[ Luna ]

Luna remembered saying goodbye to her parents - saying goodbye, mostly, not the parents part. She remembered the tears, too, and she was sure they were mostly hers. Then there was a very long car ride, and the stiff people next to her in the car didn't help her relax. She ended up passing out upright, rigid and uncomfortable.

The next time she woke up, she was being carried by a stranger, and the arms didn't feel familiar and warm. In fact, the person was trying to hold her at a safe distance from them, or at least as far as possible. Luna was taken into a room that reminded her of the doctor's office, but bigger, and there was a person other than the doctor that was examining her.

The man didn't wear a suit or dark clothes like all the villains in the movies or books usually did. Luna didn't remember much about him, besides the fact that he was dressed in a casual hoodie and jeans. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was leaning towards the little girl curiously, head tilted.

"It's interesting that she is the product of . . . those two," he noted in a deep, rough voice. He rubbed the stubble on his jaw thoughtfully, straightening as he walked to the other end of the room. He eyed the papers and photos the doctor had stuck up on the board before he hummed. "You're healthy, but your heart rate seems to be pumping a lot faster than it should be."

"It's her powers," the female doctor coughed, glasses sliding down her nose as she reviewed the sheets in her hand. "When a mutant's power is craving something - say, a water manipulator for hydration or a fire manipulator for heat - their body will start to gear up for it. It's like how we normal humans sweat when we need to cool down or shiver when we need to warm up."

The man nodded, lips pursing in thought. "But what would the heart have to do with it? I've witnessed teleporters start to get twitchy when they haven't moved around enough, and I've seen air manipulators breathing way too heavily. Does she deal with blood?" His eyes seemed to spark with excitement at the thought of it.

"We'll be running tests on that soon enough," the doctor confirmed nervously. "Most likely by this Wednesday."

Wednesday was the first day Luna murdered a person.

They knew by then that they wouldn't run tests on her with humans anymore. They changed the subjects from animals to machines to simple targets, although of course, the main subject was Luna. It was very much useless anyways, since whatever was thrown into the lab with Luna was immediately annihilated.

The man who had been in the doctor's office visited her regularly, although the time between the moments he stopped by slowly lengthened. Luna wasn't complaining; he intimidated her, all the while keeping his smile. His image implied that he was innocent, like a kind uncle, but he wasn't. Luna just knew.

The last time the stranger visited, Luna was five. She was panting heavily; they had provoked her with beams and sounds until she finally blew up the whole lab room. The targets and dummies they had left around the room were completely burnt.

"Hey, Luna," he greeted cheerfully. He rubbed his chin, which seemed to be his signature move. Luna didn't like that he knew her name. He had never asked, just checked her profile and started speaking to her casually. She didn't know his name, not that she wanted to. She never bothered to ask, and she never intended to. "You're doing a lot better! You didn't completely get rid of all the props." He nodded slowly. "Energy manipulation is quite a strong feat."

"E-energy manipulation?" Luna breathed, stomach twisting. The man nodded, smiling widely.

"Yes, it could do a lot for us. We just need to figure out how to calm it; you're doing a very good job! But we need to get you to learn how to kill certain things, not just everyone."

Everyone. He intended to use her to kill people? Luna took a shaky breath and nodded slowly, not wanting to have the stranger as her rival. For now. He pulled out a phone from his pocket when it started ringing, looking at the caller ID for a few seconds.

"Hello?" His eyes flashed over to Luna's for a millisecond before they focused on the wall. "What do you mean they're making a commotion? They're in a cage, damn it, just let them be." He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have a gun, use it. No, don't shoot them! Warning fire, bang-bang! Yes! There, now what are they saying?" The man looked at Luna again and shook his head, eyeing the dream catcher necklace around Luna's neck. "Just shut them up, then. I'm hanging up."

Thankfully, that was their last encounter.

Luna didn't see him again, but she still saw the lab coats everyday, as well as the people in their white suits and black boots and gloves.

"You're getting better," one of the scientists told her, checking something off on his clipboard. He evaluated her results and hummed. "You can't aim, but you can hold it in longer. Good for you."

Maybe it was because Luna was older, but she was really annoyed with everything. She decided to be rebellious and just not use her powers. It was the best decision she'd ever made, because the scientists and guards were too scared to torture her into giving up her powers; they didn't want her murdering them out of anger. The more Luna kept in her abilities, the easier it was not to lose control.

However, they weren't treating her as kindly anymore. They handcuffed her and threw her into an empty room when she was six. The walls and floors were cushioned, and Luna truly felt like a mental patient. But it was much better than watching everything she got close to destroyed, so she was quiet and rested on the floor, sleeping and waiting for her meals to be pushed in through the door slot. She saw the cameras on the ceiling, watching her, but she wasn't going to vaporize them.

Sometimes, a new scientist, obviously an intern or someone new, would be shoved into the room. They would nervously stumble over their words and try to gently coax her out of the room, to the lab. Sometimes, when Luna continuously refused, she could see the annoyance and impatience flash in their eyes. Once, a particular person raised their hand to slap her, but he stopped just in time.

They gave up then, and simply let her suffer, hoping for her to come out and start "training" again. Luna never would, until she was transferred to the other Specials and fight Lizzy.

[ Onew ]

The small area was filled with nothing but tense silence for a while. Luna closed her eyes again, looking tired, and Onew immediately felt bad,

"So . . . you finally used it after all these years?" he whispered, falling onto the seat beside the bed. Luna fiddled with the thin blanket awkwardly, nodding once.

"They've probably sent a message to the old headquarters I was located at. Who knows - they might bring be back."

A sudden throb of panic set in when Onew heard that. Take her back? They couldn't do that, right? What if they wanted her to reveal more; then they would let her stay, Right?

"I'm sorry," Onew muttered, burying his face in his hands. Luna frowned, nose wrinkling and eyebrows scrunching together.

"It wasn't your fault. Besides, I actually feel a bit . . . relieved. Did you see that? Lizzy didn't die." Luna's eyes brightened, although there was still a sad tint to her irises. "I've . . . the first few experiments were people. In the beginning, it was several of the volunteers who worked for the government. Then, they were people who I'm not even sure wanted to be there. I was . . . a murderer. But now, I feel like I'm getting better at controlling myself."

"That wasn't your fault, either. It's the government's fault, for letting you in a room with that power and with people." He sighed and placed his palms together, pressing his hands to his face and glaring at the sheets. "How are you feeling?"

Luna touched her cheek, expression unwavering as her fingertips slid over the soft bump that was the scar.

"Good. Amber's magic works really well." Onew nodded in agreement. He reached forward involuntarily, fingers ghosting over the line across Luna's cheek. He pulled back as soon he realized what he was doing, apologetic. Luna seemed a little shocked before she cleared and stared at her lap.

Onew opened his mouth to say something. He wasn't sure what he was going to say exactly; his voice seemed to be intent of speaking before his mind was. But before he could get even a syllable out, the curtains were swept aside. Onew expected it to be Minho again, maybe searching for Krystal, but instead it was a Normal.

It was the one who had been in the room where he had battled Dara: Jamie. Her voice was soft and muffled through her gas mask as she read off the papers.

"Park Sunyoung - subject name, Luna," Jamie announced. Park Sunyoung? So that was Luna's original name, like his was Jinki. He made a mental note of that; he also noticed the way Luna flinched when she had heard that name. "You won today's match against subject name Lizzy. However, you will not be recquired to accept the reward. You have the choice of whether or not you will hand it over to your dorm leader."

"What? Why?" Onew voiced for the both of them, clenching the sheets inside his fist. Jamie ignored him and continued talking to Luna.

"In exactly one week at noon, you will be transferred back to your previous facilities . . . for . . . further consideration," the Normal finished. She cleared . "Please be ready with your luggage by then."

And she left.

Onew sat stiffly in his seat, staring at the space where the Normal once stood. He shook his head slowly. Luna fell into his vision, and she was gazing blankly at her hands, which lay limp in her lap.

"I knew it," Luna sighed softly. "Just when I thought I would be able to . . . they're going to . . . I can't . . ."

Onew nodded and hugged her, hoping that she took this as a leader comforting his . . . teammate.

"I don't want to go back," Luna whispered.

"I don't care how long we've known you, but you're one of us. One of our members. We're going to go back to the dorm and figure this all out." Onew stood up and pulled Luna up with him, gently. He didn't miss the way she frowned when she put pressure on her right leg, lifting her foot and trying to shake away the soreness. "You, uh, sprained your ankle or something. It should be fine soon. It just feels weird for a while."

When they got back, everyone immediately crowded the two. No one asked about Luna's powers or why she hadn't told them; they simply demanded to know if she was okay. Onew knew that she appreciated that, since a light gloss of tears made her eyes glisten until she blinked them away.

After the dorm members had calmed down, he briefly explained the situation, not revealing Luna's past. She would decide when she wanted to tell the rest of them.

"Where would they take you?" Krystal asked worriedly. Minho was beside her, looking a bit uncomfortable. However, he wasn't objecting to Luna being there. Onew couldn't help but shoot his friend a bitter look, one that warned the taller boy to be more open to Luna.

"To . . . to a place that I don't want to ever see again. One where they'll take what I have and use it for something I don't think anyone wants it to be used for," Luna managed to say. Everyone exchanged curious glances, but they didn't push it.

"We can't let them take you away!" Taemin protested, stomping his foot indignantly. The other murmured in agreement and began discussing the problem, trying to figure out a way to solve it. Victoria tugged on Onew's arm and then pulled him out of earshot, her expression serious and expectant.

"Are you considering . . . it?" she hissed, looking over to the group with concern. Onew put his thumb to his lips and bit on the cuticle. "You were! We didn't exactly think it through, though, Onew."

"I know, I know," he snapped as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "But . . . we can't just let Luna be taken away by them. You know what the government is capable of, and I don't want that happening to any of us."

Despite the situation, Victoria smirked and crossed her arms. "Particularly her, though, am I right?" One eyebrow rose when Onew didn't answer for several seconds. "Uh-huh. Thought so. You're whipped."

Onew rolled his eyes and did his best to turn the conversation back to the main topic. "I know it's not a fully fabricated plan, but it has a good outcome."

Victoria threw her hands out to one side in exasperation. "You know that in order to get to that outcome"- she tossed her arms towards the other way -"we need to have a fully fabricated plan!"

"I know we do, but that's what we need to discuss with the others!" Onew groaned.

"Discuss what with us?" Amber chirped, popping up beside Victoria. The two leaders jumped in shock, eyeing the eight who were staring at them expectantly.

"You guys have something planned, don't you? You're not going to let Luna be taken, right?" Jonghyun accused, although he was grinning excitedly. Onew couldn't help but catch on to his eagerness, looking at Victoria imploringly.

Please, please, let's tell them, he begged, raising his eyebrows at her. Victoria seemed to understand his look and rolled her eyes, shooting him one of her best glares.

That meant, I swear, if anything of this screws up and we're in deep , I hope you know that I'm pointing at you.

We thought of this together, Onew thought, widening his eyes and scrunching up his nose.

All the crap we get in? That load's on you, loser, Victoria's eyes read, the irises flashing green as her threat.

Hey, I thought I was the telepathic one. How the hell are you guys talking with your thoughts like that? Key's voice invaded Onew's thoughts.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Onew and Victoria shouted at the same time.

"Did I miss something?" Sulli muttered.

"Seriously, guys, what were you guys just talking about?" Luna inquired, looking a bit suspicious.

Victoria and Onew exchanged one last knowing glance before they both took deep breaths.

"A few months back, Onew and I started considering what was best for all of us. We knew of the government randomly taking powerful Specials to who knows where, like Taemin's girlfriend . . . Naeun." Taemin immediately froze and glanced away coldly.

[I don't know if any of my first fanfic readers are here, but there's a Taeun reference, whoops hehe]

"We formed a plan that we call 'Especially,'" Onew explained. Victoria shook her head, waving her index finger back and forth.

"No way. I don't call it that. This boy right here made that stupid name, and I am not taking any responsibility for it."

Onew looked at Victoria in horror, betrayed. "I thought we were cool."

"Shut up," Victoria replied. "This plan . . . is probably about as stupid as the name. And it's impossibly dangerous."

"It's not dangerous if we execute it right. And it's not dangerous if we have a reason, and right now, that reason is Luna," Onew stated firmly. He ignored the way Jonghyun and Taemin nudged each other with their elbows purposefully. "It was bound to happen to one of us sooner or later," he added quickly, "which is why we made this plan."

"Oh, my gosh, just tell us what the plan is!" Sulli demanded.

"We're going to break out of this place," Onew said seriously, eyes trailing over each and every of the others' shocked expressions. "Every single one of us, and as many Specials as we can get out. We're going against the government with our powers, and we're going to win."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

WHOA! I actually got an update in!

This update was supposed to be during the weekday, when I started it

But I only finished the chapter now

Y'all have no idea HOW DIFFICULT it is for me to type up a chapter

I can't update through my phone because it keeps bugging out and making my words end up in the middle of a random paragraph - is that just me?!

And, oh my lord-y lord

I went to a Korean place and had spicy rice cakes for the first time

They are legit bomb. I swear.

When I ordered I was just awkwardly trying to pronounce "ddukbokki" right and apparently I did

BUT IT WAS SPICY, MAN

I was sharing with my friend Jamie (she was the one who inspired the character for that Normal)

And she was like

Then I tried it, and I was like

AND YOU KNOW HOW YOU USUALLY EAT RICE TO PACIFY THE FIRE?

THE PROBLEM IS, I WAS AN IDIOT AND ORDERED A KIMCHI FRIED RICE COMBO

WHICH WAS SPICY RICE. SO BASICALLY WE'RE JUST SITTING THERE WITHOUT DRINKS LIKE

There ends my story of the day.

Thanks for reading~ your comments make my everything