Listen to To You by Teen Top : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xl-4y0pYGI

                                                                                 LUHAN

She's walking next to me.

I glanced sideways and my heart warmed as the rhythm of the melody she was humming began converging with flickers of her past. One of Yonghwa's songs, I thought and it was confirmed for moments later, I saw a sad smile on her lips. 

"Is there something that interests you, Luhan?"

My expression froze and I realized I was smiling widely. Seohyun looked up at me and smiled. 

"I hope you're not reading my mind," she quietly teased and I blinked away. After collecting myself, I sighed. It caught her attention. 

"You're supposed to be leading this little trek," she said and smiled. "Tired already?"

An hour had passed and this was the first time she was directly speaking to me. Seo Joohyun. She liked to be called Seohyun though. It was because of Yonghwa. He used to call her Seohyun. 

"No Seohyun," I looked back at her. "I think I'm doing just fine."

Seohyun blinked at me and I realized what I had done. "How did... how did you know...."

I waved my hands infront of me, trying to get rid of any misunderstandings. "I'm not psychic, I just... well..."

My words trailed off and though I directed my gaze to the path we were walking on, a route used by the village kids to walk to the state school nearby, I could still feel her sight on me. 

"Why don't you explain then?" she asked softly. Behind us, traces of conversations were echoing towards us. Murmurs of excitement and nervousness, a little complaining, a few groans of exhaustion. Donghae and I had to use half of our energy trying to get Krystal walk. The girl was headstrong and iron-willed but her body unfortunately didn't match up to her mental standards. She was anaemic and if she was still walking, it was due to her inner strength. 

The Hidden. What a sad name. It sounded like they had run away from the miseries and just settled down with their own lives, their own family. But after staying with them for more than three hours, I had observed and learned half of their stories. They weren't runaways. They were training themselves for a payback. A strong one. 

I returned to Seohyun's question and thought of the best way to explain it to her, only to remember that she was well-educated and well-versed. If there was anyone who could understand our complex nature in one go, it was the lady next to me. 

"I'm observant," I started off and when I cautiously peeked at Seohyun, I saw a hint of skepticism in her smile. "No really, I'm not psychic. We all have basic human abilities and certain ones are more heightened."

"So your observation skills are superior to regular human beings?" Seohyun wasn't teasing anymore. She was genuinely inquisitive and for some reason, it made me happy.

"Yeah," I replied, a little relieved. I paused for a while, then mumbled, "I didn't mean to sound cocky though."

I looked at the ground and shook my head when suddenly, she erupted in laughter. I looked at her and unconsciously, I smiled too. My mind was trying to grasp what it was that she found so funny, but when she took a deep breath and calmed down with a grin, I let the thought off. 

"Luhan right?" she said. I nodded and she nodded back. She looked forward and returned to humming the melody and again, I felt a part of me sinking. I had made her laugh, but her heart was still in the dark. I had won the battle, but the war was still out of my league.

                                                                             WOOHYUN

"Just... relax."

Hoya rolled his eyes when I responded to his advice with a glare. I could hear Kairi's laughter tinkling from ahead and from what I had heard from the constant mention of 'Lay' and 'Kairi' in the same sentence, I didn't have to understand Mandarin to find out that the two had got along like a house on fire. 

"Excuse me," I muttered and began pushing everyone to move ahead. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself down when Kris stationed himself in front of me.

"Don't be foolish Woohyun," he said, his voice cool but commanding. 

No one commands me.

This wasn't about insecurity, nor was it jealousy. I really didn't give a damn if Lay was getting along with Kairi. I'd rather it be him than Shoe Min.

But with EXO-M by our side, a time gone by without any attacks or violence, I felt like our team had missed out on the bigger picture. I wondered if any of them realized that we were heading to war, that some us were on a stairway to heaven. I knew that I was one of them. But Kairi? Not her. 

Being The General's daughter who had betrayed her government, her only family, I did not want to imagine what they had in store for her if she landed up in their hands. Which was why it was important  for me to win the war. Kairi was as blinded by revenge as I had been. Even if I died while fighting, I didn't want to go without the assurance that Kairi would be living in a safe environment, a safe Paragon. I wanted Avalon in my hands before I go anywhere. 

Another part of me of course fought back. I couldn't die. I deserved to live. Wistful images of Kairi and I together, roaming around the streets of Paragon without worry, going on dates like regular couples, marriage…

I tore the image right out of my mind and threw it away. They weren't memories, no. They weren't solid and they weren't true. I couldn't be carried away by them. 

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought of Avalon. Where could it be? What could it be? I replayed all the possible theories in my head, playing like a movie reel albeit some missing negatives. Something that was a false guarantee of Paragon's legitimacy, something which when destroyed or brought into light, could reveal what Paragon really was -- a corrupt money-making scheme, rich getting richer and the rest in shambles. What on earth could it be? 

No one could even escape Paragon. Suicide was against the law. The relationship between parents and children wasn't the same anymore. The latter were sent to institutions where a Mentor was assigned to them and parents only had the job of clothing them, feeding them and giving them home. Feelings too were kept in limits. Mourning or celebration in public spheres was not allowed. Love had its boundaries as well. One could only have one partner, no one else. Elopement was a crime, which explained why everyone hated Kairi as of now. 

The anger that I thought had faded out took rebirth and I was happy to find it again. I needed it if I wanted us to win. If I wanted Paragon to lose. Instead of attacking the pawns, I had to head straight for the king. 

And for that, I knew sacrifices would be made. Lots of them. 

                                                                                     L.JOE

"That's mine, you bastard!!!"

I widened my eyes and turned around to find Zelo with a huge grin on his face, pulling a lazy boy chair away from the centre while Jay tried to place it back. Zelo was strong enough to pull it to the corner but moments later, Jay attacked him with a playful chokehold, incessantly scolding him. 

"Kids," I muttered and rolled my eyes. I went back to washing all the left-over plates and cooking utensils and thought of the morning that had passed.

Jiyong had called out all the spies he had installed in the city and wanted them to return for 'one final task'. I couldn't help but shudder at the thought that this might be it. All along we had been having fun, killing those corrupt douchebags, creating havoc in those posh neighborhoods and looking on in glee as they tried to recognize the perpetrators of the crime. 

Jiyeon had asked for an absence of leave but Jay, who had grown close to the General in the past few weeks, was still on duty. Jiyong wanted at least one or two reliable and strong players to stay in the game. The rest were the younger crop who had been militarily trained in army camps and recruited through those very means after the Candlelight Massacre. Calling them back in to train with us was going to be a boost for us.

And then there were the Hidden as well. Apparently they were strong in their own ways. I remembered Suho talking about the General's daughter, how she had been abandoned by her own family and made to look like the criminal. The General obviously cared too much about his image and according to what Jay, Jiyeon and our other sources had informed us, the old man didn't care about his own daughter anymore. 

"But he knows something," Jay had warned us. "He did say that when Kairi returns, when he finds the Hidden, he'll welcome them in a grand way. For some reason, I think that equates to 'a river of blood'. 

So the General was prepared to kill his own spawn. How thoughtful. 

I heard a few shuffled murmurs behind me and when I took a glance, I raised an eyebrow. It was them.

Ever since EXO-K had entered our stronghold, Jiyeon wasn't being her precocious self at all. She definitely had something with that Bacon kid. More than once had I caught him staring at her and for someone who already had a boyfriend, Jiyeon was gazing at another guy at a level beyond one's comfort level. I remembered how Baekhyun was the one who had run to get Jiyeon back, when the impostor plan had been set in place. I had made a bet with Ricky that Baekhyun would return empty-handed and that we would hear news of Kairi's return. Instead Jiyeon came back with the new kid and without any protest, returned to her room. 

I watched them carefully, skeptical thoughts aside. Jiyeon was shifting a box full of weapons from one side of the room to another. Unfortunately she wasn't that strong and upon seeing that, Baekhyun had gladly come forward to help. Watching them was like watching a gag show. How could any of them possibly move anything if they were going to be so frozen? 

"You're wasting time," I called out. Jiyeon shot me a glare and stuck out her tongue. Baekhyun smiled a bit, nostalgia rampant in his expression when he caught her being herself. She recollected herself and said, "On the count of three -- one, two--!"

They heaved the box up and in a scurried shuffle, moved it to the farthest corner on the other side. Upon leaving the box on the floor, Jiyeon gave a satisfied smile and preened in pride. Baekhyun looked as sober as ever, his sad eyes looking at her as she skipped away. 

"Need help?"

I turned around and found the kid named Sehun smiling at me. I gave a little nod and made space for him by the sink. He began the task of washing and drying the pots and pans while I stuck with my spoons and plates. 

"You're Byunghun right?" he said. I stiffened upon hearing my old name and shook my head. 

"L.Joe," I muttered, trying to shake off the shudder. Unfazed by my discomfort, Sehun nodded and quietly went back to his work. 

"HELL NO!"

Sehun and I looked at each other then rushed towards the entrance. We found before us an amusing sight -- Himchan holding Dayoung behind him while everyone stood in front of the television, their mouth wide open.

"What happened?" Sehun murmured. 

"We'll see in a while," I said. Panic shot through me as a photo of Dayoung was shown on the news, with the bold fonts of 'MISSING' on the caption.

"It has been reported that a thirteen year old student of the Institution, Jung Dayoung, has been missing for the past one week. This news seems to be an update related to the case of Kairi Lee's disappearance as it had been discovered that Kairi was Dayoung's Mentor. Cameras from the Institution last showed Dayoung exiting alone. Dayoung's parents were not aware of her absence until a supervisor from the Institution sent them a notification warning them about her lack of attendance. Search groups have now been sent off and it is possible that Dayoung might be a key link to finding Kairi Lee."

The news broke off the moment Himchan marched towards the television and snapped off the wire. He glared at everyone and with Dayoung right next to him, hissed, "If anyone moves any closer---"

I moved forward and raised my hands in the air in peace. Himchan loosened his stance and I narrowed my eyes.

"Let's be realistic here Himchan," I calmly said. "She's from Paragon and she's a kid. They won't do anything--"

Next thing I knew, a searing pain shot up my left cheek. Himchan had socked a right cross on me and my body was now on the floor. Chaos broke out and I saw Daehyun pulling Dayoung away. I stood up and cracked my neck. 

"Come on Himchan," I muttered. "You've got to understand. She's a kid. They won't do anything. But if we keep her here any longer, that too with the Hidden arriving any moment…. The General's going to find his birthday gift here. I swear."

Himchan shivered and tried to punch me again, but Youngjae came forward and held him together. Youngjae gave me a wary glance and I rolled my eyes. What was with the emotional high?

"Dayoung is not going anywhere," Himchan spat out. "Over my dead body. Get it??!"

No one seemed to protest. Someone cleared their throat and when I turned to face that person, I realized it was Jiyong. He walked forward, a solemn expression on his face. 

"L.Joe is right," he said. Himchan opened his mouth to say something when Jiyong raised his hand. "BUT. It's inhuman of us to just leave a kid like that. To give her up to Paragon."

"What if they find us?" I warned. Jiyong looked at me and I returned his stare. He gave a soft humorless chuckle and shook his head.

"They won't find us. That's the least of our worries. But let's take this incident as a reminder that Paragon is an infection that wipes out anything that is in its way to power. Dayoung is just a kid but I'm sure she too understands what would happen if she goes back right now. Right Dayoung?"

Everyone turned to look at her and she nodded. "They'll torture me until I tell them where Kairi-saem is hidden."

Himchan looked like he was in pain and conflict washed across his face. Jiyong patted his shoulder and sighed. 

"Dayoung will stay."

Himchan let out a heave of relief, though right after he shot me a murderous glare. I shrugged and walked away, reminding myself of the dirty work waiting by the sink.

"Going back to work?" Sehun playfully said. I smirked. 

"Just plain old work," I muttered.