It’s been too long since the eleven of us have sat around like this and just talked.  Sure it wasn’t all talk since jokes were thrown in and small fights would break out, but it was the best we could expect.

  It wasn’t complete without Tao here to join in, but this was all we could hope for right now.  Too long have we not had freedom like this to be as we like.  I was laughing along with Kai as I let my gaze move over to Kris.  Ever since he got here he has had the same expression and has never shown emotion.

  I cannot fault him for the walls he has built up, we all have good reasons for having them in place.  But with Sky, we don’t need those barriers to protect us, we can be ourselves without holding back and never fear facing consequences for our actions.  While he may not know that yet, or is hesitant to see it, it’s true and all of us here have embraced that fact.

  We know that this freedom won’t last forever, but we want to be able to enjoy it while it is here.  If we don’t take a break from all of this and let ourselves live again, then we are set on a course that will eventually lead us to greater harm.  The longer we go without release, the harder it becomes to keep everything locked away.  Sooner or later we are bound to crack if we never had a chance like this to let everything out.

  I don’t know how the others view this, but this is my view on it at least.  Sky has given us a chance that we needed.  You could see the way the youngerst craved this for so long.  They have lived in this harsh reality for long enough and finding someone who truly cares about them deeply in this lonely life is more than they could ever dream for.

  “I’m curious about your first encounters with Sky.”  Lay commented.  His encounter was a strange one, but he took to her kindly and openly.  But what of all the encounters, I knew of a few of them since I was there, but I never heard much about it other than what I could see.

  “I’d like to know as well.”  Kris said for the first time.  “What was she like the first time you met her?”

  This was getting into rough water with some of the boys.  Not all of us had a perfect encounter with her, take Luhan as an example.  It didn’t start off to well, but has become something special.  Was it really a good idea to tell all these stories with all their mixed meetings to Kris, who was still skeptical of her?  Some of these stories may not be very helpful in the long run of things.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?”  I asked a little hesitant on sharing all of these stories.

  “What’s wrong?”  He directed his question to me.  His gaze as piercing as ever.

  “Nothing, Kris.”  I quickly responded.

  “What he means, Kris, is that not all of our meetings were perfect.”  Luhan defended me.

  “Some of them aren’t happy at all.”  Xiumin put in.

  Kris rubbed the back of his neck, “If you want me to trust this girl at all, I need to know how she treated the rest of you.”

  He did have a point, but our first impressions weren’t the defining feature of our relationship with Sky.  Some of the meetings were perfect, while others were deadly – I mean that literally.

  Everyone seemed to give in to his request.  All of us want him to open up to her, to let his walls down and have a little fun.  But could some of our stories make him more distant from her?  Could some of them make him pull back even more.  None of us knew, but if we wanted any trust formed, we had to honest with him about this.

  “Let’s do this in order of Claiming.” Chanyeol suggested, all of us giving nods of approval.  “So I start then.”

  I don’t believe any of us have heard of his Claiming story yet.  When Baekhyun first came we talked about Suho and Chen's Claiming’s, but none of the others.

  “It wasn’t anything special at first.”  Chanyeol began.  “She was close to tears when I first arrived, I don’t know why and I never asked.  We conversed a little before she asked me to tell her my name.  Like any Warrior would do, I told her that I didn’t have a name and it was her job to name me like all my other Dealers have in the past.  Yeah, she didn’t like that answer, she never has.  She made it clear she wasn’t going to name me, and being stupid I got upset with her.  I didn’t know her, she was a Dealer and that is all, so having pretty much yelled at her I knew what was coming next.”

  Chanyeol got mad at a Dealer he just met?  That I have never thought possible.  None of us would ever go against a Dealer we hardly know so fast.  Sure some of us had, but we had at least one of the others there with us so it didn’t seem as bad.

  “What happened next, Chanyeol?”  Chen asked him.

  “To be honest, I was scared for the first time so quickly with a Dealer.  I never thought I would have done that myself until the words came pouring from my lips with no control.  Sky had a fire in her eyes that I’ve only seen a few times since then.   I was on my knees hoping she wouldn’t hurt me for what I said.  She grabbed onto my hair, it was rough or anything but it had me shaking inside.  The few times that a Dealer has grabbed my hair it never ended well for me.”

  “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”  Sehun asked rather appalled at what his brother might just say about the girl he cared for so much.

  “No, she didn’t hurt me.  She made her stance clear on the matter that she wasn’t naming me before she locked my Card up so it wouldn't get damaged.  I thought I was a goner, but she was kind and caring.  She changed my view a little on Dealers.  She managed to get me to refer to her as Sky all the time.  She learned about all of this a few hours before finding me, so I can understand where her difference comes from.”

  So that’s how he was found.  She was different even from the beginning and Chanyeol had to face all of this not long after she was shoved into this world.  It was clearly hard on her when this all first started.

  “The thing about Sky is, she’s had a rough time here.  Ever since the first day of classes when one of her classmates tried to kill her.”  Chanyeol added.  Now that caught all of our attention the moment the comment left him mouth.

  “Say what?”  We screeched.  I don’t think he has ever mentioned that.

  “First day of classes and one of her classmates tried to kill her because of the way she treated me.  Because she gave me freedom to do as I please.  Because she isn’t like the other Dealers, he tried to kill her.”  He explained to us.

  I didn’t think all her troubles with this world went back to the very beginning.  It’s no wonder that she holds so many things close to her and gets hurt easily when we go against her.  She’s been hurt since the beginning because of who she is and not all of us know about it.  At some point each of us have hit a spot that has been damaged since all of this started.

  It makes me wonder what else we don’t know about her that might cause her harm if we hit the wrong buttons.

  “That’s my story, you're up next, D.O.”  He said throwing the attention to me.

  Now I’m in the spotlight and I can’t get out of it until I tell them my story.  It really isn’t anything special but it had its moments of strangeness for me.

  “You know how well that went.”  I shot at Chanyeol.

  “It was funny and you can’t deny it.”  He countered.

  “For you.”

  “Would you just tell us what happened already.”  Kai stated breaking our conversation up.

  “I showed up in the kitchen of all places.  No clue that she was any different from other Dealers.  She was nice which surprised me a lot, she told me not to call her Master like she has with all of us.  And just like with Chanyeol she asked me what my name was.  To say I was taken aback was an understatement.”  I started to explain to them.

 An understatement it was.  I was so shocked that Sky was asking me my name.  It’s never happened and to be honest with myself, if it wasn’t for her I might have forgotten what my name was.  I’ve gone so long without using it or hearing it that I was starting to forget what it was. 

  “My cluelessness with Sky brought great glee to the giant baby over there.” I said pointing at my elder that took great pleasure in my uncertainty.  “Sky told him to be quite, sounding quite serious as she did, so I’m expecting him to keep quite like his Dealer told him to.  But it’s Chanyeol, so to my shock the next moment he’s on the floor laughing like this is the funniest thing he has ever seen.  Not knowing what the heck was going on, I’m expecting Sky to hurt him for not listening to her.”

  “Did she do anything to him?”  Kris asked.  Of course he would want to know if she did anything to him for not listening to an order.

  “Not at all.  And after that I hear him calling our Dealer by her real name, which is what gets any Warrior killed in this world.  And he does it without a care in the world.  By now I’m beyond shocked and have no clue what has gotten into him or this Dealer.  I tell her my name after a little more pushing and reassurance from Chanyeol and then she leaves to go to bed.”

  “That’s it?”  Xiumin asked.

  “Yeah, that's my Claiming in a nutshell.”  I answered.

  “Well she doesn’t sound to bad from this.”  Baekhyun said.

  “You might want to hear my story before you think that all Claimings are that easy.”  Luhan said with a tried sigh.

  His Claiming wasn’t the best first impression of her.  And it could have been worse if Chanyeol and I hadn’t gotten to her in time.  Even I was scared of her when I saw her like that.  Not once has she done something like that, seeing it for the first time made me remember the fact that she was our Dealer and we were at her mercy.

  I hate going back to the day I was Claimed by Sky.  It doesn’t reflect the girl she is at all, but I can’t help but think that her reactions are a deeper part of her that she tries to repress.

  Not once have I angered my Dealer so quickly.  It took close to a few sentences for me to notice that she was angered, but I didn’t know why.  I had given in to this world first, I had shut myself off for so long that I didn’t see reason to do anything else than be the Warrior I was.

  It didn’t turn out well, at all.  I was cold and emotionless since I turned all those parts of me off so I was the same as all the other Warriors and nothing was able to hurt me anymore.

  “My Claiming wasn’t the nicest.  All of you know from the brief times we have seen each other over the years that I had shut myself off completely, given in to this and didn’t bat an eye at what my Dealers had me do.  I went on trying to stay unattached to everything and to not get hurt.  But Sky was different, the walls I built up were what she hated about me.  What I had become she hated so much.”  I tried to explain to them the best I could.

  I took a deep breath and continued, “The thing that angered her, was me.  I’ve been compliant to my Dealers' orders and commands, but when she asked me my name I ran blank.  I have never had such a specific and unknown question cross my path in all these years.  I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I reverted to the things I know, being compliant and obedient.  It only angered her more.  I got her angrier because I was being the one thing she hated and I didn’t even realize it.”

  I stopped to regain myself.  I hated thinking of her like this.  It wasn’t who Sky was, she wasn’t that person.  It was her anger and weaknesses talking, not the Sky I know today.

  “Go on when you’re ready.”  Lay said reassuringly.

  “The glare she gave me as she stood right in front of me was worse than anything I have ever seen.  I couldn’t look into her eyes and see the anger, hurt and hatred for long before I had to look away.  If her look wasn’t enough to scare me, when she grabbed my collar tightly in her grip I could feel fear rushing through my body.”

  “She did what?”  Kris growled.  Even I have to agree that my story was of no help to making Kris trust her at all.  But we promised honesty, and that was what I was telling them.  Chanyeol and D.O only knew what came at the end of this, they never heard the beginning, and they never knew what it was like before they stepped in.

  “Hear me out, Kris, before you make your rapid judgments, will you.”  I shot at him.  I was going to tell them the whole story and make my claims that she was nothing like this.  Grumbling his displeasure at me shutting him up, Kris went back to being silent and listening.

  “She made her point pretty clear that she never wanted me to call her Master while at the house, and that she was going to make me tell her my name.  I shut myself away, what was I supposed to do, it wasn’t anything I was familiar with, so I chose to stick with what I did know and hope for the best.  But with her, sticking to what I know is not a safe option.  Whatever I did, took her beyond her breaking point.  Fear is one emotion not easily turned off, so it was the easiest to come back when I was forced to my knees in front of her.  She would have hit me.  I was waiting for the impact of her hand on my cheek.  I closed my eyes waiting for the strike that was never going to come.”

  Not once have I been afraid so much so soon after my Claiming.  I’m normally given a name and orders that I follow, but with Sky it was all so different.

  “I felt her grip leave me as I slumped to the ground.  I’ve been punished enough to know that showing weakness is never a good sign, but I didn’t know what else to do.  I was actually scared and I haven’t felt that much emotion is so long I didn’t know what else to do.  And like a dam breaking, I felt the wall holding my emotions back break a little.  Not once have I ever begged my Dealer to not hurt me before, not until that moment.  Emotions running high I let out the plea I so desperately wanted granted.  I’ve been hurt enough and I just wanted it to stop.”

  I took a few shaky breaths.  I hate my Claiming.  I hate it.  It brings back all the horrible feelings that I never want to experience again.  With Sky, I have learned to let go of things and be happy again, I don’t want to relive these horror-like moments any more.  Everything was starting to look good again and I have to remember all of these moments.

  “You don’t have to continue, Luhan.”  Chen said with a hand on my shoulder.

  “I need to get it all out.  Just give me a second.”  I told him.  I had to tell them everything or I wouldn’t be able to move on from this.  “I was so close to tears at this point from the force of my emotions.  I saw her as any other Dealer, cruel and uncaring.  It wasn’t until D.O spoke that it brought me out of my thoughts.  I looked up to find Sky slumped on the couch with tears streaming down her face and pained expressions on the other two boys’ faces.  I felt the bond for the first time and I could actually feel the hatred she had towards herself for what she just did.  I didn’t know she would actually hate herself for acting the way a normal Dealer would.”

  Damn, I’m getting a little chocked up from just remembering all of this.  I don’t hate Sky for any of these feelings.  I just don’t want to have to relive them any more.  As soon as I get my story out I am not talking about this again.

  “To my surprise she hugged me and asked me to forgive her for what she did.  I am only her Warrior, so why would she seek my forgiveness from me, I’m nothing to a Dealer but another Card to possess and own.  It took time for me to break through all my walls and start to let go and forget about all the bad times I’ve had and try to make some new ones with her.  I don’t hate her for what she did and I don’t want any of you to hate her for it either.  She has helped me more than anything.”

  If it wasn’t for Sky I might have lost myself completely.  She found me again and has made me understand the world a little more.  This may not last, things will go back to the way they were before, but each of us will have a new view on this world and maybe Sky will take us with her to that end and we will never have to face another Dealer after our power again.

  I would rather be trapped in my Card than have to obey a sadistic Dealer in the future after Sky is dead.

  So it’s Suho and my turn now.  We were both Claimed together but probably had different views on it. 

  “It was a funny Claiming I have to say.”  I said thinking back to the first day I met Sky.

  “Explain your views on it first Sehun, I’ll add in my pieces as you go along.”  Suho told me.

  So it seems that I have the job of explaining our Claiming and my views on it, “It was dark out, that’s the first thing I let register as I showed up in this world.  Normally when we are Summoned we show up in front of our Dealers, but there was no one in front of us.”

  “What do you mean by us?” Kris asked.

  “Suho and I were Claimed at the same time.  We both popped up here at the same time, no sight of Sky in front of us.  Next moment I find myself bobbing above the surface of the pool.  The water was a great shock to me, I wasn’t expecting to get yanked into the water so suddenly.  My hair was plastered to my face and I was astonished at what just happened, I can swim, but I wasn’t expecting to have to start like that.”

  I had to laugh at that memory, seeing her beautiful face with her red hair floating around her, it wasn’t something I was going to be able to forget so easily.

  “She started laughing.  I only got more puzzled and worried when she let the angelic giggles fill the air.  D.O swam over to us and started laughing with her.  I haven’t seen any of you laugh in so long, so I was taken aback when Chanyeol joined in.  D.O flicked water at Chanyeol which shut him up, but had the girl in front of me only laughing harder as she watched his enraged expression.”

  Suho continued from where I left off, “I was watching her, trying to see what she was going to do to the two Warriors who were doing things without orders.  For the length of time I have know them, not once as Warriors have I seen them do things without being told to do them and here they were playing around.  I can’t deny that her laughter was getting to me, but I wasn’t going to do something that could get us all hurt, so I watched silently.”

  “She could get to all of us even from the beginning.”  Luhan said rather pleased with this.

  “She could, but what had me looking at her in different lights right then was when she call Luhan by his name and ordered him to join her in the water.  I figured he would listen.  I was blown away by the fact that Luhan shook his head denying the request.  I was waiting for her to punish you for not listening when she only swam back over to us and gave D.O a quick hug.  I don’t know what for but I couldn’t tear my gaze off of her now.”

  “She asked for our names.”  I began again. “Suho told her we didn’t have names.  I wanted to tell her my name but Suho didn’t give me a chance.  She spoke to the others there asking each of them a question in turn, all about knowing our names and us.  She never had them tell them to her, just solidified the fact that if we didn’t tell her, they would tell her for us.  So we offered her our names and she has called us by them ever since.”

  I paused as I looked over at my friends, “For years, all I have wished for is to be able to be myself again.  I hate this life, I really do.  I want it to end but it never will, so when Sky gave us the option to be ourselves again I couldn’t pass it up.  Even if it only lasted for a single night or even a few days, I had to let go of this life even just a little.  I got to be the innocent and clingy kid again and I missed it so much.  I got to be a child again, something I never really got to live through fully.  I got to have freedom and was able to have fun again.”

  “Sehun…”  Luhan trailed off.  Of course none of them knew I felt this way.  I never told them I hated all of this, I mean who wouldn’t?  I have the chance to be myself again and I miss it so much, sure I will never be the same as before but I can be as close to it as possible.  I want to enjoy this as much as possible because I know this will end when Sky dies and a new Dealer Claims me.

  “It’s not any of your faults, guys, I’m as much a cause as you are.  I just wish, sometimes, that I was a human that didn’t have a care in the world and I knew nothing about this.  So until Sky says not to, I am going to be as normal as possible.  I am going to enjoy myself for the short amount of time I will get with her.”

  “Just remember this will end.”  Suho said back.  “I want this to last as much as you do, but it will end and we have to be ready for when it does.  It won’t end for decades, when she’s older and her life ends.  But we have to be ready for it.  That’s what we were talking about, Luhan and I, that night."

  Luhan sighed, “It may not have been the best decision but I could already feel myself losing to her and I was scared of what would come.  How, when this was all over, any of us who gave in would be hurt for the rest of our existence if she got too far under our skin.  I was scared that I would feel this way.”

  “But you gave in anyway?”  Xiumin commented.

  “All of us did, there isn’t much of a way around it if you’re around her for so long.”  Luhan joked.

  “Get back to your story, Sehun.” Kai said when we went silent after Luhan’s Comment.

  “Sky took D.O, Chanyeol and I out shopping the next day leaving the other two in their Cards like they had requested of her.  It was a little sad that they weren’t there to join in the fun we had but it was their choice.  When we got back she had us show her what we could do before sending us off to train while she went off with Suho.  I really hate the fact that she went with Suho alo