Prom Night; SIA Courtyard

"Shall we go over the plan again, Ari?" Ryan asked for the nth time as he gave the to the car keys to the valet.

"I know what to do" I rolled my eyes as I casually wrapped my arm around his extended arm. He was after all my date to the school festival "Prom"; without him being my date, I would not have been able to come at all to this function.

"Are you sure? Cause if even the slightest thing goes wrong..." Ryan motioned a gun to the head, then "pulling the trigger" he played dead rolling his eyes behind his head, tongue stuck out. I slapped his face lightly to get him to focus.

"People are watching us Ryan!" I said looking around watching the other students staring at us. In a good or bad way I couldn't tell cause this was after all a Masquerade Ball meaning the masks played a big part in hiding facial expressions.

"They're only looking at us cause someone looks particularly good tonight" Ryan suggestively shot his eyebrows up while checking out my prom dress that I had purchased. I slapped him on the arm silly as his eyes lingered a bit longer on the leg slit of my dress.

"FOCUS" I pointed two fingers at my eyes then two fingers at his. "How can someone like you be in such a gang and--"

Ryan put a hand over my mouth mumbling my words. "SHHHHHH" He said putting a finger over his lips. "People are watching us Rian." The girls watching around us squealed in delight at the tiny gesture he played, but he didn't care on how much fan service he was giving them. "Ari almost broke a rule to the game..."

I swatted his hand away from my mouth. "Fine. Fine. I won't say anything anymore." We continued to walk down the red carpet that led to the front of the school doors that was beautifully decorated to look like the doors of a castle. As we entered inside the building, a sudden wave of nostalgia hit me remembering the first day I came into this school. My eyes looked around remembering all the times I had with Suho and the boys here... The races down the hallways to get to class. The meetings in the middle of the hallway to strategize testing measures (aka they all would cheat off of me). The laughter and talks on the steps...

I sighed as I picked out a mask out of the variety of them on the table, provided for the guests to make it a true Masquerade Ball. Ryan picked his out as well then put his on smiling. "How do I look?" He pointed out his red detailed mask and a bunch of fangirls around him sighed and delivered inhumane squeals of delight.

"Why don't you ask them?" I laughed pointing at his army of fans. He turned around to face the girls and from the look of there actions, they were about to faint. He turned to me and laughed shaking his head as he led me outside to the center courtyard where the party was being held. Once outside, I took in the sparkling lights, the beautiful handmade columns surrounded by flowers, it truly looked like an outdoor ballroom like I had imagined it in my head. I smiled to myself; everything went as planned and imagined by the committee. At least there was one thing that was going my way for once.

"Rian is that you??" Ryan and I both turned to the stranger in a pale pink dress with the mask. The girl took the mask off and it was Su-Ah, the girl who I had given the task of carrying out Prom to. I smiled as I ran up to her giving her a hug, lifting my mask a bit to show her my happiness.

"Su-Ah this looks AMAZING!" I exclaimed pointing out the whole she-bang. "Congrats on all the hard work and once again, thank you for taking my place in such short notice."

A blush ran across her cheeks, matching the color of her dress. "Oh, it was nothing. If anything I should thank you Rian-ssi because without you this would not have happened." Her eyes turned over to Ryan who was standing beside me making her cheeks blaze a deeper shade of pink. I looked over at Ryan who was chuckling at the sight adding a lip bite to his image as he held out his hand, greeting her the American way.

"Hello there beautiful" He took her hand in his placing a small kiss on it. I heard a small gasp around us and it took my all to not burst out laughing, or smack my head with my hand. Su-Ah's eyes widened pulling her hand back bowing multiple times saying introducing her name to Ryan in awkward, different ways. Ryan laughed then looked at me cocking an eyebrow up; if I knew anything about that look I knew he was about to hit his playboy stage. I shook my head giving him a glare to tell him that she was not "that type of girl".

"I-I think that this-they-he-she-whey..." Su-Ah was pointing at the active headset around her head and the clipboard in her hand to show she had to take leave."You two enjoy yourselves...oh! But not like that! Unless you two are like that--NO! Oh god, goodbye! Sorry Rian-ssi! Just...oh hello yes?!" With wide alert eyes and red cheeks, Su-Ah left in a rush almost crashing into a waiter holding a tray of champagne glasses.

"Are we that intimidating as a couple, Rian?" Ryan looked at me as I put my mask back on.

"Pssht, what couple are you stating? I have a boyfriend. And speaking of boyfriend..." I tip toed a bit to get a look over the crowd to see if I could spot Kris or any of his friends who might know where his js.

"Well, as of tonight you are my date so we are THE couple of the night" Ryan pulled my arm towards him forcing me to be attached to his side. That simple move created even louder fangirl screams and I rolled my eyes.

Through out the rest of the night I spent saying goodbye to my classmates, and hearing fangirling screams all around me. As the Prom went on, Suho and his friends joined Ryan and I now creating some sort of a posse. Or describing it in Sehun terms "the IT group". Yet, there were 6 other boys that were missing in this group and one of them being my boyfriend.

"What's wrong Rian?" I turned my head to Kai's voice as he sat beside me at the table handing me a cup of punch. I put my phone on the table sighing as I took the cup in my hands to take a drink.

"I'm worried because Kris and the other guys are are not here yet" I checked my phone again, but there was no messages or missed calls. "He would usually call me if he was late or something happened."

"Did you try contacting him?" Kai asked as he took a sip of his punch.

"Not yet actually..." I put my punch down taking my phone in my hand. "Maybe that would be a good idea, huh?"

Kai nodded shooing me away like a fly. "Now go Miss 'I-left-my-dance-partner-who-is-now-partners-with-miss-two-left-feet.' Shoo! Go!" I laughed and apologized to him. Walking through the crowd, I spotted Ryan in the middle of his little fan club cracking a smile and laughing, causing a sort of swoon from the girls around him.

"Oh! Ari hold up!" Ryan said waving his hands at me to stop. I quickly put my phone in my clutch to hide the fact that I had it, since overall I wasn't allowed to have it. Ryan ran up to me asking where I was going in such a rush.

"I really have to go to the restroom" I said crossing my ankles over one another and doing a little dance. Ryan's eyebrow shot up in suspicion then shrugged taking my arm in his.

"Then let me you there to make sure that you get there safely." He began to walk with me right beside him leading me out when a random boy stepped in front of us, from a crowd, blocking us from exiting. The boy lifted his black and red mask, revealing that it was Baekhyun.

"Hey hey hey" he said pointing at the two of us. "Where do you think you guys are going?"

"My date is in need of the Ladies Room, and she needs an " Ryan announced quite confidently earning him a slap on the arm by me.

"I can go all by myself thank you very much! Or better yet..." I walked over to Baekhyun's side putting my arm in his. "I will go with Baekhyun." I turned to him giving him a gentle nudge with my hip. "Will you take me??"

"I wish I could Rian, but I was assigned to announce Prom King and Queen which is coming up soon" Baekhyun said slipping his arm out of mine, but keeping his eye contact with me. "You better hurry back Rian if you want your crown."

I pointed to myself. "Me? Win Prom Queen?" I laughed taking Ryan's arm and pulling him to the door. "Well then I'll be taking my sweet time because I know that I'm not winning that crown."

Baekhyun shrugged. "You know Suho is a shoo in for Prom King. So its natural that you win Prom Queen too..." I looked at Baekhyun with a hard glare and he winked at me. Of course, the Suho fate has come to haunt me again...

"Whatever" I waved my hand away at the situation as I dragged Ryan inside the quiet, dark school building. If I really became Prom Queen next to Suho, then God must be really out to get me, huh? I looked up at the ceiling, which was a block way to the sky, silently cursing it out since this was not the type of sign I wanted.

"Slow down, slow down!" Ryan exclaimed as I heard a squeak from his shoes, trying to dig his heels into the floor to stop me from going on. "What's the rush, huh?"

"I told you already Ryan, I need to use the restroom!" I lied through my teeth as we reached the door of the Women's Restroom. I let go of his arm, and before he could say anything I ran inside the restroom. Before locking myself in the biggest stall, I checked the other stalls to see if there were any occupants and there were none.

I dialed Kris number first: no answer. I died the other boys number: no answers at all. I began to worry as my fingers tapped away on the screen sending them text messages, redialing their numbers that were all sent to voicemail. This was not normal; something was not right at all... Suddenly my phone rang, and scared the crap out of me almost causing me to drop my phone in the toilet. Thankfully, I had quick reflexes and answered it just in time.

"Hello?!" I said with a rather quick and scared tone. "Kris? Xiumin? Tao? Lay? Chen? Luhan? Which one is this??"

"Ryan." I looked at the screen on my phone and sure enough it was Ryan's picture. I stomped my foot in disappointment and for getting caught with my phone.

"Look Ryan before you take my phone away, there is something REALLY important I need to tell you."

"Oh? Do you need me to get some feminine prod--"

"Uhm, no that's not it" I said slightly embarrassed at that situation though and started to pace around the area of the stall. "It's just that Kris and his friends haven't arrived at Prom yet."

"Yeah, I have been suspicious about that sort. Did you try to contact them yet?"

"Yes! I've texted, called, left them multiple voicemails...nothing! And I'm telling you that this isn't normal." I stopped in my tracks coming into some sort of a realization. "You don't think that...the Unknown has got to them already do you?"

There was a slight pause on Ryan's end as if he might be thinking the same thing. "Impossible. If there were a change of plans, then they would have informed me..."

"Ryan, are you hiding something from me again?" I asked formulating in my head that maybe something else was going down. That maybe me participating in this "game" was a distraction for the REAL plan. Maybe, I needed to stop watching these action movies and needed to start watching sappy romances...

"No Ari I swear I don't know of anything else other then the plan for tonight" Ryan started to whisper. "Look, why are we even talking on the phone when I am right outside this door? Come out now."

I hung up my phone and did as told meeting with Ryan face to face outside the Ladies' Room. Looking at Ryan's face, he looked actually worried at the situation that was playing out right now. I pursed my lips together crossing my arms over my chest giving him a look. "You know, for some reason I don't believe a word you are saying."

Ryan put his hands in the pockets if his suit pants, that what his style of defense against me. "Fine don't believe me, and then what?"

"Then I am going to find them by myself whether you like it or not." I started to walk past Ryan, but he clenched my arm tight with the grip of his hand.

"Are you forgetting something here?" Ryan pointed his head towards the doors of the courtyard leading to where Prom was being held.

"Like I want to win anyway" I said trying to pull my arm away from him.

"It would be a pretty amusing view to watch now, wouldn't it?" He laughed dragging me back to the courtyard just as Baekhyun was announcing Prom King, which to no surprise was Suho. As Suho walked up the steps to the stage to receive his crown, sash, and scepter Ryan pushed me into the crowd of people in front of the stage. I turned around to run out of there when a sudden applause and a too familiar warmth on my skin coming from a spotlight I knew all too well of.

"Congratulations to our SIA Prom Queen, Ariana Sun!!" The crowd of people around me cheered and clapped as they slowly moved aside to make a pathway to the stage. Following the pathway, I made eye contact with Suho that caused that certain heart beat in me to go haywire. He was looking WAY too good in the tux and mask for my taste. He was looking WAY too natural with that crown and mask on. Even when they placed the crown on my head, the sash around my body, and the scepter in my hand paired with a bouquet of flowers I still felt out of place next to him.

"Let's give a warm welcome to our voted Prom King and Queen!" Baekhyun shouted in the mic with enthusiasm as the crowd went wild. Suho naturally reacted blowing kisses and waving while I awkwardly tried to do the same. "Now, will everyone please clear the dance floor for the SIA Prom King and Queen first dance!"

"Dance?!" I exclaimed to myself as my scepter and a student was taking my bouquet of roses away from my hands. I looked at Baekhyun. "Dance?!" Baekhyun nodded then pointed to me with wide eyes to take my place by Suho who was already standing there waiting to take my hand. I took a deep breathe putting my hand in his, leading me down the steps to the middle of the courtyard where music started to play.

We took the proper stance of dancing, and Suho began to lead. "Well look here...A Princess turned into a Queen..." Suho whispered in my ear as we spun as a unit together. I rolled my eyes just following along with his footsteps, which I didn't actually find too difficult since I had been dancing with Kai before hand so these steps felt easy.

"Just dance Suho..." I said looking past Suho's head getting a view of Ryan who was standing at the edge of the crowd. He had his phone in his hand looking around the room here and there as if he was waiting for something to happen. From there he looked at me nodding then slipped into the crowd without a trace. I knew what was supposed to come next according to the plan I was supposed to follow causing me to deeply inhale and exhale, preparing to play my part when cued.

"Something wrong Rian?" Suho pulled back a bit to look at me, slowing his steps down, now turning the dance into more of a swaying movement.

I shook my head. "Nothing, its just that--I just--" I immediately closed my mouth. For some reason, I couldn't lie. For a good reason, I could not tell the truth either. So, the better of the latter was to just seal my lips and hope he wouldn't push the topic any more.

"If it really is nothing, then you should tell me something" Suho twirled me a bit then pulled me back in even closer then we were before.

"Suho, really now I'm fine. Just a bit nostalgic because of being here, you know? Since this is that last time I'll set foot in this school... " I finally lied as my heart started to race as my eyes wandered in the crowd to look for my cue. Since everyone was wearing a mask, it was becoming rather difficult to see whom I had to take it from to know when this place was being put into action. Suddenly, my head was jerked and my line of vision changed from the crowd to Suho's face.

"Rian." I made eye contact with Suho and judging from his stern voice and worried eyes; he wasn't taking what I was putting out. He pulled me in closer, now we were chest to chest. Was it just me or was my heart beating double time? Was Suho feeling the same way I was as well? "Look about...us."

"What about us?" I quietly asked as other students started to join us on the floor with there significant other. I bit my lip wondering when the Unknown was going to come...

"I know that my father told you to stay by my side." His words cut off my worries about the plan, processing the words Suho had just said.

"And I told him I would, as a friend" I replied pulling back a bit to create some distance between us as the two last words registered in my brain. Suho realized this as well and granted the distance between us with no complaints or pouty mouth moves.

"Well, you don't have to all right?" He said in a rather stern voice that I had only heard before in the "Call me Master Suho" era. "I think it would be better if we just didn't stay friends or keep in contact at all, mutually. Don't you think?" I stopped dancing right at the moment the music started to fade out seeming as if this was a natural thing. As the crowd applauded, I stood there unable to react to his sudden words. Before I could reply, Suho took a bow to me then took his leave without me returning at least a curtsy. As I was about to go after him, the lights of the courtyard went out and the whole Prom seemed to be put at a standstill. Soon enough, men dressed in all white with white masks came in ordering the people to not move or attack. As the crowds around us reacted to the sudden intrusion, I felt a pair of arms enclose around my body I began to scream when a familiar voice whispered in my ear,

"Rian, its just me." I looked over my shoulder and recognized Ryan's eyes behind the mask. "Just follow and make no sound, remember?" I slowly nodded my head as he pushed my foreword with my arms around my back, towards the exit of the courtyard. All was going well until the lights of the courtyard turned back on revealing all that was happening.

"THE QUEEN IS GETTING KIDNAPPED!" A voice shouted across the courtyard. All heads turned at the door revealing the scene, and I immediately started acting like a damsel in distress.

"Kick your feet up so I can carry you out of here bit faster!" Ryan whispered in my ear as he was now moving quickly out the door; I kicked and screamed as I was told to do. My foot kicked behind me a bit too high hitting Ryan's ball sack, causing him to pause and double over a bit.

"Sorry!!" I whispered in between my distressed screams. Ryan groaned as he pulled me a bit slower now because of the damaged I had caused to his sack.

The crowd started crying in distress watching their Queen being taken away. The King and his royal knights tried to break through the barrier the Unknown men created at the door, but it was no use. My crown fell, as I was now being carried over the threshold of the entrance of the school, and thrown in the back of the car. As the door closed, and the car sped off I could see Suho and the gang not too far behind from narrowly escaping the guards.

"Slow down, they haven't caught up yet" Ryan told the driver as he too saw the Unknown trying to "trap" the other boys. This was all part of the plan; they were supposed to escape, follow, and get caught in the trap to wherever the secret location would be. From there Suho would have to find me hostage and make the decision of whatever the Unknown wanted with me as the prize. But, I was beginning to have my doubts now that the words of Suho saying that he didn't even want to stay friends came through my brain. What would be worse is if they figured out that I had known and was actually taking part of the Unknown's activity.

"DRIVE!" I exclaimed as I watched Suho and the other's now getting into thier cars, starting off their engines. The driver did as I had commanded him to and Ryan sent a walkie-talkie message to the others to do the same. Before I knew it, our car drove out the gates of the school, leading the way, with the Unknown cars covering our tail and the other familiar sports cars beginning the real chase.

"Well, that was a close one" Ryan said rather unaffected by what was going on as the car took a sharp left into a busy street. Without my seat belt on I moved with the car ending up on the other side of the passenger row.

"Are you really going to start a causal conversation at a time like this!?" I exclaimed as I looked behind me watching one of the Unknown's car single handedly almost crashed what seemed to be Sehun's car to the pole. His car recovered quickly though, but in turn he swerved his car around to cause a taxi to collide with his enemy.

"Relaxxx Ari" Ryan turned around taking his mask off to flash an eye smile with a toothy grin. "Take this time to enjoy yourself."

"Enjoy myself?!" I pointed out the back to show the disaster our chase was causing in the busy streets. "How am I supposed to enjoy myself with this kind of chaos?!"

"Don't act like this is chaos to you" Ryan laughed placing some sunglasses on even though there was only the moonlight to be protected from. "I mean, you have been in this kind of situation before."

"Yeah when I'm BEHIND the wheel, not a passenger" I growled as I was jerked forward in the middle when the car came to a stop. The driver put the gear into reverse and then suddenly neutral as he turned the steering wheel creating a smooth drifting movement. I closed my eyes, the dizziness of the spins taking over me.

"Sorry Ari dear, but you can hold on a bit longer, right?" I heard Ryan's voice say as I kept my eyes closed as the car continued to spin. God so much spinning, I felt like I was about to throw up... "After all, the action has just begun."

Revised & Edited

May 8, 2015

Author's Note 

Sorry for the late updates! I've been busy with school & all, plus finals are coming up next week. So, hopefully after finals I can finish this story up & start editing my other stories plus start my new one that will come out sometime June. 

Anyways, thank you for all of those who are still reading this up till now & hope you enjoy it till the end! (: