*Re-edited version 11/3/12*

I have no idea how it became like this in this chapter but oh well. Sorry for updating so late and excuse me for mistakes and confusion. Leave comments or subscribe please oh please. My brother is almost home. I want to keep his computer... T_T

(Alaina's POV)

I had woken up from a blissful sleep, from an unfathomable dream, but it made my heart flutter in revelry. Somehow I guessed it wasn't my own dream but someone else's. Taemin's? It was highly possible since his dreams could be crossovered to me...

If it was, I was beyond grateful because he helped me sleep.

Looking at the clock, I saw we had about an hour before we usually departed for school and decided to wake him up. I hurried and cleaned up and dressed for school as Taemin groggily prepped himself up. Slipping on my gloves and tugging down my blazer sleeves, I entered the hallway to see if my housemates were ready. It was no shocker that D.O. and Suho were already up, rallying up their 'children' for school even though the university students had some time left.

"Ani!" I heard Chanyeol's whine emanate from his bedroom door. "I want Bacon to stay with me!"

"Chanyeollie! I need time to change and put on make-up!"

"Jajiya, you look beautiful no matter what."

"Araso. Break it up you two," I heard Suho say as I crept forward, a warm smile present on my face. I saw D.O. amble down the hall.

"Oh!" He paused to bow at me. "Morning, Alaina-ah."

"Just call me Alaina. Remember? I don't like honorifics," I dismissed with a wave of my hand.

"I'll remember," he promised with a nod.

"Did Suho give the boys who are in high school their uniforms, yet?" I asked him.

D.O. nodded again. "I think Baekhyun's the only one who actually likes the uniform."

"The school made very sure of its expensive quality," I said sarcastically, shaking my head.

D.O. and I split apart, him to check up on Kai and me downstairs to assist Key in breakfast. We were rearranging the dishes and bowls as the rest of the household trudged downstairs.

Onew glanced up from his newspaper, raising a brow at the dressed up boys. "Not bad," he commented.

Not bad? That was all he had to say? I knew Taemin looked like a teenage model, but together with Kai, Baekhyun, and Sehun, they looked like a to-die-for idol group. Shining and handsome in their own individual ways. I looked away when I felt my face heat up, belatedly realizing I was gawking at them.

Taemin was pointing at Kai's hair in amusement. "You need to brush down your hair, Kai."

"Your tie is loose," I blurted out impulsively and came forward to fix Kai's tie. He stiffened at our proximity but then relaxed as I secured his tie and patted it down.

"Thanks," he muttered, blushing lightly. He ran his fingers through his furled hair.

"You're going to wear gloves to school?" Sehun asked me as we began eating. He inclined his chin at my hands, covered up if you looked past my sleeves.

"As precaution for you guys," I replied. "I don't want to have something happen between our ES if you touch me, or you may cause a reaction to my powers."

"So remember not to touch her carelessly," heeded Suho to his dongsaengs. They nodded back obediently.

Key and Minho began talking about the demon to Kai, Baekhyun, and Sehun. They spoke of safety precautions and habits and whereabouts.

"Here are your schedules," said Suho, handing the three 'high schoolers' pieces of paper. Key, Onew, and D.O. were cleaning up the table from breakfast. Chanyeol and Jonghyun were conversing about frequent demon sightings.

Taemin peered over Kai's shoulder to skim at the paper. "Ah! Onew-hyung did a good job having the office arrange the classes to be aligned with Alaina's. Baekhyun has the first half with her, Sehun the middle, and Kai during the last few periods." Taemin looked at his friend seriously. "The last two periods and gym class is where we cross paths with Zelo. Be careful and hide your presence and ES around him."

"And no using your powers unless it's an emergency or when there's no humans as witnesses," added Suho, giving the youngsters firm stares.

"Oh! And another thing!" I blurted out. Everyone looked at me. "Baekhyun, Sehun, Kai, act like you don't know me. Zelo will get more suspicious like I suddenly called for bodyguards." And then I muttered, "And people tend to be...disapproving of me. It will affect your status in school."

"Why?" asked Baekhyun, furrowing his brows at my mumbles.

"Fangirls threw a rampage when they found out Alaina was my girlfriend," Taemin said, slightly bitter at the recollection. "They were properly punished with some help but because of my 'get-a-real-life' speech, they hated Alaina more because they thought she was an attention seeker."

"Taemin was also punished and Alaina wasn't, but she's hated by four-fifths of the female population there," stated Key with a frown. "And she was only in school for about a week."

"Ouch," uttered Chanyeol soberly.

"Aw! Poor Alaina!" Sehun looked at me sympathetically. I smiled at him gently, he was such a sweet kid (although probably older than me).

Kai was darting regardful glances between my crestfallen face to Taemin's worried one. Taemin rubbed my back until I blinked back into reality with a bleak smile.

"Kaja," I told everyone. "We gotta go to school and track down a demon, eh?"

"Yeah right, we do!" exulted Sehun and pounded fists with Kai. The idea of fighting a demon was a chore they would do with absolute pleasure.

Because Baekhyun wanted to drive his car, Key told Baekhyun to tail him to school, but it resulted into more of a race to school, Key and Baekhyun speeding on the roads and evading police and traffic cameras. I kept laughing at the boys competitive natures to show off.

"Araso, so we clear about the plan, right?" Minho said as we emerged out of the cars.

The newest three nodded their heads in affirmation and we branched off to begin the day casually.
 

...

"We have a new student today," said the homeroom teacher, his stern face scrunched up in distaste. "Come in."

Baekhyun waltzed into the room like he was on a runway and winked at the class, making newly-made fangirls swoon.

"Annyeonghaseyo," he greeted affably, his lovely husky voice luring girls into his undeniable clutches. "I'm Byun Baekhyun. I just moved here with my brothers and hope to fit in." In his peripheral vision, Baekhyun saw Key mouth something to him and quickly added, "Oh, and I'm already taken. Mianhae, girls."

Distressful cries and wails resounded in the room. The teacher barked at them to be quiet.

"Go take the seat next to Kim Kibum. Kibum-shi, raise your hand."

Baekhyun shared knowing winks with Key as he settled down.

School had just begun.

...

"Alaina, are you friends with the three new kids who transferred in just today?" Eunmi asked me, her eyes sparkling in a bubbly, gushy way. "Because Key looked like he did, and so did Minho and Taemin."

I shrugged impartially. "Not really," I lied.

She gave a little hop like a bunny. "Omo! Omo! Look, they're right over there with Taemin-ssi!"

I turned around to see Taemin and Kai dribbling basketballs on the other side of the gym. Minho and Sehun were passing a soccer ball back and forth. Key and Baekhyun were conversing intently on the bleachers. On our side of the gym, fangirls were ogling at their precious idols with adoration, hearts shining in their dreamy eyes like neon signs.

But where was Zelo? Ditching again?

The girl's coach blew her whistle, making us round up in front. "Today we're playing volleyball. We have four nets set up already so just pick your teams and net."

Obviously I teamed up with Jae, Eunmi, Kyungmi, and some other student council members, but our opponents were some old enemies. Soojin's friends.

"Oh, great," Jae muttered sullenly. "They're glaring at us."

"Extracting revenge without their precious leader?" Kyungmi inquired tartly. "How boring. They won't last."

I shook my head and took my position. "Just ignore them."

How hard that was.

"Take that, shortie," hissed one of Soojin's friends at Eunmi has she got up from being knocked down for dodging a fast ball.

"Yah! Watch where you spike!" Jae accused. Kyungmi restrained her friend from charging at the net.

I helped Eunmi up and inspected her for injuries. "You okay?" I asked in deep concern.

She sighed collectively. "It's always us, huh?"

"More like me," I mumbled. "You guys shouldn't be friends with me with the baggage that comes with it."

"Ani, you're worth it," objected Eunmi resolutely. I smiled at her strong sense of devotion. We returned back to our positions.

Our opponents served ferociously and Jae strongly hit it in the air. Kyungmi jumped up to spike it, but someone blocked it and the ball sailed in the air above their heads. A tall girl sprang up to spike it back, intending to hurt someone. Eunmi and another person clamored forward to intercept it.

I felt a cold current rush across in my skin. Eunmi was too close! Her small frame couldn't-
 

...

(Taemin's POV)

Kai was calling his name repeatedly as he suddenly saw a terrible image flash before his eyes. Taemin paled. He snapped around to see it happen across the gym. His eyes widened in horror.
 

...
 

(Alaina's POV)

Instinctively, I dove forward to tackle Eunmi down, my body used as a shield. I heard someone shout my name and then registered an agonizing pain afflicted at my lower back. Eunmi and I fell to the floor roughly, with her caged in my arms, and the side of my head thudded harshly against the floor. The room swirled and blurred before my eyes.

Blackness, my old friend, greeted me.

...
 

(Third Person POV)

"ALAINA'S BLEEDING!" cried out Eunmi frantically, scrambling to a sitting position and pressing her hand to the side of Alaina's bleeding head to stanch the flow. Warm blood trickled onto her delicate fingers, painting it a cruel red.

Without warning, Taemin suddenly appeared onto the scene before his friends could react, but another figure was already kneeling at Alaina's side, stunning Eunmi at his silent approach.

"I'll take her to the nurse," Zelo told Eunmi calmly, then gently scooped up the lifeless Alaina in his capable arms. Her head lolled limply on his shoulder. Only sensed by the supernatural, Alaina's and Zelo's ES sparked at contact and rose and fell like a wave.

"Hold it!" growled Taemin, stepping in front of the demon's way. They leveled their glares at each other as blood fell like raindrops on the waxed floor. Drip, drip.

"Give her to me," he demanded, "I'll take her."

"Oh, for God's sake, someone take her quickly!" screamed Jae hysterically. "Alaina's head is bleeding like a river!" Jae lurched forward with a towel and pressed it against Alaina's head, soaking red onto white. The passed out girl released a strained groan.

"GO!" roared the coach.

Zelo silently brushed past Taemin but the boy immediately stalked after the demon angrily, not daring to leave his soulmate alone with a monster-in-disguise. Kai wanted to follow but Key held him back.

"Don't arouse suspicion that you're close to Alaina," Key whispered to Kai warningly.

Kai was tense, hands balled into angry fists. "I'm going because I want to. Who cares about the stupid demon." Kai rushed off.

"I bet Soojin contacted her friends to hurt Alaina," muttered Minho, his voice kept low to suppress his building fury. "We gotta find a way to scare off her friends."

"Agreed," Key said evenly, gritting his teeth irksomely.

"Was Alaina always bullied like this?" sniffled Sehun, voice small, and very close to crying. Baekhyun patted the maknae's back.

Minho shook his head disapprovingly. "You have no idea. Anyway, let's get Taemin's and Kai's stuff and head to the nurse's."

"I'm going to check up on Eunmi and Jae," said Key and jogged over to the two girls. Eunmi was sobbing and Jae was trying to console her cousin.
 

...

Not many people loitered the hallways, so it was a breeze to travel to the nurse's. Kai caught up to Taemin and Zelo quickly. The three (four including Alaina), bursted into the nurse's clinic, startling the women.

"Omo! Bring her over here!" instructed the nurse, gesturing for Zelo to lay Alaina gently onto a bed. "What happened to her this time?"

"Volleyball accident," informed Zelo monotonously, brushing aside Alaina's blood dried hair. Taemin growled at him and he stared back coolly.

The nurse asked Kai to grab the medical box as the women assessed the damage, throwing the blood-laden towel away.

"Alaina got smacked in the back by a volleyball when trying to protect her friend who would've been hurt, too. Alaina's head slammed onto the ground and she out," explained Taemin very distressfully, his chest heaving from contained rage and distraught. Kai squeezed his shoulder, signaling he needed to calm down and that he was there to support him.

"Will one of you boys fill a bowl with hot water and grab some towels?" requested the nurse as she probed the side of Alaina's hair. It was hard to see the injury with the blood-sticky hair. A pained moan escaped the girl's pale lips.

Kai and Taemin helped with the needs as Zelo stood aside silently, his stoic gaze pinned on Alaina's slack face. The nurse and Taemin wiped and cleaned up the bloody hair and face, Alaina groaning from her slumber occasionally.

"Does Alaina always attract danger?" Kai muttered.

"Always," mumbled Taemin sullenly as the nurse took over and dabbed medicine-soaked cotton swabs on the gash. Taemin went to wash his hands, watching the water swirl and chug into a pink color down the drain.
 

...
 

(Zelo's POV)

Zelo didn't know why he lingered in the nurse's when he had no need to, nor did anyone (i.e. Taemin or Kai) want him around.

But he didn't leave just yet; he was frozen as a statue beside Alaina's sick bed. Her face and hair being cleaned of blood and the occupied nurse tending to the poor girl.

Blood. Some dried droplets of Alaina's blood stained his arm and hand. Blood is what first alerted him to appear to Alaina's side.

No one saw him raise his hand to his lips, tasting the red liquid. His eyes fluttered and sharpened under his fringe.

So divine. So delicious. Like ambrosia, the immortal food of the Greek gods. In this case, golden nectar for a demon. It was ecstasy.

Zelo always preferred human blood over soul-stealing. As long as the blood was satisfying, he would not hesitate to slay a human. But he had to forcibly control himself for this one - this one prey he could not kill.

"Yah, Zelo, come here for a minute," hissed Taemin from behind the curtain.

Zelo calmly stepped out. Taemin and Kai were regarding him dubiously. They were almost like twins, but Kai was taller with a darker skin tone whereas Taemin was like an angel fresh from heaven.

"What is it?" he inquired of them suavely.

Taemin narrowed his eyes at him. "Why help? Why pretend you care?" he drilled at him. "You were planning on taking her away, weren't you?"

Kai had to hold onto Taemin's shoulder firmly so his hyung wouldn't snarl in Zelo's face.

"You think I'm not concerned of her health?" Zelo asked drolly. "I was as worried as you."

"You have a funny way of showing it," snapped Kai.

"Demons don't feel," said Taemin pointedly.

Zelo touched his chest, over where his still-beating heart was. "I can feel," he said slowly and cryptically. With each word, his voice grew softer and heavy, dripping with honey. "I can feel pain, and hurt, and worry, and love." He enunciated that very, very clearly. "I'm just not as emotional and as bound to petty little feelings as you guardians."

"It doesn't matter if you can feel," said Taemin scathingly. "We'll eliminate you because you decided to become a demon. You traded your soul for power and endless wandering. Was it worth it - becoming a monster?"

Zelo's aphotic eyes flashed threateningly. He growled, something deep rumbling in his chest. He took a step forward and both guardians poised themselves defensively. "Don't you ever say that. I never wanted to become this. I didn't have a choice."

The standoff between the three was interrupted when the bell rang. It was their lunch hour, but they hadn't left yet, too occupied in their argument to leave. They straightened up from their rigid positions.

Just then the nurse swept aside the curtain and stepped out. She hadn't heard their fierce altercation because she had been too busy taking care of Alaina. She seemed a bit more relieved.

"Alaina-shi should be better now. I'm not sure when she will wake up but I'm excusing her from school today. She'll be staying here while I contact her guardian to take her home."

"My hyungs and I are the ones who take her home," cut in Taemin, stepping forward. "We're responsible."

The nurse nodded. "Then you can take her home later if she wakes up. I need to call her guardian now, excuse me." She flitted out the patient's room.

Zelo stuffed his hands in his pockets, poker-faced. "I'll be leaving now." His eyes pierced at Taemin.

"Take care of your precious soulmate."

Taemin stiffened, eyes wide. Kai parted his lips in bewilderment.

Zelo disappeared out the room before Taemin could stop him.
 

...

(Alaina's POV)

I was floating in darkness again. I wasn't scared or frightened, just anxious. Why was I here again?

Oh, yeah. I badly injured myself when I saved Eunmi from being bashed in the head. Instead I was bruised in the lower back and knocked out by smashing my head. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

I heard voices as I touched the surface of consciousness.

"Will she really be fine?"

"Ne, the nurse said so."

A sniffle. A soft voice whispered close to my face. "Mianhaeyo, Alaina."

"Don't cry again, Eunmi. Alaina wouldn't like it if you did, or else her heroic actions would be for nothing."

"Easy with the words, Jae."

"Mianhae, I'm just pissed off. Soojin's friends are getting told off by the principal but I wish I was there to bite off their heads."

"I'll help you with some plans of disposing if you want, Jae."

"Key!"

"What? Everyone wants to."

"If we don't hush up, the nurse will kick us out."

"You guys didn't have to skip half of lunch to be here you know."

"Too bad. We already did and it wouldn't have been...easy eating while Alaina's in the sick room."

"Oh! So you do know Alaina."

"Actually, just SHINee. We met Alaina not long ago."

As they spoke, my nerves began to awaken from their slumber. I felt a warm hand in mine, our ES glued together. Other people with ES surrounding me, and some with none. I could hear breathing bodies and felt a pulsing pain on the left side of my head, something adhered there, and my back was aching and knotted.

I groaned loudly. People reacted in surprise.

"She's waking up!" someone crowed happily.

My eyes fluttered, my chest heaving to inhale and exhale, but each breath elicited an ache from my back. I felt so lightheaded and weak, deprived of oxygen. My head pounded and I moaned.

Fingertips touched my cheek, soothing me.

"Alaina?" murmured a gentle, tender voice.

I focused on the wan, angelic face beside me under lidded eyes. "Yah, Taemin," I mumbled hoarsely.

He wasn't smiling, his bright eyes dim. "Yah, to you, too."

I couldn't continue to bear look at his distraught face so I slowly turned my head to meet Eunmi's puffy red-eyed face.

"Alaina?" she implored like a lost child.

I gave her a small, reassuring smile. "You okay? I didn't tackle you that hard, did I?"

Eunmi bursted into hysterical laughs and sobs. "M-me? Y-You're asking if I-I'm okay? You should take a look at yourself!"

"I can't unless I have a mirror," I tried to joke, but very bleakly.

I saw Key put his hands on hips. "Alaina, seriously, don't joke. We're all worried for you."

My gaze touched everyone of them, their faces worn or ashen. Minho, Jae, Baekhyun, Kai, and Sehun who looked like a despairing child...

"That's the point," I countered. "I don't want you to be worried." I sighed. "I might as well move into the sick room. I always end up being here..."

Taemin squeezed my hand as everyone else stifled dry laughs.

Jae stood up and beckoned at Eunmi who ceased sniffling. "I gotta go talk to the counselors. Eunmi, come with me, I'll need your help."

"Bye," whispered Eunmi as she and her cousin exited the room.

Silence.

"Who carried me here?" I muttered, too lightheaded to raise my voice, but it sounded loud in the silence.

"Zelo," huffed Kai. "He just took it upon himself to take you here." He looked so irritated when thinking about Zelo.

"I guessed you finally met him," I whispered.

"Just me," Kai murmured, not taking a glimpse at me. Was I that battered?

"Onew-hyung will come by when school ends to take you straight to a doctor," Taemin told me. "He wants a thorough check on your injuries."

"Hmm," I only hummed in acknowledgement, too worn to object.

Unwillingly, Baekhyun, Sehun, Minho, Key, and Kai finally left the room when the bell rang, but Taemin insisted he'd stay, saying he wouldn't be able to concentrate in class anyway, with me heavy on his mind.
 

...

(Taemin's POV)

He couldn't leave her to her lonesome, especially when Zelo had plagued him with that warning. It made him paranoid.

"Take care of your precious soulmate."

Taemin shuddered at the inauspicious message from the enigmatic demon. But what bothered him the most was what Zelo said about himself.

"I never wanted to become this. I didn't have a choice."

There were multiple methods into becoming a demon, but allowing the demon to steal your soul after accepting the offer was the most profused way to initiate such transformation. Usually, one didn't escape the 'offer', it was either change into a demon spawn or be eaten for saying no.

It didn't make sense for Zelo then. He must've said yes to be converted into a demon but when he said he didn't want to be...

"Taemin?" His soulmate's silky voice fished him back to reality.

He stopped fiddling with her slender fingers to meet warm chocolate orbs - loving but very tired.

"How's your head?" he asked her, voice also gentle to avoid any headaches.

Alaina exhaled very laboriously. "Just need to recover. Good thing we have a weekend tomorrow. But about the plan to-"

"Maybe we should alter it," blurted out Taemin. "You're wounded so it-"

"We're are not changing it," she protested. "And I'll recuperate, just give me a few days."

"I think you lost a lot of brain cells because apparently I'm the only one seeing how dangerous it is for you to even be at school and you act like nothing life-threatening happened!" Taemin's frustration was evident from the increased volume of his voice.

Alaina had cringed at his harsh tone, but reached out to caress his cheek with her fingertips. Even in pain, even when arguing, she was caring for Taemin.

"Going on with life, no matter what happened in the past...it's how I lived all my life just to keep moving forward," she murmured distantly. Taemin was confused, so she explained further in a careful tone, "Taemin...all my life I was invisible, I was nothing, I had what people considered misfortunate and worthless. I was the odd one out. I-I have no past to cherish or ever thought my future would be something as outrageous as finding you or discovering I'm not human. I never considered about love, or friendship, or having a family. Maybe because I have no family."

Taemin furrowed his brows skeptically. "What do you mean? You have us - SHINee."

"I meant my life back in Japan," she told him in the most softest tone he had ever heard her. "It was just me and the orphanage. That's always been my life."

Taemin's eyes slowly widened as the words finally dawned on him. "An orphanage? You're an orphan?!"

Alaina nodded the slightest, her fingers still his cheek. "I never knew my parents. I don't know if I have siblings or any other relatives. Around thirteen years ago, I suddenly appeared on the doorsteps of Ayano's orphanage. All alone at night as it rain. The farthest I can recall from my past is waking up to Ayano's worried face. She looked like an angel when I first saw her face, just like when I met you."

"You're an orphan and didn't tell me?" gasped Taemin, the idea still unreal to him. His beloved, caring, intelligent soulmate came from somewhere as dreary as an orphanage?

"It wasn't as bad as you think," she assured him, seeing the gears in his head picture a gloomy, forgotten place where his beloved grew up all alone and thought to have never existed. "The children there are my precious dongsaengs, their climates made me smile and understand the concept of sharing feelings. I grew up with Yuki, who was my only best friend. Ayano, the caretaker who found me, is like my halmeoni. But my life was...dull. I struggled with my powers not knowing why I had them. When I stepped out of the orphanage, I was a speck of dust no one ever saw or noticed. I had to start school late when I finally received money to sponsor me, and worked hard to make Ayano proud. I found a job and moved out eventually, managing my own life, but I always went back to the orphanage. It's the base of my life, my beginning."

"You-you-" he stammered in disbelief. "You're just telling me this now?" A brick fell on his head. "Wait. Onew-hyung knows doesn't he? Yesterday when Baekhyun-hyung has asked about your family in Japan, he covered for you."

"Because of him, I officially have a family," she said, content. "Don't you understand? Whatever goes on in my life, I just either accept it and move on or forget it and dwell in the past, unsure what to do. So dealing with a demon is doing something in my life. It's my duty as much as yours."

"So you what to live a life of excitement - is that what it is?" Taemin gritted his teeth in dissatisfaction.

"Ani, I want to help," she corrected him. "I want to be of some use."

"You're fine the way you are," argued Taemin strongly.

"To you," she whispered. "Not to me."

"Isn't my opinion enough?" Taemin disagreed.

The bell rang, breaking the dispute between them as they knew everyone would be stopping by to check up on them. They would all leave when Onew would drop by to take Alaina straight to the doctor. Taemin would go home with Key, Minho, Baekhyun, Sehun, and Kai.

Taemin was left to mull over Alaina's confession and her point of view as he went home without her. Key and Minho noticed how quiet and grave looking he was but said nothing to disturb his train of thoughts.
 

...

(Alaina's POV)

I rested my injured head against the headrest - ignoring the throbbing pain - and closed my eyes. I could sense how Onew was worried about my health, but he read my emotions and stayed quiet, knowing I was disheartened.

"I told him."

At my dampen tone, Onew glanced sideways at me but only saw the back of my head. He read my emotions like an opened book. I was hopeless. Sorrowful. Troubled.

"What was his reaction?"

I answered after a long moment, "He blew up on me."

Onew sighed and turned his attention back to the road. "Of course."

A tear slide down my cheek.

Was the world that opposing of me to find happiness my way? Was I supposed to be so useless and sheltered?
 

...