Gun-shooting practice was off-limit for me, so I did not know who the best shooter was between eight of the Elites. They trained in a soundproof room in the basement, which – according to Luhan – was designed with virtual reality equipment where they could shoot and fight at the same time.

                  They woke up at four, wore their training suits, ate breakfast, and went down for practice. It was terrible, especially for Taeyong, who obviously stayed late doing all the homeworks. It was harder to concentrate early in the morning, when the sky was still dark and the sun hadn’t risen yet. So at seven, when I went down for breakfast, there were only four of them in the room, excluding Chanyeol, Tao, Yixing and Kyungsoo.

                  “Where are the others?” I asked and grabbed a plate from Luhan. Last night’s conversation with Jongin was still on my mind and it was weighing me down. When I saw him again, especially now that he was sitting beside me, I felt insecure and a little terrified.

                  “Yixing’s gone jogging, Kyungsoo went to the reconstruction site as you have suggested, and the other two are sound asleep,” Sehun kindly offered an explanation. He wore formalwear today, minus the tie, but he still managed to look ridiculously hot. I sighed and looked away.

                  “And where are you going, Hun?”

                  “Just… somewhere,” He gave me a small smile and said no more. I had a hunch that he was hiding something important for me, but for what reason, I had no idea. I looked at Luhan for a clue, but he also kept his mouth shut. Either that, or he didn’t know anything like me.

                  Taeyong had two bags under his eyes, and he quickly finished up his portion so we could go early. None of the others offered to drive us to school, unlike yesterday, so I guessed each of them had something to do today – not that I’d mind. I stood up and he followed behind.

                  “So, what time will your class end today?” I opened up with a question.

                  “1pm. We have free learning period until 6, but it’s not like I care,” He definitely wasn’t in the mood. Early morning’s practice made everyone grumpy as hell. Not even a good, less windy weather in mid-Autumn could cheer him up. He yawned and asked back, “And yours?”

                  “6, but I suggest you to go home early without me so you can take a short nap after lunch. We have an afternoon training together later, remember?” I reminded him as I moved with a faster pace. He nodded quietly and walked with half of his eyes closed. “Patient, Taeyong. Four hours will pass by quite easily.”

                  “Hope so.”

(4)

                  Sehun entered the huge mansion alone. He looked impeccably neat, spotless, and graceful in his blue blazer and cream pants. He drove here with his own car, leaving the house early after Sena and Taeyong went to school together. Luhan had gone back to sleep, while Jongin was just lounging alone, being his usual lazy self.

                  “Welcome, Master Sehun,” The servants opened the door and politely greeted him. One of them, presumably the head butler of this house, spoke up and informed him, “The Elder has been waiting for you in his study room. I would take you there immediately. This way, please, Master Sehun.”

                  Sehun mumbled a very soft and gentle ‘thank you’ as he followed the head butler to the third floor of the house. It was the same setting as the ball held last week, and he had conveniently memorized most of the house’s details since he was a child. After all, he and his mother had visited Elder Jaehyun countless of times before, especially with the kind of relationship the two adults had.

                  The study room was a secluded section that needed fingerprints and pupils recognition to enter. It was located in the southern wings of the house, where the sunlight shone through most of the summer. Now in the autumn morning, all they could see were clear sky and fallen leaves from the tall tree planted beside the mansion.

                  “Elder Jaehyun,” Sehun bowed down as he entered the room alone. The Elder with smiling eyes wore a vintage plait set and thick brown blanket around his moving chair. He appeared to be writing something on his thick leather journal. A vast collection of books was displayed in his impressive shelves of personal library.

                  “Sehun, I’ve told you not to address me so formally,” Jaehyun was reaching his seventy now, and he was the second youngest of the five Elders, as well as the most tolerant and faithful. There was a refreshing air around him that comforted others. “Come, Child, sit here so we can talk with ease.”

                  “Yes… Elder Jaehyun,” Sehun still used formality in front of him. He couldn’t help the disturbing feeling in the corner of his mind, as well as the immense hatred he felt. Unlike Jongin, though, Sehun knew boundaries and how to fake pleasantries with others, a trait Sena deemed most useful because both Jongin and her didn’t know the art of fakery as well as Sehun did.

                  “Sehun, you are a Warrior now, and that means that your position is far above mine,” Jaehyun reminded, yet Sehun felt that there was something else he wanted to say but couldn’t. “Your mother misses you so much after you moved in with Lady Sena.”

                  Jaehyun’s personality was just like Sehun’s; he said the most appropriate thing at the right time, but it always had an underlying tone that kept people at edge. He held much influence on Sehun’s childhood and that shaped his personality from an early age as well. The younger one drew a clear line between them and nodded very courteously, “I hope mother is well.”

                  Once the Warriors moved in with their lady, they could no longer form any contact with their family – not that Sehun would mind, anyway. He loathed his single mother since he was a child – hated her for lusting after power and leaving his poor, nameless father behind. Sehun was more than glad to be rid of his mother and her adulterous way of living.

                  “She’s been visiting very often,” The Elder was twice his mother age and still had the nerve to say something so bold. Sehun could feel the disgust shivered down his spine and under his skin. He couldn’t be any more repulsed. Jaehyun seemed to know what got him the most and it was his biggest disadvantage at the moment. “If you’re lucky, you’ll meet her again this afternoon. Perhaps, you’d stay for lunch –?”

                  Sehun’s smile turned sour, “Perhaps not, Elder Jaehyun.”

                  “I understand. We are not here to discuss about your mother,” Jaehyun put down his spectre fountain pen and folded his hands in a seemingly harmless manner. Sehun observed every movement with a little anxiety and forced himself to calm down. The only weapon this man would have was his mother. “Have you gotten Lady Sena’s schedule yet?”

                  Sehun swiftly pulled out a Pandora wooden-designed thumb drive and gave it to the older man. There was a large screen connected to the wardrobe, so all Jaehyun did was push a few buttons and it moved accordingly to his wishes. On the screen were Sena’s daily schedules from last week, including her school and practice portions. The file was compiled neatly into one single pdf.

                  “Very good, Sehun,” Jaehyun complimented while checking her schedule from day to day, “Impressive. However, I also need her schedule for both this week and next week, or did I fail to mention it to you before?”

                  How could he? Sehun suppressed a loud sigh and answered, “The lady is usually unpredictable. She doesn’t follow a pattern or a routine. As you know, she likes to do things by herself unexpectedly. The Singapore trip and the Elites’ selection were also randomly announced on the day itself.” And Sehun was honestly glad because it lifted him off of the guilt of his weekly report to the Elders.

                  “Doesn’t she trust you?” Jaehyun sighed and looked back at his journal. He didn’t maintain eye contact long enough for Sehun to guess what he was thinking about. “Or does she trust that other boy Kim Jongin more than you?”

                  Sehun bitterly chuckled and feigned a pained expression as he lied, “Perhaps.”

                  If anything, Sena and Jongin’s relationship seemed to worsen since the ascension. They were quite civil to one another, but his lady maintained a distance away from Jongin more than she did with anyone else. If there was anyone she trusted in the Elites, it would still be Luhan and no one else. Except that right now, Taeyong seemed to be a close second – something Sehun found extremely irritating for no particular reason.

                  “Who would’ve known that the Lady would prefer that orphan before you, the perfect child,” It was a rhetorical question and Sehun didn’t even return his statement with anything else. All he thought about was how much he disliked the ‘perfect child’ title that the clan bestowed on him. “You should gain the Lady’s trust, Sehun, especially since Jongin doesn’t seem to side with us anymore.”

                  Jongin that fool, Sehun angrily thought. He reminded himself to give that partner of his a good beating in the training session later. That fool had always been so impatient in everything. “Kim Jongin likes to work alone, everyone knows that. Even I have no idea what he is planning to do now.”

                  It would have been easy for Jaehyun if Jongin was weak, but that man knew no vulnerability and had nothing to be afraid of. He didn’t have parents or close relatives to depend on. And he was so wild, it was impossible for the Elders to tame and chain him down. Sehun smiled behind that calm façade and thought that at least Kim Jongin was useful in one thing.

                  “If there is any development I should know of…” Jaehyun reminded and halted mid-sentence, “…Sehun, you wouldn’t betray the clan, would you?”

                  Sehun didn’t seem to be particularly bothered that his loyalty was questioned. In fact, he was smiling at Jaehyun so brightly that the Elder felt bad for suspecting him. His heart, however, had long been decided before he even trained to be the Lady’s protector. “Why would I, Uncle?”

                  “That’s good to hear,” Jaehyun heaved a small sigh of relief, “You can go now, but remember to contact me should anything happen in the future.”

                  “Of course…” not, Sehun nodded and stood up, bowing his head and heading for the door. “Have a good day, Elder Jaehyun.”

                  – motherer