Earlier that day

Rose’s appointment with her therapist lasted for over an hour. She had to go through a physical examination before going for a psychiatric evaluation.

Which meant that Leo had enough time to talk with Lily.

Instead of calling over from his cellphone, he went outside to a public telephone booth and dialed the number she’d given him. It was untraceable – and you bet he’d had it checked – and the only way they could contact her, although she’d emphasized they use it only in case of emergencies. Otherwise, she kept them updated about herself.  

He figured Rose’s condition counted as an emergency.

She hadn’t left the house in almost a week – he’d been keeping track of her movements – but she’d been having those nightmares over and over. He’d also heard her talking to herself on more than one occasion. The day he’d called Lily, he’d gone up to check on her and found her sitting cross-legged on her bed, head tilted to the side like when she was in deep thought.

‘So who is the Bad Man?’ she’d asked no one. Leo had stopped for a moment, curious as to she was doing.

‘Bad Man…’ her voice had changed dramatically with her words, turning childish and her expressions changed to match her tone, one of utter childish fear. ‘…is a very bad person… he hurts Star and he hurts Choomin…’

A moment later, her expressions had switched again, taking on an older visage, sympathetic and understanding. ‘Is Star afraid of the Bad Man?’

‘Bad Man is bad!’ Another childish exclamation. ‘Bad Man tell Star to hurt Lelo…’

Leo had been more than a little disturbed. If there had ever been any doubt in his mind that something was residing inside his sister’s body with her, it was erased. This was proof.

‘Star, we cannot hurt Leo…’ Rose’s voice had been hushed and pleading. ‘He’s my Choomin.’

‘Lelo wants to stop Star.’ Rose’s face suddenly turned towards the doorway, gaze landing on him unerringly as if she’d known all along he was there, before turning away just as quickly.

But it’d been enough for him.

Rose’s red-gold flecked eyes hadn’t been red-gold at all but rather, black, darkness seeping out of her sockets and dripping over her cheeks before she’d turned away with a mutter. ‘Star must do it.’

When she’d looked back again, it was her own face, a strained smile in place. ‘Hey Leo, did you need anything?’

It had taken everything inside him not to let on he’d seen that.. thing.

Ignoring the churning in his gut, the instinct he’d honed during his years as an underground fighter – instincts that warned him when he was in danger – Leo had stepped inside the room and smiled at her.

This was Rose, his baby sister and no spirit, no matter how evil it seemed, could change that. He’d make sure she got rid of it.

He’d made small talk with her then but her words had stayed with him… leading him to question who ‘Choomin’, with whom the entity inside his sister was so obsessed, was; it sounded suspiciously like Xiumin, so he’d questioned Lily.

And her answers had assured him of one thing.

Lily’s insistence on leaving Oulphesden had nothing to do with her breakup and everything to do with this thing. Maybe Xiumin had realized it too and broken up with her, maybe even insisted that she leave town.

That put the entire thing into a different light and changed his opinion of the man. If he’d done all of that to protect Lily, then Leo needed to thank the guy.

He figured he’d find out how right he was in his assumptions when Lily explained things to him.

The bell rang a few times before Lily answered. ‘Hello?’ she sounded cautious.

‘Hey.’

…………………………….

Lily had spent a restless night, alternating between battling the urge to call Xiumin to share her worries and wondering what she would tell Leo.

She knew she should tell him everything.

For one, it would be burden off her chest. She didn’t like keeping secrets, especially not from her family and especially not about such an important aspect of her life.

For another, from what Leo had told her, whatever was going on with Rose definitely concerned the Legends, especially Xiumin. As far as she knew, she was the only person outside of his family with whom Xiumin had shared about his sister and her little nickname for him. The fact that Rose had called him Choomin – that day when she was leaving and again, if Leo was asking about it – only confirmed her belief.

But she wasn’t sure where to start. The story belonged to the Legends, held their secrets and she wasn’t sure how much she could share.

Oh, how she wished she was in Oulphesden right now. She would tell Leo to get out of town and she’d take care of Rose herself, return to Xiu…

She shook her head before she could finish that thought. I’m not his mate. She’d repeat that until she actually believed it.

The bite in her neck throbbed as if in protest and she gritted her teeth against the sensation.

Thankfully, the phone rang just then, effectively distracting her.

‘Hello?’ it was probably Leo but a part of her – the silly part – couldn’t help but wish Xiumin was calling her back after the call last night.  

‘Hey.’

She suppressed the wave of disappointment that went through her on hearing her brother’s voice. There was momentary silence as both sides contemplated what to say before Leo broke it.

‘So… I think it’s time you told me everything.’

She sighed but nodded in agreement. It was time. ‘I’m not sure where to start.’

‘Who is Choomin?’ Leo asked bluntly.

‘I think… well, Xiumin’s sister used to call him that.’

‘He has a sister?’ He sounded surprised.

‘Had… she died when she was still a child.’

There was a sharp intake of breath, making her frown. ‘Leo…?’

‘H-how…’ Leo’s voice was hushed, ‘old was she when she…?’

‘I don’t know… pretty young from what he told me…’ Xiumin had been a child himself at that time, not even a teenager, from what she understood.

‘Like baby’s age?’ he asked, ‘Or a little older?’

‘Around that, I suppose. I didn’t ask because…’

‘Of course, of course.’ There was a pause.

‘Leo, what’s going on?’ She hadn’t missed the fact that he was asking very specific questions, almost as if he knew.

He sighed over the phone, a weary sound. ‘Do you believe in ghosts, Lil’?

Lily copied him, sighing wearily into the handset. ‘I didn’t… but now I’m not so sure.’

There was a heavy silence for a few moments before Leo spoke up. ‘You know Rose… sometimes she… well, something takes over her.’

Lily didn’t realize she was holding her breath to focus on Leo.

‘Like a small child. She starts talking in this childish way, her voice is so… she sounds like a little girl, y’know? And she’s… well, she’s been having nightmares and I don’t think she realizes it but she’s always calling for ‘Choomin’ when I get to her.’

A chill ran down her spine.

How was that even possible?

‘And that’s not all…’ Leo sounded almost relieved, getting it all out. ‘She disappears at nights sometimes – a lot of times actually – and comes back in the morning… and her eyes. Lily, her eyes…’

She could feel his shudder even over the telephone. Lily swallowed. ‘Leo…’

‘She’s possessed, isn’t she?’ He sounded almost desperate, ‘Tell me I’m not going crazy, Lily. Rosie, she’s…’

‘Leo, calm down.’ She took a deep breath, waited for his sniffles to die down. He’d always been overprotective over his sisters and of course, seeing Rose like that was affecting him. ‘I wish you’d told me about this sooner…’ she reprimanded her brother.

‘I didn’t want to worry you…’ was his quietly muttered reply.

A fond smile touched her lips briefly as her mind worked to figure out what could be done. What Leo had said made it clear that Rose was indeed, as he’d put it, possessed by, against all odds, Xiumin’s sister.

With Evil in the play, she couldn’t even say this was a coincidence – neither the possession, nor the ghost being Xiumin’s sister. No, this was a deliberate attempt to hurt him, to use his weakness against him.

 That her own sister was being dragged into this pissed her off even more. And not only that, it was quite likely that Leo was in danger as well.

Rose was already taken but she’d be damned if she let Evil hurt another one of her siblings.

Decided, she spoke into the handset.

‘I’m going to talk to Xiumin, tell him what’s going on. He’ll come over soon as possible and I think it’d be best if Rose went with him.’

Leo huffed in a way that let her know her wasn’t happy but he agreed anyway. ‘Fine.’

‘And you’ll leave Oulphesden immediately.’ she added.

‘No way.’

‘Leo…’

‘No, Lily. I can’t just leave her alone…’

‘Please? She won’t be alone, swear and I’ll keep in touch with her and…’

‘Lily, she’s been fighting this thing on her own for who knows how long – probably since she woke up. I can’t just abandon her!’ Leo sounded vehement.

‘I can’t let you get hurt as well!’ she shrilled back, feeling tears pool in her eyes. ‘Please… this- this isn’t one of your fights- ‘

‘She’s my sister!’

‘And you have a family besides her!’

The silence rang as loudly as their voices moments prior, as both of them breathed heavily.

‘Think of your wife and child,’ Lily spoke quietly after another moment of oppressive silence, pleading. ‘And mom. Leo, she’ll be safe with him, with them. And I am safe here, nobody knows where I am…’

Leo didn’t say anything but she didn’t need him to, to understand how he was taking this. She could almost see the intense frown on his face, feel the tension in his shoulders.

‘But if something happens to you, who’ll take care of baby? Or Minah? They only have you and you can’t afford to be this reckless anymore.’

Leo huffed irritably.

‘Please,’ she pleaded, gripping the handset tighter. ‘Please Leo, promise you’ll get out of there the moment she leaves.’

‘Lily…’

‘Promise me!’ she demanded. There was a bout of silence before he let out a sigh.

‘Fine…’

‘Promise?’

‘Yeah, yeah… whatever…’ He grumbled some more before clearing his throat. ‘Don’t think I didn’t notice how you haven’t told me anything…’

Dammit. He was always too perceptive.

‘It’s not my story to tell.’

‘Did he break up with you because of this… whatever the hell is going on?’ Trust Leo to still be obsessing over this, even after so many months. Not that she had any right to say anything – she hadn’t managed to move past it either.

She deliberated how to answer before replying. ‘Majorly…’ Her not being his mate also had a teeny tiny role in it but that was her cross to bear.

‘Hmm…’ he sounded gruff, so Lily knew he was going to say something she’d probably disagree with. ‘I’m glad he did it. I know you probably don’t want to hear this but if he did this to protect you… I can respect that, as a man.’

Lily rolled her eyes, trying not to comment on just how ist that statement made him sound. She knew he meant well but seriously, his macho stance could use some toning down.

So could Xiumin’s for that matter but of course, it wasn’t her place to say that anymore.

Huffing out an irritable breath – because why did he have to appear in every single thought she had? – she changed the topics. ‘I’ll call him as soon as I can, and let him know what’s going on.’

Hopefully, he’ll answer this time, she mentally added.

‘So you’d better be prepared. I think it’d be best if you go back and start packing immediately…’

‘What, you mean she’ll leave today?’ He sounded disbelieving.

‘I think the sooner this happens, the better it will be, for Rose as well as you.’

‘Gah, so soon?’

She smiled fondly at how upset he sounded. Despite his worries, his concerns, it was obvious he didn’t want to let go of Rose. That’s just how he was, overprotective in the best way possible.

‘I think she’s coming back now, so I’ll leave.’

Before she could hang up though, he added. ‘I’ll hear the complete story one day, Lily.’

She smiled as she nodded. ‘One day.’

………………………….

Xiumin stared at his phone, ringing once again.

The number was not fed in his contacts but he could swear he knew who was on the other end.

The thought of hearing her voice again, even a simple ‘hello’, was enough to have his beast whining and whimpering, scratching at the edges of his mind to be let out. His heart jumped to his throat at the mere thought and he swallowed, not used to such strong reactions in his own body.

Then again, this was – if he was right – Lily. Nothing was ever normal when it came to her.

She’d managed to get under his defenses in that unsuspecting manner of hers, disarming him with her quiet capability and strong resolve, her warmth and capacity to love so deeply despite her own struggles. The only person he’d willingly opened up to about his past, the one who’d cried for him long after his own tears had dried. The one he would’ve given anything – would still give anything – to be able to claim as his own, to call his mate.

He supposed he could blame his reaction to the irrational mood swings he’d been having over the past months… since her departure, to be precise.

Satisfying though it was to have an explanation for the anomaly of his reactions, it didn’t solve his current dilemma.

To answer or to not answer.

Desire to hear her voice aside, he knew it wasn’t a good idea. Because then he’d be tempted to try and find out where she was, to seek her out and potentially lead Evil to her, put her in danger again. It couldn’t be good for him either because she was like a drug and he still hadn’t weaned off her completely – he still couldn’t sleep without her – so talking to her would only put him back.

But she was calling him.

And unlike other times, it wasn’t just a missed call, hung up after the first ring. No, it had been coming in consistently, his phone ringing for the third time in a row.

`It had to be something urgent if she was contacting him, right?

Deciding he couldn’t really stall any longer, he picked up the phone and swiped to answer.

‘Hello?’

.................................................

A/N

Yay for Lily/Xiumin interactions! :) Well, not exactly but its a start. I'll admit that I"m a little starved for these two... I hope you guys are too :) Hope you enjoy this update, I'll try to update once a fortnight and in the meantime, try to write as much as I can. Do leave me a comment, tell me how you find the story, its flow etc. and if you have any ideas. It'd help me greatly to get me moving and may inspire me. 

Alright then, I'll see you guys later :) bye <3