The afternoon before, you waited patiently in the town square afterschool. Tiffany had texted you to meet her here a few minutes after you got out of your last class and school came to an end for the day. It was cold outside but you were able to endure, driven by pure will to stay in place. If you didn’t, you feared you’d miss your chance to finally confront Tiffany. You knew more now, most likely not even a one hundredth of what she did but you still knew more than you had when she first gave you your so-called “hint.”

“I see you’re already engaged with thinking about things before I even get here.”

You looked up from the bench you were sitting on, finding Tiffany standing there in a red pea coat and a checkered black scarf. As always, you couldn’t help but admire her beauty. She wore something so simple with such grace and you could feel the envy spread throughout your body.

“Did you wait long?” Tiffany asked before taking a seat down next to you. Her eyes darted around carefully as though someone would be watching the two of you exchange words.

“No.” You had only waited around twenty minutes. Though your hands were freezing, you weren’t going to get on her about being late. “You know what I want to say right?”

“Of course. I’m not surprised you know by now.”

“You’re a werewolf.” You said, your voice low. If Tiffany was being cautious, you knew you needed to be as well.

She nodded slowly, her hands coming together onto her lap.

“You are the one who attacked Zico and B-Bomb. The one who knocked Zico out and brought the key to me. The werewolf that Zico had been on edge about to the point where he was pointing fingers at my friends.”

Tiffany nodded again, her expression still as calm as can be.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You ask her but scold yourself soon after. “No, I know why you didn’t. Because I didn’t know enough back then. I didn’t even have an inkling about the things I know now.”

“Figuring things out yourself makes it easier to understand them. Don’t you think?” Tiffany smiled at you, as though all was right in the world.

“If you’re a werewolf, what does that make your grandfather? He must know of course. Do the Elites not care about what you are? Not saying there is anything wrong with what you are. Just, the mayor didn’t exactly sound all to found of them.” The mayor was aligned with the Elites and if he hated something, you could only assume the Elites hated it as well.

“Our arrangement with the mayor is not exactly desired by us. As such, I can assure you we do not have the same interests and dislikes. As for what I am, I would say that has not been an issue.” Tiffany still had her smile lingering on her face. It seemed as though she was forcing it, trying to put on a show to those around the two of you.

“So they know then? There are others like you within the Elites?” You didn’t let your anxious expression show on your face but your feet were trembling like crazy. Everything was at your fingertips. Everything you ever wondered all here, in this woman’s answers.

“Didn’t you want to ask me about something else? Something more important at the current point in time?” Tiffany asked, her teeth she showed you while she continued to smile were clenched. She was so obviously trying to get your questions back on topic.

You nodded to her, silently apologizing for asking her such things now. She was right, this conversation would be left for another day. “Alright. So the mayor’s interests are not your own. The gate the necklace is behind-“

Tiffany interrupted you before you could continue on, “The gate has been opened.” She affirmed your thoughts. The door Zico opened with the key he had taken from the mayor was indeed the gate Tiffany had spoken to you about. “This is what you came to learn was it not? If what you were after was indeed behind the gate you opened.”

“But what was behind the gate, I have no idea how to handle it.” You thought back to that underground maze. You barely got out of there alive. If the werewolves hadn’t shown up, you wondered if you would have gotten out of there at all.

“You are lucky you’re even still able to talk to me about what you saw. I’d like to say we had something to do with that.” She hinted.

“Thank you.” You genuinely replied, not knowing who to thank except Tiffany herself. You were sure she would pass on the message. You chose to ignore that she knew you went down there because she was Tiffany and she had her way of knowing things.

“I’m afraid you won’t be thanking me again.” She said, her eyes leaving your face, “I can only tell you to try to remember everything you saw. Everything that happened to you because where you went, the Containment Zone, is a place I have never been to.”

“Containment Zone?” You questioned. You finally had a title for it and you felt it fit the place appropriately. Everything down there felt restricted. There was barely any light, it was built like a maze, and it was collapsing onto itself. It felt like it was meant to keep something or maybe someone in.

Tiffany nodded and reached out, taking grasp of your hands into hers, “You must learn about it on your own. Try to remember everything and hopefully, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Or at least a lead.” She gripped onto your hands tighter, “Promise me that you’ll be careful about it though, okay?”

“I promise.” You smiled at her, trying to set the fear hidden behind her eyes to rest. She simply smiled back at you sadly.

“You know you’re too deep to turn around now. So just do it like you always have and dive right in. And don’t forget, I’m just a call away.” 

“How are things? With what Sunggyu-hyung is teaching you.”

B-Bomb looked up from where he sat on the couch. Sungjong stood in front of him, his hands behind his back as he rocked back and forth on his heels. Since he first arrived a week ago, the young werewolf never spoke to him. He greeted him, but never actual inquisitive sentences came out of his mouth. However, he wouldn’t ignore Sungjong just because of that.

“I can’t really describe how things are. How my body feels.” B-Bomb said truthfully which surprised Sungjong. B-Bomb could feel the strong exterior he had built up for five years breaking down physically and mentally. In its place however, he could feel it. He could feel something new growing; a sense of control. If simply not taking Wolfsbane and learning to control himself, by himself, gave him this much of a feeling of control, he, despite the aching pain he was now in, was looking forward to what Sunggyu had in store for him after another week passes. “But at the same time, I guess that means its working.”

“Well I’m glad its going well.” Sungjong replied, his voice clipped. B-Bomb didn’t respond, his head hanging down. Sungjong worried for a moment and leaned forward. What he saw first was a dead expression in B-Bomb’s eyes. Yet, as he looked closer, he saw something. A sprouting determination beneath all of the haziness.

“Don’t you have school? It’s Monday.” B-Bomb finally spoke, noticing Sungjong had been staring at him.

“I’m going to go.” Sungjong defended as he diverted his eyes as though he was caught in the act of skipping school.

“Why stay behind?” B-Bomb was genuinely curious with the young werewolf. Why the sudden conversation?

“Well, I wanted to say thank you.” Sungjong shrugged, not really sure of his own actions. B-Bomb leaned back onto the couch, certainly not understanding at all why Sungjong would be giving him words of thanks.

“He’s going back to how he used to be. Slowly, but still is.”

B-Bomb blinked a few times, his dead eyes reflecting in them the hard times he had been through the past week. Sungjong sighed beside him, his hands pressed together in his lap as he slowly swayed his knees back and forth.

“Myungsoo I mean.”

“Back to how he used to be?” B-Bomb questioned, able to only utter that sentence as he felt another wave of pain surge through his body suddenly.  

Sungjong nodded, “I saw him smile yesterday, like how he used to. And he’s not standing in the background giving sarcastic comments anymore. I think you remind him of why he joined us in the first place.” Sungjong gasped and covered his mouth upon realizing what he just said. He had promised never to speak a word about Myungsoo’s past to anyone. “I’m sorry, please pretend I didn’t say anything.” He immediately bowed to B-Bomb and hurriedly left the room.

B-Bomb can’t help but be curious. However, that curiosity is driven out of his mind as his breath hitches once more, his body relapsing as he pushes himself to kick his habit.

You felt like banging you head onto the wall of the hallway as you walked, all the while staring at your phone. You had read the same text for the fifth time today. A text you had gotten from B-Bomb a week ago. You hadn’t seen him since you dropped him off at the werewolves’ house and this text was the only thing he had sent you since then.

“Tell Myungsoo I said thanks.”

You still hadn’t done this simple task asked of you despite it being a week later. You couldn’t approach him. It was as though he was a feline. His eyes watching your every moment, ready to strike you down as soon as you made a single move. He would avoid you frequently in that manner. Brushing you off before you could get your words out. Leaving early to not give you a chance to talk to him at all. How were you supposed to do as B-Bomb had asked you to? You pondered just yelling it across the room as soon as you saw him but that seemed a bit too rash. Still, with each passing minute, that prospect grew more and more favorable in your eyes. Anything to avoid him once more rejecting the eye contact you would so desperately try to make with him.

You mumbled profanities towards him as you walked to class, once more being left behind in his dust as he quickly left homeroom as though he had somewhere better to be. You shook your head, knowing that you had better things to think about. Such as the information Tiffany had given to you last Monday. You had a hard time thinking about any possible thing that would give you any inkling into how to get through the Containment Zone and find the necklace.

“Hyunjoo.”

You stop in your tracks and turn. Sungyeol is standing a few feet away from you, a smile on his face.

“What’s up?” You ask as he easily uses his long legs to reach you in less than four steps. You slip your phone into your jacket pocket, deciding to once more put it off for later.

“Sungjong didn’t invite you for lunch yet?” Sungyeol eyed down the hallway as though Sungjong would pop up any second and ruin everything. You shook your head and stared up at him, waiting for his next words. “Good, let’s go out and eat.”

“Out? You mean off campus?” That would give you less time to think about your Myungsoo problem so you welcomed that, “Sure.”

It wasn’t long before the promised lunch time came. You got up from your desk and stretched your arms, not minding the look people were giving you. “Hyunjoo, did you finish your homework for Calculus?” You turned and found one of your classmates standing by your desk. You nodded to him in affirmation. If you remembered correctly, his name was Daniel, Ahn Daniel. “I didn’t understand it. Or really, Changhyun and I didn’t understand it. Think you could help us out?”

Should you just apologize to Sungyeol about cancelling your lunch plans? You didn’t want to give your classmates any more reason to dislike you. Plus, Daniel and Changhyun were among those who you considered to be nice. You hadn’t heard them ever spreading rumors as most people had in your class.

“Hyunjoo!”

A yell called out to you in urgency. You felt your arm being tugged back and Sungyeol appeared by your side. He had been waiting for you outside since he got there after class but after seeing Daniel approach you, he couldn’t bring himself to wait for you.

“Let’s go. We should leave now if we want to get back before the warning bell.” He threw Daniel a warning glance before once more looking down at you.

Of course you would chose Sungyeol but it was a bit cruel to leave Daniel to his own devices after he asked for help. You wordlessly reached into your desk and pulled from it your math notebook. You flipped through it, not noticing Sungyeol sending glares to Daniel who looked absolutely stunned at the appearance of someone he had only heard about and never actually gotten up close to.

You traced your fingers down the page you were looking for and smiled. “Here,” You said, handing it to Daniel, “This should help.” On the page were problems Taeil had helped you solve two weeks before. When Taeil explained things, he always did have a way of making you understand. If not a doctor, you presumed he would become a teacher. “Let’s go.” You directed towards Sungyeol as you grabbed your bag and walked to the classroom doorway.

Daniel flipped through the notes, a small smile creeping onto his face. “Changhyun, I think I get it now.” He exclaimed as he carried he notes back to his friend at the back of the classroom.

“Why were you making sour faces earlier?” You peered up at Sungyeol as you walked outside of the front of the school and he flinched. “I saw that glare you gave to Daniel as we left the classroom.”

Sungyeol coughed into his fist and looked anywhere but at you, “I wasn’t going to let him get in the way of me taking you to lunch.”

The smile on your face formed without hesitation. “Childish.” You muttered beneath your breath.

“Am not.” He retorted, able to hear your little comment.

You pushed his shoulder playfully, having no effect on his movement. You wondered if he would be weirded out if you hugged him. The only time the two of you hugged was when he was bursting from happiness at smelling grass while in the Containment Zone. Your thoughts froze. The Containment Zone. That’s what you were supposed to be thinking about.

“B-Bomb?”

Your thoughts froze again and you looked forward. Beside the bike racks was B-Bomb. But that wasn’t what caused all thoughts inside of your mind to cease. What did was the person who was talking to him, a friendly atmosphere surrounding the two.

Myungsoo.

“There’s no escaping that text is there?” You wanted to crawl into a hole right then and there.

-----

A/N:

An early update for all of my fellow owls out there.

Who needs sleep anyway? 

Me. I do. It's me.