesitant. 

"Why Baekhyun-hyung?" Sehun muttered, crossing his arms across his chest. "I could try as well, you know," he said, looking at Suho.

"And cause a tornado in here? I don't think so. If Jae really has the ability to make our powers stronger, or even manage to do what we do when she's connected to us, then Baekhyun is the safest bet at the moment," Suho reasoned. 

"Exactly!" Baekhyun nodded and leaned forward a bit. "Besides, we can do something about the dark, noona," he added conspiringly. 

I looked at his waiting hands, having half a mind to decline the offer, but then I thought about what else we could do while waiting for the storm to lie down. This was better than nothing, at least. 

"I'll do my best," I told him, my hands feeling cold in Baekhyun's warm grip. 

"No worries, noona, I'll do the work," he assured me in a whisper, and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do next. Maybe obliviousness was just part of the whole power package in my case. I mean, now that I think about it, being aware of my supposed power might actually be more dangerous than not. Let's say, for the sake of my sanity, that Kai was right. That I was some kind of virtual reality character come to life and that I had the ability to not only enhance the power of others, but that I could use them as well, as long as I was connected to them. What would happen if I connected to them all at once? It would mean that I could do what they could do, and if these boys were strong individually, what would that make me? 

Screwed, I sighed. 

"Wow..." Baekhyun suddenly crooned, blinking his eyes rapidly before steadying his gaze. "Noona, you- woah," he exclaimed, his grip firm, but not unpleasant, and his eyes were noticeably crimson. It was only now that I noticed that our palms were somehow lit and I felt the light that radiated from Baekhyun's hands. As in, I could feel it, flowing like silk, warm and cold at the same time. 

His brothers had gathered closer to watch in anticipation and curiosity and I glanced a little worriedly at D.O., who placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, indicating that everything was alright. 

"Noona, focus with me," Baekhyun then said, the grin wide on his face. I nodded and followed his example when he closed his eyes. The light was moving, scattering, twirling and glowing brighter. I couldn't hear the storm that raged outside anymore, I wasn't covered in the dim darkness of the cave. There was only this. Light and relief, the strange reassurance that everything was going to be alright, that nothing was impossible as long as there was light to drive away the darkness. As long as there was hope. It was strange and absolutely crazy, but something told me that those positive vibes I was feeling, came from Baekhyun himself. It just made sense to me now, how he was tied to the strength of light. I thought at first it was because he was somewhat of an attention-seeker, but I can see now, that that is not the entire case. 

I opened my eyes, but to my surprise, I found myself in the middle of a green field with the clear blue sky above me and the warm sun radiating down on the earth as if it had no knowledge of darkness. Where was I? I was holding hands with Baekhyun, wasn't I, not Kai? 

Though, try as I may, I couldn't panic. There was a part of me that didn't want to. I felt like I was a spectator in a dream, or a memory, perhaps? It looked so familiar here, like I've visited this place very often before, even though I didn't know where I was. 

Baekhyun? I called out, but there was no response, that is, until I saw him. A small boy with a cheery smile, holding out his hands in a concentrated fashion. 

"Come on, it's okay. I'll lead you back home, you don't have to worry about a thing. You just have to follow the light, see? The light is good. There's plenty of light here, but I know you live somewhere dark," he muttered to something, his tiny hands emanating a beam of pure white light that seemed brighter than the glowing sun. 

The boy didn't seem to have taken notice of me, so I got to my feet, approaching carefully. My lips tugged up into a smile on reflex when I saw that the little boy was having a one-sided conversation with a little bunny, who took careful hops to wherever he shone his light. This was Baekhyun. Little baby Baekhyun leading a stray bunny back to its home. Was this a memory after all? I felt like a trespasser the moment I realized that I may be witnessing something private. 

I stood back as Baekhyun continued shining the way for the little animal until it was back at its rabbithole, disappearing in the ground. I froze the moment that little Baekhyun suddenly turned his head and looked straight at me. He blinked a couple of times before smiling that familiar smile. 

"Hello!" he chirped, looking curiously at me. If this was a memory, he shouldn't be able to see me, right? 

Um, hi, I couldn't speak out loud again. Did I turn into a wolf? Just to make sure, I looked down, but it was just me, human limbs, human body. 

Baekhyun kept watching me, his eyes following my movements- or so I thought. Imagine my embarrassment when I saw that the boy was not looking at me at all. He caught sight of a beautiful butterfly, flitting about without a care in the world. He held out his hand and the creature landed on his finger, while I sighed of relief, feeling like an idiot. 

"Do you want to see something amazing?" he asked the butterfly, that look of mischief in his eyes. 

Yes. Show me. 

That voice! So gentle and sweet, so small. It was another child's voice, that much was clear, but where did it come from? Where had I heard it before? 

"Okay, watch this!" Baekhyun piped up, the butterfly gracing itself meekly on his shoulder. Was it the buttefly that talked back to him? How? 

"Ready? Three...two," he cooed, giggling in his excitement when he rubbed his hands together, slithers of light already escaping from the cracks. "One!" he blasted out a wholehearted laughter, as he threw his hands in the air, the light from his hands shooting up into the sky, glittering like fireworks before they scattered and hovered like tiny fireflies around him. It was snowing white light around him and Baekhyun twirled on the spot. The sight of it took my breath away. It was amazing how a little boy could bathe the world in light like that. The sun was shining, but Baekhyun shone the brightest, simply because he was smiling. 

The marvelous sight was over too soon. By the time I blinked my eyes and opened them again, they focused on a grown-up Baekhyun, his mouth parted slightly, red eyes watching me in awe. Around us, little sparkly white lights floated around, like I saw mere moments ago. 

"Wow, hyung, are you doing this? I didn't know you could do this, your magic is usually more flashy," Chen breathed, jabbing at a floating light that passed by. 

"Who would've thought that Byun Baekhyun had a knack for subtlety?" Luhan quipped, his doe-eyes glimmering as they followed the swaying movements of the hovering lights.

"It's not just me," Baekhyun said, his voice much softer than I was used to hearing. He looked down at our hands and slowly pulled away from our entangled fingers. My jaw dropped, while Baekhyun grinned. "Noona is doing pret-ty good herself," he mused, the brothers looking down at my hands as well. They were pulsating bright light, in a similar fashion as Baekhyun's hands were doing, clouds of firefly-like orbs of light poofing out, lighting the cave and encircling Chanyeol's steady fire. 

"Wow! Noona can actually do what Baek-hyung can do!" Tao chimed, pointing out the obvious due to his excitement. However, I was still trying to put the puzzle pieces together. 

"Is it alright that I'm freaking out on the inside?" I squeaked as my hands leaked out light. 

"Yeah, try not to freak out on the outside as well, I don't know what might happen," D.O. chuckled, though he sounded as nervous as I was feeling.

"Awesome," Baekhyun said as he purposely emitted more light pulses to fill the dark cave with. "Jae-noona is awesome," he exclaimed.

"Not really. Jae-noona is mostly confused," I retorted and automatically turned to Suho who had been watching with much interest. "Is this normal?"

"What, you're asking me? If this is how the reflect thing works, then I guess so? Do you feel any different?" he asked instead.

"Not particularly. Just sort of, uh," I looked at Baekhyun and frowned at him. Did he know? Did he see what I saw? "I feel more in tune to Baekhyun, I guess. I'm not sure how to explain," I trailed off. "But I don't feel particularly different, no."

"Noona's energy is strong, though. If you tap into it, unconsciously or consciously, you can feel the connection," Baekhyun then elaborated to his brothers. "It's like Luhan-hyung and Tao said, when that happens it feels like you're on top of the world. I suppose it makes sense with that much energy that Jae-noona is able to mimic whatever energy she's linked to for the moment."

"Except that I can't sense it when that happens," I spoke, cocking my head slightly. 

"Hm, that may be a bit dangerous," Suho scratched his cheek, "but all in all, that is one awesome ability. Might come in handy in emergency situations," he thought, ever the practical one. I knew better than to ask them how this worked or to explain all of this weirdness to me, but it still was somewhat frustrating to not know all the answers. I was still stuck with the big fat 'why?' to all of this, and now it seemed that I keep discovering something new about myself while I was still trying to digest the former novelty that had happened to me.

"Noona, is there something wrong? You don't seem all too happy now that you finally found out what your ability is," Sehun wondered out loud, concern splayed on his face.

"Oh, it's not that I'm not happy, or anything," I quickly answered upon looking around the cave and being met by a dozen puppy dog stares of doom, "I'm just still trying to make sense of it all, you know, process it. I mean, this is pretty cool," I looked at my hand and tried to focus to stop the light from coming from my hands. It doused lightly, like a burned up candle. "But I don't know what it all means."

"It doesn't have to mean anything, noona," Baekhyun replied easily, rubbing his hands as the light went out, though the ones still hovering in the air remained. They sparkled like fairy dust, flitting and glittering. "This is who we are, what we do." He smiled kindly and his eyes turned back to their dark shade. The moment that happened, I felt the connection between us had waned away. Apparently, the brothers were responsible for establishing the connection. It had to be that way since I'm Queen Oblivious and have no idea how to jumpstart this thing to save my life. 

"Yeah, I know, but aren't you at all curious as to why? I mean, all of this can't just be one big case of a freaky coincidence, right? You said so yourselves that you wanted to find the answers," I reminded them. 

"You're talking about that source of energy," Kris remarked and I nodded. 

"What are you guys expecting it will tell you?" 

The atmosphere was pressing at this point, heavily worn down by anticipation and tension.

"What our memories mean," Xiumin then answered with a calm and quiet voice. 

"Or lack thereof," Suho added in a whisper. 

"Who you are," Lay suddenly spoke up, his expression typically unfazed when startled glances moved to his direction. "None of us seem to remember you, Jae-yah, and I don't like that. I'd like to be able to remember you, as well, what role you play, and how nice it would be to get to know you all over again." 

His dimpled smile was filled with sincerity and warmth, and I tried my best to return it with a smile of my own. "In that case, maybe we should give the hunting thing another shot. I didn't do very well last time, did I?" I chuckled sheepishly, trying to relieve the tension. 

"Are you sure you want to do that? What about that ghost-wolf?" Kris reminded me, and I saw it flash in my mind, a pair of hellish green eyes and rows of sharp teeth snapping at me, claws lashing out at me. 

"Yah, Kris-ge! Don't call it that, it gives me the shivers," Tao complained.

"In any case, we should stick together, probably. See if we can find something this time, because I don't believe in coincidences. I mean, what are the odds of my family moving to a remote island that I had never heard of before, only to find all of you here. I had no clue what I was until I got here, and suddenly I'm a wolf with reflective powers, brought together with a pack of other people who can change into magic-packed wolves. That's not a coincidence anymore, if you ask me," I thought out loud, still trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. A shiver filled with dread ran up my spine. 

"What, are you saying that destiny brought us together or something, noona?" asked Kai, the skepticism evident in his voice. 

"Perhaps," I shrugged. "None of us will know if we don't find that source of energy."

"If that is the case, then what are we destined for?" Luhan asked, still managing to smirk, though his posture was stiff with tension. 

"You tell me," I replied. 

"Hey, guys," Chen suddenly spoke, looking outside. "Listen," he said. 

"To what? I don't hear anything," Chanyeol commented. 

"Exactly. I think the storm's laid down," Chen quickly got to his feet and poked his head out of the entrance. It was still raining, but the thunder and lightning seemed to have ceased. It looked as though the wind was a lot more tame as well. 

"We should go while we have a chance. Who knows whether that storm comes back or not," Suho said, squinting at the grey clouds over head. 

And so, we moved out of the cave and trudged through the muddy forest path to get back into town. Suho and Chen didn't seem to mind the weather at all, but I was cold, wet and tired and I could use a long nap right now. 

"It's probably safe to say that tonight won't be convenient to meet," Suho spoke while we were walking, a newfound determination in his step. "We could wait until the storm blows over for sure, to be on the safe side," he suggested. 

"But we won't know how long that might take, hyung. What if it takes another week?" Chen argued. 

"I wouldn't mind to go looking for it tonight. The storm seems to be clearing up," I proposed, eliciting surprised noises from the boys. "What?" I asked. 

"Look at you, Miss Wolf is completely well-adjusted, huh?" Kris teased and I blushed a little, trying to shrug it off like it was no big deal. 

"I want to find answers. That's not a bad thing is it?" And okay, now that I think about it, I may have missed running freely through the forest under the full moon, but they didn't have to know that.

"Alright, if you're up for it, we'll see what the weather's like tonight. If it clears up, we'll meet at the usual spot," Suho decided.

"Cool. I'll text Luhan to make sure if we're on for tonight," I said, Luhan smiling and nodding his head enthusiastically.

"Yah! Why Luhan-hyung, noona?" Chen immediately asked, a few of his brothers glaring at their happy-go-lucky hyung. 

"Don't be angry just because Jae likes me better than all of you," Luhan teased and I couldn't help but chuckle when the brothers started arguing, protesting loudly. I didn't get the chance to explain to them that Luhan was the logical option considering that he was the only one that gave me his phone number, since something else caught their attention. 

A van, the color of smoke and shadows, drove past, the green logo of E.T. Corp gracing the side of it. The vehicle seemed to be in a hurry, but slowed down as it spotted us. I jumped a little when I heard soft, rumbling growling nearby and I carefully looked up at the boys. They had ceased their arguing and stood firmly together, like a group, a pack of wolves. They really didn't like E.T. Corp, did they? 

"What's that van doing here?" Suho spat out, in a tone that I remember he used often with me, back when we didn't know each other that well. It then occurred to me that I still actually, technically, did not know them that well. Odd, how comfortable and normal it felt now, just hanging around with them. 

"Maybe they're uninstalling those fences," I tried optimistically, feeling a bit awkward. "I told my dad how dangerous they were, so maybe he did something about it." 

"Oh yeah, your appa works for E.T. Corp, doesn't he, Jae-yah?" Lay pointed out, though he kept an oblique eye on the moving van, that had significantly slowed down as it followed the road we had been walking on. 

"He does, noona?" Tao said, surprised. 

"Hmhm," I mused. "It was the reason why we moved here. He's the new CEO of the company," I told them, running my hand over the back of my neck. I wasn't sure whether their exclamations were because they were impressed, or concerned. 

"Does he know, noona? About you, us?" Chanyeol asked carefully, his face contorted in anxiety. 

"You're kidding, right?" was all I needed to say to see the wave of relief wash over Chanyeol's face, the frown of worry immediately replaced by a gummy grin. "No way, if my parents found out- I can't even imagine what they would-,"

"Jade?"

I blinked, hearing the engine of the E.T. van whirr close by. I shook my head and chuckled. "Oh man, just thinking about it makes me paranoid..." 

"Uh, actually, noona, I think that guy is calling for you," Chen pointed at the van, though the brothers stepped forward slightly to shield me. I wasn't even weirded out by the fact that they moved so smoothly and in sync with each other. 

"Jade, is that you? What the heck are you doing out in this weather?!" 

I'm pretty sure my heart just stopped when the driver of the E.T. van rolled down his window, staring straight at me before glaring at the dozen guys surrounding me. 

"Dad?!" I shrieked. "Wha-what are you- I mean, how are- why are you even- um- hi!" I bit my lip, the boys equally frozen and nervously awkward when they realized that the driver of the van was indeed my old man. 

"Hi," he replied in that typical I'm your father and I'm not liking what I'm seeing kind of tone. 

"I thought that you were working today? Since when is the CEO a chauffeur?" I tried my utmost best to break the ice, but when Dad was in "Dad-mode", it wasn't easy to calm him down. 

"Oh, well, you know, since I am the head of the company, I thought it would be nice to take a long break, drive around, see what my young and only teenage daughter was up to," he summed up skeptically, obviously annoyed. His heated glares did not go unnoticed by anyone. Honestly, in situations like these, my father was about as subtle as a stick in the eye. 

"All of us were just hanging around, talking a walk, sir," Suho answered ever so politely, even bowing to him. Once the others saw the gesture, they followed the example like good little sheep. 

"Really? All of you took my precious daughter out for a walk during a hellish storm? What is a father to think about that?" he mused and I cringed, the brothers shuffling awkwardly and a little frightened backwards. My father, ladies and gentlemen, tended to have that kind of effect on teenage boys. Now that I think of it, that was probably the reason why I didn't have so many guy-friends back home. I heard one of them saying once how terrifying my Dad could be at times. How humiliating to find out what they meant right now.

"Dad, stop, seriously," I said, since I knew that he was well aware of the fact that he was overreacting. "You're being rude to my friends." 

"Ah, your friends! If that is the case, then how come I've never met them before?" he retaliated, a smug grin on his face. Now he was just trying to embarrass me. 

"For this exact reason," I retorted in the same tone, gesturing around me, and when I saw him bite his cheeks I knew I'd reached him. He let out a sigh and visibly loosened up. 

"I'm sorry, boys," he apologized, sounding more like the Dad I know. "Can't blame a father for being protective, right?" when he smiled, I could literally hear the sighs of relief escaping from everyone's lips, while I shook my head, bemused. 

"We understand completely, sir," Kris replied, though I couldn't help but notice that there might be more meaning to those words uttered by the tall teen. 

"Good," Dad shot a quick wink at me. "So, do you kids need a ride somewhere? I'm pretty sure this van is big enough to squeeze you all in," he then offered. 

"Thanks for the offer, sir, but we were just on our way home, to get out of this rain," Luhan prompted, his voice made of pure innocence and honey. "Jae did mention that she should get home as well, though, so it's rather a lucky strike that you're here now." 

I frowned a little at him, but he motioned with his eyes to just go with it. 

"Ah, well-timed, I see. Well, in that case, your chariot awaits, milady," Dad jerked his head to the passenger seat, more than happy, as it seemed, to get me away from the twelve boys. 

"Uh, y-yeah. One moment, okay?" I quickly said and turned to them, pretending that I was saying goodbye. "What are you doing?" I asked through clinched teeth.

"You should head home, Jae. Get some rest, just in case we do go through with hunting tonight," Luhan whispered. "It's been a long day." 

That was at least something that I could agree with. 

"And-," Luhan suddenly continued, "no offense or anything, but your dad is kinda scary," he admitted with a lightly chuckle. Behind him, Tao was nodding his head feverishly. Vicious wolves, huh? I grinned. 

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you guys later," I greeted as casually as possible. The response from the boys was cringeworthy as they greeted me in an exaggerated way solely because my father was there to witness it. 

"Take care, noona. Mr. Miyano, it was nice to meet you," Chen greeted cordially with a bow, his brothers responding in the same manner. Even Kai was at his best behavior in front of my father, giving small smiles and perfect 90 degree bows. 

"You too," Dad replied, though it was impossible to tell whether he meant it or not. "Say," he then piped up as I was walking towards the van, "which one of you is the 'dimpled one'?" 

Oh my God! I facepalmed myself out of embarrassment, while thinking begrudgingly about my mother. She must've told him what she thought she witnessed the other day when I was talking to Lay. Why didn't I correct her that night when she assumed that I was on a date with him? Because, dear Jae, you've no brain to function. 

"This one, sir!" Baekhyun had no problem to push a poor and confused Lay forward, who scratched his cheek and bowed again. 

When I saw the calculating look on my father's face, I quickly rushed forward. "Dad! Can we just go now, please?" I urged him, getting into the van. 

"What? Why? I was just about to have a normal, pleasant conversation with Mr. Dimpled Cutiepie," he told me softly when I was buckled in.

I groaned. "Could you not?" He laughed at this. 

"It was nice meeting you boys," he greeted, calling out from the open window. "Hurry back home, alright? This weather might change with a blink of an eye. Don't make me regret not offering to drive all of you back home, you hear?" he commanded with the kind of authority only fathers and CEOs of fancy companies possessed. It immediately woke up the urge within you to want to do exactly what he asked of you. 

"Yes, sir! It was nice meeting you, too," I heard them say. 

"See you later, Jae-noona!"

"Drive home safely!" 

When they were out of sight and Dad was driving leisurely through the forest to get me home, I stole sideway glances from me. 

"So," he sang and I tried to mentally prepare for what was coming next. 

"Twelve guys, huh?" he started innocently, but I knew better, so I didn't respond. "Twelve guys," he repeated in a singsongy voice, bobbing his head. "You realize they look like handsome girls from afar, right?" 

The statement had come out of left field, so I couldn't help but burst out loud when I heard it. "What? Dad, don't be ridiculous, they do not look like girls," I chortled. 

"I'm just saying, baby, it's not normal for a bunch of guys to look so, so-," 

"Handsome?" I proffered. 

"Beautiful," he corrected, pulling a face, though laughing. "You think they're handsome?" 

"They're alright," I shrugged, trying to sound like I didn't care, but fathers, like mothers, have instincts as well, and I could tell that he didn't believe me. 

"Uhuh," he mused. "So, this dimple guy," he tried, but I was so not going to have that conversation with my dad!

"Dad, stop," I told him, giving him a look of exasperation. "You're sounding more and more like Mom every day." 

"Okay, first of all, ouch, that was uncalled for," he quipped. "Second of all, I assume you've told them that I own a shotgun and will not hesitate to shoot all of them in order to protect my daughter's virtue, right?"

"Oh my God, you did not just say that," I rubbed my temples, feeling another aneurysm was going to burst any second now. 

"I'm just saying, baby, I'm your dad. You tell Mr. Dimple that if he tries something funny, I'll shoot him another dimple on his ."

"That's so wrong," I shook my head, trying to surpress my laughter. Dad always said things like this, but I knew that he'd never actually do it. It was his way to show me that he cared. I bet that he'd be really chummy with my future boyfriend. That was just the type of guy my dad was. 

"Anyway, are you going to tell me what you're doing here? What's up with the A-Team van?" I asked, successfully changing the subject. 

"Oh, yeah...Well, long story short; That freak storm startled the heck out of some wolves that the new security system picked up on - this updated version is supposedly a lot safer than the last one, don't worry - and I thought I'd go and see how they're doing. A small team was sent to fetch the wolves, to make sure they're unharmed and that the tagging was successful, but, I don't know, I just wanted to oversee the process personally." 

"Aw, the poor things," I empathized of course, but why did I feel like Dad wasn't telling me the whole truth? "So, you're tagging wildlife now, huh? I thought you were busy with that super secret project of yours? The thing Mom accidentally pulled out of your bag, what was it again? Some kind of knife?"

"Yeah, I'm busy with that, too." He didn't say anything else. 

"How's that project going?" I asked out of curiosity. 

"Fine, fine," his answers were short and this told me that he either didn't want to talk about it, or he was prohibited to do so. The conversation having gone quiet, I looked around the van and started exploring the contents of the glove compartment, but I gasped when I saw what was inside of it. 

"Um, Dad? Why does an E.T. vehicle carry stuff like that around?" I pointed and when he followed the direction of my finger, he startled and quickly closed the compartment shut. 

"Precautions, honey," he cleared his throat. 

"Why would E.T. Corp require handguns for that?" I asked in suspicion. 

"Animals are animals, baby," he said, but the phrase rattled me. "We have every good intention with those wild wolves that roam the island, but it doesn't mean that they understand that. The gun is issued just in case of an emergency, No one is planning to use it, though, not while we have stun-guns around," he said reassuringly. 

"Oh, yeah, stun-guns...Okay," I didn't know what else to say. I thought the van was here to get rid of the hazardous security fences strewn in remote parts of the woods, remote to humans, but not to wolves. Maybe the new system Dad was talking about was indeed much safer, but why did they suddenly have to involve guns?

Maybe we shouldn't hunt tonight just yet. Something tells me that I might end up regretting it. I gulped when the van sped up a little and I caught sight of a flash of white and glowing green amongst the trees. I exhaled deeply, thinking about the white wolf and everything that happened in the last couple of hours. Then, I made a decision.

Alright then. You caught my attention. You wanted me to wake up. 

I looked at my hands, still feeling the light that emanated from them, still felt the supposed connection in my heart, still saw a baby Baekhyun chortling in a bright world covered in glittering light. 

I'm awake. And this time, I'm coming for you.