“Are you mad at me?” I asked.

Kai let out what sounded like a very halfhearted snort. “You’re the one who hurt yourself. Why would I be mad at you?”

I scowled at the bandages around my arms. “The bus shouldn’t have been there.”

He shook his head. “Who ever taught you how to bike?”

“Jinyoung.”

“Figures.”

Chapter 22

Jaeyeon looked incredibly nervous when she had finished speaking, eyes flitting across the room, pausing slightly on Baekhyun who had made even more hot chocolate.

Luhan squinted at her. “So in short…” he muttered, “Your parents used to be Athanatoi, but your dad decided to leave because your mom got killed? And he trained you two in Seoul ever since?”

Jaeyeon nodded vehemently. “I swear he’s not breaking any sort of law. He said that he couldn’t stand it any longer. Jaemin and I only learned what we had to for the sake of self defense, and since my dad was a Spellcaster, he’s hidden our auras. But then a month ago I saw Mira, and there was the fire elemental and I...stepped in. I’m sorry I dragged her into this today. It’s just that… my brother… and then…”

She stared hard at her cup of hot chocolate, and I felt terrible. “I chose to go,” I blurted, “So it’s not exactly her fault.”

“But she did go ask you in the first place, and then you were stupid enough to agree,” Jimin pointed out helpfully, “So no, it’s not all her fault.”

I glared at him, beginning to feel irritated (or more irritated than before). “What do you know?” I snapped before I could think twice, “All you ever do is point out how bad my decisions are.”

“I definitely know more than you do,” he shot back. “You’re a gold aura. You’re supposed to be powerful. Yet we’re going in to save you every single time you get your in trouble and it’s getting bothersome, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t ask you to save me, and neither did you go save me.”

Jimin placed a palm flat on the table. “You think you’re so special? Because you have a gold aura, you go around breaking all the rules there are. There’s been nothing but trouble following you for these past couple of weeks, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. You already have a lot of luxuries other Athanatoi don’t have. Do you know how damn good your life is compared to everyone else? Yet you still cause trouble.”

I stared at him, both humiliated and mad at the same time. It wasn’t my fault that I had been dragged into it all. It wasn’t my choice, even. I didn’t want to have a gold aura. I didn’t want to be chased around by the minions of this Darkling guy who was a couple thousand years older than me and I didn’t even know. The only thing I had tried to do was help someone who’d helped me before, and even though that ended tragically…

“This isn’t fair,” I snapped at Jimin. It sounded really childish, and admittedly, really pathetic. He raised an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Do you really think this world is a fair place?” he asked again. “Is it fair that you--”

“Jimin,” Jin said in a low voice. “That’s enough. Have some self control, will you? You’re a guest here as much as Jaeyeon and her brother are.”

I stood up abruptly. Beside me, Baekhyun started in surprise. “I’m done here,” I muttered. It was even more pathetic than before, but I already felt terrible and Jimin was making it worse. Why did he hate me so much? It didn’t seem fair either. What had I done to him to wrong him so? “I’ve said everything I could, and whatever you’re going to do, do it later.”

Jimin let out a snort. “Run away, then.”

“Jimin,” Jin warned.

“Mira,” Luhan started.

I left the room before I could hear more.

***

When I reached my room and locked the door behind me, I went for my pile of clothing that had either gotten burnt or drenched (on top of it lay my shortsword, but looking at it made me feel even more bitter and I didn’t want any sort of reminder of what had happened today). From the pocket of my jacket, I pulled out my phone.

There was distinct water marks beneath the screen, and it refused to turn on. Groaning, I chucked it across the room onto my bed. There was a slight crack as it rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

Great. Now it’s probably not functioning from the water, and the screen’s probably cracked too.

For a while, I stared at the opposite of the room, unsure of what to do. There was nothing much in the room since I was rarely ever there, and even if there were, I couldn’t take my mind off Jimin’s words. Ever since Yunseo, I wanted to get stronger. I’d been so helpless that time, and Kai had to carry me home on his back. I couldn’t even fight properly. Admittedly, I’d gotten better, but still… hearing Jimin say it seemed to bring it forward yet again. I was supposed to be strong. And even if it seemed impossible, wouldn’t it be better if I did try to get stronger? Until I’m no longer seen as a burden, that is.

But how much would it take until I was no longer a burden?

The more I thought about it, the more irritated I felt. The urge to actually throw something (preferably something breakable) across the room and to hear it smash (which was satisfying) was overwhelming. Jimin’s words didn’t leave my mind, nor did the angry look from Kai when he’d snapped at me earlier in the day. I wondered where he was. He’d never been so mad at me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d gone past his limit.

For a long time, I sat on the bed, staring at the opposite wall. I wasn’t sure how long it was and I was beginning to regret my decision to snap and leave just because Park Jimin had provoked me. Jaeyeon and Jaemin had still been there. It was awfully rude of me to leave them there just because someone had hit a nerve. On the other hand…

There was a knock on the door. “Mira?” Luhan asked, voice muffled. “Uh… can you unlock the door for a second?”

Saying no to Luhan was impossible. Grudgingly, I dragged myself off the bed and unlocked the door.

He opened it from the other side, and stuck his head in. “Jimin’s here to apologize,” he said. “Mind if I send him in for a second?”

My breath caught in my throat. Jimin was here to apologize? He’d probably apologize, and then add a couple more words to damage my self esteem. “Uh…”

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but it’d be better to fix it now, right?”

Saying no to Luhan was definitely impossible. “Alright.”

He gave me a small, reassuring smile and then left. A moment later, the door opened again and Jimin stepped inside.

Letting him inside my room was already stepping a huge step over my comfort zone. Despite it not really being my room and it having nothing that virtually belonged to me in it, it felt extremely awkward with Jimin there. Especially after the argument that had just happened.

“What do you want?” I muttered. “I doubt you’re here to apologize.”

He shuffled his feet on the ca