Until Then (Stray Kids Hwang Hyunjin)

Twenty-five

I'm so sorry for the delay. My Wattpad kept on messing up so I had to delete it then redownload it. Then I was preoccupied with exams but finally my exams are over so here is the update

Alex sat at her throne, Hyunjin and Seungmin on either side. She felt safer this way but something deep down still twisted and turned, still told her that something was wrong. Really wrong. Hyunjin shouldn't be here. Not now, not ever.

Alex scanned the hall, everyone looked suspicious in her eyes. She couldn't help but tremble. She was terrified.

She told herself she was overreacting, overthinking, but one thing she learnt about Wonderland is to always go with her gut. 

Alex's breath was caught in her throat upon the arrival of the First Queen and Eunbyul not far behind, arm wrapped around the King's. 

Eunbyul undoubtedly stood out. She wore a long, white wedding dress which was plain but at the same time gorgeous. Her jet-black hair was combed back and kept in place by a ruby tiara. Her makeup was light but definitely beautiful. She looked like a princess that had walked out of some Disney movie.

Alex tensed up when Eunbyul's gaze met her own. The First Princess smiled slightly but Alex could see past her innocent-looking eyes. Something was wrong. And when Eunbyul's gaze shifted from her to the boy beside her, she knew her gut was right. Hyunjin shouldn't be here.

There was something in Eunbyul's eyes which Alex couldn't quite make out until she had come closer. Tears.

Alex immediately glanced at Hyunjin. He avoided eye contact with Eunbyul and stared at the ground. A wave of horror and worry engulfed Alex. He was hiding something. No, they were hiding something.

"What's going on?" Alex whispered to Hyunjin, her worry evident in her tone. 

He briefly glanced up giving her a slight smile which died as soon as his gaze met the floor again.

"Don't worry," was all he said. But he wasn't speaking to her, she soon realised, he was trying to convince himself.

"Hyunjin," she slightly whined. "Answer my question. What is going on?" 

Her panicked state finally made its dreaded appearance but she couldn't stop it. She knew something was going to happen. Something bad was going to happen. And she hated it the most when her gut told her blood would be shed that night. Her gut always proved to be right.

"Just act normal," he spoke, calming his own nerves.

"How can I?"

He didn't respond and Alex knew why. A dozen soldiers suddenly entered the hall, guarding the exit as they clutched their guns. 

Alex began to panic even more, unable to stop herself trembling. Seungmin noticed both the soldiers and Alex's state. He was just as clueless as Alex but quickly understood that nothing good would come out of the situation. 

He wrapped his hand tightly around her own as stealthily as he could. He knew it wouldn't provide her much comfort but it was as much as he could do without anyone being suspicious.

The Queens and Kings took their seats on their thrones while Nichkhun and Eunbyul stood in the centre of the stage, facing each other. But Eunbyul's gaze never met her groom's. It kept on shifting from the guards to Hyunjin then the guards again.

Alex couldn't help but feel frustrated with the First Princess. This was all her plan, she was sure of it and now she was actually acting as if she was worried for Hyunjin. She thought Eunbyul had changed but clearly not.

Alex was about to shoot Eunbyul a glare if it wasn't for a high pitched scream coming from the right. Hyuna was standing up and staring at her seat in utter horror. It took Alex a while before she finally realised why she was screaming: her throne was on fire.

In her peripheral vision, Alex watched as the guards raised up their guns and aimed them at Hyunjin.

She gazed at the boy beside her, who was looking down while fiddling with his fingers.

"Hyunjin-" she started but he cut her off.

"Three...two-" he whispered.

"Hyunjin-"

"One," and suddenly the light bulbs exploded and the fire became bigger, fiercer.

Smoke began to fill the room and barely anything was visible. Alex was suddenly yanked to the ground and dragged across the ground.

Gunshots and screams began to echo in the spacious hall.

Alex quaked in fear as warm tears began to stream down her face. The fire, the smoke, the screams, all reminding her of an afternoon she wanted to forget so badly. But then again, how do you forget your parents' deaths.

There was a door right at the corner of the hall, one that led straight outside. Alex could tell the person was pulling her there yet she still couldn't find the strength to help out.

Her whole body was protesting. And she began to choke on the smoke. Her body ached and everything just kept on reminding her of other life, the one on Earth, the one she wanted to forget.

Finally, the door was opened and Alex was dragged out. She coughed helplessly before gasping for large amounts of air. Tears continued to stream down her face and was sure she looked like a sobbing mess but that was the least of her worries at that point.

She turned to look at the person who had saved her and found herself even more disappointed than she had ever been. Of all the people she wanted to see now, Eunbyul was the last. It took all her self-control not to slap the bride right then and there.

"Why did you save me?" Alex spat out, her bitterness lacing each word uttered.

"What? You wanted to die in there?" She paused for a second and Alex could see both anger and sadness in her eyes. "Oh wait, I forgot who I was talking to."

Alex rolled her eyes at her comment and could help but feel furious when a tear slipped out of Eunbyul's eyes.

"You're crying? Seriously? Don't even bother putting up an act, Eunbyul! I know you did this! You are trying to kill Hyunjin! Why though? What did he ever do to you? You were the one burdening him! Or is it because he's a threat, huh? That if he goes to the throne you'd be killed?"

Eunbyul's anger soon multiplied. She ran a hand through her hair and glared at Alex, even more tears olling down her cheek at this point.

"You think I did this? Didn't I tell you my story? Or did it just fly over you? I would never try to kill Hyunjin! He's like a brother to me, I swear! And for your information, the reason I kept on going to his house was to warn him about what might happen. I told him not to come! But he insisted. I didn't do this, Alex! Trust me, just this once!"

"Then who do you suppose did this?"

"It's not obvious?" Eunbyul asked, her voice cracking more than she would have liked. "My mother. The First Queen did this. Hyunjin is a threat to her and the whole family. If Hyunjin claims his throne, we aren't superior anymore. And he can give us a death sentence for everything we did. He's a threat so she wants to get rid of him."

Alex sighed as she looked to the ground. She felt bad for blaming Eunbyul but at the same time she felt she deserved it for all the bad things she had done.

The screams soon died down along with the gunshots.

Eunbyul slowly stood up and took slow, shaky steps to the door. Alex dared not to go, she knew it would hurt her more than she would ever like to admit.

As soon as the First Princess reached the door, she fell to the ground, her hand covering her mouth.

Hyunjin finally made his appearance as he ran out of the door and crouched to the ground, tucking his legs close to his chest.

Eunbyul finally turned to Hyunjin, moving her hand away from her mouth.

"Hyunjin," her voice was shaky and the fear in her tone was evident. "What did you do?"