***

"The world is such a small place, isn't it? Who would've thought that you taught Jae and Suho Biology, Mr. Tabi?" Mom said, making pleasant conversation during dinner. She sat at one end of the table, with Dad sitting at the head, of course. I sat next to Suho, with Mr. Tabi opposite of me and Miss Kumiho opposite of Suho. I did not envy him, but he was handling everything quite well. That is to say, a whole lot better than me. 

I had hardly spoken a word since Miss Kumiho and Mr. Tabi came, and at this point it seemed more believable that Suho was the son of the house and I the visiting date. He made it look so easy to be sociable, the way he carried on making small talk and keeping a charming smile on his face, even when interacting with that creepy woman. On the surface there was no reason to dislike her. She was well-mannered and graceful, witty and pretty to look at. I suppose I could understand why Mr. Tabi would want to date her, though something told me that the man seemed rather uncomfortable himself. 

"I'm still thinking about how I didn't know you were my daughter's teacher, Seunghyun. We've been working with each other for a while now," Dad mused. 

"Wow, you work at E.T. Corp, Mr. Tabi?" Suho asked before I could. 

The handsome teacher lifted his shoulders humbly. "Well, I did say I only teach part-time, right?" he answered amicably. "And my apologies, Boss, I should have known beforehand. I had my suspicions that you were Jae's father, but I hadn't been able to inquire due to our- uh, little project - that we've been working on." 

Suho and I exchanged glances, my father nodding in understanding at Mr. Tabi. 

"Oh, and what little project is that, Mr. Tabi?" Mom asked, sipping from her wine. The biology teacher widened his almond-shaped eyes, glancing over at my father, his employer, while I was still trying to adjust to the awkward situation - but I failed. This was a level of awkwardness too high for even me to get used to, so I just listened to the adults having their conversation, playing around with my food and absently eating it. 

"Nothing important, sweetheart, company business," Dad dismissed, and Miss Kumiho suddenly let out a throaty laugh. 

"Men and their secrets," she purred conspiringly at my mother. "Always trying to maintain some mystery to keep us intrigued," she commented with a sweet smile on her face, but Mom was smart. She didn't fall for it, and neither did I, for that matter. In fact, Miss Kumiho spoke suggestively, as if she purposely tried to make my Mom feel uncomfortable. 

"Yep, that's my dad, International Man of Mystery," I blurted, unable to tone down on my sarcasm. 

"Wow, like James Bond!" Suho added jokingly, and thank God for him doing so. 

"Well, maybe more Austin Powers or Johnny English than 007," I quipped and this actually got the adults laughing. 

"Hey, watch it, young lady," Dad remarked playfully, winking at me. 

"I see Jae-sshi has her father's wit and mother's beauty. A wonderful combination. Suho-sshi must feel very lucky," Miss Kumiho raised her glass at us and she winked at me as she took a sip, but under her gaze, I felt sick. Literally. I was smiling, but I wasn't feeling well at all. 

"Yes, about that, it's good to see the two of you get along. I hope Suho is helping you feel welcomed, Jae," Mr. Tabi noted, putting the attention to us. 

"Oh, uh, yeah. I mean, everyone's been really nice so far," I said, carefully not mentioning that I've been hanging out more frequently with the other eleven guys that make up the Majestic Twelve. 

"That's good to hear," he said, nodding. 

"Jae had a bit of a difficult first day at the new school," Mom suddenly stated, that playful look in her eyes again. "But it's nice to see she's making friends," that last part was directed at Suho, who blushed furiously. If only my parents knew what part he played in making things difficult for me the first few days, they probably wouldn't misinterpret his embarrassed behavior for shyness.

"Better take good care, Suho. You know it's difficult to catch a Common Jae," Mr. Tabi quipped, making the boy chuckle nervously.

"Oh?" Dad chimed in, tenting his fingers. "What is that supposed to mean, Seunghyun?" he asked authoritatively, startling the young teacher.

"Ah, n-nothing, Boss! A Common Jay is a butterfly, difficult to catch. Actually, Jae helped me catch one, her first day at school," he rambled, and I suppressed a chuckle. 

"Aha, I see," Dad mused, obviously to tease the poor guy but we still smirked when Mr. Tabi pulled a face of relief when he was let off the hook. 

"Don't pay my husband any attention, Mr. Tabi, he's mentally five," Mom commented. 

"Eight, actually, ma'am," Suho responded automatically, making her chuckle.  

"Heh, impressive," Dad mumbled, smirking at him. Mom got up from her seat then, off to play hostess.

"Would you like some more wine?" she asked Mr. Tabi and Miss Kumiho.

"Yes, please," Mr. Tabi replied.

"I'll go get some more," Mom collected his glass and blinked when Miss Kumiho rose to her feet as well.

"I'll help you, Mrs. Miyano," she offered sweetly. "Wine for the young lady and gentle sir?" she teased oh-so-pleasantly, but my toes curled and I forced myself to keep it together. It was not helping that I felt like I was going to throw up any second now. What is up with me feeling like this all of a sudden? I felt like I was being seriously betrayed by my body, failing me the moment I needed it to keep things composed the most.

"Just water for me, ma'am," Suho replied politely.

"Same for me, please," I answered a little shakingly. I noticed that Mom had noticed, but she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she just shot me a concerned look for a moment. 

"Coming right up," Miss Kumiho said, helping Mom picking up the empty glasses.

"You're very considerate, Miss Kumiho," Mom said, as they both chatted on their way to the kitchen. When they were gone, I was left with the men, but it felt considerably less awkward. I felt like I could breathe for the first time since dinner started.

It was quiet for a moment before Dad started talking to Mr. Tabi and I concentrated on my food again, still feeling a bit woozy and a headache coming up. Was Miss Kumiho doing this to me? Or was this some effect she had because I knew who she was? She couldn't be doing this to me consciously, unless she knew who I was as well, but so far, there seemed to be no indication that she knew. Maybe it was just the stress building up in my head, causing my body to respond. I've had those weird panic attacks before, just not this visceral...

Are you okay, Jae? Keep breathing, huh, you're doing fine, Suho said softly, so not to startle me, but I still jumped a little. 

I'm fine, I lied, biting my lip. Does Luhan know something more about that woman? Can he read her thoughts? I wanted this dinner to be over as soon as we got what we needed from her. How could a woman like her be the energy the boys have been hunting since forever? Was she the energy, or did she carry it with her, somehow?

Luhan can't hear anything that's remotely suspicious, Luhan suddenly sounded, speaking in the third person, and I flushed involuntarily. Her thoughts are mostly concerned about making a good impression on your mother, actually. But, I don't like it... It almost feels as though her thoughts are layered, somehow. 

What, like an onion? I mused a little skeptically. 

If so, it's one hell of a stinky, rotten one, Luhan quipped. Either way, you two should be focusing on the conversation between Mr. Miyano and Mr. Tabi. It seems like our favorite teacher isn't fond of Miss Kumiho either. 

Neither of us needed to be told twice. I suddenly saw an apologetic and frantic Mr. Tabi, conspiring with my father and saying something about him trusting in me and Suho to be discrete.

"I'm actually not so sure what happened, sir. One moment I was going home from work at the school to pick up some stuff and head over to the lab, then Miss Kumiho appeared when I wanted to start the nightshift, pushed this outfit in my hands, told me to change and drive her to your address. She seemed nervous and a little helpless, so I couldn't even get it over my chest to refuse- even if she had given me the chance to do so," Mr. Tabi chuckled and I felt a little relieved. I liked him a lot as a teacher, so to associate him with a woman that gives me the creeps was weird. One thing was for sure though, if a pleasant, easy-going guy like Mr. Tabi had his doubts about Miss Kumiho, the woman had to mean bad news. Right? 

"It's no problem, Seunghyun, no need to fuss. Relax, all is going well so far," Dad answered, but something told me he was holding back, as though he reminded himself that Suho and I were present as well. My dad really did not like this woman, which was enough reason for me to be wary of her. Then, thinking about my mother being alone with Miss Kumiho in the kitchen, I tried to focus, using my enhanced wolf abilities to listen in on their conversation, just to make sure that everything was alright. Suho knew what I was doing and casually started asking the two scientists whether there had been any recent interesting developments in the scientific world. I'd nearly forgotten that Suho himself was somewhat of a science nerd, so the three of them had something in common. 

"You have such a lovely home and family, Mrs. Miyano. Your daughter is a beautiful young lady. I can't imagine how much you must care and worry for her. I bet she has a lot of boys chasing after her," Miss Kumiho said in a breathy voice, my mother laughing at her statements. 

"Thank you, Miss Kumiho. Jae would probably laugh as well if she heard you say that. She doesn't seem to be very interested in finding a boyfriend right now, but I love teasing her about it. I was actually quite thrilled that she took me seriously when I told her to bring a date," she confided and I nearly slammed the table in indignation. I mean, seriously, whoat?! Man, if I survive this dinner, I'm gonna need to punish my mother. 

This Kumiho woman, though, talk about over the top. She was a little bit too much in exaggerating her compliments towards me. It was making me even more uncomfortable because it didn't seem very sincere. What was it about this woman? Who was she? 

I tried to listen in on their conversation some more, but got distracted by Mr. Tabi's low voice. "I actually don't know Miss Kumiho very well. She's not the type to talk much about herself either," he said, but that statement didn't surprise me much. What did surprise me, was Luhan, suddenly giving a short hum in my mind.

What is it, Lu-hyung? Suho asked, being faster to respond than me again. 

Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Probably nothing, he answered quickly. Jae, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit unsteady, he then noted and Suho watched me. I started to shuffle with my feet. 

I'm fine, I lied again, I just feel a little-,

"Tell me about your daughter, Miss Miyano, she seems like such a bright child." 

Wait. What? Why did I hear Miss Kumiho's voice? I hadn't consciously listened for her... 

Luhan? I tried again, Can you hear me? Suho? Guys, there's something wro-

I flinched when it went white before my eyes for just a second, as if lightning flashed right in front of my nose, but no thunder sounded after that. I heard my father guffawing with Mr. Tabi, but the volume was so loud I nearly wanted to cover my ears. 

"Such a bright, and special child..." 

Miss Kumiho's voice echoed in my head, along with what seemed like a hundred- no thousand more. I balled my fist under the table, but I couldn't move anything else. In between the rapid flashing of white light, I saw images. Images I couldn't explain. A shadow slithering over a green field, that whithered once the shadow passed by. A crystal lake turning muddy and dirty, fish floating up, dead and rotten. I heard the cries of people as well, wailing frantically for help. But for what? From what? And then, after a series of images that resembled the freaking apocalypse, the pain came. It shot up slowly, like poison being injected torturously slow through a needle, digging into my skin like the bite of a snake. I couldn't fight it off. I didn't even know where it came from. All I knew was that I wasn't in the dining room in my house anymore. I was lying in a patch of green and gold, a peaceful meadow amongst chaos and destruction. Tears fell from my eyes as I looked at the blood red sky, holding something close to my chest, but it was causing me more pain. However, nothing hurt more then slowly seeing twelve stars shiver and flicker in that sky, and seeing them fall again. They plummeted mercilessly in a cocoon of fire, leaving my sight forever. 

I lay motionless on the ground, only moving my head to the side upon seeing that shadow, slithering towards me, covering the earth in darkness. I didn't know why, but I felt like I didn't have much time left and the feeling was suffocating me. I threw the object in my hand away, as far as I could. All my strength left me when the shadow approached, a dark hand reaching out to tell me that it was over. I lost. 

"Ah!" I gasped, jumping a bit in my seat, only to find that I was back home, sitting at the table with a bunch of adults looking strangely at me for having interrupted the conversation. My eyes were undoubtedly wild from panic and I feverishly wished I could redo the last couple of seconds. As I looked over to Suho, I recognized a glint of the same panic in his eyes as well, but he was obviously more composed than I was. Crap. Did they notice? Was I spazzing out at the freaking dinner table?! What even happened just now?!

"Whoa," I startled again when I turned to mumble an apology to my father, only to see that Miss Kumiho was standing between us, as she was ready to place my glass of water by my side. 

"Honey, is there something wrong?" Dad asked, looking concerned. "I think you just spaced out there. Dinner that boring to you?" he attempted to joke, but the concern in his eyes was real. I swallowed, trying gather my wits. It doesn't look like they noticed anything. 

"I'm okay," I said quietly, trying to recover. 

"Are you sure about that?" Miss Kumiho asked, putting the glass down as she inspected me. "You don't look very well, darling," she said.

"Are you sick, sweetheart? Do you need anything?" Mom chimed in, and I could tell she didn't like Miss Kumiho standing so close to me, which I agreed with, but I couldn't very well ask the woman to go back to her seat and mind her business, now could I?

I shook my head, still feeling woozy. "I'm okay," I repeated with a weak smile. 

"I'm not an expert, of course, but perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to lie down for a while?" Miss Kumiho then suggested and I nearly winced and shrieked when she put her hand on my shoulder. "Wouldn't want you to get sick," she added, but there was something in her tone that I didn't like. Especially when it felt as though her hand was burning my skin underneath my clothing. Her touch literally hurt me, like I was being branded by acid! Did this woman even know what she was doing to me? Was she doing this on purpose? 

Biting through the pain, I forced myself to look directly at her, but saw to my dismay that her eyes weren't glowing. She wasn't doing this? She's not doing this on purpose? Then why touch me for this long? 

I found the strength to casually move away from her, though the touch still burned, and my vision suddenly got a little blurred. I inhaled for breath, doing my best to keep up appearances, though I noticed that Suho had gotten tense for some time now as well. I needed to get out of here. 

"I, uh- think that wouldn't be bad," why was talking suddenly so difficult? I was out of breath. What did she do to me? 

"I'm sorry, I think I'd like to go to my room for a moment," I then said, getting ready to be excused. "I suddenly don't feel so good," I added redundantly. The adults had no problem with this. Mom urged me on, while Mr. Tabi amicably told me to take care of myself. 

"Suho, would you mind accompanying Jae? She looks a bit unbalanced, I don't want her to hurt herself while going up the stairs," Mom then asked, winking at him so he wouldn't be left alone with the adults. Suho nodded understandingly and he immediately obliged. 

"Of course, Mrs. Miyano. Here, you can lean on me, Jae," he offered his arm and I took it. I felt a light sense of relief through the pain and sickness when we excused ourselves and finally walked out of there. 

Suho and I didn't speak until we were on the second floor and standing in front of my bedroom door. I leaned against it for a moment, while Suho watched me in concern. 

"You're really not feeling right," he stated, rather than asked, though he sounded a bit breathless as well. I felt a cold sweat coming up and I opened the door. 

"What gave it away, Sherlock?" I piped up, gesturing a bit soullessly at my room. "Help me get inside for a moment. I feel like the room sprouted a pair of legs and is running around me to taunt me." 

"Oh. Oh! Ah- um, yes. Yes... Uh, is that okay?" Suho suddenly asked, looking shy. 

I propped up an eyebrow at him. "Really? You're making a fuss over taking me to my own bedroom?" 

"Well, it's not that, Jae, I mean, it is that, but, all I'm saying is-, a-a-am I allowed to?" 

I rolled my eyes - which was a really bad decision on my part as the spinning became worse - but still thought that his hesitation was a teensy bit adorable. Annoying. But, adorable. 

"Suho, my mom wouldn't have asked you to help me get into my room if she thought it wasn't allowed," I replied. "Now get over here and help me get to my bed so I can sit down," I ordered him and he finally complied. Suho got me to my bed and I immediately dropped myself on it, trying to steady my breathing and to control whatever panic attack this was. Or, was I having a weird seizure of some kind? Should I call the ambulance? 

"What happened back there?" Suho asked, standing near the door, as though he was still a bit afraid of having to explore the world of girl's bedrooms for the first time. 

"Close the door first, just in case," I instructed, hissing though my teeth when I made the mistake to touch the shoulder that woman had touched. 

"O-oh-kay," he closed the door and leaned against it, refusing to step further inside. Well, I'll hand that much to him, Suho was a gentleman.

"I was trying to eavesdrop on Miss Kumiho and my mom." I started to explain, taking deep breaths. "But then this sharp pain came out of nowhere and nothing made sense anymore. I tried calling for you and Luhan, but none of you seemed to have heard me," I brushed the hair from my face, and rose again to open my window, letting in some fresh air. The dizziness was lessening, but my shoulder hurt like hell.  

"I blanked out," I continued, an uneasy feeling pounding against my chest. "You probably won't believe me," I murmured quietly, finally seeing Suho move towards me. He knelt before me when I sat back down on the bed, holding my shoulder and squinting my eyes to fight off a massive headache. 

"Try me," he said gently. 

Suho's eyes were warm and bore no judgement in them. He waited patiently for me to answer him, even though I was still processing everything. I felt like crying, I was inexplicably sad just thinking about what I saw. But then the nausea and the pain kicked right back in and I gasped to catch my breath. I grabbed my stomach and toppled over. 

"Jae!" Suho called, carefully touching my shoulder to support me, but that wasn't helping either. 

"Ah, don't, please!" I warned, Suho immediately retracting his hand. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

"It hurts," I told him, sighing in exasperation. "Everything hurts," I mumbled a little angrily and then moved to show him my shoulder. "I don't know what happened, but when she touched me, it felt like I was being burned by acid. Do you think she knows?" 

Suho's eyes widened and I saw now that the touch left an angry red mark on my skin, almost like an allergic reaction. "Oh my God, Jae!" he called out again. "How- she didn't even- I mean, we didn't even- ah!" he panicked again, not sure what to do. 

"Suho, calm down, it's okay. I didn't sense anything either, I mean, not really," I tried to ease him, but his eyes told me that he was on flip-mode. 

"Oh man, this is my fault! I'm so sorry, Jae," he apologized, but I shook my head. 

"Suho, this isn't your fault, it's that woman. Just calm down, I don't need the others to suddenly know and fuss over me, I'll be alright." I wasn't sure whether I could vouch for that, but there were more important matters to discuss right now. I did notice, however that Suho suddenly became quiet and pursed his lips guiltily together. 

"Suho?" I asked in suspicion and he flinched. My eyes widened. "You didn't!"

"Sorry, I panicked," he hadn't even properly finished the sentence or I saw a swivel of black smoke appear in my room. I jolted back when eleven boys suddenly appeared, looking dazed while waving the smoke away. 

"Jae-noona! Are you okay? Suho-hyung said you were hurt!" Sehun called out in concern. 

"Want me to deal with her, noona?" Tao asked boisterously, looking like he was seriously going to Kung Fu something into oblivion. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, everyone shut up!" I called out, as they started to voice their anger and worry. Feeling panicked myself, I bit through the pain and rose to my feet. "You guys cannot be here! This is my room! My parents are right downstairs! Kai, get everyone out!" I shooed, but of course they didn't listen, Kai least of all.

"Dishing out orders again, noona?" he replied defiantly, not planning to move a muscle as he leaned against my desk.

"Wah, you have a nice room, Jae-noona," Chen cooed as he looked around. I had a big room, but with the twelve of them being here, it felt very crowded. This wasn't happening. I can't take this anymore.

"Shouldn't you be outside to keep an eye on things? My parents and Mr. Tabi are still with that woman, you know! I-," I grabbed my head and if the boys were having fun teasing me by coming into my room uninvited, they weren't now.

"Lay," Luhan called over as he and Kris got me to my bed. Lay quickly touched my hands and it was like the pain was being away. He was concentrating hard, but I didn't want him to push himself. He was still on the mend himself. 

"I feel better," I said, but Lay only smiled as though he could tell I was lying. 

"Just relax, Jae-yah, you had us startled. We'll take care of you like we promised," he said in a soothing voice and I felt my muscles relax under his touch. 

"What happened, Jae?" Luhan then asked. "We lost you there for a moment," he said, looking a bit pale himself. In fact, as I was slowly feeling better and more in control of myself, I noticed that all of them looked a bit flustered. Did something happen? 

Gah, I'm getting so sick of this...

"I saw something," shaking my head and hissing through my teeth when Lay touched my shoulder. He startled as well, but continued anyway. "It seems so incredible, but I could've sworn I saw images, or something? I told Suho how I tried to contact you, but you didn't hear me. It's insane, but I think I saw a-," yeah, a what, exactly, Jae? Premonition? Vision? 

"Memory," Xiumin suddenly filled in, though he looked like he hadn't meant to say anything. He swallowed, looking out of place. "A memory?" he asked and I nodded. 

"How did you-,?"

"Me too," Xiumin never wasted time in using a lot of words to say what he wanted to, but even then whatever he said made impact. "When I couldn't hear anyone, I thought it had something to do with someone breaking the connection, but then I realized that wasn't the case. I saw what Jae had seen in her dreams, a world being destroyed by some kind of force. I was right in the middle of it, but things went so fast. Last thing I recall was-,"

"Fire," Chanyeol finished, looking spooked when Xiumin nodded. I felt breathless all over again when the silence fell, the brothers looking at each other, stunned. 

"Wait a minute. We all got a new memory at the same time?" Kris asked in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. 

"I thought I was the only one," Suho sank down to sit on the ground. "I never had any other memory then the one I told you about," he reminded us and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Lay was still quietly healing my shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on the others, tentatively following the conversation as well. 

"Were-," I mumbled and cleared my throat. "Were you all lying in some kind of meadow, as well?" I questioned. 

"I was in the forest, running from something," D.O. answered while directing himself towards Kai. "You were running ahead of me, pulling me forward," he said to his younger brother, whose eyes widened and he peeled away from my desk.

"I couldn't teleport," Kai said in a whisper. "All I knew was to get to Suho-hyung," he replied.

Lay may have been healing me, but I felt my stomach turning all over again. I placed a hand over my mouth as the boys continued telling what they saw, the moment I got my memory as well. 

"I was waiting," Suho nodded. "Near a tree, like the one in Jae's dream."

"I saw you," Luhan then said, "I was standing behind Suho with Lay. I was supposed to get something. Something important." 

I saw Lay nodding beside me, his hands still over my shoulder. "The energy, gege," he mused and I twitched when I felt my heart thump in my chest. 

"No, that wasn't it. Luhan-hyung showed it to me," Sehun then added, sitting comfortably next to Suho. "It was something silver, a weapon, I think?"

"You wanted me to stop time so we could save it," Tao told Sehun. "But I was afraid my power couldn't reach that far with Kris-ge and Chanyeol-hyung so far away."

"Yeah, we were in the sky together. It was so red," Kris nodded whilst looking at a bewildered Chanyeol, who grasped his hair in confusion. 

"Baekyhun was protecting us," Chen mumbled softly, looking on in concern at his brother. "Xiumin-hyung and I carried him away," he added breathlessly, no trace of his playful smile to be found when he saw that Xiumin was nodding.

"Omo," Baekhyun breathed, sinking down on my deskchair. "My light went out."

"So, we all had different memories about the same event? How does that make sense?" Kris asked, sounding a bit frustrated.

The boys started their speculations and discussions, but I zoned out again, letting the information sink in. Basically, all of us got a new memory at the same time, but none of them were feeling as ill as I was feeling... I don't understand any of this. What did this mean? What caused this? Was it Miss Kumiho? Did she secretly instigated something because she did know who I was after all? But why target the boys as well? She didn't know about them, did she? But, her eyes weren't glowing, there was nothing remotely magical or 'wolf-like' going on. 

I tensed up when something unsettling dawned on me. 

"You remember each other," my voice sounded frail and I think only Lay heard me. It had quieted down somewhat and I swallowed, my mouth dry. "You remember each other," I repeated when I had their attention. 

"Well, yeah, that's what we established, noona," Baekhyun stated matter-of-factly, but I felt like I was going crazy. 

"I was alone," I told them, the shock evident on their faces. "I didn't remember you, I didn't see you..." Why did I feel so darned sad about that? Seriously, I can get dramatic and I tend to overreact, but I was never one to be emotional, and still, this little piece of realization sunk in like a bomb had exploded in my heart, shattering it to bits. I was at the verge of tears because damn it, I didn't know what any of this meant! "Does this mean that I don't belong with you? I'm not one of you?" I held back a sob, feeling like a wreck. 

"No, of course not, noona!" Chen responded quickly. "I'm sure there has to be an explanation." 

"Yeah, you're one of us, Jae," D.O. said calmly and with so much confidence I really was inclined to believe him, but I wouldn't let relief wash over me that easily. 

"Then why don't I remember any of you? Why-," I paused when I felt my bottom lip quiver. God, get it together, Jae! "Why don't you remember me?" 

I wasn't expecting that they have an answer because they were just as lost I was, but still, at least they had each other to cling onto...

"What if..." the frightening thought had entered my mind before I could even stop it, and now it wouldn't leave. "What if I'm one of the bad guys, somehow? What if Miss Kumiho knows me because I'm like her?" I shook like a leaf, my eyes blurred with tears. God, I hate this! I hated feeling so panicked and out of control. I'd give anything to have things go back the way they were right now. It was like my worst nightmare, my worst fear was coming true. You never belonged anywhere, did you, Jae?

The room was awfully silent. Lay had one hand on my injured shoulder, while the other was rubbing my back gently, wordlessly attempting to comfort me. 

"I'm sorry, Jae," Luhan broke the silence and sat in front of me, his sober look making want to cry right on the spot. "But, I think..." he started seriously before suddenly smiling at me, "that that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Luhan gently wiped a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. 

"She said that she was an old friend, the night Lay got shot," I continued, needing a bit more convincing. 

"Well, if she's the ghost wolf from before, then she said that to taunt you, noona. It doesn't mean you're evil," Sehun dismissed the notion. 

"Yeah. If you were bad, you think we wouldn't have done something about it?" Kai added a little sinisterly, but it got me to chuckle either way, especially when I saw him flash me a smirk. 

I sniffed and pulled myself together. "Then who is she? And what do these memories mean?"

"We can't tell who this woman is," Suho said. "But I suppose that these memories confirm that we are connected, somehow. I don't have all the answers, but this is a start. And just because we don't remember you and you don't remember us, doesn't mean that you're evil, or bad, Jae. It just means that we're not done searching yet," he said with a firm nod. The others nodded their heads while grinning encouragingly my way.

"It'll be alright, noona," Chanyeol sounded so sure of it, and I couldn't help but return the bright smile he shot my way. 

Feeling a little embarrassed, I calmed down. "Thank you," I said softly, avoiding eye contact. 

"So," Suho then breathed. "At least we know that there was something we were supposed to do, wherever we were," he then started to wonder, pacing around a bit. "You said something about waiting for something important, Luhan?" 

The teen in question nodded. "But I don't know for what." 

"That thing, hyung," Sehun then piped up. "Something silver. I know, because you showed it in my mind." 

"Did you get it in the end, Luhan?" Kris asked, but Luhan shook his head. 

"The last thing I remember was the same as Xiumin. Fire. Fire everywhere," he explained. 

"Not my fire, mind you," Chanyeol added quickly. "But it was surrounding us." 

"Do you remember what the silver thing looked like, Sehun?" Suho inquired, but the maknae gave an apologetic look. 

"I thought it was a weapon, but that could be anything," he said. "It was small, I think."

"Maybe it was a key?" Lay suggested, his hand still on my shoulder. He was taking surprisingly long to fix that, then again, he was still on the mend himself. "You know, something that could unlock all of this confusion," he prompted. 

"No, it was bigger than a key," Sehun answered. 

"What, like a gun?" Baekhyun guessed. 

"An axe?" Chen suggested. 

"A bazooka?" Tao suddenly exclaimed, getting skeptical glares from his brothers. "What? It's a weapon," he argued. 

"Not a silver one, you pabo," Sehun retaliated. "And no, none of those." 

While they speculated over the item that Sehun saw and that Luhan deemed to be important, my mind drifted off as well. Why did it feel like the answer was on the tip of my tongue?

"Maybe it was a sword? Or a pair of mystical nunchucks, or something?" Kris then proffered, but Sehun still shook his head and I don't think I've ever seen him think this seriously before. 

"It wasn't that big, hyung," Sehun crunched his face and I could tell that he was trying hard to remember. "It was elegant, small. It could fit your hand...maybe a knife, of some sort? Or..." 

I gasped as something clicked in place. "A dagger?" I looked at Sehun in anticipation for his reaction and he didn't disappoint. 

"That's right, noona! I think it was a dagger. Why would something like that be important, though?" he then questioned, looking at his brothers. 

I felt a little queasy, but also a little excited because this piece of information might bring us closer to all the answers. While the boys were lost, I placed my hope in Sehun's memory. 

"Because E.T. Corp has it," I announced, seeing jaws drop around me. 

"Ehh? Say what, Jae?" Kris asked, dumbfounded. 

"A dagger. If Sehun saw a dagger in his memory, and if it's a dagger Luhan was supposed to wait for, then I think E.T. Corp has it. I remember my dad bringing it home one day, but he wasn't allowed to show us what it was. I caught a peek of it anyway and I couldn't understand what was so important about a dagger, but- what does it have to do with Miss Kumiho? What does it have to do with us?" 

"And something a little more important," Lay suddenly interrupted, looking out of sorts. 

"What could be more important at this moment, Lay?" D.O. asked in disbelief. 

He looked at me, biting his lip as if he was preventing himself from panicking. "I can't heal this," he pointed at my shoulder in desperation. I gazed at the wound and now that he mentioned it, I felt that the pain was eased somewhat, but it hadn't disappeared. Most of the redness was gone, but a light black scar of some sort was etched in the skin, thin black branches that followed the pattern of the veins underneath my skin. 

"What the hell?" I murmured, hissing as it stung when I touched it. 

"I don't get it," Lay said helplessly, staring at his hands. In that moment I saw a younger version of him again, looking so upset when he hadn't been able to heal his mother... I placed my hands in his so he'd look up to me. 

"You're still recovering yourself, Lay. Maybe you just ran out of energy. It's okay though, I don't feel sick anymore." Which was true. Other than the shoulder, I felt a whole lot better than moments before.  

"But...your shoulder, Jae-yah..."

"Don't worry about it, I think it'll go away on its own." Like I have any knowledge about that, but Lay didn't have to know that. I quickly smiled and then looked at the rest of the pack. "So, what happens now?"

Suho opened his mouth to answer, but was rudely interrupted by the sound of crashing thunder outside. Automatically, all heads turned to Chen, who scoffed in indignation, lifting his hands in the air. 

"Yah, that wasn't me!" he snapped, walking to the window to look outside. "Wow, I think we might get another sto- whoa!" Chen steadied himself when another rumbling sound was heard, but this one came from beneath us. "What the heck was that?" he asked. 

An eerie silence fell, one filled with tension and anticipation. We looked around, and I tried sensing for something that would stand out. But before I could even properly focus, I suddenly found myself being grabbed by Lay and Luhan, when the room shook with a terrifying quake. Kris, Xiumin and Chanyeol had fallen to the ground, Suho was slung onto the bed, while the others managed to steady themselves. 

"What in the-, D.O.?" Suho looked at his younger brother and D.O.'s big eyes became bigger at the accusation. 

"As if!" he spewed, looking startled himself. 

"Jae?! Suho?! Are you kids alright up there?!" Mom's voice sounded from the hallway and I started to freak out when I heard her running up the stairs. 

"Oh my God, quick! Get out of here!" I told them, waving them away. I was having a tough day as it were, and I did not need another stressful situation to add onto the pile. If Mom saw me being alone in my bedroom with not just one, but twelve guys, she'd have a cow- and probably will force me to teach it how to dance before she'd make me eat it as punishment. Luckily, the boys didn't need to be told twice this time as they huddled together so Kai could get everyone out, leaving me with Suho. I stopped any attempts they made to stall. 

"If my mom catches you being here, I'm not the only one she's gonna kill, just go already. We'll discuss everything later," I warned them and finally, Kai zapped them away, right at the moment Mom opened the door. I moaned out of relief as I plopped down on the bed. Honestly, why does everything have to cut it so close?

"Oh, thank goodness you're both alright," Mom huffed out, a hand on her chest before she suddenly blinked at us. "Hope you two didn't make yourself too comfortable," she then commented and it was then that I realized that I hadn't so much plopped down on the bed at all, rather, I miraculously - and mostly stupidly, -landed on Suho's lap. Score over 9000 for Lacking Grace and Elegance, big, fat K.O. for Jae...

I grinned sheepishly at my mother, Suho attempting to do the same with a glowing red face, while I was wondering when God will grant me mercy and take me by way of that aneurysm that's sounding more attractive each passing day.

Yep, this dinner was a great idea...

How am I still sane?