A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

26: Ugly Duckling

"I don't feel like a kid. I feel old," Mara sadly laughed, her eyes meeting Jin's warm gaze. He blinked at her, staring from each of her eyes as if to try and find something. The timid girl looked away, finding it to feel intense. She was an open book, perhaps too open for her own good. Everything could come back and stab her in the back and she wouldn't quite care.

"I'm sorry you had to cut your childhood short. No child should have to go through any of this, especially not alone," Jin compassionately spoke, his hand coming to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. The girl immediately clasped her hand atop of his, seeking for validation of her most repressed feelings and thoughts that haunted her every waking moment.

"You're not alone," Jin consoled, "Not as long as I'm here."

Mara accepted his reassurance with only mild skepticism and turned away, stifling a frown.

Time suddenly felt as real as ever.

With another day going by being babysat by the people willing enough to tolerate her for an entire day, Mara was growing antsy. Her desire to prove herself to everyone was getting stronger, and the anxiety from an impending loneliness was looming over here like a skyscraper. She couldn't just sit there and let a week go by without her attempting to convince them (or rather Namjoon) to let her stay indefinitely.

Something that bothered her was Jimin's lack of resolution. Their plans sat inert, collecting dust as time flew by faster than they could realize. Not only had Jimin refrained from reiterating the narrative of the meeting; he hadn't relayed her the outcome, either. Though Mara heard every single word spoken, she had expected the courtesy of an honest and realistic delivery of bad news. She guessed that Jimin felt guilt, and keeping the news from her would spare her feelings or maybe keep her hopes up. It didn't do either, though. Instead, it made her feel hopeless. If Jimin didn't know what to do next, what made Mara think she could make a single difference?

She'd bumped into Hoseok later in the day while fetching something from the kitchen per Jin's request. She was met with a stone-faced man filled with something she could only describe as bitterness. She wondered why, considering she was leaving soon and wouldn't be a bother for too long.

"I don't trust you. Just because they let you stay for a bit, that doesn't mean you're instantly off the hook. Don't get too comfortable, is what I'm trying to say," Hoseok muttered curtly, eyes devoid of any sympathy, "Try not to be too much of a nuisance for however long you're here. We have plenty of those already."

Mara stood quietly in place, a tinge of disdain making her face twist up. Hearing Hoseok call his brothers nuisances didn't bode well with her. She expected respect, but even that seemed too much to ask for.

Yoongi was different, but not too much.

He offered only a mere glance, his eyes dark and blank. He silently brushed by her, steps light and almost inaudible. His pale skin was at contrast with his jet black hair and black clothes. He looked like a ghost with the way he simply hovered and watched without speaking a single word.

Resentment towards Yoongi simply hit him like a gust of wind, but scorn from him was akin to a tsunami wave, and Mara was caught in the tide.

"When I see you, I think a lot about my Bongsoon."

The statement had come out of the blue, eliciting an apprehensive curiosity in Mara. Jin, Jimin and Mara sat in the infirmary, eating together after Namjoon boldly stated that Mara made everyone uncomfortable. A very timid, yet offended, Mara opted to eat elsewhere, lead by a peeved Jin and followed by an upset Jimin into the room they now sat in. They calmly ate despite the unpleasantries, enjoying each other's company and conversing amongst themselves.