Lana didn’t really know the exact circumstances behind her parents’ marriage. The two never discussed their relationship with their children, although they insisted it had always been boringly normal. Lana could tell that was a lie. She was pretty sure Mom was just an underage squeeze Dad was forced to marry when he knocked her up. She had done the math, and her mom was definitely pregnant before the two ran off to Vegas to get hitched. Lana thought it was a pity a good person like her father had to be stuck for life with someone like her mom all because of one little mistake. Nevertheless, she respected her father for taking responsibility for the reckless, testosterone-driven actions that led to her conception.

She knew her parents were covering something else up, too. On Lana’s very first day at Exoplanet High, the clownish principal approached her, mentioning that her mother had been his favorite transfer student. Before then, Lana had never known her mom once attended the school. Her curiosity was piqued, and so, after a bit of calculating, she figured out that her mother was a student in her father’s class. The numbers and details were messy, but it was undeniable: her parents first hooked up as teacher and pupil. Lana could forgive her father for that fact, too. He probably didn’t know any better. He was young and dumb at the time.

Speaking of young and dumb, Uncle Baekhyun sometimes hinted that the school lunch lady, Uncle Sehun, used to have a crush on Mom. Lana couldn’t help but think about it every time lunch period rolled around. She grabbed a tray and ambled into the cafeteria line, inching her way toward the aging, hair-netted man. Not even an apron could hide his bulging beer gut as it hung atop the counter. Lana didn’t know how he let himself go. He had been rail thin in his youth. Though, he had eight kids, so maybe it had something to do with that.

When it was Lana’s turn to be served, she stared down at her tray, hoping not to be recognized. A bony hand reached out, placing a plate of carrot cake in front of her.

“Hi, Lana,” the lunch lady’s voice greeted, and she groaned inwardly. The last thing she needed was for Uncle Sehun to acknowledge that they knew each other. It was already bad enough that Lana was the girl with the super-hot dad that half of the female student body had a crush on. She quickly paid for her meal and scurried away before the cook could draw any more attention to her.

Lana hovered outside the school library, throwing cautious glances up and down the hallway. Students weren’t supposed to be on the second floor during lunch hour, especially not near the old, abandoned bookroom. The facility had been closed years ago in favor of paperless, more-easily-managed e-readers. The front entrance was boarded up, and not even thorough jiggling could loosen the wooden planks sealing it. Fortunately, a hidden employee entrance around the corner had been locked much less carefully. If you tapped on the door at the right spot, you could easily knock the lock out of place. Only a small handful of people knew about it, and Lana was one of the lucky ones. This made it the perfect hideout for her to eat lunch in.

She quietly slipped through the secret door, relocking it as it closed behind her. The vast hall was filled from wall to wall with bookcases stretching to the ceiling twenty feet above. The school had never bothered to remove the books, so the shelves were still chockfull of stories long since forgotten and left to collect dust.

Lana set her tray down on the librarian’s desk and disappeared down an arbitrary aisle, searching for a new book to pick up. She liked to read; it was inevitable coming from a family of teachers and writers. She much preferred tangible books to their electronic counterparts, too. She liked to hold the story in her hands, to run her fingers along the paper edges, and to hear the soft thud produced when she slammed the book shut.

A book with pink binding caught her eye. She tilted her head to the side for a better look. As she read the title aloud, “Love Poems for the Ages,” chills ran up her spine. A weird sense of déjà vu swept over her, but she decided to shrug the sensation off. As far as she could remember, she had never read the collection before. Suddenly curious, she pulled the book from the shelf and sauntered back to the front desk.

She had just sat before her carrot cake when she heard the door unlock with a click. She glanced up, just in time to see her dad brush through the doorway, a plate of salad in his hand. He casually sauntered down the aisle and took a seat at the empty chair beside her.

Lana wasn’t particularly shocked to see her father here. He knew she ate lunch in the library on a daily basis, and he sometimes came to join her. What surprised her more was his current demeanor. For some reason, he didn’t seem to be angry that his daughter had earlier stormed off in a huff. Lana wondered why.

“Hey, kiddo,” he greeted, glancing down at the book in her hand. “What are you reading?”

She eyed him warily, wondering if his uncalled-for easiness was some kind of ruse. Under normal circumstances, he would be scolding her right now. Should she keep her guard up? Better safe than sorry, she decided, and she carefully answered, “Love Poems for the Ages.”

At this, Dad burst into an amused grin, leaving Lana even more confused. He recited in English, “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is a sweet, and you.”

When he finished, Lana couldn’t do anything but gape at him, mouth hanging wide open. “What the heck, Dad? What’s with the Engrish?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Nothing. It’s just something your mom said to me once.”

Lana grimaced. She was still upset about Mom ruining her plans, and she definitely didn’t want to hear more needless talk about the woman. Dad read the displeased look on his daughter’s face and frowned in return.

“We need to talk.” He looked her square in the eye. In an instant, his tone became remarkably stern again, just as it had been three hours ago. “Lana, I know you’re upset. I understand why, and I’m sorry I had to cancel our plans. But you have to understand: sometimes accidents happen. I don’t want you to blame your mother for this. She wasn’t trying to miss her flight, and she was just as inconvenienced by it as you were.”

He paused to stare at her expectantly, but she avoided eye contact. She crossed her arms, slumping down in her seat as she huffed, “I don’t see how she could just miss her flight though. She was there with Marina. What, did she just get on the plane without her?”

“Yes.” Lana scoffed, but he pretended not to notice. “Look, she has a valid reason for missing her flight. She wasn’t feeling well. If you really want to know, she was in the middle of throwing up, and Marina abandoned her.”

Lana scrunched up her nose, glowering at her dad in revulsion. Why did he have to go into so much detail? Mom puking? Gross.

He sighed, “Lana, there’s something else.” When he hesitated to elaborate, Lana was left silently urging him to continue. Finally, after a long, heavy silence, he added, “Look, I wasn’t going to tell you this myself. Actually, I was going to let your mom say it, but I feel like you deserve to know now. It’ll help you understand. But you have to promise me you won’t tell your brother, okay?”

Lana groaned inwardly. The last thing she wanted was to get roped into some deep, dark secret her parents shared, but she could tell she didn’t really have a say in the matter. With a limp nod, she sighed, “I promise.”

Lana stormed out of the library, suddenly angrier than ever. If Dad thought dropping that bombshell would quell the annoyance she felt for her mother, then he was sorely mistaken. As she stampeded up the stairs toward the fourth floor, she couldn’t stop cursing the woman under her breath. How could Mom be so irresponsible? How could she do this to Dad now?

She threw the door open, rushing into the empty classroom without a second thought. She grabbed her school bag, hurled it over her shoulder, and darted back into the hall, back down three flights of stairs, and out of the school building. As she dashed by the front desk, the tiny school principal stupidly smiled and waved, watching her leave without blinking an eye. She wouldn’t have stopped even if he called out to her though. She wasn’t going back to class, not knowing what she knew now. She didn’t want to see her dad for the rest of the day. His face would just remind her of Mom, and the very thought of Mom made her body burn with rage right now.

Lana had never cut class before, and she would probably be grounded for the rest of her life when she got home, but it didn’t matter. Right now, any punishment was worth it. She had to get away.

Author's Note
Oh God, I can't keep a straight face anymore. Just thinking about Fathun makes me cringe. Please don't hate me, Sehun stans. I love the kid. I swear I do. ;_; IT HAD TO HAPPEN, I HAVE MY REASONS, AND I KNOW THIS OK.

But what is this mysterious secret... hm...