On the fifth day that I am in the VIXX hangers, I begin to notice the way my stomach is changing. The first night I was here, I could barely hold a few pieces of beef and some mashed potatoes, but by the fourth day I am able to stomach a full serving of potatoes and a slice of sweet bread. Breakfast had become my favourite meal though. Every morning there was always scrambled eggs and I can’t help but love them. They were both light and filling, usually leaving me full for almost half a day. The boys, specifically Ravi, encouraged me to eat three small meals though which my stomach was slowly getting used too.

I just hope the weight would start to pack on soon. Hongbin insisted on giving me a full physical on the third day, and N supported it. I had been nervous about it, but thanks to Hongbin being the sweet man he was, I went through with it. I wasn’t ready for how shocking the results would be and I noticed the melancholy that filled Hongbin’s features after he had finished.

He told me I weighed 87.3 pounds, and my body mass index scored as 16.5… I was severely underweight and had barely any body fat to speak of. Hongbin told me that until it was at least at an 18.5 I couldn’t do any physical medical training with him but could only rely on the knowledge of books and today would be the first day I would actually get to read one.

I saunter to one of the dining tables, a plate crowded with scrambled eggs and sweet bread, something I was becoming accustomed too, and slide into a seat. I tended to wake up early, this morning at 7:30 a.m. but most of the boys rested till at least nine, so I ate in a comfortable silence. I admire the way the various dining tables are set up in the large room, holding twelve tables and seating over thirty people at one time. The large setup made it possible for the other workers in the VIXX hangers, an aspect I was still trying to get used too, able to sit and eat a meal relaxingly. I was comfortable around the boys, to a point, and the various people who came to the dining hall I was better at interacting with, but there was still so much I didn’t know about where I was staying.

I hadn’t traveled past the hallway that held the dining hall, the bedroom and a few various offices. There was a medical office upstairs that was located down the hall from me that Hongbin had examined me in. He told me that once there was books, I could study in their since there would be more peace and quiet for me to concentrate and also mentioned that there were two more offices on another level, something that caught my attention.

Just how big was this place? I had seen the location where the ROVIXX were stored, but didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings when the boys who crowded me took me towards the offices. I just remembered a few sets of stairs and various hallway entrances.

A soft voice interrupts my thoughts, “You look focused.”

I pull myself out of my trance and find myself staring at Hongbin and I give him a smirk.

“Just thinking… Why are you up before nine?” I laugh lightly at his frozen smile, his left eye brow quirks up a little. I pick up my sweet bread and spin it in my hands; a chuckle then escapes his lips.

“I’m expecting a delivery, actually.” His eyes fall to his plate as he spoons a few eggs into his mouth.

My eyes widen slightly, the aspect of an unknown coming into the VIXX hangers intriguing me. “A delivery?”

He nods and lifts his eyes to me, taking a swig from the hot liquid in his cup. It was a drink I had not tasted yet, but it still intrigued me.

“Yeah, it’s from another district… Medical books from one of our contacts.”

He takes another drink of the steaming liquid, ignoring his plate full of food.

“Oh really? Will they be here soon?” I inquire.

“In a couple hours I presume.” He answers with a smile still on his face. I watch him as he holds the clay cup in his hands, the steam still rising out of it.

“Hongbin…?”

He nods again, his smile not fading.

“What is that…? I mean, what are you drinking?” I turn my head to the side, my eyes stare at the clay cup in his hands, the steam dances in his breath.

He looks down as his mouth parts. “Oh, it’s genmaicha.” He places the cup down on the table and then takes a moment to look at me.

“Do you know what that is?”

I keep my head at a tilt, “No…”

“Oh,” Hongbin looks back down at the cup, “well… on the Earth, tea, which is what genmaicha is, was consider a rarity in some parts of the world, but people started to cut the tea leaves with puffed grains and ingredients and it made something called genmaicha.”

I look down at the cup as he pushes it towards me and the green coloured liquid swirls, the clay cup only inches away from me.

“Try some.” Hongbin gestures towards the cup as the steam lifts towards my nose and a truly enticing scent tantalizes my nostrils.

I pick up the cup, the clay tingles my hands with its warmth. I pull it towards my lips, blowing on it softly hoping to take away the heat. As the so called genmaicha enters my mouth, my taste buds begin to tingle at its flavour. It was something interesting, that’s for sure. It had a grainy taste but it was still unique with the dark leaves that dance around at the bottom of it.

Was this easy to make? Did they drink it often? I usually was focused on my meal and didn’t pay much attention to the boy’s plates. It was something, if offered on a regular basis, I would love to drink it at least once a day. I take another gulp as my thoughts are broken at the tantalizing taste and I hear a laugh escape from Hongbin’s lips.

“Do you like it?”

I put the cup down and push it back to him, the genmaicha still taking over my taste buds. I nod, smiling as I swallow the last bit of it.

He laughs as he gulps down the last bit and takes my empty plate from me as he walks towards the main entrance of the dining hall and places them in the bin next to it.

I stand up, and slowly walk towards the entrance, watching Hongbin as he stretches his arms above his head. He eyes me as I come closer to him and his classic smile spread across his face.

“Well… Since they won’t be here for a few hours, want to come study what I have in my office downstairs?”

I nod with a smile and start to follow him as he walks.

He turns right down the hallway and saunters past the washrooms and he slides his hands into his pockets. His gaze was kept forward as we came to the end of the hallway, a set of stairs greeting us, pressing us to walk down them.

“Come on.” He turns his head to smile at me and I look around as we descend the stone steps.

It is not like regular walls, the stone carved into a more circular shape. There are lights that flicker along the stair well and I begin to notice various stones strewn against the wall, looking like they’re almost concealing something, but I pay it no mind as we move down the stairs.

When we come to the next floor I notice a strange wooden door concealing a hole in the wall as we exit into the hallway… This place seems to get stranger as my stay prolongs.

I follow him down the new hall way, various doors meet my eyes and the numbers on the front keep the area in order. I slide my sleeves up, the shirt Ravi had given me still engulfing my body, and watch Hongbin as he pushes onward to the end of the curved tunnel.

As we come to the end of the hall way, there are a few steps that lead to a set of large doors and he pushes them open and I take in the awe of the semi-large room that meets my eyes. There are stretchers and various medical supplies strewn across tables and large shelves that hold multiple different bottles of anti-septic, bandages and prescriptions.

As he walks forward, I follow him, looking at the shelves that held only a few books. As I saunter to them, I graze my fingers across them, taking in the feel of the soft bindings. Usually, the books I had while reading with my parents were bound with string and glue, and seeing the strong bounds gave me the feeling of awe.

“Go ahead and have a read… It’ll be a couple of hours still, and you can ask me questions if you need to.”

He still has his sweet smile across his face, one that reminded of my adoptive Father. His eyes had the same shine as well, a feature that I admired when I looked at the man who had raised me for almost fifteen years. Maybe it was his smile and the fact he was so into medicine, or maybe it was something else, but I couldn’t help think of Hongbin as someone like a father figure.

I grab a couple of books from the shelf and carry them towards the table near the end of the room as Hongbin watches me. I take a seat on a stool afterwards and I notice my feet dangle over top the stone floor. I blush noticing my tiny size and swing my feet lightly as I eye the ground and let out a chuckle. It was something that reminded me of my adoptive Father’s small office; as I watched him on a stool and my feet dangled way above the ground when I was a child. I hear Hongbin laugh and look to see his smiling face once more, asking me a silent question.

“Sorry, I just find it reminds me of my Dad’s office,” I pause as I notice a prominent blush on my face and I try to hide my embarrassment from being caught, “Should we get to studying?”

He keeps his smile and nods, opening a level one medical book.

Hongbin is a sweet man and is very helpful. It was almost uncanny the resemblance of him and my Father. It was comforting for me… To know there was another man who I could try to rely upon, although all of the boys had made it quite clear that they would be caring for me.

I let me mind concentrate on the words in front of me, letting Hongbin’s words fill my ears as I review basic medical treatments and begin to wonder what this training would become.

*~*~*

“Wow… I didn’t know penicillin was created this way.” I lean over the table, my hands cradling my face as I stare into the book.

“I didn’t even know it was made this long ago…” I turn the page and my eyes focus more intently on the words in front of me.

“I’m surprised you’re so interested,” Hongbin points out, a laugh escaping his lips as he flicks through papers on the table in front of him, “I pulled a couple of files of past injuries that we can look over too.”

I jolt my gaze from the papers to him and see the files strewn across the desk. He opens one with a name on it I don’t recognize and lays it front of him, inviting me to have a look with him. My hands go flat against the desk as I try to lean across the table to read its contents but I find my small stature can’t quite reach.

“Ah, my stupid height…” I prop myself up on my knees and lean further across the desk and notice Hongbin give me a gaze; his eyes express worry.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be safe.” I reassure him as I push myself further across the desk and then I hear the door click open suddenly. I try to turn my head to eye who is now entering the room but it throws me off balance and I realize when it’s too late that my knees have slid too far forward on the stool. The top of the table disappears and I'm greeted by a view of Hongbin's feet. I land on my knees and calves and immediately feel pain; I could tell there would be a few bruises in less than a few hours. After calming myself for a second, making sure my eyes don’t water, I look up and see Hongbin and Leo standing over me. I could feel my face immediately flush as I met Leo’s stare from my spot on the ground.

“Taylor, are you alright?” Hongbin asks, his smile now gone.

I stutter for a moment as my eyes don’t move from Leo’s blank expression, “Ye-yeah, I’m fine.”

Hongbin offers me his hand and I take it. “Are you sure? You don’t feel like you broke anything?”

His expression is full of worry and his eyes look me over as he helps me stand up. I reassure him with a nod and finally tear my gaze away from Leo. A cough escapes my lungs as I rub the back of neck with my hand, an obvious signal to change the subject.

I hear Leo scoff quietly and turn to look at him to find a smirk playing on his lips.

“Here…” He mumbles as he pushes a hand full of books towards Hongbin.

Hongbin’s eyes widen slightly as he looks down at them and I look at them, starting to wonder what the time was.

“Did they already come? I must’ve lost track of time…” Hongbin asks as he faces Leo who only nods at his question.

“Dang, I really was looking forward to seeing them… They left already I presume?”

Leo nods again, “Yeah, but we’ll have to see them again in a few weeks anyways.” Leo’s eyes dart towards me and he takes a moment to look down at the floor before he pushes a hand through his hair.

“Oh, more recruits.” I look to Hongbin with a questioning look and he just nods as Leo turns to leave.

“More recruits?” I ask as my gaze follows Leo as he leaves the room.

“Oh, yeah, I guess you haven’t heard of that yet… Well it’s how we have all those workers in the hangers down below, where the ROVIXX are.”

I nod as he turns to put the books on the table, the weight of them making a thud as they hit the surface.

“Another district, Mato specifically, sends them to us and we put them to good use, improve their strengths… or we send them to another district, like MBLAQ or Shinhwa, if that’s where they’re better suited.” Hongbin slides a couple books towards me as he casually takes a seat in his stool once more. I nod with my gaze towards the books as he gestures for me to take a seat again.

“How many are coming…?”

Hongbin shrugs his shoulders, his classic smile taking over his face once more. “We’ll see when we get there, or maybe N knows, either way it’ll be fun to see parts of Mato again… Shall we get back to studying?”

I nod and grab another book and open it, its contents intriguing me once more. It’s about fifteen minutes before my mind begins to wander away from the material in front of me. I begin to think of the new people who would join us, and that’s when I made a promise to myself… I need to be healthy enough to go wherever the boys were going in a few weeks. It had been a dream of mine to see anything except VIXX and the mountains and desert that surrounded me my entire life. I had dreamt of what the others on this planet would look like, how they would act, and the differences that their culture held. I need to gain weight and prove myself to them. I need to study and start physical training and prove to the boys I can help. They were bringing others in to help with this rebellion and I was right here, not doing anything to help yet. All this news was doing was pushing me harder… I need get the power, the power to grow stronger. The power to take back what the citizens of this country once had. The power to help others rather than myself.