[Neo Zone] Population: 23 Kids

Questioning Motives

All twenty of them were sitting in the basement staring at each other. Haechan still had Renjun's voodoo doll, but Haechan was sitting right next to Johnny, so all he could do was glare at him. Xiaojun was happily playing with Leon, though, not even paying attention to the tension in the room.

"It's too quiet in here."

As the closest to Lucas, Chenle clamped a hand over his mouth to stop him from screaming. He had been refraining from screaming because unlike Xiaojun he could sense the tension, but if Jeno was going to point it out, that was practically an invitation.

"I'm not gonna!" His words came out muffled, but Chenle was still capable of understanding him and took his hand off his mouth.

"To get this straight, Haechan angered a tiny witch doctor and Jaehyun stole his sacrifice?" Kun questioned, to which those in question nodded. "I don't think that was a smart move."

"He was going to kill Xiaojun! What did you want me to do?!" Jaehyun threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Sacrifice, not kill. There's a difference."

"I kinda asked for it too." Xiaojun finally piped up.

Taeyong shook his head. "No, we're not justifying murder."

"What if it's for a good cause?"

"Doyoung!"

"What?!"

"I'm stealing coffee. Anyone want some?" Jaemin raised his hand, but Johnny pretended he didn't see it. "No one? Okay."

Jaemin slumped back and pouted. Jisung leaned over to pat his head in sympathy, so Jaemin stopped being quite so dramatic.

"I vote we keep Xiaojun and kick Renjun off the island." Mark spoke up, Renjun switching his glare over to him instead of Haechan.

WinWin nodded. "I think that's a good plan."

"Or we could not anger the tiny witch doctor further and keep him on our side in case we need him for something?" Yuta pointed out, earning Doyoung's approval.

"What if I'm only here because I want my voodoo doll back?"

"Nobody has a say in if they want to be here or not. I think almost all of us were kidnapped." YangYang whispered to Renjun, the closest anyone has actually dared to get to him this entire time.

"You're not getting your doll back. That'd be like giving a murderer a gun and then not expecting them to shoot you with it." Haechan reasoned, slipping on his sunglasses because he felt like it.

Johnny came back down the stairs, handing Jaemin his mug of coffee so he could have a sip. "So are they part of the cult or not?"

"We're not a cult!"

"If their birthdays aren't on the board, they're not in the cult. And I'm not putting Renjun's up there." Mark crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

"Oh my gosh, you're doing that again?"

"Doing what?" Taeil asked, still not completely understanding the whole white board thing.

"He wouldn't put Doyoung's birthday on the board because he made Jeno cry." Jaehyun explained, and Doyoung looked as though he was trying not to be embarrassed.

"This is a cult?!" It was the first time Renjun actually looked interested in being there.

"No! It's not a cult!"

"It kinda is." Jaemin muttered, stealing another sip from Johnny's mug.

"Xiaojun stay, Renjun leave." Chenle said with a nod, and Jisung smacked his arm.

"Don't be mean, Lele."

Hendery suddenly gasped, hitting Lucas on the arm and snapping his fingers as he tried to come up with words that were matching his thoughts.

"We know him!"

"Which one?" Lucas tilted his head.

"Renjun!"

"We do?"

"Yeah! Aren't you that one cousin that the whole family just ignores?"

"I think we all have one of those cousins. I was that cousin." Jaehyun pointed out, both Johnny and Mark ready to protest until they realized he was right.

"No I really think you're our cousin. My Dad has another brother that we've never seen, but my grandma loves to talk about how Lucas and I are the disappointment grandsons because we're soft."

"Oh you're the losers she talks about?!"

"Ouch, but probably."

Both Hendery and Renjun started listing off family member names just to confirm, Lucas looking thoroughly confused.

"Does he have to stay if he's their cousin?" WinWin whispered, and Haechan shook his head.

"There's no rules to the cult except the three we made." WinWin didn't even bother with smacking him, but he did sigh.

"Why don't we keep them both?" Jungwoo asked, shutting down all conversation.

"Because I don't want to stay."

Renjun took one look at Jungwoo's hurt face, and then noticed how they were all slowly starting to glare at him for it.

"Okay, maybe I will."

Mark definitely wasn't putting his birthday on the board now.