He pulled my arm, ushering a new wave of panic as we ran through a dark alley. My chest heaved, the burning sensation that filled my lungs was begging me to stop running. That’s all we’d done since he pulled me from the dance floor. They were insistent on chasing me, however. As we slid around another corner, we stopped. I was pushed against the wall, his hand holding me back by my shoulder. His dark eyes squinted as he analyzed my face.

 

“Why are you so important,” he questioned.

 

I opened my mouth to answer that I didn’t know, that I didn’t want to be important. Unfortunately, nothing came out. Truth is, I was more focused on the pain of my shoulder being pressed into the brick wall. The wind took his attention and his head turned to the end of the alley. He immediately released me and I fell to the ground. I hadn’t realized how weak I was really feeling.

 

“Leave her.”

 

The words were harsh and heavy. My eyes shot up immediately.

 

“But I can’t, I-“

 

“Leave her.”

 

Terror filled me. Were they really going to just leave me here after pulling me away from all those people chasing me? I opened my mouth to speak, words failing me as the one who’d saved me glanced back at me before they walked away. That when I heard them. Footsteps. Everyone that was chasing me had found me. This was it.

 

-----x-----

 

My eyes shot open. My heart raced and I breathed in deeply. Another night of the same dream. Running from a ball. This time with a different ending. I closed my eyes and rubbed my face, annoyed. It had been a couple of days since the last one and I was hoping it would be the last. These dreams caused more anxiety than I’d like. Quickly I rolled out of bed, pushing my comforter to the edge of my bed as I rushed over to my laptop to record the latest installment of the mysterious story.

Once it was finished I stood up and stretched my arms over my head, groaning as I did so.

 

“It’s too early,” I spoke to myself.

 

“It’s like ten-“ a voice spoke.

 

I screamed and threw myself down in my chair, terrified. The sound of Byun Baekhyun’s boisterous laughter took my undivided attention. I shot a dark glare that went unnoticed by him as he opened my door further and walked in.

 

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking,” I murmured angrily.

 

My heart was still racing.

 

“I did knock,” he replied in a suddenly serious manner.

 

He noticed my laptop and I immediately saved and closed the word document. He made an intrigued noise, rushing over and looking at the laptop, frowning when he realized he missed what I was doing. I closed my laptop and stood.

 

“I still have to take a shower, Baekhyun.”

 

He glanced at me with a playful expression and  I immediately felt my face heat up. I knew exactly what he was going to say, so I shoved him playfully.

 

“Get out, ert! I’ll be ready soon!”

 

He only laughed again, heading out of my room and closing the door. I smiled. His happiness was contagious. All of the boys had pieces of themselves that were contagious. There were little things they did that would make you smile, even if smiling seemed impossible. Baekhyun happened to have the gift of a laugh that could make you melt when you hear it.

I twirled around and headed to my closet, picking out my outfit for the day before heading into my bathroom to shower. As soon as I was done showering, I dried my hair and dressed myself, taking a quick glance in the mirror before breathing a quick sigh and exiting my bathroom.

 

“Baekhyun! What do you think you’re doing?” I yelped as I ran over to him.

 

“What are these?”

 

His voice and expression were serious. I ignored his question and slammed my laptop shut.

 

“Why did you read those without asking?”

 

“What were they,” he asked again, this time less seriously.

 

I frowned and looked away from him, embarrassed.

 

“They’re pieces of dreams I’ve had,” I muttered quietly.

 

I almost thought he couldn’t hear me, but he grinned brightly and started to laugh. I immediately smiled, unable to remain frustrated with him.

 

“So Lilah dreams of mysterious boys in masks,” he teased.

 

I glared at him and smacked his arm, my face burning in embarrassment. He jumped up and laughed again, rushing toward the door. I chased him, annoyed. He bolted downstairs and I followed closely, meeting the others downstairs as Baekhyun ran behind Chanyeol to hide.

 

“Save me,” he pleaded with Chanyeol, who looked severely confused.

 

“Why am I saving you?”

 

“Because Lilah is being mean!” Baekhyun whined.

 

The guys laughed, Suho pushing him out from behind Chanyeol and straight toward me. I reacted instantly, reaching out and ruffling his hair before he could steady himself and move away. He yelped and grabbed at his hair trying to fix it. It was then I noticed the number of people in the group had doubled. Anxiety filled me then. Their first impression of me was me being a child. I could feel myself getting lightheaded then. What had I done?

 

“Lilah?”

 

I looked at Kyungsoo and he smiled. Over the last couple of days he’d grown to understand I wasn’t the best with people. They all had, of course.

 

“These are the rest of our friends,” he continued.

 

The others moved so the six new boys could introduce themselves. I took a moment to analyze them all. The first one to hold his hand out exuded an air of confidence that seemed unmatched by any of the others.

 

“I’m Wu Yifan, but you can call me Kris.”

 

I took his hand and shook it, smiling. Two more stepped up then, both holding their hands out.

 

“I’m Zhang Yixing,” one spoke quietly, “You can call me Lay.”

 

He seemed shy and very respectful.

 

“I’m Kim Jongdae, or Chen.”

 

Both of the blonde boys stepped forward, warm smiles accompanying their introductions.

 

“I’m Luhan.

 

“I’m Huang Zitao. Just call me Tao, please.”

 

The last one to introduce himself had red hair that was tied back.

 

“My name is Kim Minseok, but I prefer Xiumin.”

 

I took Kiumin’s hand and shook it, my smile only brightening.

 

“I’m Delilah Holloway,” I began, “I’m sorry about my first impression.”

 

I looked away from them and I could feel myself blushing. I felt an arm fall over my shoulders and I flinched, looking up to see Kai. On the other side of me I felt another arm fall and when I turned I found Sehun.

 

“Don’t be sorry, Lilah. They understand how Baek can be,” Kai reassured me.

 

I smiled and nodded in confirmation, turning back to the new arrivals.

 

“Are you guys hungry? My mother won’t be home for probably another thirty minutes or so, but I can definitely start something if you’d like?”

 

The group agreed, all twelve of them, and I explained they could swim or play video games as they pleased while lunch was prepared. Kyungsoo, Lay, and Sehun all offered to help me and I graciously accepted. Preparing for six was difficult enough, but preparing for twelve was going to be even more so.

We entered the kitchen and took a look around, deciding to just relive the meal from the day the first six arrived. We began to cut up fruits and vegetables, making sure there was more than enough. As we finished this, my mother walked in the kitchen, smiling brightly. I knew she had already met the boys before she left. As I cut the last of the apples, I set my knife down and breathed deeply.

Introducing myself to this group was much easier than the first, but it was still exhausting. Even though I wanted to stay and get to know them, I also had the nagging feeling to lock myself in my room and hide for the rest of the day. One way or another, I was going to get through this day.

 

“Delilah?”

 

I jumped a bit, turning my head to find Lay staring at me with a confused expression.

 

“She’s okay, Lay,” Kyungsoo spoke to him.

 

He glanced back at his friend in an unsure manner, returning his gaze to me.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He questioned sincerely.

 

I smiled and nodded in return. This seemed to convince him and the worry left his face, being replaced with an adorable smile. I quickly picked up the apples I had just cut and put them in the strainer. I rinsed them off and moved them to a bowl, ready to be served. Before long we had everything ready and we started carrying everything to the table by the pool. Lay rushed to the living room to tell the boys inside that food was ready and before long the table was crowded.

After everyone had gotten their food, they all sat in a group around the chairs, laughing and catching up on the few days they had been separated. I sat in one of the chairs, between Xiumin and Lay, smiling as I listened to the various stories they told.

 

“So, Delilah, what are your hobbies?”

 

I paused briefly, turning my head to Xiumin. The question caught me off-guard, to be completely honest. None of the boys had yet to really ask me any personal questions.

 

“Yeah! Tell us about yourself,” Luhan insisted.

 

I raised my hand to my face, covering my mouth as I looked down at my lap. What could I tell them? I wasn’t very interesting, in my personal opinion.

 

“Well, I mean,” I stuttered.

 

I raised my other hand to cover my face with. My cheeks were burning and I was starting to feel lightheaded. I could feel myself beginning to shake. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up immediately, finding Kyungsoo. He gave me a reassuring smile and though it didn’t push the anxious feelings I had, I smiled back. I could do this. I turned back to the group.

 

“Well, I’m pretty boring I guess,” I continued, “I like to play video games. I also really like to write and draw, too.” I paused for a moment to think. “I like to play soccer.“

 

Luhan perked up then, grinning excitedly.

 

“I also play piano and ukulele.”

 

The whole group grinned then. I had forgotten they came from a performing arts school. I realized that I didn’t know much about them, individually, minus the stories they had told. I had no idea what their hobbies or talents were or anything of the like.

 

“You should play for us sometime!” Baekhyun boasted, grinning broadly.

 

My face heated up then, and I hid behind my hands. I shook my head vigorously. I was too embarrassed to even play when someone else was home, there was no way I was going to play for a large group of people.

 

“Leave her be, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo scolded.

 

“I’m sure she’ll play for us when she’s more comfortable with us,” Kris interjected.

 

I dropped my hands and kept my gaze down. I didn’t want to make eye contact with any of them. I felt like it would make everything so much worse.

 

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I’m just,” I paused, searching for the right words to explain.

 

“Don’t you dare apologize to us!” Kai exclaimed.

 

I jumped at the suddenness of his words, looking up at him. The boys around nodded in agreement.

 

“You have no reason to apologize to us,” Tao reiterated, “You’ve been nothing but kind since we got here. And we’ve been told nothing but good things about you since the first of us met you!”

 

I could feel myself blushing. Not out of embarrassment, for once. Sehun turned to Chanyeol and muttered something in his ear, Chanyeol looking like he disagreed with something for a moment before his mouth slid into a broad grin. He stood and headed for the door to the house, my attention returned to the group when Sehun started to tell the story of how timid they all were when they first met each other. He began on Kyungsoo’s story and only got about two sentences in when I was hoisted into the air and over someone’s shoulder.

I panicked and squirmed, trying to get out of the hold of whoever had me. When I caught a glimpse of silver hair, I knew it was Chanyeol.

 

“What are you doing?!” I screamed at him.

 

He carried me to the side of the pool, holding me precariously for a moment. I looked up and saw Baekhyun and Chen, horror filling me.

 

“Chanyeol, no they’re going to-“

 

Before I could finish I felt myself falling, Chanyeol still holding onto me as we hit the water. I was disoriented for a moment before I found the surface, inhaling deeply as soon as I met the air. I looked to Chanyeol as he lifted himself out of the pool and started marching angrily toward their home. Baekhyun and Chen high-fived and laughed, the boys all standing and rushing over to the pool.

 

“What was that for!?” I sounded more afraid than angry, much to my dismay.

 

I swam to the nearest ladder and climbed out, shivering as a cold breeze hit me.

 

“We thought including you in our shenanigans would help you feel more comfortable with us,” Sehun explained.

 

I looked over at him, dumbfounded for a moment before immediately turning and rushing inside. I bolted upstairs as fast as possible, trying not to trail too much water behind me. I quickly found my swimsuit and a pair of shorts and an oversized wife-beater and slid into my bathroom to change. I laid my already wet clothes in my bathtub so they could dry out a bit. As I left my bathroom, I heard a faint knock on my door.

 

“Lilah, are you okay? I’m sorry!” The voice was muffled a bit, but I could definitely tell it was Sehun.

 

I pulled my door open and looked at him as angrily as I could manage without laughing.

 

“You have about three seconds before I take you down!”

 

He grinned broadly then, all the worry he had when I opened my door faded instantly. His legs carried him away from my door and down the stairs. I listened as he jumped the last few steps before I started chasing after him. He stood on the other side of the pool by the time I made it outside and he grinned as though he had won something.

 

“I wouldn’t be grinning if I were you, Oh Sehun!” I called to him.

 

I felt myself being lifted into the air for the second time that day.

 

“I wouldn’t be talking like I’ve won if I were you, Delilah Holloway!” Kai boasted as he carried me to the pool.

 

I struggled less this time, since I knew what was happening.

 

“If I’m going down, you’re going with me!”

 

As he leaned to throw me into the water, I clasped my arms around his neck. I felt the water catch me and I let go of Kai. When I surfaced I was met with the splashes of more of the guys jumping in. Then I was met with a face full of water from Kai. I splashed him back, immediately slipping beneath the water to swim away. I surfaced at the shallow end of the pool and turned around to look at everyone.

 

“Is this helping?”

 

I jumped a bit and looked up at Chanyeol. He looked less angry now, though his hair was still damp and his eyes still followed Chen and Baekhyun angrily. He glanced down at me, his expression lightening. My confused expression seemed to amuse him because he smiled.

 

“Do you feel more comfortable with us now?” He clarified.

 

I looked back toward all the boys in the pool then to the boys underneath the awning. Honestly, it kind of did help. For the last couple of days I had laid back and let the boys do whatever they had wanted amongst themselves, never really pushing to include myself. I hadn’t been sure if they would want me to.

 

“Yeah,” I smiled, “I guess I do.”

 

I looked back to Chanyeol and his smile broke into a grin. I watched him as he stood and headed toward the group that remained under the awning. Without another second I headed back into the deep end of the pool, joining into the game they had started. After some time of playing games that turned into just attacking each other, everyone was exhausted of swimming. We all climbed out, Tao leading the group of us needing to dry off to just lay next to the pool to dry in the sun. I didn’t stay for too long for fear of sunburn.

After going inside to change into dry clothes and putting my wet hair into a loose, messy bun, I rejoined the outside world. Most of the boys had disappeared to their home to change, Chanyeol, Xiumin, Lay, Kyungsoo, Suho, and Luhan remaining. I sat down on the ground by Chanyeol and Xiumin, both of them smiling kindly at me.

 

“So what’s for dinner?”

 

I blinked up at Suho. I head learned that boys were in fact bottomless pits when it came to food.

 

“I’m not sure,” I replied honestly, “Mom hasn’t told me.”

 

“Will she need any help?” Kyungsoo asked.

 

I shrugged.

 

“She told me not to worry about it and to make sure that you didn’t either.”

 

He seemed worried for a second, but ended up smiling in response. He enjoyed helping mom, just as I did, but he also respected her wishes. Luhan yawned, taking everyone’s attention. Xiumin did the same. It took everything in my power to make sure I didn’t. It wasn’t until Lay continued the train that I joined.

 

“Stop it,” Suho whined, trying not to yawn.

 

“We can’t help it,” Xiumin replied casually.

 

I giggled. I wasn’t sure why, but I found his reply hilarious.

 

“I could really use some bubble tea right now,” Sehun interrupted as he joined the group.

 

“There’s a place about three blocks from here that serves it,” I replied thoughtfully.

 

His eyes lit up then, the other boys in the group leaning forward interestedly.

 

“We should go get some!” Luhan said as he grinned.

 

“Okay,” I smiled, “When the others get here we’ll go. Let me tell mom.”

 

I hopped up from my seat, listening as they boys chatted excitedly about the prospect of bubble tea. I pulled open the sliding glass door and found mom scurrying about the kitchen. She smiled when she saw me and I smiled back.

 

“Hey mom, the boys were wanting bubble tea. Do you mind if I take them to get some?”

 

She shook her head, stretching her arms above her to reach for something high in the pantry.

 

“Not at all,” she replied with a smile, groaning as she finally pulled her target down.

 

She placed the item on the counter, searching the kitchen for something. When I realized it was her purse, I stopped her.

 

“It’s okay mom, I’ve got it.”

 

She looked over at me worriedly.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I have plenty of money saved,” I reassured her.

 

She smiled and nodded.

 

“If you need any just let me know.”

 

I nodded and walked out of the kitchen to the stairs. I hated asking mom for money when I was younger, so as soon as I could I found little ways to make money for myself. I did odd jobs for people. Yard work, cleaning, babysitting. I saved all that money because I never really had anything to spend it on before. To be honest, I was excited about it.

Once I was in my room I picked up my wallet and cell phone, glancing around to make sure I didn’t need anything else. Once I was sure (after checking four times) I made my way downstairs and outside. All the boys were waiting anxiously and seemed beyond excited when I made my appearance.

 

“Alright,” I started, “Let’s go.”