“Hey, Boss. Everything’s cleaned up. Should we call it a day?”

            “Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. You go ahead. I’ve got some paper work and stuff to do...yeah...” Dongwoo seemingly floated to his office and shut the door, only to open it up again. “Remember to turn off the lights and lock the door when you leave.”

            It had been two days since her run in with the robber and things hadn’t changed. Or so she had thought. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Dongwoo had been acting strange since that night and was always lost in thought. He would zone out while taking orders and forget to serve customers. She figured something was bothering him about work, or that something had happened between his friends, so she shrugged it off.

            Locking up the doors, she headed home. A cold breeze swept by and she shivered, feeling her shoulder twinge in pain. She rotated it in small circles, but it still felt stiff. Damn tin man left his mark. Maybe I should give Sungjong a call later... She trudged on home, pulling her coat in tightly. Summer shouldn’t feel this cold, she thought, a weird knot forming in her stomach. Maybe it’s just the effects of climate change...

--

            The next day, The Haven was empty. The streets themselves were empty. Rain poured down, attacking innocent pedestrians with the warm summer rain. The water pelted down in thick, heavy droplets, soaking every surface it could touch. Dry patches instantly became moist with water and puddles formed in potholes on the road.

            Jae Rin let out a sigh as she levitated a straw and some stir sticks, aligning the straw in the middle with the stir sticks in a circle around it. Little wads of rolled up napkin pieces floated next to the sticks as she topped it all off with a plate and upside down bowl. Her mini carousel completed, she began to rotate the makeshift ponies around, alternating their heights like it would in a real merry go round. A circus tune played in her head as she spun the little game.

            “Hello! Long time no see!” The doors burst open as Sungyeol and L walked in. Water dotted their sweaters as they shook off their umbrellas and stuck it in the bucket by the door. Sungyeol passed a hand through his hair and it immediately dried under his heated palms. Convenient, Jae Rin thought. She bowed her head and welcomed them to the store, her merry go round dropping into a messy pile as she lost concentration.

            “Hello. It hasn’t been that long, Sungyeol-sshi. Can I get you anything?”

            “Actually, we’re here to see Dongwoo hyung, but could I get an Americano, please?” Sungyeol grinned at her as she started making his order. As it put itself together, she turned to L and raised an eyebrow.

            “And anything for you, Myungsoo-sshi?”

            “No thanks.”

            Figures...Ice Man doesn’t want to lose his cool with a hot drink. She turned her back and rolled her eyes, grabbing the cup floating towards her and handed it to Sungyeol.

            “He’s in his office. I’m sure you know the way there.”

            “Thanks! Nice talking to you.” The two scurried down the hall and disappeared behind the office door. It shut with a click and she was yet again, left alone.

--

            An hour passed before the three boys came out from the office. Jae Rin had tried to busy herself with cleaning and inventory, but ended up playing with her miniature carousel again. It fell into another pile as she watched them exit the room, faces grim. The two boys didn’t even bother saying goodbye and hastily left the store. Looks like Aunt Ruby paid some boys a visit... She frowned at their retreating figures, blurred by the downpour. Whatever had happened in the office was none of her business, so she wasn’t going to stress herself over something insignificant. Cold shoulder or not, they weren’t friends much to begin with.

            “Boss, it’s a freaking ghost town,” she groaned, falling onto the counter with a sigh.

            “Do inventory,” he replied indifferently. “I’m going out for a bit. Close up if I don’t come back.” He left quickly without a second glance and disappeared, flying off. She huffed with a frown.

            What’s gotten his briefs in a twist? She blew a raspberry and grabbed some paper towels and Windex, heading over to the giant storefront windows. I’ve got some time, might as well clean it manually. She pulled out a step ladder and began spraying and wiping down the glass.

            Sure enough, it took her quite some time to finish. Having been interrupted by a few customers, she managed to clean the eight foot tall slabs of half inch glass within an hour, all while keeping an eye out on the store. Good job, Shorty, she thought, giving herself a pat on the back.

            The chimes sounded and she turned to the entrance to find herself looking into the happy smile of none other than Sungjong.

            “Hello! It’s such a lousy day outside, I figured I would drop by and give you some company,” he cheered, skipping over to a table and settling down. He tapped the seat next to him and beckoned her over. She smiled lightly and joined him at the table.

            “So how’ve you been?”

            “Ugh, busy. School work is killing me. That and the school nurse keeps nagging me to come in more often. Apparently, lots of kids are getting bloody noses from studying too hard. Such keeners,” he scoffed, flicking his hair dramatically. Jae Rin stifled a laugh at his gesture.

            “Well, to be a healer, huh? I should be laughing and bragging about how my telekinetic powers are useless other than for cleaning, but now that I think about it, it’s not. Dammit, why must I be so gifted?” Jae Rin pretended to cry. She recalled the countless hours of making coffee and it knocked her down. A one hit K.O. She slumped forward onto the table and flailed about in a silent tantrum. Sungjong watched her in amusement.

            “You do know that telekinetic users work in the circus too, right? Although, it doesn’t look like you’re too far from that occupation,” he teased, snickering at his own joke. She shot him a cold glare and stood up.

            “Well, if you’re only here to call me a freak show, I’ll be leaving now.” She stalked off to the counter and pretended to be busy. 

            “Aww, I’m sorry. How can I make it up to you?” He trailed after her and joined her behind the counter. She pushed his hand away, only to feel her shoulder tense up from the sudden movement.

            “Oh, I know what you can do. A couple of days ago, I messed up my shoulder. Could you possibly fix it for me?” She pointed to her right shoulder and he stepped forward with a nod.

            He pressed his palm onto her joint and closed his eyes. Immediately, warmth spread through her muscles. It felt as if someone had stretched out the fibres and rolled them out with a rolling pin, smoothing the knots and bumps. Her nerves tingled as they healed and rearranged themselves, settling back in their rightful positions. She couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh when he took his hand away.

            “I managed to get out the knots in your muscles and realign some pinched nerves. The joint will be sore still since the humerus wasn’t set back in properly, so don’t overwork yourself. What the heck did you do to dislocate it?”

            “Oh, just ran into a wall. No big deal.” She felt bad for lying, but she couldn’t just tell him she had fought off a robber and sent him to the hospital. He probably wouldn’t believe it. “Anyway, thanks. Would you like anything to drink? Or are you going to head out?”

            “Actually, I’m still waiting for Dongwoo hyung. He called earlier, but I was still in class.”

            “Boss said he might not be back for closing.”

            “He texted me saying he would be back soon. Look, there he is. I’ll talk to you later!” Sungjong jogged to the door to greet his friend and the both of them went to his office. Just like earlier, she was left alone.

--

            “Bye hyung. I’ll see you...whenever...” Sungjong left the office in a hurry, rushing past Jae Rin, eyes cast down. He mumbled some sort of good bye and left quickly before she could reply.

            Again? What the heck are they talking about? Why are they suddenly ignoring me? She sighed and looked at the closed office door. Whatever he was doing back there, whatever he was telling them, it had changed the way they looked at her. From the happy go lucky people she had met at the restaurant, they turned into cold, distant men. It’s better for the long run if we don’t get attached... Her heart sunk a little bit. The little hope she had, the sliver of positivity that maybe she could have friends for once, disappeared. Story of my life.

            Dongwoo came out from his office once again and gave her a hard look. His eyes were void of emotion, dark and cold. She couldn’t read his expression. All she could do was return his gaze with her own indifferent stare. The staring contest went on for several minutes before he looked away and stalked over to the open sign and turned it off.

            “We’re closing early today. You can leave. I’ll clean up.” He motioned her to leave and suddenly, she felt angry.

            What the hell is his problem today? Why is he acting like such a jerk? Black shadows flowed from under her shoes and she snapped out of her rage, the shadows absorbing back into her body almost instantly.

            “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She took off her apron, threw it on the counter, and marched out of the store, not forgetting to send him a glare before pushing the door open.

--

            It was the weekend and Dongwoo had told her to stay home. Business was slowing down and he didn’t need the extra help, or so he told her. None of the boys had called or texted her. After all the fuss of staying in touch and getting her number, they hadn't even tried to make contact with her. Even Sungjong, who usually texted her once a day, hadn't texted her much. She scrolled through her phone and saw the date she last received a text from him.

            The day before his to visit the store. That weird day... She furrowed her brows in thought. What did Boss tell them? Ugh, I need some fresh air... She grabbed her keys and wallet and left her apartment. The streets were crowded for it was night time, the time where people came out to play. Vendors and food stalls were bright and busy with people bargaining with the owners for the best deals.

           Jae Rin strolled through the park nearby and watched the boats drift along the river. Lights from the city skyline illuminated the night, flickering amongst the stars. Solar and iridescent lights alike, they reflected off the dark waters, warping and rippling with each wave that rolled by.

            She sighed in the darkness, her breath carried away in the breeze. Chills tingled down her spine as the cold air brushed past her. It’s mid-summer, how is it this cold? Adjusting her sleeves, she continued down the waterfront to the benches when suddenly, a bone shattering tremor ripped through her body and she keeled over. Her breaths came in short gasps as she felt her innards begin knotting. The familiar feeling caught her off guard.

            As quickly as it had hit her, the nausea disappeared. Any traces from the sudden quake were gone, other than the fact that she was kneeling on the ground clutching at her sides. Her organs were settled and everything felt calm. Too calm.

            Urgency coursed through her veins as she turned around and raced back to her apartment. She shoved her way through the crowds, unfazed by their angry retorts. Her vision narrowed, all peripherals completely blocked. She ran with tunnel vision, heading in one direction, to one place, for one purpose.

            Her silent apartment came to life as she stumbled inside, frantically searching for her notebook. Tossing books and picture frames off her shelf, she rummaged through the rows, searching for the special calendar. She finally found it on the topmost shelf and roughly pulled it out, flipping through to the current month. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she counted back from the present date.

           There’s no way it has been a hundred days. Her fingers shook as they traced over the numbered boxes. 64, 65, 66, 67. Only 67 days. She let out the breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding. It trembled slightly in fear, in relief. She didn’t know which it was, probably a mix of both and much more.

            It’s not time, yet. That was all that mattered. She still had time. But, how much? Was there really only about a month left? Was she going to get the full thirty-three days? There was a possibility that she would have to leave early. Why? Well, the sudden appearance of her symptoms was a clear indicator that there was something different this time around. Maybe he got close, she tried to convince herself, but deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case. She had to leave, and just when she was starting to make some friends and settle in. Friends...friends who have been ignoring me. Would they miss me if I left unannounced? Probably not.

            Her apartment was packed in less than an hour. Everything she owned, her books, clothes, and electronics were all packed away in her two large duffle bags and backpack. She could leave right away if she wanted to. It was as easy as blinking. With a simple phone call, she could be out of the country within a half hour. But, she didn’t want to leave. Did she?

            Do I want to stay? I do, right? She sat on her couch, struggling through her inner turmoil. It was clear what she had to do, take the course of action she always had. Run for her dear life and ignore those pesky voices spiting her, demeaning her like the weak mutant that she was. Her body was telling her to leave while she could, yet, her conscience was telling her to stand her ground and fight back this time. This could be my chance. Maybe I could get rid of it once and for all. No, it’ll probably kill me before the battle even starts. Looks like I’m leaving again.

            Sighing, she took one last look at her apartment, glancing over the dark counter tops of the kitchen and the empty living room. The bedroom door slightly ajar, she could see the bare mattress of what once was her bed and bedside table. Reluctantly, she grabbed her bags and made for the door, stopping one last time to calm her breaths before opening the front door.

            Just as she touched the handle, her cell phone went off. It buzzed against the marble counter, its sound echoing through the vacant apartment. Jae Rin glanced back at the device, contemplating whether or not she should check it. It’s not like she needed to, she was about to leave this life and move on to her next. Deciding against it, she stepped out the door, only to hear it go off once more. Curious, she strode back in, picking up the phone to see two new messages.

            [Meet me at the fountains tomorrow, nine am.]

            That’s on the other side of town, she thought. Scrolling down, she read the second message and her blood went cold.

            [Make sure you come tomorrow. It’s important that you listen to what I have to tell you or else we’ll all be in danger.]

Sorry I didn't update earlier, I had to take a couple extra shifts at work. I probably won't be able to update often in the next two weeks since my boss is going on vacation and I have some family visiting. 

Anywho, I didn't like this chapter much >_< Didn't flow the way I had wanted it to. Oh well. 

COMMENT REPLIES:

@ xXxCatsLoverxXx: it's okay! I tried to make subtle hints. Only until the last chapter was it obvious. 
@ JuzzMee91: Ah, thank you! Your comment made me smile. Hmm, we'll see.
@ kpop_fan_1998: Ep. 98, eh? I'll catch up soon enough LOL If I planned it out correctly, she should've been in Seoul for about 2 months or so. I think I wrote it right XD
@ -papercranes: Welcome! Thanks for reading! The ferrokinetic was just a random dude. He was only there to bring out her umbrakinesis. Ah, Hoya will make his appearance soon! 

See you in the next Chapter!

-greenninjapanda GNP-