The hours after feel like a hallucination. I dazedly shake my head when Tom asks me if I want to stay at his, mumbling something about wanting to be alone. Even though we’re the ones who enacted the barrier that separated the forest from the rest of the world, I was expecting something other than the tranquil quiet of daybreak when we emerged from the woods. I suppose I should be grateful that we were able to detain Lucy without alerting anyone else.

But I simply feel dull-eyed. Catatonic.

This is how Taehyung finds me rummaging through his drawers at 6 in the morning.

“Wha- Joo?” he says groggily from under his covers.

I squint at the labels of the orange pill bottles. This one’s just leftover flu medicine. The one next to is for a sinus infection.

“Joo.” Taehyung rolls out of bed. He’s clad in nothing but a pair of basketball shorts. I notice in the faint light of his fireplace that there’s a jagged scar on his torso that wasn’t there before he left for college. My eyes linger on it for a few moments before I tiredly turn back to his drawer. He pulls me away- and then audibly inhales.

“You’re burning up,” he murmurs. His hand is cold as it rests on my forehead. “I knew the magical exposure from this morning wasn’t good for you.”

I neglect to mention the fact that I just spent hours exposed to magic ten times stronger than the fight at the bridge.

“I don’t want to feel anything,” I whisper.

Taehyung clenches his fists. “If it’s about my dad- he left for New York last night. I’m so ing sorry- I- I can’t do anything against him, ever-,”

I cut him off. “I just want to get high.”

The sun is beginning to rise. Light seeps into the room through Taehyung’s filmy white curtains. His features are slipping into full view, illuminating so I can see every detail of his person-

But when a look of astonishment and horror dawns on his face, I realize he can see every detail of me, too.

“Holy ,” Taehyung swears, his eyes taking in the blood crusted on my face, the gouged skin on my arms and legs, the mud caked on my clothes. “Joo- what in the -,”

“Please don’t ask,” I plead.

But Taehyung’s already shouted, “Andrews!” and started rifling through his drawers for a weapon and when his fingers warm with magic it’s too much- I slip into unconsciousness the moment his hands make contact with me again.

I don’t know how long I spend in this dreamlike state. It is as if I am trapped somewhere between a nightmare and reality. I am vaguely aware of Andrews applying a stinging salve on my neck; of Mrs. Kim murmuring incomprehensible sweet nothings as tears roll down her cheeks; of Tom and Jungkook and Jin urgently speaking to each other in low voices.

And Taehyung. Always Taehyung. The crisp spearmint scent of his shampoo. A warm hand grasping mine in the middle of the night. Soft snoring amidst the darkness.

His presence is a respite from the terrifying flashbacks that play on a loop in my mind.

I miss my mom.

I blink open my eyes. There’s a heavy weight on the sheets next to me- is that a puppy? As my vision focuses, I realize that it’s not a dog, but a mop of disheveled brown hair.

“Tae,” I rasp.

He doesn’t move.

“Tae,” I repeat, louder, poking him in the cheek for good measure.

“Stop,” he groans, burrowing his head under his arms. “I don’t care what Davis says... I fed the goat last time...,”

A snort of laughter escapes my lips. “What?”

Taehyung stirs, confusedly opening his eyes-

He registers my conscious form and whitens.

“Joo,” he breathes, clutching my hands like they’re a lifeline. Relief pours off him. “I- you’re awake.”

“Yeah, just in time to learn about your pet goat.”

Despite the heaviness of the situation we’re in, Taehyung can’t help but redden like a middle school boy caught gaming in class. The tension breaks. “My pledge class for my frat has to take care of a goat,” he explains. “It’s... a rite of passage.”

“Can’t believe the great Taehyung Kim is getting humbled by his frat brothers. I should thank them for hazing you.”

He rolls his eyes. “Taking care of Davina is a privilege.”

“Oh, cute. She has a name.”

“Of course she does. Who do you think we are?”

We’re both grinning. For a second, everything feels normal.

And then a coughing fit overtakes my body and the spell is broken.

“.” Taehyung coaxes a straw into my mouth. I gratefully in mouthfuls of water. “I’ll call Andrews.”

“How long-,” I take another gulp of water, “-was I out?”

“It’s been about a week.”

I choke on my swallow, coughing violently as Taehyung pounds my back in panic. Wincing, I slap his hand away. “Ow! That hurts!”

“Sorry- just trying to help-,”

“A week? How?”

“Magical poisoning and exhaustion.” Taehyung takes a long look at me. “The council wants to bring you in for questioning. But... not now.”

“I need to call my friends. Where’s my phone?”

“Jungkook and Jin are on lockdown. And Dev...,” Taehyung grimaces. “He’s still recovering.”

My eyes go wide. “From what?”

“Same thing as you. He’s in a Kado treatment center right now.”

“What? Is he okay? I have to go see him-,”

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down.” Taehyung steadies my shoulders. “He isn’t allowed visitors from outside the Kado.”

“But his parents-,”

“Have been alerted.”

I lie in silence for a few heavy moments, my mind racing.

“You didn’t tell me you’d been working with the Hado,” Taehyung says quietly.

My eyes dart to him. “I haven’t been... working with them. Tom, Dev, and I- we’ve been trying to save Lucy on our own. Not through the Hado.”

A sigh leaves his lips. “Well, that makes things marginally better.”

“Has anyone found Lucy?”

“No. She’s gone. Jimin’s gone, too.”

I deliberately keep my face neutral, not betraying any emotion. “I see.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“I don’t know what they’re doing,” I respond, which isn’t technically a lie.

He studies my face with an unreadable expression. I dully realize that this is one of the only times I’ve seen him sober during the entire summer- and a sober Taehyung is incredibly more dangerous than a stoned one. I brace myself, ready to field his questions-

He gently clasps my hands in his and places a kiss on my palms.

“Joo,” he murmurs.

I wait, my breath bated in anticipation.

Suddenly, the door opens. “She needs another chi pack- grab her some more IV fluids, too-,” Mrs. Kim is saying to Andrews-

She sees me sitting upright and screams.

“Thank god!” she breathes, pulling me close to her chest. “Oh, Joo, we were so worried- Andrews, pass the water!”

Taehyung lets go of my hand amidst all the chaos. As Andrews forces a straw into my mouth and Mrs. Kim hems and haws over me, he draws back into his chair, his gaze averted.

Within the next week, I’ve almost fully recovered. There are still moments when a sudden fit of dizziness will overtake me and I have to steady myself against the wall- Andrews grimly informed me that this effect would last months. But I am still well enough to drive to Tom’s Saturday morning.

“Oh, Joo,” he groans when he sees me, wrapping me up in a hug. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. They wouldn’t let me visit you-,”

“I missed you, dude.” I squeeze him tightly. “Taehyung says Dev is doing better. He’s still not allowed to take visitors, but Jungkook and Jin have managed to sneak in.”

“Are the two of them still under lockdown?”

I nod. “They’re in huge trouble. They can’t leave Kado HQ either.”

Tom grimaces. We share a silent look- terrified that Dev’s in Kado care, but cognizant of the fact that he would be dead without it.

“Alright.” Tom takes a deep breath. “Are you ready to go to Lucy’s safehouse?”

“I’m scared.”

“Me too. I... don’t know what to expect.”

“What if she didn’t make it?” I mumble.

“There’s only one way to find out.” Tom holds out his hand. “Grab my hands and don’t let go.”

“Are we teleporting there?” I ask, my voice incredulous despite my trepidation.

Tom laughs. “You could call it that. Okay, ready?”

“Ready.” I clasp his hands. All of a sudden, it feels like I’ve been yanked up into the heavy Lake Rye morning fog by my torso, somersaulting through the air head-first. An inexplicable heaviness falls on my back- I gasp in pain, tumbling around even faster. There’s a cry of surprise. My hands are fading into the mist before my eyes.

And then like a magnet being pulled by an opposite pole, I find my body hurtling back to my normal plane of existence. I tumble onto a soft, grassy field, pollen tickling my nose. In front of me is a stout, cozy-looking brown cottage with a thatched roof and smoke puffing out the chimney. My lower back is throbbing.

“Is it usually that painful?” I grumble, twisting around-

Tom and Taehyung are facing each other, their hands glowing with chi.

My stomach drops.