Irene wakes up to the weight of another body pressed against her back— for a moment, her breath hitches in , but then she registers the small arm wrapped around her waist and Irene can’t help but smile. She holds the smaller hand in her own, rubbing gentle circles, as she wonders when the young teleporter appeared in her bed. 

 

“She’s getting better,” Irene smiles to herself, “Or I’m getting too used to it.”

 

It’s still dark outside, but Irene is already wide awake so she slowly slips out of the teenager’s embrace and off her bed. She takes a look at the still sleeping girl, her face peaceful, calm and gentle, and Irene adds, a complete opposite of how she is when fully awake. 

 

Irene gently places a hand on her shoulder, “Yeri, Nayeon and the others are leaving today.” 

 

The girl simply groans in response.

 

“I’ll come get you before they leave.” 

 

Yeri grunts, and Irene has to suppress another smile as she watches Yeri cover her face with the blanket and her breathing evens out once more. 

 

The older girl steps out of her room as quietly as she can, hoping to not disturb any of the other residents and at the same time, basking in the rare silence of their camp a little longer. 

 

“Why do they insist on separate rooms when they end up sleeping in Wendy’s anyway?” Irene sighs, as she shuts the door to Joy’s now empty room as she passes. 

 

Irene takes it slow. Slow is a challenge for someone like her. Her body thrums with energy, obviously irritated at her current pace, but Irene has spent enough years learning to control the primal need to go quickly that she can ignore it. She values each step down the stairs, and when she reaches the bottom, she lets her hands roam the large bulletin board filled with letters and photos from those who are now in other camps, mixed in with news clippings of possible sightings, and a little homemade calendar with a cut-out rocketship on today’s date. In the middle of the board is a group picture, Yeri is still tiny as she hangs off Joy’s back raising a peace sign, Joy has an arm around Wendy’s shoulders, Wendy’s arm is looped with Irene’s and Irene is kissing Seulgi on the cheek, while the latter girl just beams at the contact. 

 

She ignores the way her heart drops to her stomach, a common feeling she gets whenever she spends more than a second looking at the photo, and wills her body forward towards the kitchen. 

 

Who would have thought that an abandoned private airstrip would become a perfect home for superpowered teenagers? Or more specifically, as Joy now puts it, “Superpowered teenagers and their two hags.” and Wendy always retaliates by throwing the closest possible object straight to her girlfriend’s face. 

 

Irene can still clearly remember the moment they found it, the group completely bruised and battered, their friends scattered across Seoul and its surrounding areas, cut off for at least the next couple of weeks. It was already well into the night, and whatever energy and adrenaline they had left was quickly washing away. Their desperation was growing, and sleeping out in the open was nothing but a death wish. 

 

They’ve always been drawn to abandoned places, Irene only has one memory of an actual lived-in house after she was found and even that didn’t last very long either. But Tiffany - one of her mentors and (don’t tell Tiffany this) one of favorite people in the world - always looked on the brighter side of life despite how ty it was. She was the one with the bright smile, the one that constantly reminded them, “Maybe it’s life being ironic. These places are abandoned, and in a way, so are we. But we have each other to make our lives better, and we’ll work together to make even the most abandoned places look and feel like home.”

 

So, when they stumbled upon the abandoned airstrip, they knew that they'd found it - a new place to call home.

 

---

 

“Unnie, look, up ahead!” 

 

The moon shines bright above them, bright enough for Irene to see what Joy was pointing to. It was a stretch of metal fence, but by the way the thick vines have gotten to it, Irene can tell that it’s been a while since someone has last been there. 

 

“What is it?” Yeri asks, as soon as they’re close enough. 

 

Joy shrugs, “Why don’t we find out?” 

 

“Joy, no, it might be a trap.” Irene says, too tired to give her a full lecture on all the reasons why it’s most probably a bad idea.

 

“But unnie, we have to rest somewhere! You have to rest somewhere.” Joy says. And as if to prove her point, Irene’s own legs buckle forward, the only thing stopping her face from hitting the muddy earth is Wendy’s continued grip around her torso. 

 

Irene sighs and looks at Joy, her arm wrapped up in a makeshift sling, then to Yeri, with dried blood on her shoulder and a gash on her cheek, then to Wendy, soot covering her face, a cut on her eyebrow and eyes that scream of guilt.

 

“It’s okay, unnie. Let them take care of it.” Wendy says, fixing her hold on Irene. 

 

Yeri shifts uncomfortably, and she doesn’t even need to explain her concerns before Irene offers advice. “Just picture this exact setting, the ground, the fence, the vines, except without me and Wendy in it. You should be able to teleport right across without any problems. Be careful, okay?”

 

They nod in response, and Yeri places a hand on Joy before they disappear and all that’s left is a trail of purple smoke. 

 

“You good, Yerm?” 

 

“Yes! We’ll be back soon!” Yeri shouts from across the fence and they hear their footsteps quickly fading away.

 

Irene lets Wendy lay her on the ground, and her friend rips another part of the flannel tied around Irene’s waist. (They ignore the fact that the flannel is achingly familiar but not any of theirs.) 

 

“It’s slower, this time around,” Wendy says, as she replaces the bandage already soaked in blood. “I thought the wound would have at least closed by now.” 

 

“Well, I mean, it’s the first time I’ve been shot in the leg.” 

 

“At least it went right through. I don’t think you’d want any of us digging through you just to get it out.” 

 

Irene hums in response, ignoring the anxiety that’s beginning to gnaw at her. How long has it been? Where are Joy and Yeri? Shouldn’t they just be in and out? What if she sent them in there to die? What if she failed them too- 

 

“IRENE UNNIE! WENDY UNNIE!” 

 

“Joy?” 

 

“IT’S CLEAR! Yeri doesn’t have any juice to pop in again but I found an opening!” Joy shouts from across the metal fence. 

 

The opening is small, but then again, they’re not the tallest teenagers around. Wendy crawls through first, and it takes her joint effort with Joy to pull Irene through the gap. She allows them to support her but deep down, Irene hates this. She hates being a literal burden when she’s the one supposed to take care of them. She was supposed to prevent this from happening. She was the one that’s supposed to keep them all safe. 

 

“Don’t- don’t put too much pressure on your leg, unnie. You can lean on us, it’s fine.” Wendy says, and Irene knows she’s referring to more than just her injury. 

 

They hobble together towards the hangar and Irene is surprised to find that the place is bigger (probably enough to hold two private planes) and brighter than what she initially expected. Though under the fluorescent lights, Irene notices that Joy is notably paler than before, probably using the last of her powers to get this place running. They gather in what seems to be a waiting room, and Yeri, somehow able to find mattresses, sticks them all together. 

 

“Nice place, huh, unnie?” Yeri says, running over to help Irene settle on a nearby chair. “It’s full of meeting rooms and waiting areas, and I’m sure Wendy unnie will love the control tower.” 

 

“There’s also a pretty big house off the side of the hangar but we can check that out first thing tomorrow.” Joy says, “Oh! There’s running water too! Little miracles.” 

 

Wendy collapses onto the seat beside her, her voice strangled as she says, “We finally caught a break.” 

 

Irene lets them all go ahead, lets them clean up, wash the grime and blood off their bodies. She fixes Joy’s sling, making sure it’s supported properly, and notes that because of her age, it might take at least two days for her bone to heal completely. Then, she helps Yeri and Wendy, the ones without the quick healing ability, making sure that their cuts are clean and sewing up the deeper wounds. “At least it’s just a cut,” Irene whispers, mostly to herself, as Yeri squirms and tries not to cry as the needle pierces her skin. 

 

When she’s done making sure they’re all okay, she takes her turn in the bathroom, noticing the mirror is nowhere to be found, and can’t help but actually feel glad about it. She doesn’t think she’ll be able to stand her reflection right now. Not that she cares that she may have scars on her face, but more of, she doesn’t know how she’ll deal with the harsh reality that she looks very much alive and many of her friends aren’t.

 

By the time she’s done, Wendy shuffles to her side and helps lay her down on the mattress. The lights are dim, but she knows they’re all still wide awake. Yeri wraps her arm around Irene’s waist and nuzzles as close as she possibly can, careful not to hit Irene’s wounded leg. She can hear Wendy and Joy shuffle closer together too, and she’s not sure which of the two are sobbing. Yeri’s entire body is shaking, and Irene does the best she can, with her limited mobility, to comfort the girl. 

 

“I guess this is home now, huh?” Wendy says after some time, her voice still shaking. 

 

“Let’s make the most of it.” Irene says, and she can feel Yeri nod at her words (it’s also when Irene notices that her shoulder is drenched in tears). 

 

“Okay.” Joy breathes out. 

 

“For Seulgi.” Irene says as confidently as she can, begging the very fresh and very real memories to stay at the back of her mind. Not now. Not yet. Not in front of them. 

 

A beat passes but they all respond the same, “For Seulgi.” 

 

---

 

In the almost two years since they’ve found the place, it’s definitely changed for the better. It was a couple of kilometers off Seoul, close to Incheon, and right by the sea, making the city accessible if needed, while also keeping them safe and out of sight. Irene, along with Wendy, Joy and Yeri, have their own rooms on the second floor of the hangar, with extra space for rooms, meeting areas, and a couple of special holding cells that Wendy has still been trying to perfect.  They’ve done enough renovation that the first floor only consists of three areas, the space that was used for planes is now where they train, while the waiting room was converted to a kitchen and dining area, and another for a briefing room. The house off to the side now looks more like a dorm, walls torn down and rooms expanded to make space for beds in every available nook of the house. 

 

After she makes enough food to fill a battalion of soldiers (and knowing everyone’s growing appetites she’s sure it’s not enough), she steps outside and lets herself takes pride in what they’ve managed to build, in the number of people they were able to keep safe, and she pushes away the sense of loss that always seems to build up in her chest. With the help of their other superpowered friends, the vines hugging the metal fence are virtually indestructible, and more shrubs and weeds surround the space to make it look more abandoned and unappealing. 

 

Eventually, her feet lead her to the end of the private runway, overlooking the Yellow Sea. The sun is beginning to come up behind her, leaving a mesmerizing reflection on the water. She takes in the view for a couple of moments and is about to return to the hangar when she spots another figure sitting by the dock. 

 

“May I join you?” 

 

The girl jumps at her voice, but nods, scooting over to let her sit. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you. Good morning, Irene unnie.” 

 

“Good morning, Nayeon. How long have you been out here?” 

 

Nayeon shrugs, “Maybe an hour?” 

 

“Have you slept at all?” 

 

Nayeon shrugs again and looks out onto the water. Irene cares for the girl, she cares for all of the Rogue children that walk through their doors, but caring for them and showing it has always been a struggle. Unlike Wendy who unabashedly cooks their favorite food and coos when they have food on the side of their mouth. Unlike Yeri who is around most of the kids’ ages but always gives them a tour like she’s the boss. Unlike Joy who teases the kids relentlessly but always makes sure to remind them how she’ll protect them. Unlike…

 

Irene shakes her head, forcing herself out of her thoughts. She doesn’t need to go down that road, not right now. So instead, she tries to be the mentor that Nayeon needs. “I know you’ll do well, Nayeon.”

 

“Thank you,” Nayeon whispers in acknowledgement. Irene says nothing, letting Nayeon stew in her thoughts a little while longer. Together, they watch the way the sun dances on the water, and the little fish swimming just beneath the surface. After a while, Nayeon runs a hand through her hair and sighs, “I’m scared.” 

 

“That’s normal. I’d be more nervous if you weren’t scared.”

 

“It’s just… what if things go wrong and we’re out there in the middle of nowhere? Yeji shines so bright we can be spotted in an instant! The kid gets excited so easily and she’s with her best friends so how do I make sure she doesn’t get too excited or hyper? Or scared? That’s aside from the fact that we still haven’t fully figured out what triggers it… And Ryujin can be unpredictable sometimes… and if Lia gets pissed who knows what’ll happen. I’m only a few years older than them… what if they don’t listen to me? What if someone spots us? What if-”

 

“Nayeon, breathe. Breathe in, breathe out.” Irene places a hand on the younger girl’s back and begins to rub big circles to calm her down. “Now, listen to me. Sunmi wouldn’t have sent you here if she didn’t think you were ready. Transport missions are… tricky. But you got to bond with them for over a month, you know that they can take care of themselves too and they trust you-“

 

“But not like how they trust you-“

 

“They trust me because I found them and took them in.” 

 

“You find everyone.” 

 

“Part of the job location,” Irene replies without a second thought, “But hey, don’t change the subject! You’re a great leader, Nayeon. You may be young, you all are, but I know you’ll keep them safe and get them back to Sunmi and the others.”

 

“What if something goes wrong?” 

 

Irene taps her chin in thought, searching for the right words to say. Then, she settles for, “Remember when I transported you to Sunmi?”

 

And finally, Nayeon bursts into a smile. “THAT WAS SO CLOSE! Jeongyeon and I were playing in the river and she was trying to get the water to go as high as the trees!”

 

“And she lost control and a huge wave was about to crash, probably flooding the closest village and you decided it would be a great idea to freeze the water instead,” Irene finishes for her, playfully rolling her eyes.

 

“I was eleven! I didn’t know any better! The Sentinels arrived so quickly though and I can’t believe they’d shoot so fast! I remember you were so cool, in a blink of an eye, you’d disarm a Sentinel then the next one then the next and Jeongyeon and I were screaming and jumping to cheer you on and then Seul-“ 

 

Nayeon stops, catching herself, but Irene encourages her to continue.

 

“Then Seulgi unnie comes back from gathering new supplies since we practically drowned the ones we had earlier that day then she sees the frozen wave and she just jumps up and smashes it! IT WAS THE COOLEST! You and Seulgi unnie really were the dynamic duo.”

 

Irene nods and she can’t help but smile as well, “Yeah, I guess we were, huh? But that’s not my point. My point was, things can go wrong… but you’re never going to be alone. You know I’m literally seconds away if you need me, right? Wendy will be tracking all of you, plus, Jeongyeon and Jihyo will meet you at the halfway marker… So yes, it might not be 100% safe. But you’ll pull through because we all have each other’s backs.”

 

“Thanks, unnie.” Nayeon says, now beaming at her. 

 

“But if you’re still worried, we can head back in and go through the map one last time. We can also go through their power charts.” 

 

“I’d like that.” Nayeon says as she jumps up, offering Irene a hand. Then, just as they’re about to leave, Nayeon pulls her into a hug, “Thank you unnie, for everything.” 

 

---

 

“Good morning you two.” Wendy says, barely sparing them a glance as they enter the briefing room. 

 

Nayeon plops down on the seat across from her with a bright, “Good morning, unnie!”, her fears from earlier clearly washed away.

 

“You’re up early,” Irene comments. 

 

Wendy looks up from her work and raises an eyebrow, “Says the woman who already made breakfast for everyone.” 

 

“WAIT- Breakfast is ready?” Nayeon perks up, “Unnie, I’ll be right back! Then we can get to those charts!” 

 

Irene waves her off and the two girls chuckle as she rushes out the room. They sit in silence for a bit, Irene watching Wendy dismantle one of the trackers to double check its wires. In all honesty, Irene loves watching Wendy work. Joy had said that even before her powers set in, Wendy was a genius, so she wasn’t surprised that her power was connected with her brain. Telekinesis has always been cool, but Wendy’s was special, giving her a special connection with technology. She could look at a computer, deconstruct it with her mind, and reconstruct it into something more powerful. It was always a sight to behold. 

 

Their silence is cut off by Nayeon’s voice from the other room, declaring that everyone better get out of her way because she has a ‘very important meeting’ she needs to get to. 

 

“Maybe I should disable Nayeon’s mic while I’m at it,” Wendy laughs. 

 

“Well, if you don’t want to hear Nayeon chatter on for hours, maybe you can make Vivi do communications duty. Haseul too. They did say they wanted to help out more.” 

 

“They should be happy that there isn’t much to do. The last thing I want is for our two healers to be overwhelmed.” Wendy snorts, “But actually, this might get them to stop bugging me for extra work. Nayeon can be a handful.” 

 

“Oh trust me, I know. But I’m serious, we do need to figure out how to make them feel more productive. We can discuss this more after Nayeon gets to Jeju safely.” 

 

When Nayeon returns, her plate is stuffed with eggs and sausages, and she has a slice of toast in . Irene tries not to make a face as pieces of bread fly as she says, “Okay, I’m ready!” 

 

They spend the rest of the early morning going over their observations of the past couple of months, what triggers Yeji’s light powers, how hot Ryujin’s flames are and how much water Lia can conjure up in a minute. They go over the main route and all possible back up routes, and what to do if things go sideways. Wendy patiently demonstrates how to use the trackers, and even shows how to get rid of them if they feel someone else has hacked into them. 

 

“Thanks for looking out for us, Wendy unnie.”

 

Wendy bows dramatically and gives Nayeon a wink, “Anything to keep you safe.”

 

“I’m telling Joy you’re being gross again.” 

 

---

 

As per protocol, Irene inspects each of the kids, making sure that they’ve eaten enough and slept enough, and that there are no injuries she doesn’t know about. Usually, they depart in the dead of the night, but with Yeji’s superpower of literally glowing like a lighthouse, they decided to take their chances and leave as soon as the sun is at its peak. 

 

She straps the backpacks close to their bodies, and Joy makes sure they have enough food for the trip. (Irene pretends not to notice that Yeri gives Joy an extra mocha bread to sneak in Ryujin’s backpack.) Wendy tests all their tracker packs and mics, and tells them to only press the emergency button in extreme times of emergency. “If Ryujin is threatening to burn you alive, it is not an emergency. Okay?” 

 

“What if Ryu is threatening to burn me ?” Nayeon asks.

 

Wendy looks at the young firestarter then to Nayeon, “Honestly, you most probably would have deserved it.” 

 

“HEY!” Nayeon shrieks, while the kids under her care snigger. 

 

Irene lets the other kids, the ones that are staying behind, give them all hugs, and promises of ‘see you soon’ and wishes for a safe journey. 

 

“Okay, everyone ready?” Irene asks. 

 

The three younger girls give a salute, matching toothy grins spread across their faces. 

 

“Yes, unnie!” the oldest of the trio replies. 

 

“Be careful, Yeji-ah.” Irene pats Yeji on the head and when the girl literally glows at the attention, Irene laughs and is glad they had decided to let them leave early. It’s funny, Irene thinks, how now, at the ages of thirteen and twelve, they’re all still smaller than her but she’s sure in a few years time, all of these girls will tower over her. But just the thought of seeing them again, may it be in a couple of weeks, months, or years always puts a smile on Irene’s face. 

 

“Don’t burn the train down, Ryujin.” Yeri teases. 

 

“Hey, I’m always careful!” 

 

The girl beside her rolls her eyes, “Don’t worry, I’ll blast her with water if she tries anything.” 

 

“In that case, don’t flood the train, Lia.” Joy adds. 

 

Irene approaches their chaperone, and gently places a hand on the taller girl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Nayeon. You’ve got this. Okay?” 

 

“What if something goes wrong?”

 

“I’m going to be honest with you. A perfect transport mission is rare. Something usually happens and you have to make split second decisions. But you have the blanket to hide Yeji. right?”

 

“Yes.” 

 

“The fire extinguisher?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“And even if you didn’t, Lia can just douse Ryu.” 

 

“Why does everyone want to drown me!” they hear Ryujin pout. 

 

Nayeon chuckles at that and Irene continues, “You’ll do great. But here, this is for you.” Irene hands the young guide a small wooden carving of a rabbit. 

 

“What is it?” 

 

“In some cultures, they believe that if you carry a rabbit’s foot around, it’ll bring you good luck. I know you don’t need luck because you’ve got the skill and training. But a little luck wouldn’t hurt, right? And well... Seulgi made it… when she was still learning to control her strength.” 

 

“Unnie… I can’t. I know this means a lot to you.” 

 

Irene shakes her head, “Yes, yes you can. And you will. Seulgi always said you were one of our favorite transports. And this way, you can return it when I see you again.” 

 

Nayeon nods, tucking it into her jacket’s inner pocket. “It’s beautiful, unnie. Thank you. I’ll take care of it and I’ll take care of them.” 

 

“Now, come on, I’m sure Jeongyeon is excited to see you again.” 

 

Yeri interrupts, a smirk on her face, “What’s this? Are you blushing, unnie?” 

 

“Shut up, Yeri!” Nayeon says, playfully shoving the younger girl. “I won’t miss you at all.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah. Just tell me when you get the guts to finally confess, alright?” 

 

“Why you-” 

 

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but you’ve got to go now if you want to hitch on the train.” Wendy says, flashing everyone her tablet. 

 

“Oh shoot. Ok, let’s go!” Nayeon says, already urging the kids to run alongside her. “Bye everyone! See you soon!”

 

They continue to wave until they disappear into the treeline and Irene sighs, “They’ll be okay right?” 

 

“Of course they will.” Wendy winks, “We trained them after all.” 

 

---

 

The day people leave, also known as Transport Day on their bulletin board (hence, the rocketship) was always a weird day. There’s a sense of happiness, but also a sense of worry, and of loss. The older girls are used to it, they are the ones that choose to stay behind after all, but it’s the younger ones, the ones still working on stabilizing their powers that always need a little bit of cheering up. 

 

Even Yeri did once, when this all started. 

 

Their home was different then, it was the tower by the edge of the city, the tower where the general public claims it all started. In fact, Taeyeon could even point to the exact spot she and Tiffany were, in the school gymnasium across the street. The entire part of town had been fully abandoned by the government, and no one in their right mind would step foot in it, the thought of superpowered supernatural beings enough to deter them. 

 

Jeju was their longest standing camp. It was far from the action and had so much area for younger Rogues to really settle into their powers. Just like now, new Rogues would stay in the city, until they were stable enough to prevent a sudden outburst of power. But as soon as they were comfortable enough, it was time to say goodbye. And for a then 10-year-old Yeri, seeing people come and go was confusing and heartbreaking. 

 

“Why can’t we go with them?” Yeri asks, clutching onto Irene’s shirt as she watches her new friend, Lisa, leave. 

 

Irene pats her head, “Do you remember how your unnies were looking for Lisa?” 

 

Yeri nods, they spent a good month tracking Lisa down, reports of a young girl appearing in multiple places at once. Turns out, Lisa could self-duplicate, but couldn’t control when it would happen, where her clones went or even how to properly absorb them back to her original body. They found her just in time, with the Sentinel already surrounding the young girl. It took Irene, Seulgi and newcomer Joy, (who at the time was still smaller than the both of them), to ensure Lisa’s safe retrieval. 

 

“You see, all those kids we find, the Sentinel is looking for them too. If we don’t find them, someone else will. So we have to stay.” 

 

“But Yerimie,” a soft voice says behind them, and they turn to see Seulgi’s soft smile, “If you want to go with them, where it’s safer, where you have more space to teleport freely, just let us know. Okay?” 

 

Yeri runs to hug Seulgi, her voice muffled against the older girl’s shirt, “No, I’m staying with you.” 

 

Seulgi laughs as she hugs the little girl tighter, “I’m glad, I think I’ll miss you too much if you leave.”

 

On Transport Days, because it happens late at night, everyone usually just heads to bed with a heavier feeling in their heart. But because today is different and Joy didn’t want the general air of sadness to stick around the entire day, they decided to try and make things a little lighter and more fun for everyone else. 

 

Wendy and Irene are stationed in the control tower, Nayeon’s tracking monitor beeping quietly off to the side, while they focus on the airstrip below. In the middle of the runway are Joy and Yeri, both in their fighting stance. Yeri is lightly bouncing on the balls on her feet, while Joy has both her hands up, ready to strike. Their young healers, Vivi and Haseul, along with the others watch from the side, safe under the shade of the hangar. 

 

For those that get left behind, the younger ones, this match between Joy and Yeri is entertainment. It’s a way for them to get their mind off of things, to not worry about their friends, and a chance to see the best face-off against each other. For Irene and Wendy, it’s another thing for them to study. 

 

Irene’s notebook is open in front of her, diagrams and numbers written all over, and only she and Wendy can fully decipher it. “How many blinks do you give Yeri? Considering their proximity.” 

 

“Their distance is about... what 10 meters? She can do at least fifty, for sure.” 

 

“Joy’s going to get pissed off by the time she gets to thirty.” 

 

Wendy barks out a laugh, “Please. I love Joy but I give her twenty.” 

 

“Are you ready?” Wendy asks over the speakers. The two girls give a thumbs up. “Match begins in ten seconds.”

 

As soon as the buzzer goes off, electricity begins to literally fill the air. Small sparks of blue and green surround Joy, and the crowd cheers in awe, rarely do they get to see Joy really use her powers but Yeri just rolls her eyes at the spectacle. 

 

Under her breath, Irene watches them below and counts under her breath, “Three, two, one-”. Just as she reaches zero, the electricity disappears and Yeri uses that split second to phase out and pop up right in Joy’s space, sending a punch straight to her gut, before popping back to her starting position. 

 

“Ouch. A gut punch already? I changed my mind, I’m giving Joy fifteen.” Wendy says, shaking her head and noting it down.

 

As soon as Joy catches her breath, she sends out blasts of electricity from her right hand, then her left, her right, then left, then right, then left and Yeri dodges them all with ease, her puffs of purple smoke the clear indication of each move she’s dodged. Joy’s right hand flinches, and Yeri blinks out, not realizing that the older girl has faked her out and sends a blast of lightning with her left when Yeri appears again, momentarily stunning the teleporter. 

 

“That’s my girl.” Wendy says. 

 

“10 seconds recovery time for Yeri.” Irene jots down, “Joy’s only at level three then.” 

 

Yeri shakes it off, back to her fighting stance, while a smirk begins to form on Joy’s face. Rolling her eyes again, she zips to Joy’s left, but Joy sees it coming, easily stepping out of the way. What Joy doesn’t expect, however, is Yeri appearing behind her, kicking her firmly on the back and sending her tumbling forward, and before she can gain stable footing, Yeri pops up in front of her with a roundhouse kick that sends the older girl onto the ground. 

 

“Come on, unnie, at least give me a challenge.” Yeri says as she returns to her starting position, continuing to bounce on the balls of her feet. “Is age finally catching up with you?”

 

Joy laughs, “I think my win record speaks for itself. How many have you won recently, Yeri-ah? Zero, correct?”

 

Yeri doesn’t verbally respond, simply choosing to phase in and out multiple times, only to be blocked by Joy every time. Frustrated, Yeri appears behind Joy again, but this time, the older girl is ready for it, spinning around at the perfect moment to grab Yeri’s ankle as the teleporter is mid-kick, and throwing her forward with a jolt of electricity. 

 

“Yeri keeps forgetting that she’s predictable.” Irene sighs, tapping her notebook, “We’ve told her before that her blinks are always a three, five or a seven when she’s on offense. Started with a three, then a seven.”

 

Wendy peers over Irene’s shoulder to take a look, “My theory is that Joy took those first kicks on purpose. She wanted to know which pattern to expect next.” 

 

With Yeri down on the ground, Joy takes this opportunity to attack. The taller girl jumps off the ground for a beautiful butterfly kick, electricity leaving the soles of her feet and heading straight to Yeri, and she sends a punch packed with lightning as she lands just for good measure. 

 

Yeri barely dodges it as she feels the heat of the lightning as it passes by her. She knows that had she been a second too slow, she would have very well been out. Joy had thrown her far, practically to the edge of the runway, and it would take more phases for her to reach her opponent. 

 

Then, Yeri’s ankle tingles with electricity. “Huh. I guess kicking is out of the equation.” She sees Joy eyeing her and she knows Joy knows it too. She has gone up against and worked with Joy enough times to know that the older girl expects her to punch her way to victory. 

 

But Yeri refuses to give in and give Joy that satisfaction so she does the only logical thing and refuses to punch her opponent. She phases in and out as quick as she can, not hitting, but tapping. A flick to the forehead, a tug of the collar, a slap on the back. Things Joy wouldn’t expect to block.

 

“YAH! STOP MOVING!” Joy shouts, as she tries to grab hold of Yeri. It’s not just Yeri’s childish tactic that begins to irritate her but the purple smoke that appears when Yeri phases was slowly obscuring her vision.

 

“Nope.” Yeri says, flicking her forehead and zipping out again.

 

Yeri pats Joy’s , “Try again.” and when Joy whirls around to grab her, Yeri finally uses the opportunity to punch Joy square on the jaw, before disappearing. 

 

Up above, Irene and Wendy continue to count. “Eleven, twelve-” 

 

Yeri blinks back in, ready to annoy-

 

“YAH!!” Joy screams in frustration, and electricity escapes her body from all directions, sending Yeri flying backwards to the end of the runway once more. 

 

The entire airstrip is silent until Yeri comes through a whole minute later shouting, “WHAT THE HELL, THAT’S CHEATING!” 

 

She phases until she’s right in front of Joy’s face, and it’s clear even from up above that they’re no longer fighting with their powers. 

 

“YOU CHEATER! I was about to win!” 

 

“How is it cheating! I used my powers and I knocked you out! That’s a win!” 

 

“Well, I’m still up, come on, let’s keep going!” 

 

“Please, there’s no way you can win. Your phases are already slowing down.”

 

“Yeah, but you’re looking a little pale unnie. I don’t think you’ll last another minute, Sparky.” 

 

“Call me Sparky again you little runt and I’ll throw you into the water.”

“Yeah, you wish.”

 

“Oh yeah? Wanna go again?” 

 

“Let’s do it!” 

 

But before they can continue, Wendy’s voice comes over the speaker. “Okay, that’s all. Head back in.” 

 

She goes over her notes and the last times the duo has sparred together. Yeri’s teleportation doesn’t guarantee that she’s faster, in fact, she’s always had to learn how to move quicker than Joy’s electricity.

 

She goes over her notes and the last times they’ve sparred together. Just because Yeri can teleport doesn’t guarantee that she’s faster, in fact, she’s always had to learn how to act quicker than Joy’s electricity. It’s usually a tight fight and they’ve even had to declare a draw when Yeri was able to grab onto Joy and started to teleport in and out leaving them both unconscious by the end of it. A result from Joy’s body unused to teleporting that much and that fast, and Yeri’s own limitation of teleporting with someone else. 

 

Wendy clicks her tongue, and it snaps Irene out of her thoughts. “Yeri has lots of energy, but she’s reckless and she likes to taunt. Her pattern is still predictable. Last one looked like she was gearing up for 15 straight blinks. Which, according to previous data, is similar to what she’s done before. Joy, on the other hand, smart and powerful… but that temper is going to get us in trouble.” 

 

“She definitely needs to control it. I don’t think she meant to go up to a level six. Even from up here I could see the panic on her face when Yeri wasn’t getting up after 30 seconds.” 

 

Wendy sighs, watching the two down below still bickering. “Can you please be there when I evaluate them? I hate having to use the forcefield to keep them apart. If you’re there, they’ll at least try to be on their best behavior.” 

 

“No way. I don’t want to get in between that. Besides, someone has to start on dinner.” 

 

“Rock, paper, scissors? Loser has to talk to them, winner gets to make dinner.” Wendy says, her hand at the ready. 

 

Irene smirks, “Fine.” 

 

---

 

As soon as dinner is ready, all is forgiven between Joy and Yeri. Sure, Wendy looks a little haggard but Irene had full confidence that she could handle it. Besides, she makes Wendy her favorite dinner so at least she’s smiling too by the time she takes her seat at the table. 

 

The energy around them is more relaxed as everyone settles down and Wendy even happily informs everyone that Nayeon’s group is already crossing the boat to get to the Jeju camp. 

 

“Have you been to Jeju, unnie?” Yves, one of the girls they’ve found in the past couple of months, asks. 

 

“A couple of times.” 

 

“Will we go there, too?”

 

“To be honest, I can’t say for sure.” Irene says, “The Jeju camp exists because it’s farther and safer. But, we also use the landscape to our advantage and also the locals' acceptance of elemental disturbances and deities. The Sentinel also now has a hard time setting bases there too. Once, an older Rogue named Hyoyeon used her seismic powers to crumble their camp into pieces, and the locals quickly took it as a sign that the gods didn’t want the Sentinel there and drove them out. So, the ones sent there are the younger ones or usually they have elemental powers. Ice, fire, air, and water. And light, like Yeji.”

 

“But metamorphs stay in Seoul or at least in the city, right?” Haseul asks, eyeing her friends. 

 

“Those that can change appearances, yes. You four, however, are a special case.” Wendy answers this time. “We have another demon shapeshifter, but she’s in our central camp. An animal shifter would go well anywhere, but I’m sure you’d want to go where Yves goes, right Chuu?” 

Irene smiles at the way Chuu happily agrees with Wendy, and the way a blush slowly creeps up Yves’ neck. These kids. 

 

“Plus, Jinsoul, I think you are our first diamond shifter on record, and we’ll need to observe if it’ll develop into something more. Same goes for Kim Lip. The natural weaponry is fascinating. I still want to test out how sharp her arm blades are and if she’ll manage to make other blade-based weapons from them, like a spear or something”

 

“Basically, long story short, you guys are stuck with us.” Yeri says, pulling a startled Kim Lip by the shoulders. 

 

Dinner continues like that, the younger girls asking questions, while the four of them try their best to answer all of them. Irene can’t help but watch the six girls, their eyes full of wonder as Joy talks about the time she first discovered her powers. Her eyes linger on each one, trying to remember every little fact that she’s picked up in the past couple of months, trying to find ways to make them feel more comfortable and more at home, trying to figure out how to make them stronger while also making sure they remain safe. 

 

It’s only when Wendy’s phone rings does Irene realize that the topic has completely changed into something else.

 

“Unnie, they said they need to see you. And yes, see.” 

 

“When?” 

 

“Now, if possible.” 

 

Irene sighs, signalling Wendy to set the phone down in the middle and put it on speaker mode. “Yah. What do you want? We’re in the middle of having dinner.” 

 

“Oh, oh! What did you make? Can you bring some for me?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Ouch. You’re such a meanie. But yeah, Taeyeon unnie wants you here.” 

 

Irene huffs, “Fine, tell them I’ll be there.” 

 

The voice on the other line suddenly turns smug, “Come on now, Miss Bae Irene, you got ten seconds.” 

 

Irene rolls her eyes and is gone in a flash. 

 

By the time Wendy even gets the chance to end the call, the entire room can clearly hear Irene’s voice already on the other line, “ on that, Jennie Kim.”