Approximately half an hour after the gang went downstairs to the Headquarters to train, Jinah traipsed out of her room, rubbing her tired eyes with her face swollen. Sehun, who was accustomed to blocking everything out except for the one thing he was focused on (which was TV at the moment) didn’t hear Jinah. He didn’t even notice her presence until she groaned, “I’m so tired.”

         He glanced back at her, then back at the TV. He replied simply, “Of course you are.”

         “What’s that supposed to mean?” she frowned with weary eyes.

          Sehun got up and went towards the key plate. He twisted it around, revealing a button. He clicked it and beside that button area, opened up something that looked like a calculator. It was a password keypad. He pressed a few numbers and the password keypad slipped back in. The wall arranged itself so that the rectangular hole became larger, and out slid a machine with numbers and features, and another object was placed to the side, attached to the machine.

          “What’s that?” Jinah asked.

          “Fonie.”

          Jinah frowned at the strange but familiar word. Where did she hear it? Oh. Jinah remembered. It was from way back… but it really wasn’t all that back, she realized. They didn’t have a calendar around here, but it was approximately their second week together when she had accidentally called a phone a ‘fonie’. She didn’t know whether to laugh or not respond at all, but because his face remained blank, she chose the latter.

          He picked up the object on the side – “Receiver,” Sehun said, and pressed a button.

          “Voicemail,” a pretty female voice said. She sounded young, but had a sharp tongue, enunciating every word clearly. “You have no new messages. Main menu. To listen to saved messages, please press –”

          Sehun cut her off by clicking a button. Then he walked away, just like that. Jinah scowled and opened to call him back – what else was she supposed to do? A fonie – no, a phone, was right in front of her, and all she could hear was a static noise of digital processing. But then at that precise moment, the phone talked again. Only this time, Jinah recognized the voice.

          “Message to Wolf, the Top Gang: Hello, this is Kim Taeyeon from the Local Library. I just wanted to inform you that your Prix, Shin Jinah, has checked out eight books with your leader, Xi Luhan, at exactly 1:14AM last night. Please remember that the eight books are due in two weeks! Please return them within that time frame. I hope Miss Shin finds use of the library’s books. Thank you, and have a good day.”

          A beep indicated the end of message as the pretty female voice came back on. Jinah put the receiver back, and the voice stopped talking. Just when Jinah was about to verbally respond, thinking that Taeyeon was still on the line and forgetting that it was a recorded message and not a live stream, Sehun spoke.

          “Sneaking out to the library at one in the morning?” Sehun said. Even if it was a question, his tone was quite monotonous. “Smart move.”

          “I’m… I – well, it’s not like I woke you up, so it doesn’t matter, right?” Jinah snapped, slightly flustered. It came out a lot harsher than she had expected, but she didn’t really care. She went around to enter the kitchen to cook herself something, but found breakfast made. “Did you make this?” she asked him.

         “Yes.”

         Jinah had her eyebrows raised, but then she remembered how simple the procedure was. About a decade ago, scientists had found a new type of protein or whatever that made quickbreads cook faster. You didn’t need to wait that long for it to be cooked completely. They also added a chemical function to the stove that made the fire control itself according to the material above it. Advanced age, advanced technology. She poured some syrup and grabbed a fork before heading over to the couch. “Where’s the rest?”

         “Training.”

         “This early?”

         “It’s almost three in the afternoon.”

          Jinah took this time to check her watch, and Sehun was correct. She picked at her pancake, debating whether or not to ask Sehun the question on her mind. They’ve known each other for almost two weeks and have stayed together literally twenty-four hours a day, and seven days a week, yet Sehun and Jinah were still awkward, like distant acquaintances. Sehun had the most potential of being the closest to Jinah since they shared a room, and there has been no news about Aheun yet, but in fact, it seemed like the two were the farthest away. Sehun wasn’t a person Jinah would randomly talk to. She didn’t even know how they were having a conversation. Their current conversation was probably their longest.

          “Do you know what time I slept?” she asked. In the midst of debating, she had just blurted the question out. It was a bad habit that she had formed within the short time she spent with Wolf, which felt like years. She was surrounded by twelve gang males, so she was bound to be influenced.

          “No.”

          “Oh. Okay.”

          Knowing that she was going to spend the next few hours without a single word and just silent movement, Jinah positioned herself comfortable on the couch, delving into her pancakes voraciously. Jinah was always hungriest in the morning. She chewed slowly and watched TV. As the commercials ended, the white title rolled in: Casper Johnston 2. Jinah had watched a part of the first one in one of the evenings, but had no idea what the conflict was. Something about a princess and a mission, she vaguely remembered.

         Occasionally, Jinah would glance at her watch, to see how much time had passed. The wall clock hung near the TV, but because there wasn’t a wall clock inside her dwelling room or her classrooms, she wasn’t used to looking at the wall for the time. Instead, she glanced at her watch. They were about forty-five minutes into the movie, and apparently Casper Johnston and his gang had another mission. A sack of gold and precious minerals have been stolen by thieves, and they were sent to retrieve them. Right now, they were planning inside a cave. Why they were in a cave, Jinah did not know. They used several gadgets from about a decade ago – still in the DE, but the technology in the movie wasn’t as modern as others.

         Jinah’s fork rested on top of the empty plate, which had little sticky pools of syrup and small bits of crumbs, but most of the food had been consumed. With her stomach full, she tried to concentrate, but the movie was unbearably tedious. She wondered how long the movie would be. Normally, she would have asked a person near her, but with Sehun, the thought didn’t even cross her mind. She simply tried to understand the movie. However, when new characters and creatures were thrown at her, she lost grasp of the movie all over again. She sighed in boredom, but it wasn’t obnoxiously loud. It was just a quiet, small one, only for her hearing. She blinked sleepily. Jinah was still tired, even after sleeping for almost ten hours. Sleeping in the morning and waking up in the afternoon had disturbed her routine, and her body was surprised too. The last time she had checked the time last night (or this morning) it was past 5AM.

         “Did you find anything interesting?”

         Jinah’s eyes widened a tad as her gaze flew to Sehun, who was looking at her. He wasn’t completely facing her, but his eyes were on her and his neck was angled so that she could see a little more than half his face.

         “Um… what do you mean?” she asked. Was he asking about the movie? Or the pancakes? But he didn’t give any answers. He merely blinked and waited. What – did he expect her to find out on her own? Figure it herself? Her eyebrows knitted a bit, but she quickly understood what he meant. The books. “Oh. Not really. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t have guessed, but… yeah…”

         Sehun didn’t even nod before he turned to the screen again, blankly watching the movie. He had watched it millions of times, ever since his hood years. He didn’t particularly enjoy the series, but he did cherish the memories. Males were discouraged to hold sentimental value, feel sympathetic or merciful, or get attached to people, especially females, but he was human. Sehun did reminisce the moments and times he spent with Luhan, Kai, and Baekhyun, and more during Army Training with others, and more from the past two years he spent with his gang mates as Wolf. The only difference between Sehun and a male who is looked down on for doing everything that Sehun does – cherish, reminisce, relish the old times – was that Sehun kept it to himself, while some of the other mushy males don’t.

         Sehun never talked about his thinking sessions with others. He didn’t show it in his facial expressions, simply because there was no reason to. He thought it was foolish to let everyone know how you felt, but he also thought that isolating oneself completely from another was not only foolish, but impossible, even for Luhan. Sehun could feel his best friend slowly losing sense of ‘manners’ and ‘affection’, specifically towards Jinah. Not that it was a bad thing, but Sehun had a feeling that his obstinate friend would refuse to realize and accept that fact for a long time.

         Now, just because Sehun did things that males weren’t advised to do, didn’t mean he was a softie. He was quite ruthless when it came down to fights, and was serious with most things. He didn’t take things lightly and always analyzed carefully. He didn’t open up to someone quickly, or trust anyone easily – it was human instinct. He was constantly aware and was reticent. On the other hand, Sehun was logical. He wasn’t oversensitive and he didn’t fret over little things. Sehun was hardly ever surprised or panicked because he observes everything meticulously. He was eerily calm and had a weird sense of ease. Not comfortable, but ease, like everything could be solved. He was a balanced person, a rare quality for anyone in the world.

         “Hey, Sehun, I have a question,” Jinah said bravely, and Sehun moved his head towards her slightly. She didn’t know what had gone into her, but she didn’t mind saying what she had said. After all, Baekhyun wanted her to open up, right? Talking more was opening up… right?

         Jinah didn’t want to have this awkward wall with the gang. She didn’t want to be all buddy-buddy with them either, but she had to live with them for the next ten years of her life, minimum. Ten years of absolute misery sounded very unappealing. Instead, she should make the best out of it. ‘Code of Callidum Ethics, Section Seven: Do not act in/out of spite, jealousy, anger, sadness, extreme happiness, revenge, sympathy, instant emotional surges, or mood swings. Acting rashly, impulsively, or without reason is strictly prohibited.’ Jinah didn’t know what reason she had for purposely distancing herself with the others, thus, the wall was unreasonable. ‘Code of Callidum Ethics, Section Eight: Think and act rationally and logically, and make wise decisions which you will not regret in the future.’ Jinah knew those two codes very well. She spent the past eleven years or so, memorizing the nineteen Callidum Codes, so might as well put some use to it, right? She was well aware that she was no longer a Callidum candidate, but despite what she said to Luhan, she really valued these codes. The past eleven years of her life had revolved around these beliefs, and it was these codes that made up her personality and self today. She was thankful for these codes, and planned on sticking to them.

         Jinah took a deep breath. It was now or never. If she remained mute for too long, things would only get awkward. “The myth that Kai and Chanyeol were talking about… do you…” she cleared . was getting awfully dry. Must be the pancakes. Overcooked or whatever. “Do you… um,” she sighed. She looked him in the eye, feeling a new sense of determination flowing through her. It wasn’t hard – she was only asking one ridiculous question. “Do you believe it?”

         Sehun averted his eyes slowly, turning his gaze back to the TV. No answer. Jinah felt something prickle inside her – he had just stabbed her pride, but it was her own fault. As Jinah sank back in her seat, the excitement dead in her, she thought about how stupid that was. She made herself exposed and vulnerable to rebuffs, and Sehun just completely disregarded her question. How stupid, Jinah thought. What did you expect? That’d he’d excitedly and willingly answer you? Come on, it’s called a myth for a reason. What were you thinking? That females could get abilities? What were you –

         “No.”

         Jinah didn’t even care about his answer anymore. Not only was it obvious and expected, but her pride had been hurt. Of course he doesn’t believe it. Feeling grumpy and angry with herself, she didn’t answer him, or do anything to acknowledge his reply.

         “Partially.”

         Jinah’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. For two reasons, she was shocked to this extent. Firstly, Sehun had just completed his answer. Secondly, his answer itself.

         “Wha – what? What do you mean? You think that the Legendary Prix was real? You think that females can get abilities? I thought that females couldn’t get abilities?”

         “That’s what they tell you. That’s what everyone thinks.”

         His simple and ambiguous responses were no better than a no answer at all. In fact, it was worse. His replies irked her, and anger boiled inside her. First, he hurt her pride. Then, he makes her confused, then excited, and now bewildered out of her mind. She hated it. He was leading her on. She was practically digging her own grave with this.

         “So you think the Legendary Prix had an ability?” Jinah said, attempting to interpret what Sehun was saying, trying to assimilate it properly. What her endeavors for answers would be rewarded with, she did not know. What her attempts for knowledge would result her, she did not know. But what she did know was that there was a spark of hope, some kind of possibility…

         “I don’t know if the Legendary Prix’s ability was creating bombs, or if she even had an ability. But,” Sehun paused.

         Jinah leaned in involuntarily. The suspense was killing her. “But…?”

         Sehun’s head took a full ninety-degree turn as he completely faced her. Jinah flinched back a little, but Sehun didn’t give her time to think much. “I don’t think it’s impossible for a female to gain an ability,” he elucidated. Instantly, Jinah stopped thinking. She just absorbed his words. “However, I do think that it’s much harder for a female to get their ability compared to a male, because there has never been any evidence of a female attaining an ability. Also because physically and naturally, if a female and male were to undergo equal training, the male would be less tired and be able to withstand more. With exactly equal circumstances, the male is stronger. I’m aware that there hasn’t been a female with an ability, and science says that females can’t get abilities because of the difference in hormone release between the genders and the body structure differences and such, which is funny because if they compared the hormone releases and body structure differences between males, they should have an answer, a way of knowing the standards to gain an ability, but they don’t. It means they don’t know, because if they did, law wouldn’t be divided between genders, but between the ones with abilities and the ones without. See, only males have ever had abilities, but it’s not every male, either. Privileged ones. It seems impossible for a female, who has a weaker body than a male’s by nature, to gain an ability when not all males can even after undergoing the Journey and Army Training,” said Sehun. “I know all of that. Reports, experiments, investigations, and so much more, states that females are incapable of hosting an ability.”

         Jinah frowned at his answer. She didn’t even have the time to be surprised that Sehun had just spoken several sentences, all at once. She was solely focused on what he was saying, and trying to understand them. “Okay, so,” she drawled. “At the end of the day, you think it’s impossible for females to gain abilities, just like everyone else, then?” Sehun shook his head to that, which frustrated Jinah to no end. It aggravated her so much, and her sharp, bitter tone showed it. “Then what are you trying to say?”

         “Because not every male can get an ability, I think there’s an ‘in between’. Females have never had an ability, but I think females can gain them, somehow. Strong ones. Females that are stronger than the males that can’t get abilities. Females that are as strong as, or nearly as strong as males that do have abilities. I don’t know if ‘strong’ is the correct term, because I don’t mean muscle strength. A different type of strength. An energy within. My conjectures are the same as yours – that there’s an accurate method to unlock or gain an ability instead of waiting around, hoping and training. Yes, there hasn’t been a single female that has had an ability, but no, I don’t think it’s impossible.”

         “Then?” Jinah said as calmly as she could. She could practically feel herself vibrating in anticipation, the thrill tickling her spine and messing with her mind. It was hard to sit still and she was so fidgety. But all of this, this and this suspense, was put to an end with Sehun’s simple-as-ever answer:

          “It just hasn’t been done yet.”

~*~