[ Onew ]

A blast of ice shot across the room, causing Onew's back to hit the wall.

"Damn," he hissed, wincing as his eyes darted to the large mirror on his left. On the other side, he knew, there was an audience, watching his and his opponent's every move.

"You're no fun," Dara commented, rubbing her fingers together to brush off the frost. One corner of her lips curled up slightly. "I guess I'm just getting better. Maybe my level will boost up after this?"

Onew couldn't suppress the scoff he let out in response.

"Sorry," he replied unapologetically. He dusted the icy crystals off his chest. "But that hit was weak; you're still a Level Six, Dara." He pushed his arm forward, thin roots appearing from his palm before trailing quickly along the floor. They sped up Dara’s legs and wrapped around her wrists as she gasped in shock.

Onew flashed his signature grin as he threw his hand up, letting the excess roots tangle about her ankles. Then, with a charming wink, he twisted his hand to the left and slammed the aqua-haired girl on the ground in the mess of plants. The gigantic timer on the far end of the room began counting down from ten seconds. Dara struggled against the roots for the first few before she collapsed with a reluctant huff.

The alarm blared through the empty room. A red number “zero” blinked on the timer. The mirror flickered until it revealed the people behind the wall, and a large number of them were hooting and hollering at the results. Onew caught Jonghyun jumping up and down behind a line of people, cheering over their heads. When he glanced to the other side of the mob, he noticed Dara’s friends glaring at him.

“Ignore them,” Dara assured him from the ground. “You won fair and square.”

Onew looked down at her and jumped. “Oh! I almost forgot.” He waved his hand over her, letting the roots retreat and wither completely. Dara got up and wiped the dirt off of herself. “Good job today. You are getting better.”

Dara rolled her eyes at his attempt to console her. Onew was always like that; you could be his worst enemy, and he would still try to comfort you.

One section of the wall disappeared, and two Normals trooped into the gigantic battle room. That’s what they called themselves, the regular humans: Normals. The ones that weren’t “mutated” or “infected.” In other words - Onew’s words - the lamer ones.

They were the scientists that performed tests on the Specials, the soldiers that were supposed to protect them (but were really just protecting the rest of the humans from the Specials), and the officials that constantly kept watch over them.

They also had little name tags with smiley faces.

The Normal with the label 'Jamie' knelt down next to Dara and checked her conditions with gloved hands. The humans always wore those uniforms around them: white protective suits, thick gloves, heavy boots, and gas masks. It only helped enhance the effect of being a science experiment, in Onew’s opinion.

“I’m good,” he interrupted the other Normal, Minji, who had stepped forward to evaluate him. “Just give me a higher opponent next time. No offense,” he noted to Dara. She simply gave him the finger as acknowledgement.

He walked out through the space they had left open in the wall, only to be greeted by a tackle from Minho. The tall boy pulled back from Onew and grinned, ruffling his leader’s hair.

“We knew you would win again! Too bad it was with Dara, though. You might've had a chance to gain another level if it had been someone higher," he boomed. Behind him came Jonghyun, who was smiling, followed by Taemin and Key, who were applauding him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Onew turned and smiled politely at CL, who had her arms crossed. Beside her were Bom and Minzy, who had opposite arms around Dara.

“It’s no big deal,” Dara grunted.

“Yeah, Dara actually did really well today,” Onew scolded while he nudged Minho with his elbow. “The last time I clashed with her, she couldn’t even aim her ice at me in general.” Dara shot him a cold glare [unintended pun] before stalking off with the rest of her gang.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment?” Key questioned as he styled his dark, burnt auburn hair. Onew shrugged. A second later, Key pointed wordlessly at the end of the hall, where someone was waving their arm and calling to the rest of them. Then, soft and curious murmurs became loud chattering.

“The gates are opening!” Onew heard over all the bustling around him. A wave of Specials were tumbling around them, as if the group of boys were a rock in the midst of a stream.

“Gates?” Taemin repeated, shifting as someone shoved past him to run towards the exit. “Is someone trying to escape again?” His acorn brown eyes twinkled with interest. Key hissed in annoyance as another person rammed into his shoulder while trying to get outside.

“Why is everyone in such a rush?” he snapped. Despite the irritation lining his tone, Onew sensed that Key wanted to find out what was happening as well.

Onew turned against the crowd, starting off in the opposite direction. While everyone raced toward the main door downstairs, he was headed to the door by the janitor’s closet - to the roof. He knew his friends were following behind him. They always followed their leader. Halfway up the staircase, Onew heard Key gasp.

“You didn’t tell me you had a secret peeping space up on the roof!” Key exclaimed accusingly. Onew wrinkled his nose.

“I told you to quit reading my mind, Key,” he complained.

“I couldn’t help it! I wanted to know why you weren’t going outside to check on what’s happening at the gates,” Key defended himself. “Gosh, I hate going to the roof, though. The stairway is so freaking dark. Jonghyun!”

“Yeah, yeah, stop whining,” Jonghyun grunted. His eyes flashed liquid gold, and his tan skin shifted to a faint glow. A dim light surrounded the five boys.

“I’ve always found that creepy. I mean, why do you have to turn yourself into a lava lamp when I literally have a torch right here,” Minho proposed. He raised his index finger as a small flame lit itself on the tip. Jonghyun narrowed his eyes at the taller boy.

“That’s the tiniest and saddest thing,” he rebutted. “It’s like a match, not a torch. I don’t even have Taemin’s air manipulation, and I could blow that thing out in a second.”

“Fine. Do you want me to light your head on fire then?” Minho challenged.

“Shut up, guys; we’re here,” Onew chided. He pushed the handle and exhaled in relief as the warm summer air hit his face. He’d always found this place relaxing. “Left corner, there’s an opening in the vines over there. You can see the frontyard and walkway from there.” Key let out a short (manly) squeal as he sprinted to the corner of the roof deck. A chain linked fence lined the edges, and the holes were completely covered in thick vines.

However, a long time ago, Onew had been playing with his abilities up on the roof and made a small space to peek through. He’d never bothered to fix it. He settled down on one of the outside lounge chairs, placing his hands behind his head. Key gasped.

“Guys. We’ve got a new Special,” he announced, waving his hands around but keeping his eyes glued to the walkway. Jonghyun immediately leapt forward, squeezing between Key and the fence in an effort to push the other away. “Quit hogging! I was here first!”

“Can you see him?” Minho inquired, stepping forward. Onew stayed seated, watching the others crowd in the corner with interest.

“It could be a her,” Taemin suggested. He, Minho, and Jonghyun exchanged glances as they wiggled their eyebrows. Onew shook his head.

“I can’t see anything! This one has ten Normals surrounding her like a barricade,” Key griped.

Ten? Onew moved his arms away from his head as he sat up. Specials were usually escorted by a Normal when they entered the gates, in case they tried to flee. But the most that a person had been accompanied with was four. That had been Minho, and he was a strong Level Nine.

“Key,” Onew ordered, “try getting information from the minds of the people around this one. Can they see anything?” He paused, patient, because it was harder for Key to work from a distance.

“Small glimpses of her. It’s a girl,” Key informed him. Onew furrowed his eyebrows, focused on the ground. He stood up from the chair slowly. “They just reached the entrance. The Normals are making an opening. Damn, is she royalty or what?”

“Move,” Onew demanded. The four didn’t question his tone, which was hard compared to his usual brightness.

“Could she be a Level Nine like Minho?” Taemin whispered.

“Nine? With all those guards around her? She could be a ten,” Jonghyun snorted. Silence fell at the thought of it. “That’s weird. We’ve only been receiving Level One’s and Two’s recently. I thought that the human abilities were dying off . . .”

Onew ignored their hushed conversations. He watched as a petite, dark-haired girl stepped out from the group of Normals. She stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to the main door, where a mob of Specials had walked out to see her. Some of the Normals stepped forward to make space for her.

The girl turned back to the remaining escorts when one stepped up to her cautiously. The Normal held out a gloved hand, holding a small device. Onew glanced at the tattoo on his forearm. It was a temporary tattoo, but it could only be erased or changed when that device was used on it. It listed his current status. Level Seven.

His eyes returned to the girl, who had held out her hand without question. The Normal, obviously nervous, held out the gadget and turned it on. It would be a light sting, Onew knew, and then a warm feeling would cast over your skin as they scanned on the tattoo.

“Come over here and get into her mind, Key,” Onew muttered. He felt the addressed person move close to look outside the fence.

“I can’t . . . seem to get anything from her,” Key began, sounding genuinely confused. “Perhaps she has force field and shield powers? She could have a boundary around her right now.”

“Then she wouldn’t need those guards around her, though,” Minho piped up. Onew narrowed his eyes. The girl had somehow sensed the stare on her, or just happened to glance upwards, and caught his vision as she pulled her arm back. The Normals retreated, leaving the campus. Onew kept his gaze locked with her as she tilted her head. Her midnight hair had electrifying blue streaks in it, he noticed.

Even though he was looking down at her from the third story, and he was at least two slight buildings away, he could clearly see the way her lips curved slightly in amusement.

“I think she’s checking you out,” Jonghyun whispered from where he had snuck up behind Onew and Key. Onew ignored him and continued to stare at the girl. Her smile stayed as she turned to the entrance. Onew stiffened when all of the Specials in front of her gasped, visibly in shock.

“Oh, crap,” Key hissed, putting a hand to his mouth as he stumbled back. Onew whipped his head towards him in confusion.

“What is it? What is it?” Taemin quipped, smashing his face against the fence as he pitched forward. Onew looked down to the entrance again. The girl was already walking inside, and she didn’t look back at him again. “What? Is it her hair? Do you have to judge someone’s look everytime they arrive, Key?”

“Their thoughts got really loud when she turned around,” Key moaned, pressing his fingers to his temples. He massaged them slowly. “They were all looking at the same thing. Her arm. Onew; her tattoo isn’t a number.”

“What?” Jonghyun and Minho voiced simultaneously. Onew grimaced at the strange girl’s back until the door closed behind her. He turned slowly to Key while the Specials below began to freak out over something, looking at one another wildly.

“What is it, then?” he prodded.

“It says ‘Unknown’ on her arm, apparently. Unless I heard wrong through all that mental shouting and there’s a picture of a gnome.” No one laughed. “There’s a small number on there, but . . . it’s vague,” Key mumbled.

“How can a number be vague?” Onew said impatiently. Key stared at Onew seriously.

“It says she’s a Level Ten. Plus. As in more than a Level Ten. Which I’m pretty sure means her level is so much higher than the government’s ever heard of that they don’t even know how much power she holds.”

[ Luna ]

When Luna glanced back up at the stranger on the roof, his head was turned away from the fence, focusing on something else. For some reason, she felt a bit disappointed. However, she decided to ignore the copper-haired boy and walked up the steps.

There were eyes on her from all the people on either side of the walkway.

Look away, people. I’m walking on the brick floor, not a red carpet, Luna thought sarcastically as the colossal main doors slid open. Hm. Automatic entrance doors. This place is fancy.

She remembered what the officers had told her on the way here. The people here, with inhuman abilities, called themselves Specials. One of the officers had scoffed, making a snide comment about how they were just trying to make themselves feel better about being freaks. He had to be moved to a different vehicle because Luna had threatened to murder him.

The officers to these “Specials” were apparently “Normals.” Much originality, Luna had mentally noted. She had always called them stiff pandas because of their white suits and black accessories.

Luna knew she wasn't like the others here. Some of them may have entered here before, turned in by suspicious neighbors or caught out of bad luck by the government. She was given up by her parents when she was only two; they had been devastatingly cautious of their young child and sent her to the government's hands as soon as possible.

The government wasn't exactly sure what Luna could do, and she wasn't really aware of it either. She only knew that they had stopped testing on her when nothing came out of the lab alive - from cameras to people. Luna had been locked in a large, empty room since she was six then, like a mental patient.

And now she was out. They had finally decided to let her join the others with abilities, and she knew why. She wasn't dumb. The government wanted her to ease into this lifestyle, and they were patiently - barely so - waiting for her to reveal her powers.

Willingly.

"Hello!" the high-pitched greeting drew Luna from her thoughts. She looked up from the map she'd been given before and smiled at the stranger. She was a young woman with a mature face yet a somewhat adorable expression. "Are you looking for the dorms? I'm Victoria."

"Yes. I'm Luna. Are you one of the guides?" Luna asked.

"I'm basically an unofficial guide; one of the leaders in this huge place." Victoria brushed back her wavy raven hair. "The leaders are the ones assigned as heads of their dorms. You must be in mine, since you have a red sheet."

Luna looked at the map and shrugged.

"I'm head of Building F along with the guy named Onew. You'll meet him and his group later, but for now, you can see my girls. Buildings D and E are smaller but connected between their leaders, CL and G-Dragon."

"Oh-New? CL? G-Dragon?" Luna repeated. “Do all of the - um - Specials here have names like these?"

"I don't know. Is your original name Luna?" Luna bit her lip. “Exactly. I came here from China. There, I was Song Qian.” Victoria gave her a charming smile, one that made her red-lipstick lips pull up ever so slightly. “Then I was jumped by two muggers. I had to pull out some of my tricks. Guess who got sent off to jail? The muggers or me?”

“You?” Luna guessed, just to humor the girl.

“Exactly. Or more specifically, the government. I’ve been in this luxurious prison since I was twenty,” Victoria informed her. “And now, Victoria’s my name.”

Ah. I’ve been stuck with the government since I could speak. Of course, Luna didn’t say that out loud. She just obediently followed Victoria as she pointed to the buildings. Building A was the main building, where the headmaster and meetings were held. Building B was the cafeteria, although you were allowed to eat outside (no food in the dorms, of course).

“This is Building C, the largest dorm,” Victoria announced, gesturing to the wide structure. “Let me explain our . . . monarchy.” Her tone was dry. “The Specials in these dorms range from Level One to Level Four. Below average. There’s a lot of them.”

“They keep all the lower ones in there on purpose?” Luna asked. “So that means the higher ones are together.” Victoria nodded and pointed down to the dorms farther down: D-F.

“Our dorms are the top three. The rare group of higher levels. There’s some averages like Key, the telepathic. He doesn’t like to talk about his low level. Another Level Five is Amber. She’s one of my girls. The highest levels are Minho, T.O.P., and I,” Victoria said smugly. “I was only a smoke manipulator until I discovered that I could do the same with poison. Then I was boosted up to Level Nine.”

“Poison,” Luna echoed. “That’s amazing.” Victoria batted her eyelashes in response, her smile growing, but then she glanced at Luna’s forearm. As subtly as possible, Luna rolled down her sleeves.

“What’s amazing is your level,” Victoria noted, stopping Luna from pushing the fabric all the way down. The ink was still fresh, the elegant font reading the words Unknown ⁽¹⁰⁺⁾ clear as day. “I guess we’re not the highest levels anymore, new kid. What’s your power?”

Luna was silent for a while as they made their way to the dorms. Victoria was patient as they entered the building and went up to the next story. It was only when they reached her room - room F10 - that she spoke.

“I don’t know.” Luna smiled dryly, taking out her room key and pushing it into the lock. “I don’t know what my powers are,” she explained when Victoria’s bewildered expression didn’t change. “The last time I used my abilities was when I was about four. And I out then.”

“Then how did . . . Nevermind,” Victoria said. She pointed down the hall. “These rooms are the girls. Next to you is Sulli. Then it’s Amber, Krystal, me. Onew and I are on either end to make sure these hooligans don’t try to sneak anywhere past curfew. Or, you know. Join them.” Victoria winked mischievously.

“So my room is across from the other leader?” Luna wondered.

“Yeah. He’s really nice, but he also has principles. Don’t get him angry. You’ll meet them later, but for now, the guys’ rooms go this way from his room. Minho - his sister is Sulli, by the way - Key, Taemin, and Jonghyun. Got it?”

“I forgot all their names already,” Luna replied earnestly. She opened her room door and glanced in. It looked nice and spacey. Her luggage had arrived before her, tucked beside the twin-sized bed. The mattress was elevated, so you had to climb up to sleep. Below it was a modern desk and dresser. The only other things in the room were a rug, bookshelf, and bean bag chair.

“That’s fine. Meet us at lunch later; left side of the cafeteria, noon. Downstairs are the bathrooms. Do not go into the wrong one. The signs clearly show which showers the women are assigned to, not the guys.” She muttered something about along the lines of Jonghyun is a huge freaking ert. “The closets down there also have emergency supplies. Good?”

Luna nodded, smiling. She closed the door behind her before Victoria could say anything else, immediately climbing the ladder and collapsing on the bed. That wasn’t rude, right? Luna was just so tired. She wasn’t sure where she’d been staying before she’d transferred here, but whatever mental ward the government had stuck her in was far. The drive had taken days.

Nonetheless, it was a relief to be out of there. It had been years since she had stepped outside, or much less, slept on a regular mattress. Luna rolled around the whole bed gleefully. After a while of appreciating her room decor, she opened up her luggage and began to unpack. When Luna pulled out the small jewelry box, she put it on her desk.

She had no idea why she still kept that thing. It came with the necklace she always wore and never took off, so the box wasn’t really used. However, looking at it gave her a sense of comfort. The dream catcher necklace that lay between her collar bones had been with her since she was little. Luna didn’t remember, but she liked to believe it was a gift from her mother. It was a small reminder that her parents had existed.

Luna decided not to bore herself out on her first day, so she walked outside just as the door across from her closed.

Oh. That must be the other dorm leader . . . was it Onew? Luna considered knocking on the door to introduce herself, but she ended up walking to the staircase. It didn't seem like he would be worth her time. It was almost time for lunch anyways.

It wasn't difficult to find the cafeteria since it seemed as though everyone was headed there. What was difficult, though, was getting away from the people. Luna hadn't even reached Building C before a group of Specials had approached her.

"Is it true that you're a Level Ten?"

"Ten plus. Can we see your tattoo?"

"Are you interested in dating?"

"Can you show us what you can do?"

Luna decided to play it silent, ignoring all of the questions and requests as she walked to the cafeteria. She immediately spotted Victoria waving her arms at her. She walked forward, ignoring the stares she could feel all around. When she got closer, she saw that she was sitting with three other girls and four guys.

"Hey, Luna. Victoria told us about you; I'm Jonghyun," one of the boys greeted. His hair was silver, and his eyes glowed a golden color once in a while. "I control light and electricity." He raised his arm up. Level Eight.

"Don't talk to him. It's not worth it," the tallest girl warned her. "I'm Sulli. Water."

"My name's Amber." This girl dressed in a tomboyish way, although she had some feminine features.

"You're the healer, right? Victoria told me," Luna said.

"Did she talk about me? I'm the youngest here, Krystal. Telekinesis," the last girl said. She seemed less talkative and had the habit of tapping her finger against the table. Then Luna realized that whenever her finger made contact with the table, the cup in front of the girl would drop in synchronization.

"I'm Taemin. The youngest guy," the black-haired male said with a charming smile. He puckered his lips and exhaled slightly. Luna felt a gust of wind surround her, messing up her hair. "Air manipulation, if you hadn't noticed."

"Stop being a brat, Tae. I'm Minho, highest under you. Level Nine." This boy had a deep voice. He appeared taller, manlier, but the smile he flashed her was full of aegyo. Luna blinked several times and pointed to him.

"Minho . . ." Her finger moved to Sulli. "Sulli. Siblings?" The two nodded. It made sense, with their height and all but . . . "You're water, and you're fire?" They nodded again. "All right. I respect that." She could imagine how big their sibling quarrels got.

Luna turned to the last male, who was glaring daggers at her forehead. She reeled back when he leaned forward, squinting at her.

"Key, you're freaking her out," Jonghyun muttered.

"I seriously don't get why I can't get into your head," the boy - Key - griped.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your mind! I'm not getting any signals. Can't hear any thoughts! It's empty, unlike the rest of these guys." He must've been a telepathic. "And your level." Key reached forward and grabbed her wrist. Luna's jaw dropped as he pulled up her sleeve, wrinkling his nose at her tattoo. "Seriously? Level Ten? With a little plus sign? They could've been more specific. Level Twenty. Level Eleven. Level Nine-Thousand."

"Or over nine-thousand," Taemin added. Amber flicked his forehead.

Key continued to examine Luna's tattoo, even when she tried her best to politely shove him away.

"Stop terrorizing her, Kibum." Luna turned towards the voice, her eyebrows shooting up. It was the person from the roof: the one with the piercing stare. That gaze had made her feel vulnerable, yet somehow secure. And those eyes were now up close to her, pleasant.

"You finally decided to show up, Onew? You're lucky you have such an awesome friend like me to get you your food," Jonghyun smirked, pushing a tray towards the beside him.

Onew? So this was the dorm leader? This was the person in the room across from hers? Luna eyed the boy, from his copper strands at the top of his head, and down to his sneakers with buckle straps across the top.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Onew, the first dorm leader. You must be the one finally occupying the room across from mine," he chuckled, reaching out with his hand. Luna hesitated before taking it, shaking the hand slowly. It felt warm. "I'm not sure if you're interested, but I control nature. Nothing much. I'm sure everyone shared their stories with you?"

"Yeah, we did. But we learned nothing about her!" Key shot bitterly. He was obviously still butthurt that he couldn't use his telepathy on her. It wasn't Luna's fault; she didn't know why either.

"Well, I'm Luna," she announced with a shrug. "I have no idea what the hell I can do. But, hey, I'm here, so I must be able to do something. Oh - you know that thing with the pencil?" She picked a chopstick up from Krystal's plate. "Thanks." She started to wave it back and forth between her thumb and index finger, making it look like rubber. "Bam. Magic." The others stared at her speechlessly.

"Wow," Onew said. He grinned, a smile that made his eyes nearly disappear and his cheeks jump up, wrinkling the corner of his eyes and flashing his perfect set of teeth. "You're going to be an interesting addition."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sooooo - how was it?

By the way,that pencil trick:

Yep. Anyways.

I couldn't wait any longer to post this chapter

So here it is!

I'm just going to give you a funny story from today

I was called to my grandparents because - you know the wifi routers?

The things that light up because WHOA, WIFI = POWER = LIFE

My grandpa was freaking out because he didn't know why the lights kept flashing

He kept telling me to turn it off, it's wasting electricity

Oh, grandpa.

YOU CANNOT JUST GIVE UP THE INTERNET LIKE THAT. HOW DO I EXPLAIN.

Anyways, I had a lot of fun writing this!

Your feedback makes it even better~

By the way, since most of you voted for Minstal, I decided to have Minsul be a bro-sis combo

Since, you know, they're both Chois and super tall and stuff

Plus Minho said Sulli was like a little sis to him so

Hope you liked it!