Aurora Skies || Stray Kids Au

22 | Follow Me

Seojoon's eyes rake over the letter multiple times, trying to get his brain to unlock the door so he can get an extra piece of the puzzle. There doesn't seem to be a code or a pattern, it is just a normal letter. It is frustrating because Seojoon would find this a lot easier if there was a hidden pattern, but so far everything they have isn't piecing together, or his brain is refusing to see the connection.

The others sit in the room, quietly trying to put in a group effort to figure out what the book and note could possibly mean. Seungmin hasn't been contributing much, too absorbed in the story of the book. It isn't long, so he pushes through it quite quickly, despite the protests of the others.

"Seungmin, we could actually use your help," Jeongin tells him, "so maybe stop reading?"

Seungmin holds up a finger, telling them to give him a minute. He originally was simply going to scan the book to see if anything in it was important, but when he started reading, he couldn't stop. Seungmin is almost finished, he only needs a couple more minutes and then he'll be done.

Although the group is annoyed with him, they leave him be and begin discussing more possible solutions to what they could mean. Everyone has brought at least one idea to the table, though with all of them there were holes and gaps that no one could fill in, so then they decided to just start throwing any crazy idea out there until someone had a revelation of what it could be.

"Bambam never said anything about bringing someone else back with Felix, did he?" Hyunjin asks.

Jeongin shakes his head, "no, besides I think we would know if that happened."

Hyunjin just shrugs, "I thought maybe someone could have been working with Felix to get him out of here, but maybe not."

"That could still be a possibility, the note was signed," Minho says, giving a little bit of hope in Hyunjin's idea.

"Maybe, but Felix never spoke to anyone other than Changbin and Hyunjin," Jisung adds, sighing as he rests his head on Minho's shoulder. He is tired of trying to figure this out, his headaches from all the information it is trying to obtain.

"That we know of," Changbin states, "maybe Felix was talking to more people than we thought, he just did when no one was looking."

"I mean I guess, but--"

"Guys! Guys!" Seungmin cuts in, his eyes wide and a smile spread on his face.

He turns the book he was read outward to face everyone, showing the group the second note written on the inside of the back cover. Seojoon moves closer, taking the book from Seungmin's hands as he exams the second note. Just with the first, he mulls over it a couple of times before finally, something strikes him.

"Seungmin what was this book about?" Seojoon asks.

"It was a storybook, about magic-users, and the portal," Seungmin explains, "but it did talk about how the characters got past the guards and how they found the portal."

Seojoon runs his thumb over his bottom lip, rereading the notes once again. All his friends stare at him in silence, not wanting to say something to break his concentration.

"I think Hyunjin could be right, but I don't think it was an actual friend helping him, the notes have more of a mischievous feel rather than a caring one," Seojoon states, "maybe someone who wanted him gone."

"So, someone like Chan," Changbin says, the name rolling off his tongue in disgust.

"Yeah..." Seojoon agrees, "or Chan himself."

~•~

Jisung doesn't know why they were the ones chosen to go and talk to Chan, but Seojoon told them they were the best option. Minho sort of understands the older's logic given that Seojoon tried and failed to get Chan to talk, Seungmin had already talked to him and is refusing to go back, and Changbin wouldn't be able to talk to him without trying to kill the older.