The room was silent.

"...Well?"

A sigh escaped Aurae's lips as she sat down in front of her dresser, casually drying her hair with a random t-shirt. "It's been years since I thought about that."

"It was such a tragedy." Seungcheol joined her on the sturdy bench he made with his own bare hands, taking the t-shirt out of her clutches and assisting with gentle pats to her long violet tendrils. "I try not to think about it."

A huff was heard from the pile of boys on Aurae's bed. "This is crazy! Just tell me why Jihoon Hyung and Mingyu Hyung don't work. It's really unfair that everyone knows!", howled the youngest.

 The former boy mentioned, sporting a sweater that could fit five people all at once, grumbled as he moved to sit on the windowsill. He wasn't much for constant human contact.  "...There's not much to tell."

Chan turned his attention to the tallest member of the house, eyes desperate. "Mingyu Hyung?"

He shook his head, donning his usual wolf-like grin. "No way. Jihoonie Hyung tells the story soooo much better."

"Nope. Sorry Maknae, but if you really want to know what happened, you can read my blog post about it."

A wet shirt fell on his head seconds later and this time, the oldest male of the house spoke up. "Nice try, Woozi. You deleted that post 24 hours after submitting it!"

Jihoon's face began to match the hue of his hair as he yanked the soaked fabric off. "Stop stalking my blog, Seungcheol....plus it was 22 hours.."

"Seungcheol hyung. Do you keep forgetting that I'm old--?"

" Oh, Jihoonie Hyung, just tell Chan the story!...  I.... I-I promise you can use me as a ladder whenever you want!"

"I already do that whenever I please, Mingyu."

"I won't cook spicy foods for a month and I'll give you that sweater you've been eyeing in my closet for wee--"

"Okay, so the story begins 3 years ago..."

FLASHBACK

"Welcome to Correct Help Drugstore!", chimed an enthusiastic Jihoon as a customer walked in. Just months ago, he managed to convince Aurae and Seungcheol that he was smart enough to get his GED at age 16. Weeks after completing the certification course, he snagged a job. He was now a front end associate, now a real adult in the world.

He turned to the other front end associate and cracked a knowing smile. "Minggu~....You forgot to clock back in after lunch and your name badge is upside down." Mingyu scrambled to fix his mistakes while Jihoon restocked diapers. 

And how did the younger's employment occur? Very simple story. He walked in with Jihoon one day and the store manager instantly fell in love with his 'million dollar smile'. "What would she do if Seokmin walked in?", Jihoon had originally thought.

A small noise of acknowledgement was heard from an old woman waiting at the cash register and with a plastered smile, Jihoon diligently ran to comply to her request. " Hi ma'am, how are you doing tod--?"

"Oh! Hold on, I forgot to get cotton balls."

Staying true to his obligatorily well-mannered..well, mannerisms, Jihoon nodded quietly and waited patiently for her to come back. Minutes later, she returned. Before Jihoon could utter another scripted phrase, she was off again to find ear swabs. 

Internally groaning, he decided to call Mingyu over to take care of the cash register instead.

Hours later, he had to once again avoid losing his patience when a man began to yell at him over the fact that their store didn't sell alcohol. Because Jihoon obviously wasn't a teenage boy, but a middle-aged corporate manager with the power to choose the store's merchandise. That customer got lucky when the manager came to the rescue.

Crisis averted yet again.

The work day was almost over. Jihoon was calm once again and Mingyu was quietly sweeping the back aisles of the store. A young adult walked into the store just minutes before closing. "Welc--"

"Got change for 100?"

"I'm sorry, sir. But we don't have enough cash right now to do that for you. There's a store ac--"

"What kind of store doesn't have cash?! Does no one go in this store at all? I bet you're lying.. And--"

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!... Who the hell do you think you are? Actually... Where the hell do you think you are? This isn't some 24 hour bank! We close at 9 PM and old people are our primary customers so EXCUSE ME if the amount of money in this damn register isn't to your ing standards! Also I do not control the traffic in this store! I. AM. NOT. GOD. And if I was, DO YOU THINK I'D STOP EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD FOR YOU?!  Y--" And that was when Jihoon's world went black. The next time he came to, he was in Mingyu's strong grip and the customer was wrapped in a trauma blanket while being escorted out by a medic. The customer was in a hysterical state, repeating the same words over and over....

"...The Pink Death."

Chan was in a state of shock while others simply shook their heads. Mingyu, on the other hand, chuckled to himself while patting the youngest on the head. "I wasn't there for most of it, but when I finally got there, it was something out of a movie. Hyung's hair got even pinker, he was on top of the counter, the doors were swung open by a HUGE gust of wind, money was flying around, and I'm pretty sure I heard other voices yell along with him. The grin on his face was sooo creepy. So, I tackled him to the ground. The manager looked really scared before she stumbled out to call for help."

The Pink Death shrugged. "I guess I'm not a people person."

"Mingyu Hyung, that doesn't answer why YOU aren't working."

The older boy shrugged. "I got bored. Work was sooo boring without Jihoonie hyung. Also, they didn't pay that great."

"Wow.....Thanks for telling me. I was just about to apply there after school tomorrow."

A stern voice was heard from the dresser. "Dino, you are not getting a job."

"Aw, but Coups Hyung...", the youngest whined.

"...Who's Coups?"

"N-No one! Hehe, I mean, no one I know, Aurae noona. Must be one of Chan's friends." The oldest male discreetly glared at the baby of the house, Hansol and Jihoon following suit.

"O....kay..."

"Hey, where's Soonyoung hyung and Seokmin hyung?", piped Minghao for the first time all day, hugging a fluffy cushion.

Hansol tugged said cushion away and snuggled close to the pouty teen. "Probably off in the woods, making out."

"Only on Seokminnie's birthday." Two more boys were added to the pile on Aurae's bed.

"Gross, Hyung, you're all sweaty!"

"Hehe, sorry sorry! I was playing fetch with all the puppies before I left the shop. Then My Better Half thought it would be super duper funny to tell me that he found a stray trapped in a storm drain down the street... it was a teddy bear dressed in active wear with a sign that said 'You make my heart race'."

Sheepish laughter followed the end of Soonyoung's story. "Sorry, My Love....I promise you'll forget all about it after tonight." A knowing smile was shared between Seokmin and Aurae. 

"...4..5, 6...7..8.....Where's Jun?"

Aurae eyes widened, suddenly remembering something. "Ah! Jun told me there was a college function by the diner tonight, so he went to make sure Jeonghan got home safely. They should be home soon, considering the occasion."

Seokmin rolled out of Soonyoung's sweaty embrace and turned to Mingyu. "Speaking of that, I got a big score of veggies from helping Ms.Cho at FarMar today. It's sitting in the kitchen."

Mingyu attempted to smoothly roll off the bed, but he somehow ended up face first on the floor, resulting in an uproar of laughter. Once that died down, Mingyu stood and Seokmin followed his lead. " Alright, Minghao, let's go work on dinner." The younger reluctantly got out of Hansol's embrace and headed to the kitchen with his hyungs. 

Next went Soonyoung. "I'm gonna get out of my work clothes and shower."

Seungcheol turned to Chan. "Let's get the fire going and find some incense. Noona, I'll get the candles you laid out for tonight too." 

She nodded. "The candle with rose petals and white ribbons sits as far away as possible tonight, Cheollie."

He winked. "Got it."

The opening of the front door was heard. "We're here! I brought a new blend of coffee from work!"

"And I brought some of Mrs.Spell's cake."

Jihoon was up on his feet in seconds. "I'm gonna... Bye!" And he was off.

Hansol was about to follow but a cough from the oldest in the house stopped him. "What is it, Noona?"

She smiled sheepishly, "Help me get the necessary materials for tonight? I need to get my cards from under the floorboard. Oh, and the box."

They both stood to leave, but then Hansol spoke up. "Noona.... how did you even get the box so full?"

Aurae's face grew solemn. "The only possible way I could, Vernon. In the dead of night." And with that, preparations were in progress.

Aurae sighed for the second time that day. She felt ashamed for making those midnight trips. Because she obviously could've just gone to city hall. But that place had things very dear to her heart and she couldn't have just left them there.

Flashback

Who exactly were they? They were eleven 'lucky' children owned by the government.

And how did they meet? Fate threw them into the same orphanage.

They all had different stories, but never bothered to share or were too young to remember them.

Aurae's story was unique. The only memories of her parents she had were watching her father die before her very eyes, and being taken away from her mother at the age of three. Apparently, she was trying to hurt her daughter. Something to do with the birthmark on her leg. Her mother was sent to the mental institution at the top of the hill, leaving Aurae an abandoned child. 

HoneyKettle Orphanage was a big house with plenty of beds. Not many children stayed past two years. For the first three years, Aurae stayed close to Ms.Delilah, the caretaker. That gained her access to many things, like a popsicle from the adult fridge and being able to stay up an hour later because a show was getting good. But her favorite privilege was being Ms.Delilah's assistant in the room of records. It was the room orphans entered on their first day.

One day, a child that was just as old as Aurae walked in. He looked tough, but his doe eyes told her that he had been crying. He wouldn't answer Ms.Delilah at all and strangely, Aurae liked that about him. 

"Okay Seungcheol. It's fine if you don't want to talk to me." mumbled the frustrated middle-aged woman. "Aurae, take him to his room. He's with Jihoon."

"Yes ma'am."

The walk to the room was short yet it felt like forever. "...H-How old are--?

"5."

Stunned that she got him to speak so easily, she didn't notice when Jihoon, the quietest boy in HoneyKettle, opened the door. "CHEOLLIE HYUNG YOU AWE HEWE TOO?! OH MY--"

"JIHOON? PINKY, I MISS--"

And like that, an overwhelmed Aurae fainted out of shock.

She woke up in a room that wasn't hers. "Wh--?"

"Auwae, you awe alive!"

"Of course she is, Pinky. I told you a kiss from a prince always works."

"K-Kiss?!" Aurae touched her tiny lips. 

A stuffed animal that was in Jihoon's hand was raised into her view. "It was Pwince Cocoa's firwst kiss too."

And from then on, the three became the best of friends. Over the years, their trio grew and grew and by the time Aurae was 8, there were 10 of them. They would spend nights on the porch, Aurae and Soonyoung holding the hands of a three year old Chan, because the owls freaked him out. 

They also loved to play pretend. They used to pretend that they were warriors with magic powers that lived in a castle in the middle of the woods. Seungcheol would light a match from his secret stash and Seokmin would make crowns with random flowers he found in the field by the house. Hansol would lay in the grass while Jihoon waved his hands in the breeze as he sang to himself. Meanwhile, Junhui would chase after Jeonghan until the latter drew something on his forehead with his finger.

One day, Ms.Delilah watched them play from the porch. The kids didn't mind. Seungcheol just kept the matches in his pocket. They were in the middle of a 'fierce' battle when suddenly, Chan grabbed a match from his own pocket. "Fire!" The match lit on its own.

A gasp was heard from the porch and they all stared up in shock. "I knew it! All of you are filthy witches! I'm calling the cops to take you away from me right this minute!" 

Aurae ran up the house stairs. "Please don--" She was pushed to the ground.

Seungcheol ran over and hugged Aurae close to him. "What is your problem, lady?!"

An out of character scoff was heard and the woman's southern drawl was suddenly laced with venom. "You witches are all the same. A witch cursed my mama. She made her see me, her own baby ..as a demon. She killed herself because of that damn witch! I will NOT let another poor innocent soul like my mama die because of some group of UNWANTED witchlings!"

Jihoon glared at the woman as he hugged a crying Dino. "Maybe your mama deserved it."

She proceeded to drag them all into the house and locked them in the basement without a word.

Aurae had no idea how Jun did it, but they were suddenly able to walk out of the basement hours later. It was the middle of the night but they knew Ms.Delilah would wake up in an hour to do her nightly check. Jeonghan carried Chan on his back while Seungcheol had Hansol.

They sent Soonyoung, Jihoon and Aurae to the rooms to get their things. Aurae also made a detour to the room of records. Jeonghan drew a picture on the back of Seungcheol's matchbook and gave it to her an hour before their little mission. He told her to put it in corner of the room so they could come back. She didn't understand how that would work, but she could just feel that it was the best option. 

Minutes later, they began to run out of the house together.

"Where will we go?", asked a very curious Mingyu. 

"Misty Forest. We're not going to play pretend anymore."

No words were spoken. But, it was certain that they all agreed with Seungcheol as they trekked out into the unknown world.

They managed to find a little shed on the edge of the woods and slept there for the night. They met a young girl named Gao the next morning and were introduced to her father.

"Witches, huh? You're lucky that this place isn't across town. They hate witches the most there. But don't worry, you're safe here. My sister married a witch. I'll call him to come over later this week, but for now, let's make that shed more cozy for you kids. Call me Mr.Yang."

The months and years after went by fast and things progressed. True to his word, Mr.Yang did call the man over, and a coven of 20 witches joined him. They helped the kids build a house that was a bit deeper in the woods. Over time, vines of roses grew all over the big cottage, gaining the name Rosie. 

Many of the witches offered to adopt the young witchlings, but the children sternly refused. They were their own family. So the men and women taught them how to utilize their skills instead, visiting once a month to check on them.

A young woman helped Jeonghan draw sigils on trees all around the house. "It means 'Outsiders see nothing but fog'."

An older male helped Seokmin pick a spot to garden. "This area gets both excellent sunlight AND moonlight. Plant plenty of sage for protection."

"I will plant Sunflowers too because they remind me of Soonyoung."

Soonyoung stood to his feet meters away and put the baby squirrel he was talking to down. "Stop being sappy, Seokminnie!....That's my job."

Somewhere along the line, Minghao was added to their group. Jun would dream about him suffering at HoneyKettle and after two weeks, a few of the older kids went over to see if he was right. When they entered his room, the child instantly latched onto Junhui as if he knew him.

"The hero in my dreams is real!"

"SHHH! We're going to get you out of here. You are now apart of our family. What do you say?"

The child in Jun's arms looked at Aurae with pure gratitude in his eyes. "I truly am Lucky."

The boys ran off into the night, and Aurae waited until they were out of view before she walked into the room of records again. She pulled a vial of cursed chili powder from her pocket and sprinkled it in every drawer. "If that awful woman hurts any of these kids again, let her feel a pain ten times worse."

She then began to search for their old files and belongings, only managing to take the younger children's files and recording everyone's social security number(something the eldest witch in Gao's uncle's coven told her to do) before hearing footsteps. She froze, staring at the moon from the window. 'Please save me, Lady of the Moon.' 

The footsteps paused and she heard the screams of a little boy. "AAH! A spider! Get it off!"

With a roll of the eyes, Aurae was out of that window in no time and on her way home again.

They lived happily ever since.

Aurae tied her shoes once she found all the materials she needed. She was extremely happy that Jeonghan's sigil worked every single time she entered the orphanage. Last night, she was able to get the last of their things from the room of records. It was unbelievable that they were still there. Today marked the exact day thirteen years ago that they escaped. For Minghao, it was exactly eleven.

So, tonight, they were going to burn things. It was time to move on from their painful past 

Dinner time was bright and chaotic as usual, many conversations going on at once. They sat outside on a big picnic table that Seungcheol and Mingyu built many summers ago. 

Jeonghan grabbed the container of cake and a huge thermos of coffee. "Everyone finish with dinner? Good. Let's get this Full moon party started!"

"To the Bonfire!", bellowed Seokmin.

"Did someone say...KwonFire?"

Glass bottles were filled with sage and water as the young adults sat around the fire, the ashes of their last connection to HoneyKettle flying around in the air.

Chan and Seungcheol lit all of the candles surrounding them.

Hansol laid out all of his crystals, inserting the smallest piece of rose quartz he had into one of the glass bottles. "Love Water". he whispered to himself.

Jeonghan drew different sigils onto each bottle with glass paint markers; symbols ranging from elements to hopes and wishes from each member of the family.

Jihoon laid his laptop next to Hansol's crystals. "That mercury retrograde last month was a pain in the . My social media needs moon blessing too."

Minghao held his bottle tightly, hoping that some of his energy could infuse with the water. 'I'll be with them everywhere they go.'

Aurae tapped Junhui's shoulder, chuckling softly. "He knows you're watching him. Come on. The moon is strong tonight, so this reading should go smoothly." They found a flat surface and she began to shuffle her deck of playing cards.

Tarot was cool and all, but Aurae preferred the simplicity of cartomancy. 

She laid down her first card, the six of clubs. "The prophet. Your intuition is correct. He is exactly who you think he is."

Jun shook his legs nervously once his thought actually became a fact. Aurae's readings were never wrong.

Down came the next card. "Jack of Hearts. The lover. A good-natured close friend."

She didn't stop there. " Four of Hearts. The Protector. An indicator of feeling protected and secure in love."

"Ace of Diamonds, The Ally. An important message regarding a union."

"Two of Clubs. The Talker. Communication and care is needed to avoid something going wrong."

"Three of Hearts...indecision in love....Three of Spades..The card of Tears...troubling news." Her hand shook as she laid the last card down, biting her lip.

Jun smiled sadly and was about to say something, when Mingyu suddenly shouted. "OH MY GOD IT'S TIME!"

The tall puppy grabbed Soonyoung and led him to the middle of the group.

Soft music began to play and everyone's heads turned to the source, Jihoon's guitar playing a tender song as Seokmin appeared next to him, wearing a white suit.

"Kwon Soonyoung..I have to ask you something very important."

-----------

Witch Dictionary

Sigils: Symbols that are made by witches. A whole sentence or word could be turned into a sigil. Energy charges the sigil so that it comes true/holds more meaning.

Cartomancy: It's like reading tarot cards, but it's done with regular playing cards. It's older than tarot too and this author enjoys practicing~

Rose Quartz: a pink quartz stone, it symbolizes love.

Mercury Retrograde: Mercury rotates backwards and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE with communication and technology. I lost 2,000 photos during the first one this year and lost all the bookmarks on my phone during the last one last month.

Cursed Chili Powder: some witches use chili oil for negative spells, to keep people away, and "hex", but I used powder because oil would ruin all the papers in the drawers. 

Happy reading!