[CONTENTID1]

thirty-five: I. O. U. [/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]

[“Be careful what you wish for.”] [/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]

Although they'd like to believe it was their own strength, their own determination that helped them locate Juyeon in the end, the truth was, Exo had no way of finding her.

Until they found help in a very unlikely source.

"Um, you're looking for the normal, right?"

Suho froze, then whipped around to face a small, mousey girl dwarfed in her jacket.

"What was that? What do you know about Juyeon? You are … who?"

"It's Daeri," she said, cheeks darkening into a deep plum colour. "I-I know you guys are looking for her, so I was curious, and I―I found out where she is."

"How?" Suho demanded, not realizing that the more intensely he looked at the poor groupie the more breathless she became.

"I-I have clairvoyance," she gasped out. "I can see things that are happening. I was told by Shim Minah to―I-I mean, I went to check on the normal, and I saw her being carried away by a group of PCs."

"Carried away?"

"Yes, she looked unconscious. They took her to the north hallways on the first floor, and one of the lockers―number 77―seems to actually be a doorway that leads to some stairs. I think it's the underground classrooms we've heard about, b-but I thought they were just rumours―"

"Locker number 77?" Suho said, hardly even listening. "Right. Thank you, Daeri, you have my and the Exo's gratitude."

"O-oh," she squeaked, looking as if she might faint. "Okay."

Suho raced to the direction of the north hallways, nearly running straight into D.O.

"She's not outside," he said, panting a little from overexertion. "Sehun and I can't―"

"She's underground," Suho cut in quickly. "The underground classrooms."

"How did you―?"

"No time! Let's go!"

"But where is―?"

"I know where to go, D.O! Tell the others if you want, but come on!"

"Suho?" Juyeon said in disbelief, half-rising from her spot.

Suho was barely listening. He took quick, purposeful strides closer to Taehyuk, eyes narrowed. The leftover tea in Juyeon's cup began to ripple, then bubble, and as she watched it began to surge up and pulse at the very rim of the cup.

"You must be Taehyuk," he said, his voice light and restrained. Juyeon had never seen him so angry before.

Taehyuk's face was pale, but he held himself ramrod-straight and refused to flinch. "I am."

"You," and here, Suho's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and the cup's contents began to steam. "Nearly killed me. And a friend of mine."

Taehyuk's mastery over his fear was rather impressive, because Juyeon was beginning to tremble and she wasn't even the one his anger was directed at. He raised his head a little bit higher. "Jung Juyeon was never our intended target. Although, I admit, we used her to bring you here."

This new information made Suho falter slightly. "What?" His eyes swept over the room and landed on Juyeon, finally seeming to notice her clearly-not-tortured state. "J-Juyeon, you―"

"Yeah, thanks for the rescue," Juyeon said bitingly. "Taehyuk, can't we talk about this reasonably? You know it won't end well. I don't want―" anyone to be hurt, Exo to hurt you, you to hurt them "―needless bloodshed."

"I thank you for your concern, Juyeon," Taehyuk said gently. "But however you may think, this goes beyond petty revenge. We―"

Suho bristled like an angry cat, right to the roots of his brown hair. It was almost funny, if the situation wasn't so bad. "Don't talk to her like you know about her!"

"And you do?" Taehyuk snapped back, swinging his words like punches themselves. "Tell me, what do you know of Juyeon beyond her normalcy? Do you know anything? Have you ever cared? I don't think so. I think you and your friends would leave her to the wolves if your precious Donovan told you to. Some friendship that is."

Suho staggered, as though he actually had been hit. His face paled, and Juyeon realized he was remembering the same thing she was: that moment when they first met, when he cheerfully claimed he would drown her in the lake if Donovan told him to. "N-no," he ground out. "No, I … I …" He gritted his teeth together and stared at the floor, hands balling into fists. He looked completely lost.

Taehyuk took a step forwards. "You see?" he said quietly. "You can't even truly deny it."

He took that chance to strike.

Juyeon's hands jumped to , a cut-off shriek of surprise escaping before she could stop herself. Suho was sent to the ground, clutching his face and groaning.

"Stop!" she yelled, but her plea was cut off by the roar of Taehyuk's friends, as they all rushed into action. They ran at the downed PC all at once. Suho rolled out of the way and jumped back to his feet, spitting blood out of his mouth.

Juyeon flinched and fought back another sobbing gasp, biting the knuckle of one finger to shut herself up. She scrambled back, to safety, as all the leftover liquids in everyone's cups exploded, swirling through the air to surround Suho.

This is ed up, this is so ed up, Juyeon thought, terrified to the point that she was rooted to the spot. This wasn't like watching Baekhyun and Jonghyun during an Extracurriculars fight; this was even worse, possibly because she knew nobody would step in, stop the fight if it got too rough.

If possible, it got even more horrible when D.O ran in, his face set and cold. The smell of rotting leaves mixed with muddy water filled the air, almost making her choke.

"Suho!" he shouted, and instantly there were vines everywhere―where they came from, Juyeon couldn't tell. Then she saw D.O was holding handfuls of dirt, staining his hands and fingernails brown. He was throwing them this way and that, and wherever they hit the ground Suho added water, and tendrils of vines thick with leaves and thorns burst out from the floor.

Of course. Earth and water. They fought better together―an ultimate team.

Juyeon dove for cover as vines bloomed a bit too close to her refuge. The speed in which they shot up was enough to whip her braids about her face. She watched in horror as the vine s in-between feet and over shoulders before grabbing Taehyuk by the ankle and hoisting him up to the ceiling.

"D.O, wait!" she gasped out, but once again her voice was drowned out by everything else happening around her.

"Tell us why you're doing this," D.O demanded softly, one dirt-stained hand curled loosely into a fist. "And if you refuse to tell―or I don't like your answer―then I'll smash you into the floor."

Juyeon finally realized the paralyzing fear she felt wasn’t from witnessing what only two months ago would have been monsters and freakshows. She was feeling the cold chill of a different kind of fear: indecision. She of course couldn't bear to see Exo get hurt, but at the same time, Taehyuk and his friends all had a valid reason (or at least, a reason that stretched towards the greater good), and she didn't want them to get hurt either.

However, it seemed like both sides wouldn't be satisfied until it ended in blood.

Taehyuk smiled grimly, even as he hung upside down by his ankle and his glasses began sliding off his face. "Would it matter? All you want is to make us pay for going against you, the mighty Exo. Set an example so others know better than to cross you again. Your desire to see others die by your hands is simply another reason why you are the Academia's guinea pigs, and why you will