EYES OPEN

“Sweetie, you’re going to do great.”

Yeojin pulled herself out of her father’s warm embrace and smiled. He smiled back, his eyes full of the warmth and pride that only existed in the eyes of parents. The last day of summer had come and gone, and Yeojin was once again at King’s Cross, saying goodbye to her parents. They hadn’t had a chance to do this properly the last time she was here, so it was nice. Her parents had been so supportive. More than she had expected, actually.

She turned to face the dark black brick of the pillar that led into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. She really hoped this year would be even better than the last one. This time she’d know her parents were behind her. Speaking of which…

“Thank you for driving me out here. It was a really long walk last time...I’m still sorry about that.” Her mother put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She smelled of citrus. She always smelled like oranges. “Honey, you should stop worrying about it. You already apologized and we already forgave you. We’re here now.”

Yeojin put her hand on top of her mom’s. “I love you, mom.”

“I love you too, honey. Now go on. Go on through and show them what you’re made of.”

A familiar scene with familiar faces. This was what had come to pass in reality. These were the words that were said.

What happened next was not.

Yeojin pushed her cart forward, but instead of a gentle slide, the cart sped forward, faster than Yeojin could possibly keep pace with. She ran after it with feet made of led, stumbling into the black brick of the pillar. It didn’t give way like normal. The rock surrounded her, enveloped her until she was hardly able to even breathe. The stones pushed up into her face and she was certain they were going to crush her skull.

And then she was on the other side.

She gasped and struggled for breath in the suddenly smoke-choked air. The place she found herself in was not Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. It was the living room of her own home. Her safe space. Only it wasn’t so safe anymore. It was burning.

Bodies draped in fine red cloth lined the corners of the room. There were eleven of them. Flesh colored wax oozed from beneath the cloth. Yeojin averted her eyes. At the center of this hellish landscape were her parents.

They were on their knees, their eyes straight ahead like statues. Yeojin’s heart pounded in her chest. Rum-thum-thum-thum. Rum-thum-thum-thum. She took a step forward. A dark shape appeared behind them. She took another step forward. The fire spread down from the walls and onto the floor. Yeojin wiped the sweat out of her eyes with the back of her sleeve. The heat was intense. She felt like she might melt like the Wicked Witch of the West...not an inspirational image. But she had to keep moving. She had to see what came next.

The figure began to actualize. Yeojin realized this thing was holding a weapon in his hand. Something sharp and steel. “No! You won’t take them!” She ran forward, putting the heat out of mind. She had to save her parents. She had to.

With every step she took, the room seemed to expand, the distance between her and the figure growing and growing. The figure raised the sword high above his head, preparing to swing. She could get there...just a few more steps!

The sword sliced through their necks with nary a whisper. Yeojin screamed as blood spattered onto her face, the warm red blood of her unsuspecting parents. She screamed.

She screamed.

She--

THE NEW GIRL

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!” The sound of her screaming split the air and woke Chaewon and Choerry up. Yeojin writhed in her blankets, her mind still trapped in the hellscape that was her recurring nightmare. Choerry got to her side first.

“Hey!” She slapped the side of Yeojin’s face. “Hey, wake up! You’re safe!” She leaned down and whispered right into Yeojin’s ear. “You’re fine. We’re in the safe space, frog.” Yeojin’s eyes shot open. She was breathing hard, as if she had just run a marathon. Choerry pulled her into a hug, the same way she always did when it happened.

Yeojin hugged back, tears running down her face. “It happened again. It’s only been a few days since the last one. They’re getting closer together….I don’t think I can handle it anymore.” Choerry pulled her in tighter. “I know it’s hard. We’re all trying to figure this out. Just...breathe, Yeojin. Just breathe. We don’t want to agitate Jinsoul.”

Jinsoul was in the next room, all wolfed out. The Loona girls had moved out of the Shrieking Shack and into a more sturdy, more appropriate building after their secret had become public. Yeojin liked it well enough. They took turns spending time with Jinsoul in a room down the hall. Yeojin’s turn almost always came first. None of the older girls wanted to deal with a sleep-deprived Yeojin. Heck, Yeojin didn’t want to deal with a sleep-deprived Yeojin.

Yeojin breathed. In. Out. And in again. She focused on her breathing and let the rest of the world fall away. She didn’t want to have another panic attack.

The dreams...or visions, as she had taken to thinking of them,  had been haunting her ever since the beginning of the school year. Every time, the exact same dream. They used to come once a month, and then once every two weeks. Now, they were coming once a week, and Yeojin feared it wouldn’t be much longer until they came every day.

“Something bad is coming.”

Chaewon smiled helpfully. “You’ve said that every time you’ve woken up from one of these things. Not that I don’t believe you, but the holidays are coming up soon and nothing’s happened…”

Yeojin shook her head. They didn’t understand. She hardly understood it herself. She needed to do something...she needed to stay awake. The first rays of sunlight peeked through the windows of the stone bunker the Hogwarts faculty had so helpfully constructed for them.

Choerry tapped Chaewon on the shoulder. “Time to wake everyone else up.”

The two girls left Yeojin’s side and went to wake up the other girls sleeping soundly in their soft, comfortable beds. Yeojin climbed to her feet, very suddenly wide awake. From the far end of the long room in which they all slept, Sooyoung and Jiwoo emerged with a half-awake Jinsoul between them. Yeojin smiled and waved at the three of them with a cheerfulness she did not feel.

When everyone was awake, they all passed through the three wrought-iron doors and into the campus beyond. There was a little bit of a crowd waiting for them outside, as there usually was when it came time to leave the bunker. They had their arms crossed, their faces sullen. They said they were protesters, but the truth was they were just bullies.

But at least they weren’t pelting them with tomatoes.

They gathered around Jinsoul, shielding her from view. That didn’t stop the crowd from screaming insults at her. Yeojin focused her eyes firmly on the ground, tried not to look too closely at their angered faces.

They made it back to the castle without much difficulty.

Things were different now. They were so different, it amazed Yeojin, Loona had all become closer as a result of their mutual bond and people were out to get them. She was glad for one and hated the other.

They were interrupted by a girl popping out from behind an arch. Haseul yelped and the older girl practically leaped up into the air. The newcomer, dark-haired and fair-skinned, waved apologetically.

“Sorry, sorry. I know I can sneak up on people sometimes. Didn’t mean to scare you.” The girl extended a hand, her eyes darting from one Loona girl to the next. She bared shiny white teeth in a too-wide grin. Yeojin felt slightly uncomfortable.

The new girl held her hand out and Jungeun stepped forward to take it. The new girl giggled. “My name’s Olivia. Olivia Hye.” Jungeun forced a smile and shook her hand. “Jungeun. I think you know who we are already. That’s why you’re talking to us, right?” Jungeun’s voice held an undercurrent of apprehension. This had happened a couple of times, random girls coming up to them and asking to join their group, only to end with them mocking them for hanging out with a werewolf. She clearly wasn’t glad to see this new girl.

Olivia’s grin never faltered. “Yes, I know you. I mean, doesn’t everyone? I just wanted to let you know that I think what you’re doing is very admirable. Very, very cool.” She nodded. “If you ever want to hang out, just ask me! I’m down for anything with you guys.” The girl gave all of them one more look, and then she ran off, disappearing to the same place she had emerged from.

Jiwoo smiled. “Well, that wasn’t strange at all!”

Jungeun shook her head. “Let’s just get back to the dorms and get to class. That’s what we’re here for, right?”

Yeojin rubbed her hands together. There was something very off about that girl.

IN CLASS

“So, to review, these are the principles of total defense against the dark arts. You might have learned these with your previous teacher, but I believe in review. We review these things time and time again so that you learn them by heart. So that when the time comes to defend yourself, you will be able to. Even if you’re tired, bloody and barely breathing...you’ll be able to.”

The professor clapped his hands together three times, startling his captive audience. Yeojin leaned back in her chair. She hoped this would be one of his briefer speeches. Professor Quinlan was a pretty cool guy, but he tended to ramble when he was excited.

“So, principle one is awareness. Awareness of your situation, of the people around you, of the room you’re in, awareness of your own body. You need to be aware in order to assess the best course of action. What spell to use and what to do after. You need to be aware to even determine if you need to use a spell. A surprisingly large amount of dark magic is avoidable simply through the use of your own two feet.”

Yeojin sighed. It was going to be another rambler. She admired his dedication to his job but it was just too much sometimes.

He went on like that for a while, serving up practical demonstrations of his talking points whenever needed. That’s why Yeojin liked him so much. He would actually take the time to show them exactly how everything worked and why it was important. Yeojin was the kind of student that needed practical lessons. Hyunjin would have smirked at the thought.

FInally, class finished up and Quinlan’s speech with it. Yeojin gathered up her books and prepared to leave.

“Hold on a second, Miss Im. I’ve got something I want to discuss with you.”

Yeojin froze feet before the door.  She turned slowly to meet his gaze. Professer Quinlan was a tall, sturdy looking man with bushy eyebrows and dark eyes. He almost never spoke to students on a one on one basis.

“Have a seat, Yeojin. I may call you Yeojin, yes?”

Yeojin nodded and took the offered chair at his desk. Was she in trouble? She hadn’t done anything super remarkable in class just then. She bit her lip nervously. The professor sat on the other side of the desk and poured himself some tea.

“I just wanted to discuss your studies. You’ve been doing very well, Yeojin. You’re a smart kid. You’ve got what it takes to go far. But these friends of yours...they’re holding you back. Your grades aren’t what they should be for someone like you, and I’m certain it’s because of them.” Yeojin frowned. “I’m not saying you should drop them completely, but maybe cut back on the time you’re spending with them. Work on yourself first, and then focus on friends.”

Yeojin looked down at her lap. “If you say so, sir.”

Quinlan beamed at her. “You’re one of my favorite students, Yeojin. Don’t let me down. I’m very proud of your progress.”

Yeojin didn’t have anything to say to that.

HANGING OUT

They all danced to the beat of some upbeat pop song on the radio. Of all the muggle things that didn’t work in the presence of magic, radios still persisted. That gave Yeojin a little bit of comfort.

Haseul was dancing enthusiastically, rocking her head back and forth like it was a heavy metal song and not a slightly uptempo bubblegum pop song. Yeojin was on a bean bag in the corner of their little hideout, scrawling notes on the pages of her journal. Jinsoul popped a seat on the bean bag next to her, having decided to excuse herself from the little party.

“Hey bean! What are you working on?”

She looked better this year, somehow. Just Hyunjin and Heejin. She knew something had happened during the summer, but she couldn’t quite pin it down.

“Oh, I’m just writing lyrics for a song. It just popped into my head the other day and I couldn’t resist.” Yeojin looked around the room. “Where’s Jungeun? I thought she said she would hang out with us?”

Jinsoul frowned. “She said she was going to the aviary. She had to send someone a message or something. I don’t know who, before you ask.”

Yeojin shook her head. “That . This is one of the only nights of the week Vivi gets off.”

Jinsoul nodded in agreement.

Vivi had been busy working. But not too busy to spend the occasional night with them. She couldn’t apparate on Hogwarts Grounds, and floo powdering in was out of the question. So she just used the old head in the fireplace trick! Yeojin had to admit that the effect had been startling the first time. And it looked really creepy. But if they got to spend time together, it was all worth it.

Sooyoung turned the radio down. “Quiet! She’s here!”

The flames in the fireplace erupted and then settled into the form of Vivi’s face. The girl was as smiley as ever, despite becoming a technical adult by muggle standards.  

Heejin waved. “Hi Vivi! How are you doing in Seoul?”

The older girl had taken off on a trip around the world, working with some researcher she had met in Diagon Alley. Yeojin wasn’t sure what they were researching, but it was probably important.

“It’s good. Doc is making progress on things.” She sighed, as if things weren’t going very well at all. “I miss you guys. Being an adult is not great.”

Yeojin nodded sympathetically. Adults had to deal with kids like her.

Haseul pushed her chair a little closer to the fire. “We miss you, too. Loona isn’t the same without you. But it’s good that we can still hang out like this. I don’t know what we would do otherwise.” Haseul sighed. “But we’ll be together again soon. Winter break’s in a few days. Yeojin’s parents invited us over...it’ll be nice to see where our little lentil bean comes from!”

Vivi giggled. “Yeah.” She looked around, as if suddenly worried. “Stick together, no matter what. Don’t let anyone divide you. Anyone or anything. We’re powerful together, but apart…” She swallowed, hard and shook her head. Hyunjin leaned back in her and Heejin’s shared chair, one quizzical eyebrow raised. Yeojin found this all very strange.

Vivi had a smile on her face again, although this time it looked very strained. “I love you, girls. Talk to you soon.”

The fire roared once more and Vivi’s face was replaced by a wreath of flames.  Hyunjin held her hands out, palms up. “What the hell was that about?” Haseul shook her head. “She’s having a rough time out in the real world. Maybe she just went a little stir-crazy.”

Hyunjin mumbled something under her breath to the effect of “a little more than a little…”. If Haseul heard, she didn’t respond. Yeojin thought it was a little strange, too. It reminded her of something she’d seen once in a movie. Although what exactly and which movie were unanswerable questions at this point.

Jinsoul had retreated to a corner. She seemed anxious without Jungeun. She’d been like that before, when they weren’t Loona quite yet and Jungeun and Choerry were the only people she could count on. That had gradually changed as she came to trust Yeojin and the rest of Loona with her life. But she was nervous again. Yeojin decided to sit down next to her and find out why.

“What’s up, Jinsoul? Are you feeling okay?”

Jinsoul ran her hands up and down her arms. “No. I’m anxious. There’s something wrong here. Something bad’s going to happen soon, and I’m afraid it has something to do with Jungeun.” Yeojin put a hand on Jinsoul’s shoulder, which was quite a feat for the tiny second-year. “I’ve been getting that feeling, too. It’s scary. It’s like….everything that we are now is a good memory. Something to preserve for the bad times. And the bad times are coming...really, really soon.” Yeojin swallowed and averted her eyes. “But we’re here, Jinsoul. We’re always going to be here for you.”

Yeojin didn’t quite catch Jinsoul’s response, because the hallway outside their hideout was rocked by an explosion. Or an earthquake. Either way, there was a loud noise and then the entire building shook. Yeojin gasped. She had thought that was something that only happened in movies.

Some of the other girls screamed. Haseul was first out the secret door to investigate. The rest of the girls followed shortly afterwards.

HALLWAY GO BOOM

The corridor hadn’t been totally destroyed by weapons-grade explosives, and the building hadn’t collapsed, so the Loona girls were naturally quite puzzled by the sudden noise. They asked the few students roaming the halls at this hour if they had seen anything. It seemed nobody had. There wasn’t even a crack in the ground.

“Well, what the hell was that noise, then?” Hyunjin’s voice was harsh and sharp. She clearly wasn’t in the mood for any funny business. Her make-out session with Heejin had been so rudely interrupted by some kind of prank.

Yeojin pushed through the space between Hyunjin and Haseul to take a closer look at a square metal box lying on the floor. She hefted it in her hands, and when she did, a loud screeching noise was released. She dropped it to the floor, where it fell silent. Haseul crouched down next to her and looked at her curiously. “What have you found, Yeojin?”

Yeojin bit her lip. She’d seen this kind of thing before, at Choerry’s house. It was a prank noise box. You could program it with any kind of sound you wanted, just as long as the box was around to hear it.

“Um, it’s a noise box? I’m pretty sure we’ve been pranked.” Haseul raised both eyebrows. “But why?”

Hyunjin seemed less curious and more annoyed. “For the love of Merlin! Yerim, you have to know when to quit it with the pranks. Heejin and I were getting serious…” Next to her, Heejin blushed a flattering shade of pink.

Choerry shrugged and raised her hands to the sky. “It wasn’t me! And also, gag!”

Hyunjin remained skeptical. “If it wasn’t you, who was it? Jinsoul?”

Jinsoul shook her head. “Don’t look at me. I’ve cut back on the pranks. And I’d never pull a prank on all of us like this. Besides, pranks kinda have to be funny and this was decidedly not.”

Hyunjin glanced around. “Maybe Jiwoo? Hey, where is Jiwoo?”

Jiwoo and Sooyoung had seemingly disappeared from their little congregation. Had the two of them finally decided now was the right time to kiss? Although, their timing left much to be desired.

“This is really weird. I don’t like this.” Yeojin really didn’t. This was like the beginning of a horror story. Like knowing that a train was going to crash but being unable to do anything about it.

Haseul put a hand on her shoulder, probably in the hopes of bringing her some comfort. The gesture was nice, but Yeojin felt just as cold as before.

Jungeun emerged from around the corner, Jiwoo and Sooyoung following close behind her. Jungeun looked close to panic.

“Have any of you guys seen Arty? She’s not in the Aviary and I’ve checked all of her favorite roosts around the castle...she’s not anywhere…” Yeojin felt a sudden chill pass over her. This. This was how it started.

Haseul shook her head. “Sorry, Jungeun. We haven’t seen her anywhere.” It was the truth, as far as any of them knew. Hyunjin chose that moment to interject herself into the conversation. “You two!” She pointed at Jiwoo and Sooyoung. “Where did you go off to? We’re here, investigating a possible explosion and you’re off, what, making out?”

Sooyoung shrugged. “We had something to discuss.” And she left it at that. Hyunjin didn’t seem terribly satisfied with that answer, but she let it drop.

Jungeun looked around at the assembled Loona girls. “Explosion? What is she talking about?” Oh, that’s right. Jungeun hadn’t been around to witness it. Yeojin chimed in helpfully, “We thought we heard an explosion and we came out here. It turns out it was just a prank noise box. We were asking Choerry about it…”

Choerry raised her hands. “Hey, don’t look at me! I didn’t have anything to do with this!” Hyunjin shoved the box in her direction. “But your name is written on this thing. The only thing I don’t understand is why?”

Choerry shrugged. “I have no earthly idea. Trust me, I’m curious too. Also, I don’t pull pranks unless they have a point. This seems pretty pointless to me.”

Heejin piped up. “Unless the point was to get us out here, and there’s a bigger prank waiting inside the lair.” Hyunjin whispered, just loud enough for Yeojin to hear, “And I thought we agreed on calling it the Moon Cave?” Heejin smiled. “That’s so lame! We’re not superheroes...or bats. Except for Choerry, I guess.”

Jungeun shook her head. “Well, speculation is useless. We should all go back in there and discuss this like normal human beings.” Haseul nodded. “That seems rational.”

Jungeun tapped the porthole three times with the tip of her wand. As soon as the hole was large enough to enter, she stepped through. As soon as she did, she let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream.

Haseul and Yeojin rushed in after her, worried that there might be danger present in the room. The hangout spot was suddenly dark. All the lights had been extinguished in their absence, but Jungeun’s night vision was clearly good enough to work in total darkness. Probably a side-effect of her Animagus form. She had her hand over and she was starting to hyperventilate. Yeojin felt her heart drop into her stomach. She had never seen Jungeun like this. What was getting her so rattled?

Yeojin looked up at her and asked, “Jungeun, what’s wrong? What do you see?” The older girl didn’t answer. She just held up one shaking finger and pointed at the far wall.

Yeojin shook her head and pulled her wand out. She tapped it against the back of her hand and whispered, “Lumos.” The tip of her wand was suddenly suffused with light. Very handy tool in a world without flashlights.

She held the wand up so she could see the far wall, and what she saw chilled her down to her very bones. “Oh my god.”

Jungeun’s pet owl, Artemis was right there. She was pinned against the wall, arms spread and feathers bloody. Her eyes were missing. The animal had clearly been dead for at least a day, judging by the smell the corpse was starting to exude. Worse than this, if that were even possible, were the words written above the owl’s body, in crimson blood.

WHO’S NEXT GIRL?