(A/N: There is a violent little bit in here and I'm not sure if that makes this chapter rated M or not, but... yeah. Here's a quick heads up for anyone who really doesn't like reading violence...)

Tao's POV

Kai was completely exhausted sitting here next to me under an old tree we found nearby. I didn't want to keep him here for too long, but again I found it difficult to bring up the story of my old scars. He acted like he didn't mind, but he couldn't hide the numerous yawns as he hungrily munched on snacks from his stolen supply.

I felt sorry and guilty for keeping silent for so long when he already had a good idea what I was going to say anyways. That final thought spurred me forward and I hesitantly asked him how much he knew.

“Not much. A few fragments. Lots of screaming,” he swallowed his last bite of chips and set the bag down on the roots of the tree. “Lots...” Kai reached a hand over and lay it on my knee, gentle, warm. “Who was he?”

“He was my mother's boyfriend.” I answered, a memory of the man's angry scowl flashing behind my eyelids. “He never liked me and also never told me why he didn't like me. There were a couple incidents where he threw things when we were alone, but it wasn't all that bad before. My mom seemed happy, so I kept it to myself.”

Kai's hand squeezed my knee gently. “Don't ever keep something like that to yourself again.”

Feeling a slight blush take over my ears in embarrassment that I have to be treated like such a kid, I continued on, “He drank quite a bit and I'm guessing that's why it got so bad, but I don't know... It felt like that whole episode came out of nowhere.” I admitted. “Like, he was really drunk, but that anger had to have come from somewhere, right? Why?” I rounded on Kai, seeking an answer even though I knew he had none to give. “Why was he so angry with me?”

His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't decide what. Instead, he blinked at me slowly.

“Sorry...” I apologized. “It's just frustrating. No matter how much time passes, I never have an answer.”

“I think I can understand that. It's the same thing with our powers. We don't know why we have them or who else is out there waiting to be found...”

“Also,” I began, remembering a conversation quite a few days back in biology. “Luhan once asked why there are no girls with these kind of powers-”

“Girls already have their own superpowers, trust me.” said Kai seriously. “They read minds. They can also plant thoughts in your head without you realizing it.”

“Is it that different being with a girl?” I asked, curious.

He nodded and moved the hand from my knee to hold one of my own. “This is better. This is much more comfortable.”

This was comfortable. I stared at the warm, comforting hand and felt the guilt I've been feeling all day wash over me yet again. “Kai, I-”

“Have Sehun. I know.” Kai didn't release his grip, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand slowly. “I'm just... reminding you of your options.” His smile faltered and he lay his head back against the trunk of the tree with small thud.

Jongin's hand was warm, but the silence felt like ice against my skin, dry and biting. I shivered from the goosebumps and steeled myself to go back on point and find out what he knew. It wasn't going to be easy, but I had to know.

“Glass,” I breathed out, unwilling to speak further. The very word made me cringe and I looked over to see Kai flinch. I suppose he understood this feeling. “H-he used glass- broken b-bottles.” Gulping down the nerves that had flared up with the word glass, I tried again to explain. “My mom was out shopping and I was alone at the house when h-he came in, drunk a-and-” I sighed, focusing on the soft back and forth of Kai's thumb against my skin. “Angry. I think I'm missing something. Do you think you took something and now I don't remember it?”

“No, I don't think so.” his voice half-whispered. I looked over to see his eyes closed and his facial muscles relaxing. He'll end up falling asleep if we stay here too long.

“There are things I like about you, you know.” I admitted, hoping to wake him up some so I could pick his brain more. I still felt like he knew something I didn't. It felt like there was a big, gaping hole in my old memories.

It worked. Kai's eyes peeked open and his lips upturned a little at the corners. “Like what?”

“Your thoughtfulness.” I said, nudging the red plastic grocery basket with my foot.

“I told you, I was just hungry.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed.

“I don't mean about the snacks.” Opening the hand hanging onto mine, I traced lines over his fingers as I thought. “I'm talking about the gum for Sehun - knowing what I wanted before I did. That was a really clever idea and it really made me feel better when you came back with it. Also, your straightforwardness. You jump right into what you want, which is more than I can say for-” I stopped, wondering if it was insensitive to talk about Sehun so much in front of him.

But Kai took the turn of conversation in stride as always. “Sehun's just like that.” he said. “I think it's part of his whole 'airy' concept. He thinks he has to be an airhead too.”

I snorted and suddenly felt his gaze shift to me, staring.

“There are things I like about you too; I didn't just confess to you for no reason.”

“Like what?” I prompted, wondering why I getting nervous all of a sudden. Kai's hand clamped over mine again when it had stopped it's lazy tracing.

“Your nose.” he said simply.

“My- what?” If I made a list of my most attractive features, my nose wouldn't be on it.

“No, hear me out. I really like that it isn't perfectly straight and that it's a little long.” Kai explained. This didn't sound like a compliment to me... Seeing my disbelief, he went on, “It makes you look snout-ish like a cat or a wolf.”

Snout-ish?

“And your dark circles. Sehun thinks it makes you look tired, but I think it really just makes your eyes look dark and y.”

“y?” I laughed nervously.

“Why are you surprised?” he asked sleepily. “You don't think you're y?”

Shaking my head, I explained, “I've never heard that before.”

“It's not something you need to hear.” he countered. “I know I'm y and I don't need to hear it.”

“But that's different. You actually are y-”

“So you admit you think I'm y.”

Refusing to laugh at such a stupid joke, I narrowed my eyes at him. “You need sleep.”

He sighed and stood up. “You're right,” Kai helped me stand and embraced me as soon as I was up, shrouding us both in shadows until we were back in my room. “'Night, Tao” he whispered, eyes closing as he became limp in my arms once more.

I meant that he should take a cab home. Idiot.

***

Kai's POV

When I woke up, the sky outside Tao's window was a deep blue that seemed to be getting lighter as I stayed.

I didn't want to leave the sight before me. Tao had put me on his own wide bed and was currently occupying the other side. I chuckled lightly at the mass of pillows and blankets between us - as if they could stop me. Who knew when I'd ever get another opportunity like this to watch him sleep? I wondered at my luck as I listened to his soft breathing.

He slept so peacefully. I smiled at the cute parting of his lips and dark bangs that fell neatly over his eyebrows without all the product that usually made it stick up. His chest rose and fell like a quiet metronome keeping time. If he was like this, did that mean that Tao would no longer have nightmares about his past?

I was so glad to see this. He didn't deserve to have so much weight on his shoulders.

Tao had been right. There was a memory I'd made sure to take away from him. This small piece of knowledge I knew was the sharpened edge of the knife blade, the very piece that cut the most.

That day he had been attacked, things had almost taken a very frightening turn. Dipping in and out of consciousness, there were glimpses of something horrid that Tao had suppressed deep within himself. Lay's healing had brought it out in full view, but I stole it away. All of it. His mom's boyfriend was a sick man. Not only had he made sure to mar the skin of Zitao's back with long lines etched in with broken glass, but he was preparing to commit an even worse sin.

---

With my shirt ripped open in the back by rough fingers that didn't care if they scratched or bruised my skin, I lay there helpless and crying, words turning into incoherent screams, pleas, and complete gibberish with only frightened tones to indicate their meaning. I thrashed and twisted, only earning carpet burns and a hard punch in between my shoulder blades that forced every bit of air in my chest out, roughly being told to shut my mouth and be still and accepting like the I was.

I didn't understand. What made me a ? I was still a . What did my virtue have to do with anything? Why did he care and why was he angry?

The glass dragged across the my spine almost lovingly before the first cut that skipped across my skin slow and deep. But that first cut had been long ago and I was still here, breathing shallowly and trying not to black out. My sternum ached from being thrown to the ground. Fatigue pulled at my body and tired lungs that burned from overuse. Each new cut ripped another cry from my spent vocal chords. This man laughed dark and guttural,enjoying the way I arched my back in pain when his fingernails scraped deep into his masterpiece of dripping red gashes.

“Kill me!” I rasped, loud as I could. “Just kill me already!”

The man chuckled cheerily as if he weren't torturing his girlfriend's only child. He was so much bigger than me, heavily pinning me down with with knees, shoving and punching me to the floor if I lifted myself up even by accident.

“If you insist.” I heard a sound of fabric being shoved aside in a hurry and a loud click as cold metal pressed into the back of my head.

“But you know,” came the man's slurred, drunken voice, withdrawing the object and flashing it before my vision teasingly. It was a gun. I felt relieved that this life would be over soon and relaxed my tensed muscles when my hair was pulled back, yanking my head off the carpet. The gun was pressed to my cheek as he leaned over and growled low in my ear, “I think I wanna play with this little first.”

---

I shuddered, glad the police had intervened before anything more had happened to him and sending silent thank yous to the neighbors who had called them.

Tao was so strong. How had he endured that fear all those years?

Taking away the pillows and blankets between us and chucking them behind me, I scooted a bit closer to him, lying on my left side with a hand pillowed under my head to study him some more.

I could smell his cologne on my wrist and nuzzled into the scent, wishing it were him. Tao moved in his sleep and an arm dropped off his stomach, falling between us. Feeling like destiny was calling me forward yet again, I slid my right hand down the bed and slipped it under his, bending his arm up gentle and slow so he wouldn't wake. I placed this hand over my left one, palm facing up, and nuzzled into this new living pillow instead. The cologne scent was stronger and mixed in beautifully with something floral and soapy. I grazed a kiss on the inside of this palm and fell asleep once again.

***

Tao's POV

My bed was too warm. I opened my eyes to see the barricade I'd put up strewn about the room and Kai's face so close to mine that I could feel his slow breathing against my cheek. His legs tangled over mine and my right hand pillowed his softly snoring head.

Although my bed was too warm, I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. I didn't want this to end just yet, even though guilt gnawed at my insides. I reasoned with myself that this would be the last petty bit of revenge against Sehun's tirade from yesterday.

Sehun. What could I do about Sehun?

I groaned, the alarm to wake up and get ready for school going off. Six-day school weeks hardly felt worth the long breaks we were given.

“Just ditch.” suggested a sleepy voice when I turned back around from shutting off the alarm and tried to slide my hand out from under the boy's head. He refused to let go and held my legs hostage along with the hand.

“I actually care about graduating.” I told him, tugging my arm back. Kai bit into my fingertips before they could get away and I yelped in surprise.

“Why care about graduating?” he grumbled. “We have powers. We don't need jobs. Come live with me in the future and I'll teleport into a bank or something for all our expenses.”

“That's not funny.”

Kai looked up with serious eyes that bored straight through me. “I wasn't joking.” he said, eyes never leaving me as he pressed a soft kiss against my stinging fingertips. “Come live with me, Innocence. I'll take care of you.”

I couldn't say anything. I felt like he'd stolen the breath from my lungs with that simple smile he directed up at me.

“Think about it. This option is always open.” he whispered, disappearing in shadows that clung to my empty palm.

Getting up and putting myself in the shower blurred together. I barely realized what I was doing until I went to wash my back under the warm spray and the skin felt foreign and smooth.

This really happened; I really was healed. I no longer had mottled scars to constantly remind me of an ugly past. The feeling under my fingers as they searched the flat skin for uneven ridges was one of tingling excitement and happy relief. My lips pulled back in a wide smile, joyful tears threatening to spill and mix with the thundering drops of water.

***

They don't see Chanyeol anywhere. What if he doesn't come to school?

I read the text from Baekhyun on the bus. He'd been texting me ever since I got dressed, filling me in on all the details of Chanyeol's weird revelation yesterday. What was wrong with him? I thought he really liked Baekhyun. I needed to explain to him that he can't just jump around calling everyone his soulmate before Baekhyun did something reckless. He already hid himself in the old gym storage room, lest someone see his angry flashing lights. Kris and Sehun were looking all over the school for the traitor, texting updates.

Who was this Jongdae and why did Chanyeol think he was so special? What made him better than Baekhyun? The glowing boy was kind and sweet and really liked that tall oaf. Sure he could blind people when he got emotional, but there was nothing wrong with him otherwise.

“-totally ridiculous. It has to be photo-shopped or something-”

I glared at the noisy teenage girl who boarded the bus and sat in front of me. Her voice was screechy and high-pitched, making it very difficult to focus on my own thoughts.

“There's no way one person could sculpt a giant-” she lowered her voice, though that did nothing to hide her grating voice as it said, “-male reproductive organ-” with a giggle, she continued on, loudly. “-in the space of one night. Have you seen the picture? It's hilarious if it's true, but come on, where would they even get that much ice?”

I rolled my eyes and tried in vain to untangle my ipod's earphones. Maybe her voice will be quieted with some loud music.

“No way!” she shouted and I nearly dropped my music player on the floor. “You saw it? The restaurant's really closed? You're lying to me! Oh, did you hear about that kid who got struck by lightning? Yeah, that happened yesterday too-”

Baekhyun said the boy Chanyeol ran off to was struck by lightning. Curious, I listened in, putting the ipod back in my pocket.

“Could you imagine? He was just making a delivery and was struck while he was still on his motorcycle. His helmet was all melted, but on the news this morning, he looked completely okay - his hair wasn't even burnt or anything, and let me tell you, he was fine.”

I tuned her out with some difficulty as she went on about her new nail polish that crackled as it dried. Did Chanyeol leave Baekhyun just because this Jongdae was good-looking? I didn't want to believe it, but who knew? Me and Baekhyun both knew very little about the teen.

***

Chanyeol really didn't show up. It was already lunchtime and Baekhyun had given up the thought that he might show his face after such an episode, looking defeated and slouching in a dark corner of the gym storage room. All his lights had gone out and no amount of soothing words and encouragement could pull him away and get him to class. I abandoned my own classes to watch after him, realizing that although I'd told Kai I wouldn't, I was ditching again. Luhan had a work emergency and couldn't make it to school.

And Sehun...

I think he was avoiding me. It's possible that he didn't care about this whole situation and just wanted to go to class like usual, but I'm almost certain he was trying to give me space. As grateful as I was, I also felt bad for him. The reason why he was angry yesterday was because Chanyeol told him Kai was coming to my house and before he could even apologize, I ran off with the very person he was angry with for the rest of the day. And night...

My phone buzzed and I stared at the message, wondering how Lay had managed to write it without the use of his eyes. It said to come to the bench behind the hedges and to hurry before our break ended.

“Go.” said Baekhyun, wearily peeking at my phone with puffy eyes. “I'll be fine here. Some alone time would be nice anyways.”

I pat his arm and promised to be back soon.

Walking across the courtyard to my favorite part of the school, I could just see a bit of color poking out through the thick hedges. That was weird. Stepping inside, I understood and wondered why I hadn't seen more color.

There were gorgeous flowers and plants all over, spilling out and over a little pathway of flat rocks that hadn't been there before. The bench that sat against the wall had been stripped of it's chipping blue paint and repainted a deep green color. Bits of green moss artfully dotted the brickwork of the wall and coupled with the lighting, everything looked and felt surreal.

“Kris helped me pick out the colors,” said a voice and I turned to see Lay standing behind me, stretching a small gift bag in my direction. He smiled, eyes looking off somewhere low on the wall behind me. “This is for you too.”

For me? This all was a surprise for me?

“Why?” I asked quietly.

“I've scarred you, knocked you out, and put you through so much pain. After the hell I've caused you-” Lay cleared his throat. “I owed you.”

“Lay, you healed me.” I reminded him. “That's already more than I could have ever asked for, not to mention that I started every one of those incidents.”

“Still,” he grabbed one of my hands and placed the bag in it with no problems, eyes still looking in the wrong direction. “I wanted to repay you.”

“But I haven't even done anything. None of my ideas worked.” With a sigh, I set down the bag on top of the bench and drew him in my arms. “Do you even realize the gift you've already given me?” I asked into his shoulder.

Warmth flooded through me as his hand swept over my hair, brushing my temple. Lay hummed and said, “I have some idea.”

“Thank you,” I hugged him tighter before letting go. “Again.”

“Yes, well,” Lay smiled again, dimpled and laced with a feeling of mischief. “Make sure to open your gift.” he said, walking back through the space in the hedges. Turning back, he called out, “Oh,and Kris says the basketball team is having another round of tryouts tomorrow. You should check it out.”

Basketball... That was Sehun's idea, but would I really be any good at it?

I sat down on the bench, rubbing a hand over the smooth paint fondly before turning my attention to the bag. A single pink ribbon tied the two handles together in a bow and I carefully untied it, pulling out the contents.

There were three fortune cookies in a plastic bag. I laughed, remembering I told Lay of my old affinity for them. I cracked one open, eating a small bit before reading the little paper inside. It was a kind of superstitious habit I picked up as a kid.

~ Good exists even in the most barren places. ~

This was a little embarrassing, seeing my own words put into a fortune cookie. It struck me just how terribly cheesy those words had been.

A little afraid of what else I would find, I ate a piece of a second cookie and read the next paper.

~ Don't worry. I didn't forget to keep your secret about Sehun giving you kitty all over (except to the nice man making these custom fortune cookies for me). ~

I choked on the cookie I was eating and had to take a moment to catch my breath. I hurriedly ripped the paper to pieces before anyone else could see it and buried the bits of paper in the dirt beneath my shoe.

The third cookie started to look a bit intimidating and I hesitantly stuck a piece in my mouth, flattening the paper to read it.

~ It will consume you. You aren't meant to be here. Leave this school now while you can, FREAK. ~

I dropped the rest of the cookie I had held in my hand and it smashed into pieces on a stepping stone. As I watched, the words of the last sentence changed. What was this? What was going on?

~ It will consume you. You aren't meant to be here. Leave while you can. ~

The letters turned darker, until the very ink itself burned bright orange and a fire spread through the middle, eating up the entire note in my hands and burning my fingertips.

This wasn't Lay's doing.

What the hell was happening?