Trepidation

Chapter 16: Images and Conversations

"Guys?" I could feel my skin crawl at the sudden silence in the room, the boys had somehow managed to vanish and I was left all alone in this unfamiliar place.

I stood up, wondering if perhaps what Namjoon had claimed was true, had Yoongi somehow used his supposed ability to make them all disappear?

The unexpected scraping noise snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to see a girl around my age dragging her worn leather boots across the tile.

She definitely hadn't been there before. "Umm excuse me? Do you live here?" I questioned hating how there was a slight quiver in my voice. She could be part of Bangtan for all I knew, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was quite wrong.

The girl looked up and I couldn't believe my eyes. "Chaeyoung?"

The orange haired girl offered me a gentle smile and I knew it was her for sure when I saw the rose broach clipped to her shirt though it was red instead of the white I remembered it as.

"Why are you here?" I questioned, rushing to embrace her. The last time I had seen her was at the airport when I was heading to Korea and we hadn't spoken much since.

She wrapped her cool arms around me and I shivered from her touch. "I came to visit you silly."

I pulled away, her answer not making sense to me. "But how did you know I was here?"

She shrugged. "I just knew."

"Chae, you mind if I see your broach for a minute?"

She handed me the object with little complaint just as she had done many times back in kindergarten.

I fingered the small metal flower in my hand, admiring its many detailed curves, but then I felt something wet.

I flipped it over only to see my whole hand covered in a gooey red substance. I could feel the bile begin to rise in the back of my throat and I prayed that it was just ketchup and not what I thought it was.

But when I looked up and saw Chaeyoung drenched in the crimson liquid, a wide smile displaying her blood covered teeth.

A scream escaped my lips, heart pounding violently against my rib cage. I watched incapable of moving as her hand reached towards me and just as her outstretched finger was about to graze my cheek, she vanished.

I looked blood racing to see that I was back in the same sitting position on the bed as before the boys surrounding me.

"Welcome back Jihye," Yoongi smirked.

"But Chaeyoung and the blood-"

I was cut off by Namjoon who had an annoyed look on his face. "It's Yoongi's power, he can make people hallucinate things."

I gulped turning to the pale boy, still thoroughly shaken. "So you're the one who made me see my Dad get impaled by a fork too?"

He nodded. "I wanted to see if you were aware of your capabilities and created a mental barrier, which you obviously did not."

I gripped my hair in my hands, letting out a groan. "This is insane."

"I know it's a lot to take in Jihye, but your one of us and we want to help you. Do you ever feel that tingle under your skin or a feeling you can't quite identify?" Hoseok spoke softly.

I froze, remembering the pulsing under my skin whenever I was angry, the fire in my veins. I wasn't sure if I could trust them, but I had nothing to lose at this point and Seokjin was already aware that the answer was yes after our encounter in the park.

I simply nodded in response unable to form words, was it really possible that I was like them? That I could make flowers grow out of my hands or cause people to see things that weren't really there?

"It's your dormant ability," Jungkook explained. "It's super cool because once you unlock it only you can use it. Some others might have similar abilities but they're all slightly different."

"Okay." I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole concept.

"Now Song, we'll help you unlock your ability if you pledge allegiance to our cause."

I turned to Namjoon an eyebrow raised. "If I don't?"

"Then I'll kill you, perhaps twist your neck."

My eyes grew wide and I knew that by the silver-haired boy's demeanour that he was in no way joking.

I basically had two options live or die and I was certain that I wanted to live as long as possible. I hurriedly agreed to join their cause in fear for my life and in a way I felt betrayed for I had never expected them to threaten to kill me, not even Namjoon despite our constant arguments.

Even as I watched Seokjin scold the boy for his violent words I couldn't deny the twist in my gut.

"Sorry that you had to join under such circumstances," Seokjin apologized.

"It's fine I just want to know why this is happening."

Yoongi sighed before breaking into an explanation. "Well, it all started when my adoptive family went over to your house for dinner. I'm the only one of us which has developed the instinct to detect a possible imperium or partum and fortunately got the feeling that you were one. So I tested to see if my instincts were correct. That coffee I gave you was actually infused with a bit of my blood, something only people with abilities are able to stomach and lucky for you, you passed.

"I ended up telling these idiots about it, since they were hanging around you so much and Namjoon got all triggered so he excluded himself from trying to convince you to join our side. So we decided to break into your house and place a camera in the living room and that's how we know that you're adopted."

He finished with a huff, clearly not used to talking that much. I glanced around unwilling to believe that the neutral expressions on everyone's faces were real.

I got high off this nasty shits blood and placing a camera in a girls house was perfectly normal to them apparently.

"You guys are creeps." I spoke finally, though those words did them no justice.

"Nah that's just Jimin."

I watched unamused as Jimin slapped Jungkook in the back of the head.

"Listen Jihye, I wish you weren't here either and I do admit it's a little strange but suck it up because unfortunately your one of us now."Namjoon scoffed.

"Just because I'm part of your little rebellion, doesn't mean I have to appreciate the way you treated me."

The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Does everyone promise to treat Jihye nicer and not violate her privacy?"

A series of I do's echoed around the room. "Happy now drama queen?"

I let out a sigh of defeat knowing their was no way I was going to be taken seriously.

"So what next?"

"Well, it's time for your awakening Jihye-ah!"

I wasn't to sure if I liked the smile on Jungkook's face.