The Hanes Enigma

Chapter Twelve - Interrigation

Kim Taehyung

Adrenaline high quickly failing me and head as dizzy as a spinning top, I feel my shoulders ever relaxing, the further we get from Theasphreyei territory. I can't help but be reminded of my first time there, and although memories of Nova often distract me, the rest fill my body with anxiety. In some ways, Nova is completely right: becoming a part of her family petrifies me. To be in constant close proximity with her mother is an utterly terrifying prospect. But, while I watch her ponytail swish back and forth like Brynn's pendulum last night, I know that Nova is wrong in the sense that she is more than worth it. My family don't exist anymore, I have no one left. While I'm seen as family to Brynn and the Jeon's, they don't truly feel like it - they are not fay and cannot understand some typical faerie tendencies in the same way as I don't understand typical witch or werewolf ones.

I pause slightly, leaning against a tree to keep my balance. Nova needs to concentrate on Hollis, my stab wound can cope until we get back to Pharaway. After all, everyone else seems to have forgotten about it. Jimin flew ahead to get a rapid response to our arrival. Euclea trails after Thulu who has Hollis' still limp body swept into his arms. Nova and Brynn are engaged in an incredibly passionate debate about a drama of some sorts - as much as I love her, I swear Brynn is a bad influence on both Nova and Etney. Jungkook is praising Youngha for his use of initiative on the mission while Dwyll makes purposefully unhelpful comments, just confusing the young alpha more than anything else.  So, I have time to myself to just take a breath before struggling on once again. 

I swear the journey there wasn't anywhere near as long as this.

Nova turns back to me and grins. I'm glad she is happy. I've been so worried about her lately, this is refreshing. Her smile begins to melt into more of a frown as she beckons, noticing how far back I am, and so I immediately push myself back onto my feet and even trot slightly to keep up with the others. Satisfied that I really am okay, she turns back to concentrate on the matter at hand - which series had the most attractive bodyguard character - in both looks and personality, of course. I chuckle, finding it amusing and a little endearing in how she can switch so easily between a teenage girl with a celebrity crush to the future queen of all fay and emergency medic.

My hand automatically clasps my stomach at the twinge of pain that humourous thought accompanies, and I slow again. I'm now quite far from the rest of the group, to the point that I feel a little uneasy. The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end. The type of feeling you get when you watch a horror film late at night when you're on your own - you don't want to turn around in case your fears are accurate but, you don't want to continue not looking in fear of being oblivious to an imminent threat. Are we being watched?

I feel my heart thump inside my chest once, twice. Content that it was just my imagination, I take a deep breath. I don't want to run with this amount of pain in my gut, but I really should catch up. Suddenly, a plastic bag over my head and tightening onto my neck lets no sound through. Panicked and struggling to breathe, I attempt to send some sort of message to Jungkook. But, a high pitched sound makes my ears ring and my knees buckle as I cave in on myself. My hands are clawing at the plastic but it doesn't budge. I vaguely register the feeling of skin splitting as my knees hit the tarmac before I lose consciousness.

***

Park Jimin

My wings ache. I don't think I've ever flown this fast for so long. I watch roads overlapping each other and running like rivers to the sea below me as my feet hop from treetop to treetop, lightly brushing the branches as I leap across the air above them.