***

I hope she realizes that I'm the one who wrote that note. Oh man, what was I thinking? Keep it cool, keep it cool- oh crap, she's looking at me! Turn around, you idiot, turn around!

Why is it that I when I look at him, he's always staring the one moment and the next he turns around as if my face is the ugliest thing he's ever seen? There's no way that he's the one that wrote me this note, right? ...I wish it was, though...

Crap, I forgot my homework! Miss Kwon is going to kill me!

These brats don't know what they got going for them. It's so easy to make fun of us teachers, huh? Look at this picture...My head doesn't shine like a cueball. None of them have any respect, with their youth and their good looks. How the good days fly by. Oh, look, there's one of them right now. Mr. Handsome. Mr. Popular. Keep walking like that, son. I'll predict you've lost your hair before you come to my age.

Luhan quirked up his eyebrow at the voice, unable to prevent getting amused. He looked straight into Mr. Cho's eyes and greeted the startled man with a brilliant smile. "Good morning, seonsaeng-nim!" 

"A-ah! Good morning, Luhan," he greeted with a straightface. Look at this kid, running his hand through his thick head of hair. Is he trying to make me jealous?

Stifling a laugh, Luhan stopped to have a proper conversation with this dear teacher. "Seonsaeng-nim looks good today. Did you rest well in the weekend?" 

What's with this kid? "Yes, thank you," Mr. Cho answered, adjusting his suit a bit. 

Unable to resist temptation, Luhan had to mess with the man just a bit. "You know, seonsaeng-nim, something seems different about you..." he pondered in feign. 

"O-oh?" 

"Yes...Sorry for saying, but seonsaeng-nim looks very manly. I think the lines on your face and the way you proudly walk the halls without covering your head shows that you've lived as a real man," Luhan commented, keeping a straight face. He could see the hesitation in his Physics teacher's eyes, wondering if he had been complimenting him, or not. 

"A-ah...well. Thank you, Luhan." Is this kid serious? I can't ever tell...

"Really. I wish I had the courage to cut off my hair- it looks too long already," Luhan pretended to be worried as he touched his brown hair, kissed lightly by the sun. 

"Oh, well, you shouldn't worry too much about it, son. After all, you're still young. You'll need more years of experience to get where I am," Mr. Cho said a little smugly, placing his thumbs underneath his suspenders. "Besides, it takes a real man to be able to pull off this look, of course," he added as a hand smoothed over his shiny bald head. 

"Ne, seonsaeng-nim," Luhan agreed humbly, doing his utmost best not to laugh. 

"But, one day you may get there," he assured. "Have you done your homework for today?" he then asked, his posture straight and confident now. 

Luhan smiled. "Yes, sir, but I would very much like to check it. I believe you were going to hand me the answers?" Luhan continued to keep eye contact with Mr. Cho, a boyish grin on his face. 

"Oh! Of course, I completely forgot. Here. Hand it back to me in class, alright?" Mr. Cho gave the answers without question and Luhan thanked him. 

"I will, sir. See you then," he greeted. 

"S-sure..." Mr. Cho replied, a little hesitatingly as he watched Luhan walk away. Guess he's not such a bad kid, after all... Why do I have the urge to give him an A for his next test though?

Smiling wickedly, Luhan quickly put the answer sheet in his bag and walked briskly away. By the time Mr. Cho would realize what he'd done, it would be too late already and he figured that he'd just use a little more manipulation to get out of trouble. 

There were a lot of negative sides when that time of month was near, but he saw them more as perks. Each of them experienced its effects in different ways, and for him, his powers were enhanced. At first it drove him crazy, since he was unable to filter out all the voices he heard in his head. But as time progressed, he got used to it and learned how to ignore some voices and listen to others. His head hurt less as well, though there were still some moments when he was blindsided and overwhelmed by a cacophony of voices. Today seemed like a particularly good day, though. He usually wouldn't have been able to manipulate someone in doing something like that so easily, so it was nice to take advantage of that now and then- especially since he neglected to make his physics homework. Of course he meant no harm by it, and he actually genuinely did like Mr. Cho, but the thing the man said about him losing his hair before reaching the teacher's age had kinda hurt him. Luhan took pride in his appearance, and it seemed rather unfair for the teacher to vent his envy at him while he hadn't been the one to ever call him a cueball. 

"Good morning, Luhan-oppa!" 

Blinking, Luhan saw a group of girls from a year below him, shyly waving and giggling at him. He smiled back and shook his head in amusement. There always seemed to be a small flock of them hanging around near his locker, just to say good morning to him. It wasn't that he wasn't flattered, but the attention kind of embarrassed him. He wasn't always sure how to act and ended up being rather shy. Chanyeol had once mentioned to him that it was the price he had to pay for being the school's popular soccer captain. 

"Good morning, ladies," he greeted politely, carefully moving past them to get to his locker. "How was your weekend?" he asked kindly, since he didn't know what else to say. The girls seemed rather excited that he was paying them some attention and even though they answered as normally as anyone would, he still blushed since some of their voices reached his mind. 

Oh my gosh he's such a cutie!

Aw, is oppa really shy? Whoa, he's so kind and so handsome!

I wish he would notice me more...

...Damn. That's a fine .

Startled by the last voice, Luhan nearly dropped his books and quickly turned around to face the girls rather than showing them his- backside. Scratching his eyebrow, he gave a nervous chuckle. Oh, real smooth, Lu...

"Is there something wrong, oppa?" one of them asked, five worried faces looking at him. It suddenly occurred to the devilish part of his mind that he probably wouldn't even need to manipulate them to have them do whatever he wanted, but he wasn't that kind of guy. Embarrassed for thinking something like that, he quickly cleared his throat. 

"Sorry, I just realized how inconsiderate I'm being. You've all came here to say good morning, but while I'm taking my time to get my books for class, you must still have to get yours. I wouldn't want you to have to rush because I was so slow," he quickly said, earning him a unison awww! from the girls. 

"It's okay, oppa, it was worth it to talk to you," they assured him, but that just made him feel more embarrassed. 

"You girls are so sweet, but I'd feel much better if you went and prepare for class. Then I know that I won't have to feel guilty for anything," he insisted, since he saw a few guys from the soccerclub staring and laughing at him from afar. He was going to get teased for this at practice for sure. 

"Oh, of course, oppa! You're so considerate! Can we come see you at practice?"

Shyly, Luhan only nodded. "I'll look forward to it," he said kindly, wishing for a brief moment that he possessed Kris' suave demeanor or Baekhyun's witty comebacks. 

The girls cooed in excitement and waved at him before quickly running off. Sighing in relief, Luhan turned back to his locker, chuckling to himself since he really didn't have to use any kind of mind manipulation whatsoever to get those girls to move. 

When he reached into his bag and grinned at the physics' answer sheet, a young man with cat-like eyes and auburn hair appeared, leaning casually against the locker next to him. 

"Alright, hand it over," Xiumin said quietly, extending his hand. Luhan frowned at his brother. 

"Good morning to you too, and what are you talking about?" he asked innocently. 

"Lu," the older boy warned, one eyebrow lifted. He wiggled his fingers. "Come on." 

Sighing, Luhan reluctantly handed Xiumin the answer sheet. "You know, you're no fun sometimes." 

Xiumin grinned as he looked at the sheet and put it in his bag instead. "You're lucky that it wasn't Suho that caught you doing it, Mr. Casanova," he teased, shoving him playfully. 

Luhan groaned. "What are you going to do with it?" he then asked the older boy. 

"Hand it back to Mr. Cho, of course! This is cheating," he said, but the look on his face told him differently. Luhan squinted his eyes in accusation when he heard what Xiumin was really going to do with the answer sheet. 

"You . At least let me copy it too, since I went through the trouble getting it!" Luhan protested to which Xiumin's eyes widened in shock, a boyish grin quickly gracing his face. 

"Hey, I thought we made a deal that you stay out of my head," he protested. 

"You know that I can't control it as I usually can with the time of the month coming up," Luhan shrugged casually.

"Oh, how unfortunate for you," Xiumin remarked sarcastically, smiling goodnaturedly at him. "Alright, how about we both copy it and you promise not to do something like that again? You know better than that, Lu," the shorter teen said quietly. "It's one thing to mess with Mr. Cho, it's another if you start manipulating harmless girls." 

"Hey, there was no manipulation going on back there, alright? I can't help it that you know- they just come over and I can't- uh..." he didn't like talking about his popularity and quickly covered his face while Xiumin laughed and patted him on the shoulder. 

"Ah, the anguish of being cursed with good looks," he teased, which was not helping at all. 

"This coming from you, Mr. All Round Sportsman?" Luhan laughed when Xiumin quickly covered his mouth to prevent him from talking. 

You know that I can just keep going this way, Mr. Fantastic! Xiumin is sooo good in everything he does! He's the best! Go, baozi, go!

"Wae, shut up! No, no, no, no!" Xiumin protested, looking around to make sure no one heard him. 

"Yeah, not so fun when it's you, huh?" Luhan smirked which earned him a punch on the arm. 

"Whatever, but did you have to be so loud?" Xiumin rubbed his ear. "Tone it down a bit, huh?" 

"Oh, sorry. Like I said, time of the month. I'm surprised you seem alright," Luhan commented. Xiumin was naturally a calm person, but even during this period, he would usually become more restless and easily agitated. He didn't seem so cranky now, though. 

"I'm doing alright, so far, but don't get on my bad side," he warned jokingly. Luhan crossed his heart as they walked towards their class together. They shared a pleasant silence while walking through the halls, enabling Luhan to hear the voices that past by. He never quite liked the silence, so the voices were usually a pleasant sound that could keep his mind preoccupied. He never meant to purposely eavesdrop, but it was like accidentally picking up pieces here and there without meaning any harm. He learned early on how important it was to respect privacy, especially since his eleven brothers pointed it out to him. But sometimes, he just couldn't help it. 

"What are you smirking about?" Xiumin suddenly noted. 

Caught, Luhan discretely pointed at a cute girl with long hair and wide eyes. "That girl has a crush on you," he whispered, earning another punch on the arm. "Hey, I'm just saying, in case you were interested," Luhan shrugged, smiling widely when a disgruntled Xiumin did carefully peek at her. Then he shook his head. 

"What is it like to hear all those voices in your head constantly? I mean, how are you not crazy yet?" he asked. He'd been asked that question a lot of times, but he felt that it was the same for him, as for his brothers. Why could they do the things they do without going insane at one point? It just came naturally. 

"You learn to deal with it," he answered. "I like hearing the voices, it's comforting to have a lot of life surround you." 

"Unless they all scream at you," Xiumin reminded him and Luhan agreed. 

"That happens too sometimes, but that just comes with the territory, I guess," he shrugged. 

"Do all voices sound the same to you? Or can you easily distinguish them?" Xiumin suddenly asked and Luhan frowned. 

"What's with the interrogation, all of a sudden? You're not worried about me are you, baozi?" he teased, knowing that Xiumin had been there the last time during the time of the month when he nearly had a massive breakdown. The voices had all too sudden become too loud, too much, too overwhelming. Added to the voices, were images of everything and anything that crowded his mind. Even Lay's soothing touch couldn't completely calm his mind that time. He knew his brothers had been worried, but Luhan always made sure to joke about it, since he didn't want them to worry for him. 

"Shut up," Xiumin bit back. "I'm just curious," though he did give him that look that asked whether he was really okay. 

Putting his arm over his shoulder, Luhan assured him that everything was fine. "The voices are all calm and soft, okay? No worries here." He smiled, but it faded when the background voices in his head had suddenly become very still. Luhan stopped in his tracks, causing Xiumin to look at him in concern. 

"Lu? Luhan, what is it?" he asked, standing in front of him. Luhan, however, didn't pay him any attention. Why were the voices softer? Why were they waning away? No, don't go... He ignored Xiumin when the older teen shook him by the shoulders, quickly looking at the other students, purposely trying to pry in their mind, only to find nothing. No voices. No thoughts. Nothing. 

Starting to panic, Luhan grabbed Xiumin's arm when all of a sudden he was hit by a kind of presence he had never felt before. The sensation had been so overwhelming that it made him wobble unsteadily on his feet. Xiumin quickly supported him and continued to hold him by the shoulders, even when he was safely leaning against some lockers. 

"Lu, talk to me, what's going on? Do I need to get Lay? Luhan!" 

Luhan shook his head, grabbing his head. It wasn't pain he felt, but it nearly took his breath away. When he blinked his eyes he almost gasped. Relief washed over him when he heard it. A voice. A light in the darkness. Luhan knew every voice on the island, but this one- this one was new. It was new, unfamiliar, and so very- gentle. 

He pushed Xiumin absently away as he steadied himself, looking around the halls at the faces he knew, searching for the person to whom this voice belonged to. Where was it? Why couldn't he find it? Why couldn't he see it?

You can do this. Don't be nervous...

Luhan furrowed his brow at hearing it, and as if obsessed quickly rushed towards the nearest window, Xiumin confusingly trailing after him. Luhan stopped in front of one of the windows overlooking the front yard of the school. He barely registered the school bell ringing as he looked outside. 

"Luhan? Are you okay, buddy?" Xiumin asked quietly, following his gaze. There was a car standing in front of the school gates, but there seemed to be no movement. When he squinted his eyes, he suddenly snapped his fingers. 

"Hey, it's the new kid," Xiumin prompted. 

Perpetually amazed at how up to date his friend was, Luhan finally acknowledged Xiumin and grabbed his arm. "New kid? What new kid?"

"Oh, didn't Suho tell you? He and Kris saw a pair of moving trucks drive into town yesterday. My sister met the man that moved in with his family. The new kid is starting school here today. I thought that you would've seen this coming," he joked tentatively, but he could tell that there was still something bothering him. 

"Oh..." Luhan mused at the explanation and turned back to the voice. He didn't know why, but he was rather disappointed when the mysterious newcomer stepped out of the car. He never would've guessed that a voice so gentle and soothing would belong to a freaking dude. 

"Ugh," a little embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head and turned to Xiumin. 

Hm, skinny guy...

Luhan blinked at hearing Xiumin's voice and finally relaxed. So there wasn't anything wrong with his powers then. The newcomer must've just thrown him off, or something. 

"Hey, Mr. All Rounder, we're gonna be late for class," Luhan mentioned, pulling him away from the window. 

"You're the one that suddenly went crazy, man. What was that all about just now?" he retorted. 

"Sorry about that. It was nothing, I promise," Luhan assured, though the look of skepticism from Xiumin made it painfully clear that he didn't believe him. "I swear. It's..." he peeked outside to see the new student standing hesitatingly in front of the schoolgates. "nothing." 

"Hmhm," Xiumin mused and suddenly grabbed him in a headlock. "If Miss Kwon is giving us detention for being late, I will have to kick your , you know that, right?" 

"Ah, Xiumin-ge, don't!" Luhan protested, trying to wriggle out of the headlock. He rearranged his hair when Xiumin finally let go and they ran off to class. Luhan faltered just a moment when he heard the voice again, but quickly shook it out of his mind. 

Maybe I should've worn a skirt instead...?

Guess the new kid is a weirdo...