⇉ the one with disappearances.
part twenty-eight
"She's not here."
Renjun and Jeno lean against the wall. Juno is still nowhere to be found, even though Jeno can almost swear that he saw her by the front table just moments ago. Anxiety pools at the pit of his stomach. Maybe he's overreacting, but his gut's telling him that something isn't right.
"Do you guys know where Juno went?" Reina is glancing around the room as she approaches the two boys, Livi right behind her.
"No, we thought you would," Renjun says.
"Maybe she just went to the washroom or something?" Livi suggests, but the uneasy tapping of her manicured fingers against her thigh doesn't match her casual words. "She'll probably be back soon."
They wait, but everyone's jittery. Jeno can tell the others are just as worried as he is, even though they're technically not sure of anything yet. But can you blame them? In a place where two students have been murdered in this first semester, uneasiness is a given.
Jeno pushes that thought out of his head. Don't be stupid, he chides himself. "I'm sure she's fine," he finally says aloud, more for his benefit than the others'.
But everyone begins to doubt that when precisely twenty-eight more minutes pass with no sign of the violet-haired girl. The large group is now seated on the floor, but no one is playing any games now. Mark breathes in deeply before speaking. "Okay, nobody panic. She might've gone downstairs or something."
Jeno doubts that, but he keeps that thought to himself.
Haechan's brows furrow, cheeks flushed because he too, like Jaemin, has had a few too many drinks. "She could've just gone back to her dorm," he says, not sounding particularly concerned.
"Noona would've told someone if she did," Jisung says. His expression is worried.
"Well, it's not like we're not going to do any good sitting here," Livi announces. She gets up, dress miraculously unwrinkled as she slips back into her heels. "Reina and I will head downstairs and check. Some of you can stop by her room, others can look in the pool or library or other places she could be. Take your phones in case someone finds her, and we'll meet back here if no one does."
The rest stare at her for a moment, uncomprehending her authoritative words. But nobody questions her directives; they all just get up and move quietly. Jeno shoots a look at Jaemin and Haechan, the two most inebriated. "You guys stay here, in case she comes back." He narrows his eyes at them. "I mean it. Don't move."
They do what they're told with little protest. Haechan extends his body so that he's lying on the floor, head in his friend's lap. "Wake me up when we're ready to go," he yawns, hiccupping.
Jaemin's sight is still a little blurry, but he's feeling decidedly more sober in comparison to moments before. He pushes Haechan's head off his legs, scowling. "Our friend is missing and you want to take a nap?"
"Your friend," the boy corrects. "And you guys are just being dramatic; she's probably fine."
Jaemin is about to retort, but a soft voice cuts in before he can. "Jaem." Chaewon is standing above him, giggling at his red face and sluggish movements. "Come on, let's go."
His face scrunches up in confusion. "Where?" he asks.
"Back to your room," she replies, voice holding just a slight hint of innuendo. "People are starting to leave."
"But I can't," he says, brows scrunching together. "We have to find Juno."
Chaewon's pretty features twist into a displeased frown. "Find Juno?" she repeats.
"Yeah." His words are slurred, but she's still able to make them out, causing her to frown deeper. "Have you seen her around, by the way?"
His girlfriend purses her lips, eyes narrowing with barely concealed displeasure. "I'm not sure why you're worrying about her right now, Jaemin. She is none of your concern. And I'm sure she's just fine."
"Right." Haechan cuts into the conversation. "And why did you slap her?"
The two look at him, having almost forgotten that he was there. Jaemin's confused. "What do you mean?"
Haechan points at the girl standing in front of them. "I saw her slap Juno a while ago, and I'm wondering why," he elaborates, with the laissez-faire attitude of someone who is definitely under the influence.
Jaemin turns accusing eyes to his girlfriend. "Is that true?"
Chaewon's eyes widen, caught off-guard. "I saw her try to kiss you!" she shouts. "What else should I have done?"
Jaemin shakes his head. "What-" He runs a hand through his white locks. "I was an idiot and tried to kiss her. She pushed me away. Why would you slap her?"
The girl's shoulders slump at his confession, defeated. "You know what? I'm done, Jaemin. I'm tired of putting all the effort into this half-assed relationship. But that's on me, isn't it?" She chuckles, a harsh, grating sound. How stupid was I, hoping for something real with a serial dater? "I'll put you out of your misery. We're over," she snarls, veiling her hurt with anger.
"Chae-"
"I wonder how long it'll be before you get bored of her," Chaewon comments, examining her cuticles with a forced nonchalance. "Longer than us, maybe? She seems smarter than me, though. I hope she breaks your heart." Chaewon turns on her heel. "See you around, Jaemin. Hopefully we never cross paths again."
Jaemin calls out to her. "Chae, look, I'm sorry, but I really need to know if you've seen-"
Haechan winces. That's the worst possible thing to say right now.
"Seriously?" she screeches. "Fine! If you must know, the last time I saw her was with Dano. They were entering a room nearby. That's it."
Jaemin curses. "And you didn't think to-"
"Why would I interrupt?" Chaewon sneers. "I couldn't have cared less anyway. So leave me alone."
He curses again when she's left. Even Haechan seems more alert now. "Okay, so Juno is definitely not fine."
"No shit," Haechan concurs. "But we absolutely have to stay here, just in case." He jerks his head in the direction of Jaemin's phone. "Text the others and tell them to check all the rooms on this floor. And tell them to hurry the f*ck up."
Jaemin does, fingers tapping the screen slowly as he composes a virtually unreadable message to the others who are out searching.
▸
"You're mentally ill."
Dano just smiles. "Probably," he concedes. She resents the fact that he doesn't sit down, forcing her to have to painfully crane her neck upward to look at him.
Juno is sitting in a chair, arms and feet bound together with thick rope - how the hell did this asshole even get his hands on rope? - and her once gagged mouth still aches. She doesn't know what on earth he'd given her to knock her out, but it still has her feeling slightly woozy. "Why the hell am I here?" she spits.
"Oh." His eyes are dark, smile gone. "I just wanted to talk."
Juno heaves a massive sigh and rolls her eyes. "Dude, we've literally only ever spoken once, when I rejected you. And you're still hung up on that?" Her lips form a smirk. "Pathetic."
Dano's eyes flash. "Ah, I wouldn't recommend that. Jaesu and Jihyi once called me names too, you know," he says slowly, watching Juno's face carefully. "And now they're both dead. So you might want to watch your words."
Her gaze is dangerous as she glares at him. She can feel her power bubbling up inside her. But her hands are, quite literally, tied. "How fucking stupid do you think I am?"
He blinks, her response obviously unexpected. "What?"
Juno chuckles, hair falling back from her face as she leans back in the chair. It has long since escaped its chignon. "You didn't kill them."
Fury (and alcohol) reddens his cheeks. "Why not?"
She laughs again. "You simply don't have it in you. You're a coward, Dano." Juno pointedly glances around. "You couldn't even bring yourself to face me properly - you had to knock me out and tie me up first. Very bold, no?" Sarcasm drips from each word.
And then his hand is around her neck, squeezing just enough for spots to appear in her vision. He is so close, she can smell whatever he drank on his breath. "Shut up," he hisses.
"You wish you killed them, because then it would make you feel better about yourself, wouldn't it?" Juno squirms in his hold, but it only tightens. "And you dragged me here tonight to get what you couldn't when you approached me the first time. Or am I wrong? You're so predictable."
"I said-"
"How many other girls have you brought here, Dano? And how can you still look them in the eye knowing you did what you did?" She leans in closer, whispering. "I am not scared of you."
Dano is murderous. And even though Juno is sure he didn't have the guts to kill the others and he never will, there's no guaranteeing that she will come out of this uninjured. Or even dead, albeit accidentally. After all, he does have the upper hand. But for her sake and that of his other victims who probably found themselves in this exact situation, she refuses to keep silent. Because he is sick. Quite literally.
But her air supply is running out, and Juno can feel her heart rate speed up as her body struggles to reintake oxygen. He is squeezing her neck, anger palpable. "You bitch. I don't know who the fuck you think you are; you're fucking ugly, anyway. But you will pay for that shit you just said."
Juno's vision is spotty, and her eyes are closing. That's it. So this is how I go out, huh?
But suddenly, he flies back.
Sweet oxygen rushes back to her lungs, and she greedily gulps in air before taking time to think about what the hell just happened. Dano is sprawled out on the floor, groaning in pain. Juno glances around. Who just did that?
He slowly gets up, blinking the disorientation away from his eyes. He's even more furious now. "Any more tricks up your sleeve?" he sneers, stalking forward.
The blast this time is even more powerful. Juno can actually hear the crack of Dano's back when it collides with the wall, and the room shudders. Is there an earthquake happening? She is so, so confused.
With a jolt, Juno realizes that it's her. She's the earthquake.
She glances down at her hands, bewildered. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make any kind of sense. Her hands are still tied up, feet still bound. She can't move right now. And yet, she feels the distinctness of the power going out of her, exactly the way it feels when she uses her telekinesis. Her brows furrow.
Now more curious than scared, she turns her gaze back to Dano, who is in pain, unable to get up this time. Narrowing her eyes at him, she watches as he levitates in the air for a short moment before crashing back down. Hard.
She smiles.
A bubble of some sort forms over his figure. He still has some strength left over, at least to protect himself using his shielding ability. Juno doesn't bother trying to penetrate the barrier. She's still figuring out how to even begin to untie herself when the door bursts open.
The five boys stop. They survey the situation. Then Jeno moves first, punching his way through Dano's protective barrier as if it's nothing, leaving shards everywhere. Soon Dano has been slammed against the wall.
"What did you do to her?" Jeno's voice is dangerously low.
"Nothing," Dano sputters. "I'm serious. You should be asking what she did to me."
Renjun quickly pulls out a marker and sketches three sharp knives on the floor. They pop out and the three other boys take them, setting to work on cutting away Juno's restraints. He takes her face in his hands, scrutinizing her worriedly. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She leans into him. "How did you guys find me?"
"Chaewon saw him with you."
"Ah." Juno runs a tongue over her lips. The lipstick has long since dried out, leaving them brittle and parched. She's sure she must look like hell right now. "I have lots to tell-"
"We're taking you back to your dorm first," Mark cuts in. "You can talk tomorrow; for now, you need rest. But I'm glad you seem to be in one piece, Juju."
Her mouth stretches into a half-smile. "Of course, Marker."
Chenle and Jisung share a knowing glance before gathering the older girl up in a silent group hug. She embraces them, feeling so much better already even though they say nothing. It's not until they break apart that she sees Jeno heading over to them. She glances behind him. Dano's still on the floor.
Jeno smiles at her, and despite everything, she can't help returning it. "Let's get out of here."
She nods, gesturing to the fallen boy. "But what are we going to do about him?"
Jeno shrugs. "Not our problem."
"Okay, everyone stand in a line and hold hands," Chenle instructs. They do. He leans forward to wink at Juno. "You're about to experience express travel, noona."
Not even up to a second later, they're back in the smaller party room. Juno dizzily holds a hand up to her head as Mark chuckles. "You get used to it eventually."
"Livi and Reina are on their way. They were also looking for you," Jeno says.
"But it's already two in the morning." Renjun is striding over to their spot. "Everyone get your stuff and let's head out."
Jaemin and Haechan get up as the group nears. "Oh, you found her."
"Yeah, thanks for the tip. Even though we could barely read it." Jeno shoots his best friend a pointed look, and Jaemin rolls his eyes. "Get up, we're leaving."
But Juno stands rooted to the floor, eyes catching on something at the other end of the room. The place has emptied out save for the eight of them, and the lighting is dim. But her heart hammers as her eyes lock on the sight, afraid of just what she will find behind the couch in the back corner. "Um, guys. What's that?"
Everyone looks in the direction she indicates, eyes widening at the liquid seeing to ooze from under the sofa. They move toward it, Juno at the helm. Cautiously, she cranes her neck to see what's there.
And then she screams.
It's Chaewon, lying in a pool of what looks like her own blood.