[CONTENTID1] Eighteen [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

The moon is high above the horizon, casting a silvery glow over the eight bodies that make their way through the thick forest. It’s early winter, and the air is so cold around you that you can see your breath steam before you as clearly as a puff of smoke. Still, you don’t feel cold. Not with Namjoon’s heavy blazer on your shoulders and the light of Jungkook’s fireballs blazing the path beneath your feet. 

Logically, it made more sense for Hoseok to illuminate the way. But you could not bear the light, no matter how much he dimmed it, and had to clap your hands over your eyes and hold onto Jungkook’s sleeve for guidance. The path was uncertain and windy, and after you tripped over a gnarled tree root for the third time, the members gave up and had Jungkook light up the path instead. His fireballs were no where near as effective as Hoseok’s laser-like light beams, but it was better than risking a sprained ankle in the dark.

The eight of you walk along in complete silence, not a word exchanged between the normally lively members. As a result, the crunch of your boots on the dead leaves that carpet the ground is magnified a hundred times and each footstep seems as loud as a gunshot. The crickets chirping all around you, invisible in the dark, threaten to drown out the crunch of leaves, and a sudden hoot by an owl startles you so much that you trip over a fallen tree branch.

Jungkook snaps his hand out at once to grab your arm before you can fall, “Whoa. Noona, are you okay?” It’s the first thing anyone’s said since leaving campus nearly an hour ago, and you wince at the volume of his utterance that seems to bounce off the dense foilage and echo in the empty air. 

“Yeah,” you whisper. He nods in response, and you slip your hand in his as you trek further into the forest.

The rows of trees seem never-ending, and for a few, panicked moments, claustrophobia overwhelms you. You can’t imagine ever finding your way out when every tree looks the same. But BTS is here with you, and you trust them. You trust them so deeply, so implicitly that it frightens you. You can’t place your finger on exactly how or why these feelings came to be. But you know you trust these seven boys more than anyone else on this entire planet. More than even yourself. For any other, sane girl, following a group of boys through a deserted forest at midnight seems like the worst mistake imaginable. Like the best way to get herself killed. But you’d follow these boys to the end of the world. 

As expected, within a few minutes, the eight of you reach the edge of the woods. Beyond a couple of skyscraping trees, there seems to be a clearing. You’re startled to realize that it’s the same location Taehyung flew you to when you tried to run away all those weeks ago. By foot, the journey takes ten times the time. 

Excited, the younger boys sprint past the trees that mark the edge of the clearing and hoot with excitement as they roll around in the fragrant grass. Even Jungkook pulls his hand away from yours in order to join them in their excitement. You smile and turn to join them, but a hand on your wrist stops you. You look up to meet the cool gray eyes of Min Yoongi. Like always, your heart skips a beat. He looks down at you and the hand on your wrist softens.

“___-ah... Are you sure about this?”

You your lips, “I am...” You hesitate for a moment, then ask, “Will it hurt?”

“A little,” he admits, “But we’ll try our best not to hurt you.”

“I know.” And you truly mean it. Yoongi’s hand tightens on your wrist, and for a wild second, you’re afraid he can feel your racing heart beat through your pulse point. But then he lets go of you, and together, you step past the trees and into the clearing. 

The other boys have already arranged themselves in a wide circle in the very center of the meadow. They make such a picturesque scene silhouetted in silvery moonlight with fragrant purple flowers blossoming under their feet that you can’t help but take a moment to admire the image. Then you inhale deeply and step past them into the middle of the circle.

You self-consciously spin around, not sure who to look at when all seven pairs of eyes are fixed on you, and finally settle for staring down at your feet and the way the dew-moistened grass obscures your shoes. 

“Are you ready?” Namjoon asks, breaking the silence.

You look up, “Yes.”

“Then let’s begin.”

There is a subtle, but palpable change in the air as the other six members straighten up. All good humor from finally reaching the clearing is lost, and grave solemnity takes its place. 

“Earth,” Namjoon’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife.

At once, Jimin snaps into action. He steps out of the circle and approaches you in the middle. He stops less than a foot away from you and holds out his hand. You wordlessly place your hand in his offered one, palm face up. The tips of the fingers of his free hand dance across your lifelines, then vines explode out of nowhere. They wrap around your palm then snake down the length of your arm like a jade coil. Then, the tiniest purple blossom, jewel-like in its brilliance, unfurls its luminous petals on your wrist. 

Jimin pauses for another second, then pulls away. The vines uncoil from your wrist and fall onto the ground, useless. Then, the earth mage steps back into his place in the circle.

“Water.”

Jin is next. He steps in the very spot Jimin stood just moments ago, and carefully reaches over to a finger along your jawline. Not for the first time nor the last, you marvel at the flawless perfection of his handsome face. The big, doe-like eyes, the smooth cheeks, and full, pink lips come together with impeccable symmetry. He’s much more beautiful than anybody, man or woman, could ever hope to be, yourself included. 

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