hydra | svt

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

wonwoo

"so, about the rings."

she stirs her drink lazily, gazing out of the window at the setting sun as if she were the protagonist in a romantic movie. awkwardly, i fiddle with the sleeves of my jumper and nod, trying to make sense of it all.

"the rings, to make a long story short, is basically the way that you can re-enlighten your friends. it will restore their memory fully so you won't have to waste time trying to explain it, thus enabling them to help you with your search whilst saving time in the process. the more members you encounter at first the better because it will get harder and harder to find them as time goes on."

"but i don't have any rings," i mumble. i was already beginning to feel frustrated at the whole unnecessity of it all; could the mage really not have just sent them to earth with their memory intact as he did with me?

"uhhh, i can't help you there, sorry. dad can be very confusing at the best of times but it's kinda like 'summer camp' on crack, you know?" izzy snorts and slurps up the rest of her drink. however, i blush uncomfortably at my own awkwardness.

"did i really just say that out loud?"

"yep."

a groan escapes my throat before i can stop it.

the silence that settles upon us moments later is like a thick blanket of snow on a freezing december night and i struggle in my search to find something that will keep this deadbeat conversation rolling but soon, mark and izzy have both finished their drinks and need to go home. i still; have many questions on my mind but fear that if i tried to ask it would come out in a jumbled mess.

"i guess i should get going too," i say, eyeing junhui behind the counter as he worked on another hot coffee. slinging my bag over my shoulder, i shuffle out of the booth after leaving some money on the table as a tip and make a move towards the door.

"wait, wonwoo! have my instagram handle in case you need to reach me!" a slip of paper is thrust into my hand and before i could ask about her phone number, she disappears down the street, swinging her hand in mark's.

-

my fingers are gripped tightly around my phone as i nestle comfortably under my duvet covers. i quickly discover the reason why izzy didn't bother giving me her phone number: the app wasn't installed and i couldn't find it in the app store. the only apps available were instagram, safari and all the other miscellaneous crap that came with a new phone. there wasn't even a music app, though i don't think i'd have time to use it much anyway.

"wonwoo! there's someone for you at the door!"

i clench my fists and anxiously pull the covers back to expose my pyjama-clad body. every fibre of my being was praying that it wasn't someone from school, like kun. or even worse, junhui had somehow managed to find me; it wasn't the right time yet. the stairs creaked as i made my way down them, smiling nervously and quickly at my mother, who was stood beside...

mark?

he looked almost as awkward as i probably did and we both raised a hand to each other upon greeting. seconds passed and i raised my eyebrow expectantly, waiting to hear the reason why mark was here; something seemed to click within him moments later and another small notebook was pushed into my hands.

"the note inside will explain everything," mark says with a tight-lipped smile before he practically runs out of my house and back down the path. i'm still standing there, shellshocked, when my mother brings me out of my trance-like state.

"wonwoo, who was that? and what did he mean by 'the note will explain everything?'" she eyes me suspiciously and i laugh to hide my embarrassment.

"oh nothing, just something for... history club."

"i didn't know you did history club."

"yeah, i...um...signed up for it today."

"oh, well dinner's ready if you want some!"

i nod absentmindedly and turn the notebook over in my hands. the pages were held together by three thick metal rings and i was sure it could fit in the pocket of my school blazer. the cover was clear and a pastel blue sticky note with totoro in the corner was stuck onto the first page.

for your friends. - i

i guess it must not be a coincidence that there were thirteen dividers, and my section had already been filled out in neat, cursive writing.

____________

have a good day/evening/night!