𝔻𝕀𝕊𝕋ℝ𝕀ℂ𝕋 ℕ𝕀ℕ𝔼 «재현»

08

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ

"So, why are we at the mall?" Trinity asked once they pulled up at a towering white warehouse. The building was old, and the parking lot was empty, signifying that the supercenter had been abandoned for a while.

The trio hopped out of the vehicle with their respective backpacks and headed toward the building, "We still gotta get supplies, pretty." Jaehyun smirked at the way her cheeks reddened at the endearing nickname and she avoided eye contact, while Yuta rolled his eyes teasingly and then yelled, "Get a room, lovebirds."

On the left side of the center's door was a faded poster of the President's son along with his message printed in all caps and bold letters. Yuta slid the mall's door open and multiple discount posters came into view.

ENTIRE STORE 30% OR MORE!

GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!

EVERYTHING UP TO 60% OFF!

ENTIRE STORE ON SALE!

In addition to these, there was another poster of Sehun, his enigmatic message of hope seemingly plastered everywhere they turned. "If I see one of those again, I'm going to lose it," Jaehyun mumbled under his breath, his irritation evident. However, Yuta overheard and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry grin. "Same here," he admitted, sharing his friend's exasperation.

The mall they found themselves in was a chaotic scene. Clothes had been yanked out of their respective hangers, and a colorful array of garments lay strewn across the floor. Hangers were scattered like confetti after a wild celebration. It appeared that the last day of business had been such a frenzy of shopping and excitement that no one had bothered with cleaning up. The mess was a testament to the mall's successful final day of operation, and it added to the surreal atmosphere surrounding Sehun's message of hope, which seemed to be everywhere they turned.

The center's power was shut off, with the day's bright light being the only source keeping them from plunging into darkness. "Would you do the honors, Trin?"Yuta asked once the teens located the power box on the wall.

Smiling, the Purple replied, "I'd love to."

The slightest brush of her palm against the light switch caused electricity to travel through the fairy lights, illuminating the place in an instant, and leaving the boys to stare in awe.

"Let's go shopping."

In a blur of motion, Yuta, Jaehyun, and Trinity moved like a well-coordinated team through the spacious and now-empty department store. The soft overhead lights cast a gentle glow over the quiet aisles, lending an air of intrigue to their mission.

The older boy, Yuta, deftly grabbed a sleek black jacket off the rack, his fingers running over the fabric as he held it up for inspection. With a nod of approval, he tossed it into his bag, the item disappearing seamlessly into its depths. Jaehyun, on the other hand, browsed the shoe section, his keen eye quickly selecting a pair of stylish sneakers that he added to his own bag. Trinity, her fingers dancing lightly across the line of hung clothes, selected a tank top and a pair of comfortable shorts before nonchalantly dumping them into her backpack.

Having completed their clothing selections, the trio moved to a different aisle adorned with an impressive collection of eyeglasses. Various styles and shapes dangled from metal racks and rested in organizers. Trinity, always true to her psionic color group, reached for a heart-shaped sunglass, its hue perfectly matching her unique abilities. Jaehyun and Yuta, displaying their camaraderie, simultaneously reached for matching square-framed glasses, which added a dash of style to their burgeoning collection. As they made their choices, the anticipation of their adventure grew, the store providing them with both fashion and flair as they prepared to embark on whatever lay ahead.

The trio soon split up with the boys heading over to the sports aisle while the other sole female skipped over to the snacks aisle. There, she loaded her bag with chips, cookies, candy, and some drinks before going down the escalator into a smaller abandoned part of the store. Jaehyun met her halfway but their attentions drifted to the message written on the ground with black paint: GET OUT.

Seconds later, they heard incoherent noises, and Trinity spotted a figure zooming past the mannequins from the corner of her right eye. A sudden force hit the pastel-haired teen like a truck and harshly sent her to the ground, causing her to release a pained grunt. Jaehyun moved to help, but another force stopped him in his tracks. He was sent flying into the air for a moment before being forcefully dropped on top of Trinity, but he placed a hand beside her head so she wasn't crushed under his weight.

"W-What's happening?" she asked, eyes darting around frantically in search of the hidden figure.

"I don't know." The boy on top of her replied before he was sent floating high again. Faster than she could gather herself, Trinity was sent barrelling into the male, causing them to protectively wrap their arms around each other.

The duo caught a masked person standing on the second floor with their hands stretched above their head as if they were controlling something or someone. "Stop!" Jaehyun exclaimed, but the individual moved his hands down, and like puppets on a string, the both of them obeyed their command, falling quickly to the ground.

However, before they made impact with the floor, the redhead's eyes glowed blue and they stopped in mid-air, just hovering inches above the ground. Per an anonymous command, he let go of his crush, causing the girl to fall flat on her back while he was sent flying through collections of toys, and rows of bicycles until he was dropped on the ground.

The Purple's eyes widened in worry but before her feet could move toward him, she was surrounded by four masked figures circling her cautiously. The teen slowly backed away from them but they follow until her back hit a wall. A string of fairy lights dangled beside the girl, and she grabbed them in her left hand without hesitation, her eyes glowing gold in accordance with her power.

Everyone ducked for cover as blocks of ceiling lights flicker on and off uncontrollably, electricity coursing through them like a raging fire. Seconds after the power surge, the lights began to pop like firecrackers, dropping bluish-white sparks and glass to the ground. Trinity ripped her hand away from the tiny bulbs, and the lights went out immediately, leaving sizzling sounds behind.

"Hey, what was that for?" Yuta asked once he made his way to where the commotion was, and the four mysterious figures unmasked themselves to be kids no younger than thirteen or fourteen.

"You could have been tracers." A ginger-haired boy snapped back, earning a glare from the blonde.

"We're just here for supplies. We don't want any trouble." Trinity said as she wrapped an arm around Jaehyun's waist and helped him stand up from the floor.

"Look, no hard feelings. We're sorry." The ginger replied with fake sympathy as well as a sarcastic smile, and Trinity swore she would have punched him if she could. "We can give you guys some food, and you can sleep here tonight."

His words were met with looks of disbelief from the other kids, as well as a slap on the wrist from one of them.

"But, only tonight." He emphasized, beckoning the trio to follow behind him as they walked deeper into the mall.