HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU GUYSSSSSS~ HERE'S A GIFT IN HONOR OF 2017

“Your eyes are red, and swollen,” I stated the obvious, looking at Baekhyun and taking my bag in my arms. Baekhyun avoided looking at me, but I could see the glare he directed to the ground filled with malice and absolute annoyance.

After Joonmyeon and I returned to the dorms – because it was still early and the boy insisted I walked him back, using the excuse he wasn't mentally stable to be left wandering around alone – I was firstly greeted by absolute quiet, and Baekhyun's swollen eyes.

I knew he was the one who had watched us; Joonmyeon and I back at the hallway. His hands were a clear indication of his existence hiding behind the lockers. If he thought I didn't notice him standing there; he was wrong, because I did. His reddish eyes weren't helping either, it was obvious he had cried, and Joonmyeon's speech was heartwarming enough to be tearful. Baekhyun wasn't stone-hearted.

“They're not red, nor swollen,” I thought he would have replied sharply, while snapping; but he didn't. His words were small and quiet; almost like a whisper, and he raised his fingers to massage his eyes unconsciously.

“Stop that; they’ll swell more,” I chided gently, giving him a pointed look. The boy only sighed and uncharacteristically curled around himself in the beanbag he was sitting on, not paying me any attention.

I glanced at Joonmyeon worriedly (who had washed his face before anyone could see his swollen eyes) and found him having the same worried look on his face for Baekhyun. The other boys all shared a confused look, and I looked down at my wrist watch before sighing.

“Great, time for class. Um, who would like to come with me? It's a class for Wielders to test their abilities to fight battles with their warriors, so I will need one of you..” I trailed, feeling awkward to ask something from them beyond their will. Thankfully, none of the boys seemed reluctant or annoyed at my proposition; even Sehun, who had showed his annoyance and his discomfort the first time I asked, was glowing and radiating with sunshine.

“I would have liked to stay here and chill, but I don't mind going with you,” he cleared his throat nonchalantly, rolling his eyes, and I smiled fondly at his act of trying to conceal his true feelings. I glanced at the rest; and I caught Chanyeol closing and opening his mouth, looking at his sketchbook with round eyes, and back to my eyes.

“How about you, Chanyeol?” Chanyeol’s eyes twinkled with absent mirth. “Would you like to come with me?”

“Will I get to fight?” his written words shocked me, and it seemed to shock everyone as well; as Sehun snorted and Joonmyeon choked on his spit. He stared at them cluelessly, genuinely wondering why they seemed so surprised. I choked on a disbelieving laugh.

“You want to fight?”

“Yeah! Fighting is fun! And it has been twenty years since I’ve felt my natural strength,” he wrote back, a grin blossoming on his face. By this point, Baekhyun was also watching him with ridicule, while Xiumin seemed nonchalant; careless even, as if it didn't bother him at all.

“Well, I think there will be some fighting I believe; but are you sure about it? You're still heavily wounded,” I furrowed my eyebrows in worry, because I knew Chanyeol didn't quite look in the right condition to fight. Chanyeol waved away my concern with a huge grin on his face. He looked kind of adorable, and the sheer enjoyment in his eyes were giving me an odd sense of warmth I hadn't felt before.

“Don't worry, those weak warriors will stand nothing against my wrath,” seeing my horrified look because that's exactly what Sehun had done, Chanyeol broke into cold sweats.

“I’m just joking, Hani, chill.”

I took him for his words, but Xiumin didn't; because he snorted, and I grinned at him.

-

Honestly, Chanyeol didn't disappoint; he stayed true to his words, using no massive amount of power as he promised. Thankfully though; he didn't let anyone harm him or me as he kept his defense mode up and high. I realized Chanyeol was great in controlling his fire, which varied from orange, dark orange and red. He even made his fire turn blue, which was amazing in every meaning of the word.

Since the students still remember the action with Sehun before, adding the fact I was announced as a fifth ranked Wielder, not so many Wielders wanted to fight with me, except for the ones the teacher assigned for us during the class while she roamed around making points in her notepad. Apparently, Chanyeol loved summoning his flames, and once the students saw him crazily grinning like he cannot be tamed; flames erupting from nothingness and eating him alive around his body; they didn't dare look at him, and as much as that power in the palm of my hands amazed me, it scared me just as much.

I was only human, and humans make stupid decisions in time of need. I was terrified I might order him to use it on innocent people, or use it against something so trivial that mattered to me. I was scared of the huge amount of powers; not just from Chanyeol and the boys; but from within me as well. I still remember what my mother told me, how I have – and every fifth ranked Wielder – an aura, and auras varied in strength. I was able to attain five Exo cards which even the strongest Wielder could not have, and yet I felt nothing. I have no idea what extent my own aura could reach; and if it will still continue on growing.

Will I be able to attain all twelve cards of Exo? Why me?

I snapped out of my small bubble when I caught Chanyeol waving his sketchbook in my face. Right; I was supposed to return to the dorm after my class, but I seriously don't feel like I wanted to go back there. I wanted to think about this, alone.

“Hey, Chanyeol. Would you mind going to the dorm alone? I’ll be on the rooftop,” Chanyeol looked worried, and he started scribbling furiously on his sketchbook.

“Can I come?”

“Um,” I found it endearing he wanted to come with me, but I felt like I wanted to be alone; needed, to think everything straight. “I’m sorry, but I want to be my myself. Is that okay with you?”

Chanyeol nodded, although hesitantly, and started walking backwards softly, looking back at me with nervous stares, hoping that I would change my mind and call him back.

“Tell the boys I want to be alone, thanks Chanyeol,” with that being said, I turned around and walked to the rooftop’s hallway.

Just before I ascended the stairs; I caught a small figure hiding between the lockers, and my eyebrows creased in confusion because that small figure looked way too familiar. I heard mumbling whispers of multiple people, and my curiosity took the best of me. With calculated steps, I slowly wedged in between a raw of lockers, leaning my head to the side to catch the familiar voice’s owner.

I saw the small girl in the Martial Arts class, and she was talking with the three triplets. I saw a bunch of cash money in her hands, and realized the whole scheme.

-

“Urgh! I can't believe how stupid I am!” I yelled to the air, stomping my feet and rushing to the railings of the rooftop, clinging on the rocks tightly. “Of course they hired her to beat me up! God knows what goes around those s’s heads!” I shouted again, curling my hands into fists and punching the railings. I hissed in pain when my knuckles squeezed in pain, and huffed with a huge breath before sitting my on the single bench on the rooftop with a loud noise.

Why would the triplets hire that small girl to fight me? What do they want exactly? I mean, I’m not the smartest girl in here, and I wasn't very great with putting two and two together; but I was sure those triplets are scheming for something against me, or maybe