"So you let it escape." Eunhee flinched when her father's palm hit the polished surface of his desk. While his stern face betrayed no emotion, his almond shaped eyes - so similar to hers - held rage. "I'm disappointed. In both of you."

It always made her feel small when he used that tone, the one reserved for defiant children and general failure. She had heard it quite often throughout her life. Getting lectured was something she hated and usually, she would give a snarky retort - but when it came to her father, she didn't even dare to make eye contact when he was angry, much less talk back. Lowering her head, her eyes fell on Kai's hands in his lap, almost hidden beneath the desk. Although he seemed unfazed by the lecture, his fingers were twiddling with the seam of his shirt.

"It had a lot of potential; it would have given us an incredible advantage if tamed and trained right."

Something pinched uncomfortably in Eunhee's stomach at the choice of words but her gaze remained fixed on the desk while Kai's hands clenched into fists, knuckles turning white. "Excuse me for speaking up, Sir, but Suho is not an animal." His voice was just as calm as the older male's, maybe a hint colder.

Her stomach pinched once again. It was dangerous to challenge the CEO of Aegis and the thought of Kai getting in trouble made her shift uncomfortably on her chair. Her father could get quite creative when it came to punishing his employees.

Silence answered Kai before the man in front of them chuckled. "And yet it behaves like one. So tell me, Kim Jongin, what distinguishes Suho from a mere animal?"

Kai's face darkened, his aloof expression getting replaced by anger. "Sir, with all due respect, but you calling it an animal insults me as a Being of the same kind."

Eunhee tensed even more at his disrespectful tone but it didn't come as a surprise. It was widely known that his species was proud, incredibly so; most of them downright arrogant – and Kai was a great example. For a split second, she wondered if the same applied to Suho even though it was hard to imagine.

"Well, that should make you think, shouldn't it?" her father said, his voice laced with venom. He didn't give Kai the chance to reply. "To me, all Beings that prey on Humans are animals that need to be put down. Every single one of you." He chuckled again and Eunhee flinched when Kai's aura flared up at the sound. "But fortunately, some are just civilized enough to be of good use; wouldn't you agree, Mr. Kim?"

"That god damn rotten bastard!" The dull sound of Kai's fist slamming against the concrete wall rang through the empty corridor. The sun was peeking through the clouds outside the windows, a stark contrast to the atmosphere inside. "Talking like he's almighty. I'd love to see his face once I rip open his chest. I'd make him beg for his worthless death. And you." He turned towards Eunhee who had silently watched his outburst from a few feet away. His blazing purple eyes nailed her to the floor. "Thanks for nothing, partner."

His words felt like a slap to the face and she bit her lip. It was hard not to stutter. "I'm sorry, Kai, really. I should've said somethi-"

"Damn right, you should have!" His voice grew even louder and she hunched her shoulders when he took a step towards her. She knew he wouldn't hurt her but his rage was intimidating nonetheless. "He didn't just insult me but also all of your oh-so-precious friends, and you just sat there, taking it!" Hanging her head low, she could feel tears gathering in her eyes and quickly tried to swallow them. "But of course, you can't say anything; you are daddies most prized possession after all. No wonder Kris wants you dead."

Eunhee's heart clenched before it got torn apart, piece by piece. Her head was empty, devoid of any coherent thoughts. She didn't notice as her nails dug into the palms of her hands. Silence hung heavily between them; silence and the awareness that he had just crossed a glaring red line.

After a drawn-out pause, Kai was the first to break it. "I'm..." His moment of hesitation made everything even worse. "I was mad and I just..." Instead of finishing his sentence, he reached out, trying to touch Eunhee's shoulder but she took a step back, tears already running down her cheeks. His eyes widened at the rare sight. "Don't cry, Jiho, please! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean-"

She didn't want to hear the rest. The echo of her quick footsteps drowned out his voice behind her.

Her bed was once again her safe haven, now that Suho was gone, but it couldn't dull the burning pain in her chest. With empty eyes, she stared at the reflections in the window. It was bright and sunny outside, the rain clouds had completely dispersed. She wished for a thunderstorm. Or at least for the rain to return; it would fit her mood so much better. Turning her back towards the sun-flooded room, she used her blanket to hide from the world.

It hurt. And she couldn't even blame Kai for what he had said; he was completely right after all. She was the prized possession of her father; not because he loved her but because she had inherited her mother's ability - which kept his business running.

Maybe there was love, somewhere deep down at the bottom of his heart, but she couldn't remember the time he had last acted like an actual father instead of acting like her boss. He had loved her mother though, deeply, and that thought was usually enough for Eunhee to comply with his demands. She wanted the company to prosper even if she didn't agree with some of the decisions he made; it was important to her since Aegis had been founded by her late mother 25 years ago. And she liked the basic premise behind it: Protecting Humans from Beings that actively sought to hurt or kill them. As simple as that.

Over the years, more and more people had joined - Humans and not-quite-Humans - and it had grown to dimensions nobody could have predicted. Of course, it wasn't the only business of its type and the competition for government-issued missions was strong but Eunhee's father was currently the head of one of the fastest growing privately owned Human Protection Organisations in South Korea.

Eunhee rubbed her tear-stained cheeks, wild thoughts slowly clearing up a little. Her eyes fell on the smartphone next to her on the mattress. Kai had called earlier to apologize once again which was completely out of character for him. Since pride was one of the defining features of his race, she could count the times he had apologized to her during the twelve years they had known each other on one hand. Of course, she had accepted the apology - but it didn't change the fact that his words had shaken her. She knew that Kris wanted her dead, obviously, but it was something she deliberately pushed as far away from her as possible. From all Humans and Beings that wanted to kill her, he had come the closest to actually succeeding. Not only by harming her physically but also by crushing her spirit.

Her fingertips found the deep scar that ran from her left temple to her jaw, ending just below her left ear. It tingled at the touch and a shuddering breath left her lips. While her body had recovered and grown stronger, her soul was still struggling with the aftermath even though it had happened almost six years ago.

Reminiscing also brought more questions. Questions she didn't want to ponder. Her ability was feared and therefore hated by many since she had the power to subdue and control them. And sometimes, in her darkest moments, she wondered: Did the people she worked with feel the same way?

Most of them had joined out of their own free will, but some - like Luhan and D.O - hadn't had much choice in the matter. And the spectre from earlier would undoubtedly share their fate. The thought that there might be someone in her unit - the people she had to rely on and who relied on her - who secretly hated her was devastating. Who wanted to harm her. Who wanted to kill her, just like Kris.

Once again she tried to push those concerns away but they were stuck and clawed through her chest. It hurt.

It hurt because she wanted to trust them. She wanted to be friends with all of them and laugh and joke around just like friends were supposed to. But she had made the experience - over and over again - that trusting others would end badly.

And although she had known them for years and would give up her life for them in a heartbeat, sometimes there was this little voice in the back of her head that whispered about how even Kai, Lay and Xiumin would betray her in the end.

She hated herself for doubting them.

Eunhee buried her face even deeper in the blanket. The bedsheets soaked up her tears.

* * *

"Jiho! Jiho, where are you?"

The skinny girl with pigtails buried her face even deeper in her arms and ignored the voice that was getting closer. She knew he would find her - he knew all her hiding spots - but as long as it was Yifan, she was okay with it. Unless Kai was with him.

A shadow fell over her, blocking the sun, but she didn't look up. He always found her, it was almost magical.

"Found you." His high voice wavered a little at the end. It happened quite frequently lately but he had said that it was normal for boys his age when she had asked him about it. Nimble fingers began to lightly tug at one of her long, black braids. "Are you mad?"

"No." Even to her own ears, her high-pitched voice sounded angry. A small pause followed.

"Did Kai do something again?"

She could feel him sitting down next to her, his strange aura oddly comforting. With a huff, she finally lifted her head, round cheeks tinted red and eyes blazing. "He said I'm annoying and he would eat me if I don't shut up! And he said I'll never get married if I keep being stubborn." The last words were a mere whisper.

The corners of Yifan's mouth twitched but he hastily tried to suppress his smile when he noticed her frown deepening. "I think you're fine the way you are. And don't worry," he wrapped a bony arm around her shoulders, "if you don't find anyone else, I'll marry you. Promise."

Jiho examined him for a moment. He was tall for a twelve-year-old – almost thirteen, as he liked to point out - his limbs long and gangly, stuck in the awkward phase between childhood and puberty. His face was adorned with the first pimples, one on his cheek and one on his chin, while his dark hair had been cut in an unflattering bowl shape. He wasn't the prettiest boy around - and nothing compared to Kai if she had to be completely honest - but he was her first friend and always comforted her when she was upset. Also, he had shared his lunch with her yesterday.

A soft blush began to creep over her face when she shot him a bright smile before she s an arm around his skinny waist. "You better keep that promise, Yifan."

Jiho watched wide-eyed as Yifan conjured another small fireball between his fingers and let it join the ones that were already dancing around them. "Woah, you've gotten so much better!"

The boy visibly enjoyed the praise, pink dusting his cheeks. He waved his hands to make the orbs twirl even faster and Jiho's eyes lit up at the pretty sight. "I've practised a lot," he said with a grin, the flames reacting to the sound of his voice. He moved his hands once again and one of the orbs stopped in front of Jiho's face. The heat it radiated was more intense than she had expected and she felt the sudden urge to touch it. Deciding that it probably wasn't the best idea, she blew on it instead and the small flame vanished.

The discoloured concrete of the middle school rooftop felt warm against her back when she stretched out. White, fluffy clouds were dotting the the blue autumn sky. She followed them with her eyes and mused, "I wish I was a mutant, too. You can do so much cool stuff. Maybe one day I'll get implants and if dad says no, I'll just get them anyway."

Yifan shuffled a bit closer and leaned over her while his fireballs fizzled out. "Eh, but it's dangerous and you're pretty cool already, you know. Not everyone can talk to ghosts and feel auras."

Eunhee frowned, her expression glum. "But that's no fun. You can't do anything with it." Her face brightened while she traced a cloud with her index finger. "If I could control fire, I'd burn holes in all of Kai's clothes."

Yifan laughed but choked on it when someone spoke behind them. "Thanks for the heads-up, missy."

Jiho froze at the unexpected voice before she sat up quickly and turned around, a stubborn glint in her eyes. "How did you find me?"

Kai's tall figure towered over the two children, his full lips pulled into a lopsided smirk. "You think I can't even find a human brat? What do you take me for?" he drawled.

"Are you just here to make fun of me again?"

Kai raised an eyebrow at her annoyed tone, face indifferent. "Of course." A grin flashed over his face at the curse word she spat at him. "That's not very ladylike; what's cute little Yifan here going to think of you, hm?"

The boy in question awkwardly scratched his nape while Jiho immediately flushed. Her hands balled into fists. "Go away, Kai!"

"No can do. I need to fulfil my bodyguard duties which entail getting on your nerves," the Being said before he plopped down between them. Jiho looked everything but happy, a deep scowl adorning her face. Turning towards Yifan, Kai ruffled the boy's hair. "Wanna train some more later?"

"Sorry, I have a club meeting today."

Kai smiled at Yifan's gloomy expression until Jiho tugged at his shirt. "I want to train!"

He raised an eyebrow, the gesture alone enough to make her blood boil. "I'm your bodyguard, not your babysitter."

Flushing even brighter, she attempted to punch his chest but he blocked her hand and kept holding it while she struggled to break free. "Let go! You're so unfair! Why can Yifan train with you and I can't?" she fumed. "And I'm not a baby, you !"

Kai completely ignored the last part, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched her. "He has an ability he needs to train."

"I have abilities too! Kai, stop it!" He finally let go and the girl rubbed her bony wrist with a glare.

"Yeah, bu