WOOHYUN  

"There's Hyosung," Yoona read out, "Hara, Jiyoon, Nicole, Seohyun, Amber, Luna..."

I watched Yoona sigh but did nothing to interrupt her. I waited for her to say it.

"Only eight girls," she murmured.

"What about Sooyoung and Hyoyeon?" I asked.

Yoona narrowed her eyes. "You know they don't want to--"

"Don't want to what?"

Two tall girls walked inside the quad, an area that was similar to the common room but smaller in size and it's restricted access. Hyoyeon sat across me, throwing herself on the beanbag and waving at Sooyoung to squeeze next to her. I was never fond of Hyoyeon, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Ever since we heard about someone from Paragon breathing the same caved in air as us," Sooyoung said, "we decided to give ourselves some time."

"A month?" I raised an eyebrow.

"BUT!" Hyoyeon ignored me. "Ever since we heard she is a lost little puppy who has nothing but some guts and pride, we decided to join in on the fun."

"Fun?" I frowned.

"Yup," Sooyoung chirped. "We're going to start training with y'all."

Yoona beamed and I mentally scoffed at her excitement, blocking my ears and storming out when the three hugged each other, squealing like pigs who have just found their mother.

"Girls," I muttered, heading towards the north tunnel only to bump into someone.

"Watch where you-!"

It was Kairi.

Truth was, my spitefulness had decreased. But her presence was pretty much useless and her tendency to tail Hoya everywhere was getting on my nerves. As if preparing for an attack with less expertise and labour wasn't enough, we even had the enemy's offspring moping around everywhere.

"You need to watch out," I curtly advised her. She limply nodded, her hair falling on her face like black curtains. I had the urge to tell her she looked like Sadako but I was quick to remind myself that L was responsible for the awkward jokes.

"It's not like you know where you're going," I called out, when I saw her move away. She stopped and glanced at me over her shoulder, nodding and heading back the way she had come from. 

"You should know," I said. Kairi froze and I faced her, straightening my back. "We're going to be creating some chaos in Paragon. That means some casualties too."

Kairi blinked at me then nodded. 

That was enough.

Before she could walk away, I spun her around, my arms holding her by her shoulders. "You're going to lose some," I breathed, "if not all the people you've ever known in your life."

Kairi looked at me, waiting for more words. It wasn't that she didn't care. She just knew she couldn't do anything. She was useless then, she was useless now and there was a certain guarantee that her uselessness would sustain itself in the future. 

I pursed my lips. "I'm warning you. All of us out here are trained for war. We have been preparing ourselves ever since Paragon came into existence, living like there's no tomorrow. Your presence might have staggered things a bit but we're back on track now."

Kairi's lips parted. "What are you trying to say?"

I slowly let go of her shoulders. "What I mean to say is, we're not scared of going down as long as it's for us, for our family, for all the voices who have been muted out by Paragon. We don't expect much from each other, we know that once we're out in the battlefield, there's nothing to return for. You're lost, I can see that, but some people here are already fond of you. Don't make them want to come back. All you'll have is broken promises, nothing else. And I doubt you can handle more of that."

There was a momentary pause. Once I sensed no movement from her, I walked past her.

"No."

I stopped in my steps, furrowing my eyebrows and turning around, meeting the ferocity that had lost itself in the past one month. 

"No," Kairi hissed. Suddenly the memory of the first day returned, when she had ordered me to shoot her. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving any of you. You know why? Because I want answers. I want to know why my father hasn't come here yet, why he doesn't care where I am, why the only man I loved abandoned me like a piece of trash... But most of all...."

Kairi stepped closer. "We might have got off on the wrong foot Woohyun, but our paths have crossed and it seems like we're heading for the same destination. I have no idea what is Avalon but it's given me enough hell for me to wonder whether it's worth it. Slowly, I'm seeing things from your perspective. If my father could throw away his own daughter, why would he listen to strangers like you? So whatever you guys are planning.... I'm in."

As I watched Kairi storm off, a strange glow emanating from her, I placed my hand on my chest.

Something new had begun. Something had changed.