Checking her agenda, the girl remembered she had lessons that day. She snorted and lazily padded to her kitchen, where she put together all the edible food she had at home to create something that could at least resemble a lunch. She absolutely had to go buy some groceries, her smart fridge was about to scream at her because of the total lack of food.

She dressed with no attention, freshened up, and washed her face thrice to shoo away all the marks the nightmares had left on her face, in her eyes – she didn't quite feel like putting make-up on. Before going out, Yixing grabbed her phone and some notebooks, putting them into a backpack. Also, she spared a quick glance to the water basin, and she sighed in relief upon noticing it was finally full. It was strange: feeling relieved about something that actually reminded her of the failure of the plan wasn't exactly what she had expected from that "day after".

Just a few seconds more and Yixing was already on her way to University, walking with her head hanging low while listening to music with her nearly invisible wireless headphones. She walked to the first bus station and then waited for the magnetic-levitating vehicle to arrive, still half asleep. The people around her seemed so unaware of everything surrounding them, more concentrated on their busy schedules and on letting the Algorithm show them the way rather than finding a way all by themselves. It could be that they liked how life seemed to drag along without much effort from them.

During lunchtime, Yixing started reading the second book she had borrowed from the library, and she got so into it that she didn't even notice some boys approaching her, until one of them spoke, his voice too close to her ear.

“Complicated read, isn't it?” the girl almost jumped in her seat.

With the corner of her eye, she managed to recognise a cappuccino-coloured skin and blond hair with a left side cut. The girl cursed mentally: she had been lucky he was her friend, but her level of inattentiveness was too high and she definitely had to be more alert if she didn’t want to be caught – or worse.

“Y-yeah-”

“Why are you reading this stuff, Lay? I didn't know you were into Government,” he casually said while plopping down on a chair in front of Yixing, his dark eyes staring at the girl.

“Kai, really. You know I'm interested in whatever can amplify my knowledge.”

“Isn't this too complicated anyway? Calculations and formulas... This is not what we're studying for.”

Kai wasn't the smartest guy ever, but he was certainly cunning and intuitive, and that discussion had the power to spark in Yixing some sort of reckless confidence. The best part of her friend was that, despite everything, he was open-minded and always ready to bear with her nonsense. She decided to test her friend's opinions and ideas, since he could be considered as an average inhabitant of the Capitol: young and careless, and somehow so full of hopes and great expectations.

“You're right, I hate mathematics in all its forms. But you know what? Mathematics rules our lives through the Algorithm, whether we like it or not. So being at least conscious of what it is all about might help.”

“If you think so... I just make sure the Algorithm does what it's supposed to do, and every day I'm not disappointed,” he concluded with a shoulders lift.

“Have you heard about yesterday's attack on the sewers?”

Kai looked at her with a quizzical expression for a few seconds before lightening up: “Yeah, heard about it, why? That's nothing new, honestly.”

“You think all these protests and attacks have a reason to exist? I mean, why trying to destroy an established system that seems to be working perfectly?”

“Dunno. I think whoever is into those groups has a reason to do what they do, and not because the Algorithm allowed them to. No. If they fight for it, maybe it means they have found a truth that's higher and more powerful than the one we're living in at the moment. And if it's like that, I'd pay everything to know what goes on in their minds...”

“Who knows!” Yixing concluded, a bit taken aback and somehow frightened by her friend's reasoning yet smiling; she closed the book she had kept open on the phone in front of her.

“But, if anything, I still don’t think their way of acting was correct. It could have caused more damages than benefits to all of us.”

That little confrontation made her finally decide she had to get a hold of all the algorithm stuff and using it to support the movement. They did in fact hold a higher truth, a truth that not many were ready to face but that could have enlightened the whole world if made public. And to do so, the movement needed to defeat the Algorithm first, possibly without causing any other major casualty.

“You know, Lay, sometimes going against the flow isn't that bad. What if the Algorithm itself is trying to end its own ruling?”

Yixing looked at her friend with an astonished expression. She saw a glint in his eyes: maybe Kai wasn't that dumb, after all. He could have also understood her real intentions; that idea alone thrilled and frightened her again at the same time, but also gave her more determination to immerse herself in the new book and get to know all she could about how the Algorithm worked.

It took her two days to finally get to the end of "The Master of Algorithm": written many years before, in the book the author depicted a future that sounded exactly what they were living in; in a way, it kind of foresaw what was about to happen. Or better, it was just logical that what the author had put down in that book had come true. Apart from the chapters where it went deep into theoretical discussions – even though the language still remained simple and understandable, the book talked about a future hypothetical algorithm able to learn from its own mistakes, and therefore get better day by day. That algorithm could be able to act and command all types of machinery as if it was a real human being because, by improving itself, it also learned how the world and the human beings living on it worked and evolved. It could also gather information and data from every single device and every tiny corner of the world wide web.

It was something that, to Yixing, sounded normal, an everyday fact no one could be surprised of, but she wondered how revolutionary it might have looked to those who had lived in the past. No one at that time could have thought that an algorithm would have been able to govern every living soul.

But if the Algorithm was indeed able to learn from its errors, then it was practically obvious that it had already found a solution to stop Yixing and her companions, especially because some of them had been captured. Surely now the Algorithm knew about the tattoo, and probably what it was about as well. And that scared her.

All her worries became reality on the same day she had managed to finish the book. She found a handwritten letter in her inbox after coming back from University. She knew that calligraphy way too well: it was Kris'. Yixing spent not even a second before running up the staircase and entering her flat after unlocking it. Once inside her house, she tore apart the envelope and anxiously read through the messy lines on the paper, her breath becoming shallow and more frequent.

Our safe place has been compromised. Same hour, same day, different place.

Nothing more and nothing less, except the new address of the meeting point written at the bottom of the paper. But that didn't reassure Yixing, not even a bit. Their safe place was their home, where they had engraved all their memories and discussions, projected plans and reunions. It was the place where she had felt, for the very first time in her life, completely free to be herself. It was everything, but most importantly it was Kris' house. If the safe place had been discovered, then where was Kris living at the moment? Yixing knew he had no relatives living nearby and that he couldn't stay at anyone's because otherwise all the secrecy of the Philosophical Movement would have disappeared. She read the letter twice before setting it on fire with her lighter. She watched the paper burn while printing the new address in her mind, making sure to not forget it. Then, Yixing looked at the calendar that hanged on the wall of the little kitchen. It was Thursday, and their usual meeting day was Friday. Just one more day and she would have been reunited with her companions.

There were too many things piling up in her brain at that point, and the girl wasn't sure what to do next. She had found out a weakness and a strength of the Algorithm, but even though those would have helped Kris and the other dissidents out, she had a sensation that she would have had better keep them to herself. Or at least, just informing Kris would have been enough for the time being.

Yixing spent the entire evening thinking about what to do, but when she fell asleep, she still hadn't any resolution. Again, nightmares about her future invaded her night, leaving the girl tired and sleepy, afraid of what surrounded her. All her fears crowded into those nightmarish images that were longing in her brain long after she had opened her eyes. Waking up was, to Yixing, a relief, a blessing, and even going to University was welcomed as a nice way to survive. However, since the thing she was looking forward to the most was meeting with her fellows, the day seemed to never pass.

She spent every second of each lesson not paying attention to what the professors were saying, each and every word entering one ear and exiting from the other one after a split second. Too many things were running inside her head, keeping her focus away from the lesson and the life that was around her; she couldn't help but think about what could have happened at their next meeting, about how was Kris doing all by himself, about what she should have – or shouldn't have – said once the reunion would have started. Nothing her professors were saying could have been more important than pursuing the one and only ideal she had at that moment.

Every hour dragged on so slowly and Yixing felt like that day was getting more similar to a torture than to a normal day at University. She couldn't wait any longer, so – obviously – the clock ticked away the seconds more lazily than usual. More than once she found herself snorting and rolling her eyes, gnawing at the inside of her cheek and nervously tapping her fingers on the desk, her short, lacquered nails producing a constant noise.

After what seemed an eternity to the girl, she finally was able to get home, get changed and – after a quick snack to reintegrate the energy lost because of the stress – leave her house again. Yixing tapped twice lightly on her headphones and looked around a couple of times before hunching her shoulders and lowering her head, her body hid under a black hoodie and some mimetic trousers. Without even lifting her head, she proceeded until reaching the bus stop, where she waited no more than a minute. She was so caught up in her own world that she barely noticed the bus arriving – and the fact that it didn't emit any sound didn't help at all.

Getting on the floating vehicle, the girl mentally revisited the itinerary she was supposed to follow to get to the new safe place: Yixing kind of knew that part of the city, but she had rarely been there, as it was mostly inhabited by rich people. It was one of those blocks where the houses looked more like castles, and where a lot of people had built their "holiday house". C Area developed exactly where the city gently faded into the countryside, and the air was fresher, the sky (whose sight wasn't blocked by skyscrapers) was bluer. When Yixing had read the address, she had been a bit confused about it – but in reality, she still was in that exact moment when she got off the bus to walk until her destination. She trusted Kris, though, and she was sure that if the boy had chosen that place, there surely must have been a reason behind it.

Yixing breathed in, filling her lungs up with the fresh air coming from the countryside, and smiled. Not that the air in the city wasn't clean (after all, the air pollution had dramatically dropped over the last decades thanks to the new environmental policies introduced), but it had a different smell; this one smelled like flowers, rain, and nature, while in the Capitol it smelled like... Nothing. It was aseptic.

She sent a suspicious glare around and, even though there was no one on the deserted and peaceful streets, she kept walking nervously, as if she had something to hide – which was partly true. The place was so different from what she was used to that she just couldn't let herself feel at ease. It was late afternoon, and the sun was starting to go down in the sky, although a few hours were left before twilight.

Yixing took out from her pocket a map of the city she had printed down years before, and she looked for the address that Kris had written in the letter. After a couple of turns, the girl found herself alone in the middle of nothing: on her left, there was a little forest made of pine trees, while on the right there was a rye field so extended that she couldn't exactly tell where it ended. At the end of the asphalted venue she was walking through, stood a house that reminded Yixing of a barn. It was a white two-storey house, with green, little and lovely windows on each side. The place looked well-kept and rich but still not too luxurious.

The girl went on walking until she reached the front door, where a bronze door knocker seemed to be inviting her to knock. Hesitantly, she reached for the metallic ring and with a slight movement of her hand banged it against the door. She stood there, unmoved, for a couple of seconds, already wondering if that was the right place. The waiting didn't last too long, though, as the door opened after a bit and Kris invited her inside.

“I was afraid you couldn't get here, Yixing. But I'm happy you've arrived,” he said while smiling, a small smile which meant everything and nothing at the same time.

Yixing followed the boy inside, even more confused than before. Kris seemed accustomed to living there, and the girl asked herself if that wasn't, by any chance, his parents' house. The girl had so many questions she wanted to ask, but as soon as she laid her eyes on the boy's back, she instantly felt more protected and at home than she had ever felt in her life.

After a long hallway filled with paintings and three closed doors, Kris halted and let her enter a big and bright room, with a round wooden table in the middle. There also was a pretty chandelier hanging from the ceiling, while the windows were all adorned with white curtains which gave the place a delicate and elegant vibe.

Once inside, the girl noticed the room wasn't only filled up with her mates, but also with furniture: cupboards and chairs seemed to come from a past epoch. It looked totally different from the old safe place, a small cellar with just three rooms. The splendour contrasted with the simplicity of Kris’ house, almost empty and essential. Here the light entered from everywhere, and the chandelier made the place even more enlightened, while in their old place the only light they could see came from a couple of old streetlamps. This one was a manor, the other one was like a nest.

Everyone welcomed Yixing. There were more or less 50 people in there, and she felt relieved to see that nearly no one was missing. They were all standing around the big table, crowding the place, and Yixing guessed they were all waiting for Kris to announce their next move.

“I think we're all here, so we can start. All those who have placed the bombs couldn't come, obviously, or else this place wouldn't have been safe anymore – they’re still being kept under control. Also, I've received a couple of letters from other companions who couldn't make it today. But I'm happy to see that the majority of us is here, together,” Kris' voice was calm and firm as usual, but Yixing could tell he was touched by all that loyalty towards him. The boy wasn't an expansive person, and therefore barely expressed his emotions out loud, but those who had been with him for a long time – like her – could understand what was going through his mind.

“I've been thinking about what to tell you all. Our plan failed, and some of our friends got captured.”

“Our friends? I reckoned only one got arrested...” she whispered, recalling what her parents had told her.

“No, eight,” replied softly a voice near her, catching her off guard.

Kris had kept on talking all that time, “Our mission has been somehow compromised, and I feel like I'm the one who has to take the blame. I thought about it-” he paused a bit running a hand through his brown hair while some disappointed whispers arose from the audience “and I realised there were a lot of lacks in my plan. I took for granted that nothing could go wrong and so it went wrong.

We need a new plan, but I also think we need a new perspective, a new method. That's why this time we'll all cooperate to create a new plan, I'd like each one of you to give ideas. Last time I was the one who presented the plan I had created all by myself – except for some help from you to perfect it – without even asking y'all if you had any better ideas or objections; and it didn't go well. I haven't thought about everything, just because no human being can process all the variables by themselves. For this reason, I won't be alone as a leader, too.”

Everyone looked at one another with shocked expressions. That had completely come out of the blue, Kris had always been the founder of the movement – and thus its leader. No one had ever complained about it, so there was no point in electing a co-leader.

“Sehun will be my vice.”

The news fell on Yixing like a heavy sword and made her falter a bit. Of all the people there, why did it have to be Sehun? What virtues did that boy have that could make him a perfect leader? The girl fought with herself not to let her surprise and disappointment show.

“Sehun, would you like to give us a word?”

Said boy moved a bit, looking uncomfortable. He neared Kris, cleared his throat with a light cough, and fixed his short black hair before speaking. All the while, his face remained impassible. As opposed to Kris, Sehun was totally intelligible to the others: not only his expression was blunt all the time, but also his voice never faltered, never had any kind of inflection that could lead Yixing to any interpretation of what he really wanted to say.

“Uhm- well, I am flattered and honoured and I hope I'll be able to be at least a decent leader. I really don't know why Kris thinks I am the most qualified for this role… but I'll do my best. And I hope y'all gonna accept me as one of your guides from now on.”

Yixing, too, really wanted to know why Kris had thought about him as a leader, and she would have asked that if it wasn't that she didn't feel like openly displaying her dislike towards Sehun. Although it was common knowledge that she despised him, strongly opposing to her new leader sounded too much. She had already abandoned the idea of getting a hold of Kris' decision when she saw a hand being raised. It was Jia's.

“I'm sorry, I know I'm probably the newest member here, but... Why Sehun?”

Kris fatherly smiled at her before looking at Sehun, who didn't say a word. “Because if it hadn't been for him, now we wouldn't be here.”

Everyone – Yixing included – seemed to be even more confused than before, and no one tried to hide it. The girl was pretty sure Sehun didn't save her back then. So, what was Kris talking about?

“This house is his parents' house. He chose to let us meet here without caring about the possibility of his father finding this out. Also, this place is completely out of the Algorithm’s reach, as there are no cameras around here, and all the public transportations stop half a kilometre from here. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have had a place to stay at, and we couldn't have arranged this meeting. Also, I trust him to be one of the most qualified for being a leader, since he's probably been one of the firsts to join me.”

Yixing remained silent as she took in all that Kris had just said. She had never imagined Sehun's parents to be that rich; yes, judging from how he was always dressed and how he behaved, she had imagined he was from a good family who had spoiled him during his childhood, but she had never thought he could be the son of such a wealthy family. That at least explained a lot of things about the boy. Comparing his features with the house they were in, now she could see some funny resemblances: his lean figure matched with the simple outline of the place, while his facial traits had always had some elegant and well-kept vibes that went well with the peculiar style of that house.

“Is there any other question about this matter before we start?”

Everyone shook their head, and the meeting went on. They discussed what they thought had gone wrong with their previous plan and, after having written it all down, they proceeded with finding a possible solution to prevent the new plan from failing once more. After two hours of intense discussions with no real result, Kris called it quit, thanking them all for their collaboration that he defined as "vital".

“Before you go, though, I'd like to tell you something else. I know this place is a bit complicated to reach for most of you. So Sehun and I thought, those who want can move in here…”

“This house has at least 4 spare rooms, my family bought it to spend the holidays together with all my relatives. There's plenty of free space, too, we could make the best use of with sleeping bags and whatnots. There's no rush, feel free to let me know what you've decided as soon as you have made a decision.”

“But- didn't you say there's the risk your father might find this out?” asked Chanyeol, clearly indecisive about what could have been the best option for his family.

“Well... As I said, this is a holiday house. And generally, my parents don't go on holidays if not during the summer, when the weather's hot. There are still a few months to go.”

“What if we needed more than a couple of months?”

“I've already planned an alternative holiday abroad for them. You don't have to worry about it, it's my duty to take care of this.”

Chanyeol nodded, and the meeting finally ended. Yixing saw some people stopping Sehun in his tracks while they all exited the room, probably to ask him if they could move in.

“See you next week. Same place, same day and same hour,” said Kris to those who were leaving. It was already a bit dark outside; the sun had just set and the twilight was covering everything with its shady colours and light fog.

When she had made sure no one but Kris was there anymore, Yixing approached the leader to tell him about her discoveries and other stuff.

“Kris!” the boy got surprised by her voice, his body tensing up before recognising her.

“Yixing, you're still here…”

“Can I talk to you?”

“Sure, you can. What's up?” he flashed her one of his warm smiles, even though she saw some traces of tiredness in it.

“I-” Yixing glanced around but she saw no Sehun nearby, “I've made some research lately. You know, after the plan failed.”

“What kind of research?” one of his eyebrows cocked up and he got more interested in what the girl was about to tell him.

“About the Algorithm. And about algorithms in general. I think- I think I got to understand more how it works and I think I may have found a weakness, a breach in its mechanism.”

“Really? Why didn't you say this when we were all here?”

“I'm not sure. I don't want to expose myself if I'm not sure that what I'm saying is correct and useful.”

“It's not like we are experts here. And as I said, this time I want you all to actively participate. So- go on, tell me what you found out. I mean, it could always be useful,” Kris said with a reassuring smile while putting a hand on the girl's shoulder to encourage her.

Yixing blushed a little, “Well, apparently an algorithm is just a series of calculations, each one processed in a precise order, one by one. The point is: how many calculations can the Algorithm process per second? Per hour? If we managed to keep it busy long enough to let us act without being noticed, then our plan might be successful.”

The leader never stopped nodding all the while. “That sounds pretty interesting. It could be a nice start to project a new mission. At least now we know there's a slight possibility to beat the Algorithm,” Kris seemed proud of what Yixing was telling him, and the girl couldn't do anything else but blush even more.

“Y-yes, but we have no certainty that there's a limit to the number of calculations the Algorithm can process. If it's- if it turned out to be true that it can evolve and get better by experiencing failure and success, just like a real human being-”

“Then it might be able to process an enormous amount of calculations by now.”

Sehun's voice came from the hallway cutting off her sentence and thus startling her, but the boy was still immersed in the darkness. Yixing turned towards the direction the voice had come from, waiting for him to reveal himself. She didn't really want to face him at that moment, but after all that was his house and she couldn't tell him to go away.

“Yes, exactly. That's where my research has brought me to so far…”

“Your idea isn't that bad, Yixing. Even if it has some lacks here and there, at the moment it’s the best we have. You've already done so much, no need to stress over it too much,” Kris said while winking at Yixing “Right, Sehun?”

“Yeah,” only then said boy entered the room, his face finally visible. Yixing noticed how different he looked. So much more at ease and... fierce.

“Ehm. Ok then,” Yixing said after a few seconds of awkward silence (in which she might have stared too intensely at Sehun), “I'll go now. Goodnight!”

“G’night,” said Sehun with his plain voice and expression.

“Yixing, before you go!” Kris nearly shouted, making her turn around, “Remember to tell us if you want to move in here. You're probably the one who lives the farthest and you also live on your own. This could be a nice solution...”

“I- I don't know, I'll give it a thought. This place is far away from Uni, to be honest, and that would cause me some troubles. But thanks for worrying.”

“Do as you wish, goodnight,” replied Kris, waving and smiling at her while she left the place.

Outside the night was starry, no moon in the sky. There was a light breeze that smelled of freshly cut grass and peace, and there was no noise whatsoever except for the owls singing in the distance. She closed her eyes and enjoyed that blissful moment, knowing that the city would have welcomed her again with trafficked streets and skyscrapers. She was just about to plug her earphones in when she heard a honk and saw a car approaching her. The driver rolled down the window and the girl shivered a bit.

“Hey, Yixing, need a lift?”

“Oh my God! Chanyeol you scared me! Yes, thank you, I'd really love it if you could give me one,” Yixing said without breathing, but still relieved.

“Get in, then!” Chanyeol opened the passenger door with one of his creepy smiles and waited for the girl to be seated before starting the car.

“I thought you had left!” Yixing said after a bit, not knowing what to say.

“Yes. I mean, no, I stayed here a bit longer, I had to call Baek first to let him know the meeting was over.”

“Speaking of Baek… why wasn't he here with you? Is Chaera sick?”

“No, she's fine. It's just...” The boy left his sentence hanging and looked right in front of himself tightening the grip on the steering wheel.

“What happened?”

“Yixing, promise me you won't tell anyone. It's something Baek and I are still discussing.”

“Yes, obviously, I'll keep it secret if that's what you want.”

“Thank you.”

Chanyeol let out a shaky breath and Yixing knew it was going to be a very complicated trip. That prelude had gotten her all concerned, and she didn't know if she wanted to hear the rest.

“I asked Baekhyun to leave the movement,” he blurted it in one go, quickly, so quickly that Yixing barely managed to understand what he had said, and for a second she hoped she hadn't heard it right.

“I'm sorry I think I haven't under-”

“Yes, you did, Yixing,” Chanyeol said cutting her off.

“What?! Why?” her voice came out a bit squeaky, the confession had the power to knock the breath out of the girl, and she felt like a wave of panic surging inside her. She had never thought about one of her closest friends leaving the group. Leaving her.

“You know, Chaera's still a baby. And both Baekhyun's parents and mine don't know a thing about this – obviously. We can't leave Chaera all by herself; even if our parents would take care of her, I-I think she deserves to have someone who can tell her what really happened. Why I won't be there anymore.”

Chanyeol paused a bit to regain his breath as he took a casual turn. Then he pressed a couple of buttons on the instrumental panel of the car and turned towards Yixing, lifting both his hands from the steering wheel while relaxing his back against the seat. He passed one of his big hands over his face and then through his lilac-dyed hair.

“When we came home after the failed mission, she hugged us and she looked so scared as if she had sensed that something was about to happen…”

“Do you think she understood how extreme that situation was?” Yixing was genuinely worried about her friend's family.

“I-I don't know? She's only four but she is really smart, and it never once occurred to us that she might have suffered so much for our death.”

“Why don't you both just leave, then?”

“We have given so much to the cause, we don't want to throw it all away now. Baek's the most emotional between us-”

“Yes, he is, such a drama queen!” Yixing interrupted, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

Chanyeol softly giggled. “He cried a lot when Chaera hugged him. And that's when I've decided it'd have been better if he had backed out.”

“That's- that's touching. And you're really sweet, you're basically sacrificing yourself to protect the ones you love!”

“Aren't we all doing that? Isn't this the reason why most of us have joined Kris?” his tone softened.

The girl didn't reply. Chanyeol was right, in a way everyone who had joined Kris' cause had done it to protect their loved ones or to make the world a better place for them or their descendants. That too meant sacrificing their own life for the others.

“This is something we all had seen coming. We knew what would have happened in the end, it's not like we were forced into it. It’s just that we hadn’t realised what that really meant until the other day. We had completely neglected some side effects of this all.”

“Did- did Baekhyun accept your suggestion?”

“Obviously not. He feels like he's cheating on us, you know. He nearly threw a fist for this,” he chuckled and shook his head.

Once again, Yixing kept quiet for a while. The trip was about to end, Chanyeol would have left her a few blocks away from her home to not alert the Algorithm's mechanism.

“Do you plan to move into our new safe place?”

“Don't think so. I wanna make the most out of all these last weeks with my family, I'm gonna miss them for sure. And Chaera doesn't need to know that something's going on. I also plan to play this card with Baek about the whole “leaving the group” matter. What about you?”

“I don't know. I live pretty far from that block, and living all by myself makes it even harder to go there as easily as I would like to, that’s true, but-”

“Then why don't you just move in? Is it for the University?”

The girl fidgeted a bit, “A-also that, yes.”

“Yixing, I swear, if it's about that place being Sehun's parents' house, I will strangle you!” Chanyeol said, snorting. It was annoying how everyone could immediately tell what the main cause of her decisions was. But Yixing just blushed while nervously playing with her fringe.

“I'll take your silence as a yes. Yixing, really, I hope you'll get over whatever it is before everything ends. If you were more honest with yourself, you'd understand what you're doing and you might even feel ashamed. Time is running out, girl!”

Yixing looked outside the window, pretending to be counting the stars in the sky. What the older boy had just said reminded her of what Sehun himself had told her that day in the sewer, and she felt a sort of knot in her stomach, which made her clench her chest and wince a bit. She remembered his hurt eyes and her feelings of guilt.

“I am honest, really. I'm sorry I have this awful relationship with him, but I can't do anything about it. It's stronger than me.”

“We all have noticed that, Yixing. I think that house noticed it, too. You practically burn him alive just with your stares. What we don't get is why…”

Yixing remained silent once more, still not daring to look into Chanyeol's direction; the latter just sighed at her stubborn muteness. He tapped once more on the instrumental panel and retook the control of the car. They had entered the most trafficked blocks and using an automatic pilot could have been dangerous.

“You have a looong way to go. Think about what I've said, maybe one day it'll be useful,” Chanyeol practically whispered while slowing the car down until it stopped. They had arrived at their destination.

Yixing recognised the block, not even two kilometres away from her house. She knew very well how to get home from there, and she was happy she had the opportunity to walk a little before going to sleep. She unfastened her belt and opened the door, exiting the vehicle. Once outside, the girl turned around and thanked Chanyeol for the lift. The boy waved at her and smiled one of those creepy but funny smiles of his.

“Goodnight, little unicorn~” he added before Yixing could close the door allowing him to start the car and leave.

Yixing was left alone in the night. She started walking through the lively streets, full of people enjoying their time or just coming back from a tiring day of work. The streetlights were all on, with their whitish light permitting the people to live even without the sun. It was relaxing strolling at that time of the day, for Yixing: it was less chaotic and more soothing, with the obscurity covering everything and an unnatural silence creeping through the loud voices of those who were spending their night out.

Walking alone when it was dark wasn't dangerous, partly thanks to decades of cooperation between the Algorithm system of control and the police, which have been a strong deterrent against the majority of criminal intents. There was no point in running the risk of getting caught and being put into jail if you already knew the ever-present eye of the Algorithm was looking over you, ready to ask the police to intervene. With the passing of the years, the number of brave criminals got drastically reduced, making the world a way safer place.

She took a couple of turns more, thinking about what Chanyeol had told her and about what had happened after the meeting. Chanyeol and Kris were right; she would have had more pros than cons if she had moved into Sehun's house. Thinking about it logically, going to University from C Area wasn't that big of a deal, considering that there were plenty of buses and underground lines connecting that block to the one of her University. Also, no one ever said Sehun had (or would have) transferred in there as well. Yixing exhaled and decided to give herself some time to decide which one would have been the best option for her.

Once home, she just went straight to her bedroom, got changed and ready to go to bed. Too many things had happened in just one day and Yixing felt the need to close her eyes and let her brain put everything into place. And, for the first time in probably years, her sleep was deep and peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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AUTHOR'S CORNER... YAY!

So, I'm sorry it took a bit longer to post this one, but I've been having problems with my internet connections for a week now, and I couldn't really do anything.

This is the second chapter and I don't really know how it's going so far. I'm not exactly proud of the result, but at this point I can't go back! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as usual I'm thankful to everyone who arrived until here. It means a lot to me... being back after so long, with this weird plot is such a rollercoaster, I can't even explain how it feels.

I hope my internet connection comes back quickly, so hopefully I can update this story more regularly (probably around Tuesday-Wednesday every week). Please keep safe everyone during such a complicated and worrisome situation! 

Love you all!