"Who was that kid?" Chanyeol asks as he waits with Jongdae and Minseok in the infirmary.

His two hyungs insisted that he went to get his body checked for injuries even though Chanyeol repeatedly told them he had none.

"Kid? Who, Baekhyun?" Jongdae leans against the wall beside Chanyeol, who was forced to sit in a chair. Yixing was attending another hurt student, meaning that Chanyeol would have to wait for the senior to finish with the first patient. He honestly thought it was just a waste of time.

"I don't know. Is that his name? Baekhyun?" Chanyeol narrowed his eyes.

"If you're talking about the cute shorty who was with us, then yes." Minseok says and Chanyeol looks at him weirdly.

"Well, short is a fact. Cute, eh..not so much." Chanyeol says and Minseok rolls his eyes before muttering under his breath, 'Cuter than you..'

Chanyeol pretends to not hear it.

"What about him?"

The taller male stares at the ground in front of him.

"Who is he?"

Jongdae sighs with a relaxed shrug. "Kyungsoo's new roommate."

Chnayeol raised an eyebrow. "A senior?"

Minseok shakes his head. "Nope, same as you."

"How did he find you anyway? He got to you before we did.." Jongdae questions.

Chanyeol frowned. "I don't know.."

He couldn't quite remember what happened but he had felt something shake his arm when he was half unconcious. But even with just that short contact, his arm was left with a cold tingle.

"By any chance, did he show you his nova?" Minseok asks with curiosity.

Chanyeol shook his head. "No. What is he?"

Jongdae shrugged. "Dunno. He never said."

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "Never seen him before."

"He just transferred in today." Minseok explains just before Yixing comes out from one of the rooms.

"Chanyeol." He says and Chanyeol gets up, following him to another room. Yixing dismisses Jongdae and Minseok before closing the door, giving him and Chanyeol some privacy. Chanyeol sits on the patient counter with ease.

"What happened this time?" The Chinese student says, motioning for Chanyeol to take off his shirt.

"Nothing." Chanyeol says but still reluctantly removes his top.

Yixing scans the taller male's upper body but doesn't find any major bruises. "Okay. Do your legs hurt?"

Chanyeol bends his knee and hisses at a tiny sting. "My left knee."

Yixing nods and kneels towards the other's leg, reaching out to rest his palm on the joint. He took note of how dirty Chanyeol's jeans were.

"Did you fall somewhere?" Yixing closes his eyes and focuses his energy towards his hand. He felt it run down his veins and melt into Chanyeol's leg before he opened his eyes again and stood up.

"Just slipped down a slope."

"And why did that happen?"

Chanyeol frowned. "I don't have to tell you everything."

Yixing shrugged. "You don't. But I'm sure you do. Like all the other times."

The younger male glared at him but gave in. It wasn't the first time this happened.

"I accidentally caught a rabbit on fire, just an ember,..and I tried to catch it but I lost track of it as it ran away and I slipped down beside the river."

"Why are you using your nova outside of NP?" Yixing half scolds with a sigh. "You know you're not allowed to. Principle Kim even put you on prohibation. Especially in a forest, where literally everything is flamable.."

Chanyeol frowned. He knew it but it wasn't on purpose. "Well, there was no where else."

"What if your friends didn't find you? You would have gotten in so much trouble." Yixing says, only hoping that the student would understand the dangers of nova malpractice.

"I know, I know." Chanyeol huffs before slipping on his sweater. Yixing's eyes catch something.

"Wait.." The healer pulled Chanyeol's top up so that the fabric sat around his neck like a scarf.

"What?"

Yixing narrowed his eyes at a pale spot on Chanyeol's shoulder. "Was that always there?"

Chanyeol blinked, confused, and looked at his shoulder.

"I don't know. It doesn't hurt or anything." Chanyeol flexes his arm comfortably.

Yixing nods. "Alright then. You're good to go. I expect to not see you here the rest of the week. Classes are starting soon."

Chanyeol doesn't say another word as he puts his shirt on completely and waves at Yixing half heartedly before leaving with a mumbled, 'thanks, hyung.'

-

Dinner came around soon and by then, Baekhyun was bored out of his mind.

"Hyung, can I tag along with you?" The boy pouts as Kyungsoo grabs his phone and puts it into his pocket. It was only 5:30 but the senior insisted on arriving early so that they could get seats. The last time Baekhyun had been at the cafeteria, just hours ago, there weren't as many other students but Kyungsoo guaranteed that it would be packed.

"Who else did you plan on going with?" Kyungsoo says with a small smile and Baekhyun thankfully follows him out of their dorm.

"Have you heard from Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asks as they walk down the hall. He spent at least 2 hours unpacking and organizing his belongings, while Kyungsoo went to find his friends, leaving Baekhyun in their room alone. When Kyungsoo returned, Baekhyun was hungry and exhausted.

"Not from Chanyeol but from Yixing. He said the kid is fine." Kyungsoo replies as they step out of the dorm building. Unlike the main office building, it was slightly more modern and less luxurious. There weren't carpeted floors or huge chandeliers but it was better than most high school dorms he had visited.

"Oh..okay."

Chanyeol wasn't mentioned in their conversation again as they walk down the path to the cafeteria. Baekhyun was beginning to understand the campus ground but at the same time, not exactly. Without Kyungsoo, he'd probably end up in the forest.

"When is dinner, usually?" He asks and Kyungsoo puts his hands inside the front pocket of his sweatshirt.

"6..sometimes 6:30. Some students have classes or study sessions even after dinner so they try to make it earlier. If you don't have class, you have to be in your dorm by 11."

Baekhyun nodded his head and admired the view. The cafeteria was up ahead and the sun was beginning to set. He should probably send a message to his mother about his first day. And ask her why she sent him here.

"S-So..has anyone without a nova ever attended this school before?" Baekhyun asks, hoping the question did not seem too random. Kyungsoo looked at him as if he was slightly insane.

"No one without a nova can get into our academy." Kyungsoo replies.

"Yeah, I know but how would you be able to tell-"

"There is a force-field around our school campus. What normal people see is different from what we see. We see a great school environment, they see a deserted forest. Or so people say." Kyungsoo says with a shrug.

Baekhyun nearly stops walking as fear fills his mind.

But I don't have a nova..

"I see.." Baekhyun immediately changes the subject and pulls open the cafeteria door. "What's for dinner?"

-

"Yo!" Luhan calls out, waving his hand at Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. This time, it felt more like he was waving at him. There was a sense of deja vu but Baekhyun brushed it off as they approached the table. The tables were arranged differently, more seats, and they sat in a different area. Indeed, the cafeteria was much more crowed but once again, all the commotion and excitement was the same from his previous high school. The girls sat together while the boys sat with their friends. Everyone looked like normal people.

"Baekhyun!" Jongdae says with a bright smile. Baekhyun returns it. The other seniors waved at him or nodded with acknowledgement before going back to their own conversations.

"Enjoy your first day?" Minseok asks, his cheeks puffing out as he spoke.

Baekhyun nervously laughed. "Quite an adventure this morning...but other than that, I spent the entire afternoon unpacking in the dorm."

Minseok chuckled and motioned for Baekhyun to take a seat. Kyungsoo was already sitting down.

Baekhyun awkwardly stood at the table. It was only then at he noticed who was there.

Kyungsoo..Jongdae...Minseok..Luhan...Joonmyun..

Baekhyun's focus landed on the male sitting at the far corner of the table, engaged in a conversation with Joonmyun.

"Water is Joonmyun..he's one of the five."

"It's the most powerful nova, making this the highest rank within the Elemental  category....fire..Chanyeol's nova."

He found himself staring at the tall male who rested his elbow on the table to support his head as he listened to Joonmyun.

Only a few seconds later, Chanyeol's eyes met Baekhyun and the shorter male immediately looked away.

His heart thumped so loudly and he knew, he definitely did not want to sit next to him.

There was an empty seat beside Kyungsoo and Baekhyun made a move to sit there but within the blink of an eye, there was someone sitting there.

"Kyungsoo hyung!" A dark skinned male says, looping his arm into the said male's. Baekhyun's eyes widen and he nearly stumbles back in surprise.

How the fuc-

"Jongin! I told you, you can't just teleport wherever you want." Kyungsoo says almost annoyed but the latter didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he turned around to Baekhyun with a playful smirk and shrugged.

This little-!

"The seat next to Kyungsoo always mine, right hyung?" The male, so called Jongin, says looking at the senior with hopeful eyes.

Kyungsoo just rolls his eyes and looks apologetically at Baekhyun.

"This kid has some..." Kyungsoo glances over at Jongin. "issues. Sorry about that, Baekhyun-ah."

Baekhyun tries to not look bothered and shakes his head. "It's okay.."

Luhan looks around before pointing over to an empty seat. "You can sit next to Chanyeol."

Baekhyun freezes and doesn't dare to look at the said male but just hesitantly walks over. He sits in his chair so carefully that one would think there were spikes on it. Chanyeol didn't even turn his head as Baekhyun took his seat beside him. He sat at the end of the table, across from Luhan.

Jongin pursed his lips and called out to Baekhyun from 2 seats away.

"Kim Jongin, Teleportation. You?" He asks, looking much more friendlier now.

"B-Byun Baekhyun." The shorter male stutters out. Chanyeol uncomfortably shifts beside Baekhyun but still shows no sign of acknowledgment to his presence.

"And your nova?" Jongin looks at him expectantly.

Baekhyun opens his mouth to speak but Kyungsoo, once again, saves him from the spotlight.

"That's enough Jongin. You should go back to your friends. Considering you literally left them in a flash." Kyungsoo says, pushing Jongin away. It was almost a comical sight because Jongin was bigger than Kyungsoo. It must have been helpful for the older male to have a strength nova, Baekhyun thought.

Jongin chuckled and lifted his hands up. "Okay, okay, hyung. I'll go now." Jongin says. He leans closer and plants a kiss on Kyungsoo's cheek but disappears into thin air before Kyungsoo can even react.

"Yah! Kim Jongin!" Kyungsoo exclaims, ears burning up. There was laughter from the second floor and Baekhyun looked up to see Jongin leaning over. He waved at Kyungsoo with a smile before walking out of view.

"You two are dating?" Baekhyun asks in surprise and Jongdae coffs.

"Jongin wishes they were." He says. Kyungsoo frowns and glares at the other.

"He's a second year who has been crushing on Kyungsoo since last year, first semester. He's quite cheeky, isn't he?" Minseok teases.

"Persistent is a better word." Kyungsoo grumbles.

"Jongin's been quite attached to him ever since he saw Kyungsoo lift up a car with one hand," Jongdae continues and Baekhyun's jaw drops.

"A-A car?!"

Jongdae nods, "You should have seen it! It was during the first few weeks of NP last year. After that, Jongin has probably been fantasizing about how powerful Kyungsoo would be in bed-"

"Yah, Jongdae!" Kyungsoo yells but the said male just laughs out loud at his embarrassed reaction.

Dinner was served fifteen minutes later, consisting of several traditional Korean dishes.

"What do you think of the food?" Joonmyun finally speaks to Baekhyun from the other side of Chanyeol. They were five minutes into their meal and dinner ended at 7.

Baekhyun nods eagerly as he sipped the hot soup. "It's really good! Much better than my previous school's food.This is basically restaurant quality."

Joonmyun smiles before going back to his food and carrying a conversation with Jongdae, who sat across from him.

Just as Baekhyun was about to eat a spoonful of rice, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He puts down his utensils and checks the caller ID,

Call From: Mom

Baekhyun quickly excused himself from the table and exited the crowded cafeteria. He slid his finger across the screen to pick up the call and put the phone to his ear.

"Mom?"

"Baekhyun-ah!" His mother's familiar voice rings in his ears. He had just seen her this morning. He wondered if his mother was able to see the school from the other side of the force-field. "Have you settled into the dorms yet?"

"Yeah, I made a few friends..but why didn't you tell me?" Baekhyun half whispers as he looks around, making sure no one was around. The sky was fading in a dark blue and the campus lights were beginning to glow.

"I guess you know.." She tells him and Baekhyun could already tell what expression his mother had on her face. She was barely 40, having gotten married and given birth at a young age.

"When did you expect me to find out? Next week? People literally introduce themselves with their magic power thingys!"

"Novas." His mother corrects and Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

"Even you know about them!- Why the hell would you send me here?!" Baekhyun frowns.

"You'll fit in just fine, don't worry." His mother says casually and Baekhyun runs a hand through his hair.

"Fit in?! I don't even have a-!"

Before he could finish his statement, his phone was pulled out of his hand from behind him. Baekhyun quickly turned around with fear and his eyes widened.

^o^

Leave a comment! What do you think of the KaiSoo in this chapter? Who do you think herd Baekhyun's conversation with his mother? Thoughts about the new cover? :)

Thanks for reading!~ <3