⇉ the one with an escapade.
part forty-two
Think, think.
Juno forces herself to take a deep breath in and out. Yes, her kitten has, inadvertently, led her to a massive hidden manhole. And yes, it might be a way out of the building she'd been explicitly led to believe was entirely inescapable. And yes, she should probably be smart and get the others so they can figure it out together.
But then Shawty leaps inside.
Juno's mouth drops open. Helplessly, she glances around her. No one is hanging around this area. She can't walk all the way back to her group of friends; who knows where Shawty would've gotten to by then? And what if there's something that could be dangerous to her down there?
Juno follows the kitten.
Not one of her more intelligent decisions, that much she's aware of. The thought is punctuated by a sharp pain that ricochets through her ankle when Juno lands hard on the dirt floor. Wincing, she hobbles onward, keeping an eye out for her kitten. She heaves a sigh of relief when she sees her, and Juno bends down to scoop Shawty into her arms. They could head back, but now the curiosity is much too strong.
The space is dark and smells musty, but it also seems to be some sort of narrow tunnel. Juno takes shaky, tentative steps forward, realizing now that she's completely unsure of what could be on the other side. Even Shawty is quiet, sensing the gravity of the situation.
Juno says a quick prayer. Please don't let this be how I go out.
Hours pass. In reality, they've been walking for about five minutes, but it seems like eons to Juno. The suspense and fear seize her throat, causing her fingers to tremble as she grimaces in pain with every step. There isn't much to see inside the tunnel, just a floor and walls carved out of the dirt. And that's when she looks down and notices the almost inconspicuous indentations on the ground.
This tunnel is in use.
Before Juno can mull over that new piece of information, she sees it: another metal rectangular plate. Except, this time, it is directly above where she's stopped to stand. Juno gingerly sets her kitten down and uses both hands to push upwards. It takes her so much effort that she stumbles again after lifting it just enough to climb out.
The first thing she sees is the foliage.
The hole opens up into some kind of thicket, too dense to be shrubbery but too small to be a full-blown forest. Shards of light peek in through the spaces between the leaves at the tops of the trees, and a thick layer of grass covers the dirt floor. The air smells light and fresh, even better than the air outside of the school building. And that's when she realizes. They're outside. Really outside.
Freedom.
Juno glances down at Shawty, who is calmly licking her paws without a care in the world, the most relaxed she's been all day. "Do you know what this means? We're out of that wretched place, baby! We're free to roam around, whatever we want."
Shawty blinks.
"You know, you were so anxious to get here. And now you don't seem to care. Is this all you wanted to show me?" Juno continues, but the kitten isn't even looking at her anymore. "Where's your family? This is where you came from, right? Unless you were imported from Siberia or something." Juno is really just speaking to herself now, trying not to think about the fact that she just stumbled upon an underground tunnel that leads outside of the school.
Why is it here? What is it being used for?
Hesitantly, she takes a step forward. She feels Shawty's presence behind her, following. And together they make their way out of the maze of trees and step right onto the shore of a sandy beach. It makes sense, because this is a private island. But the sight of the ocean still surprises Juno.
It's so blue.
And unending. The sand slows Juno down as she walks, but when she notices Shawty's steps becoming even more labored, she crouches down to pick up the cat. Together they continue, hoping to find some kind of end to it all, some sort of edge or boundary. But the ocean just keeps going.
It's later, when the sun is much lower in the sky, that Juno finally decides to return. She turns back, struggling to retrace her steps, and eventually finds the clump of trees again. But it's a lot denser than she'd first assumed.
And then the rain starts.
▸
"When was the last time you saw her?"
Haechan sighs. The counsellor has asked this question about six times now, and his patience is wearing dangerously thin. But he replies anyway. "This afternoon, when we were all outside on the lawn."
"And she just left?" Ms. Yu prods. "Why?"
Haechan shrugs, trying to tamp down his irritation.
"Is it possible that she's still outside? It's not curfew yet."
"I'm sure she'll be back soon, ma'am," Haechan says even though he isn't, crossing and uncrossing his legs as he lounges on one of the armchairs overlooking the North Entrance. "But I informed you just in case."
"You did the right thing, especially considering all that has happened recently." The guidance counselor pats his shoulder before turning to leave. "Alright-"
The front doors slide open.
"Ah!" Ms. Yu pivots back around. "Where have you been, Ms. Baek? Your friends have been very worried."
"I... got lost," Juno blurts. That much is true.
Haechan takes in her appearance. Juno's uniform hangs, wet, haphazardly off her frame, hair falling in wispy tendrils out of her ponytail. Her shoes are scuffed, and he notices some unidentifiable marks on her palms. And she's completely drenched, lips blue from the cold.
"You got lost? On the green?" Ms. Yu doesn't seem convinced either.
"To be honest, I brought a book," Juno says, gesturing to the messenger bag slung across her shoulder. "But I got to a good spot and lost track of time. Sorry for worrying everyone."
"Just be careful next time, dear." The counselor stifles a yawn. "Now hurry up and dry off; we don't want you catching a nasty cold."
"Yes, Ms. Yu. Thank you." Juno bows, and the woman walks off.
Once she is no longer within sight, Juno puffs out a breath from her cheeks and sets her bag down on a nearby couch. Haechan whirls on her immediately. "Okay, where were you really? What happened? And where's Shawty?"
"She's in here." Haechan now notices the tuft of white peeking in through the bag, where the kitten is sleeping peacefully. "And I was outside," Juno says.
"No shit-" He inhales, digging his clenched fists deep into the pockets of his sweats. "Listen. You have to understand that running off and freaking everybody out all the time is really fucking inconsiderate considering there's a psycho murderer on the loose! If you really cared about your friends, you wouldn't keep pulling this shit."
"But I didn't-"
He takes a step forward, folding his arms across his chest. "What if someone else did this? What if it was Chenle, or Reina? They just went missing, didn't answer their phone, you had no idea where they were for hours. How would you feel?"
"This wasn't my fault! Would you just listen? I found something-"
"You don't get it, do you? Every time this happens, we're left to assume the worst. But you just don't care."
"No. Don't you even dare accuse me of doing this on purpose." She jabs a finger into his chest. "I am already freezing and tired and beyond pissed; I do not need this lecture right now. You're totally overreacting!"
"Overreacting?" he repeats, disbelieving.
"Yeah," she retorts hotly, but there's something uncertain in her tone now. "And I can't believe you ratted me out to the counselor!"
"Oh sorry, I shouldn't have said anything when I thought we'd find you dead in some passageway?!"
"Why are you even yelling at me?"
"Because you're being so fucking hardheaded!"
"Oh, I'm hardheaded? You're the one who won't listen-"
"To whatever bullshit excuse you've come up with! Can you blame me?"
"If you interrupt me one more time, I swear to God." Her tone is dark enough that it keeps his mouth shut. "I don't even understand why we're having this conversation! Since when do you even give a shit about me, anyway?"
She's standing so close that he can count her individual lashes. He hadn't realized how much their proximity has reduced up until now that he can feel her hot breath on his skin as she inhales and exhales deeply to calm down. Their gazes clash in a glare, neither willing to be the one who backs down. But her face is right there, and if he moved even just five millimeters further... that wretched flashback appears in his thoughts.
"It's just irritating to see the others flip out about you when you don't seem to care," he finally replies, stepping backward before he does something stupid. "Don't get it twisted, it's not like your disappearances bother me."
Something almost akin to hurt flashes across her face, but it's gone so quickly that he's not so sure he didn't imagine it. He immediately wants to take it all back. "Yeah, I didn't think so," she remarks, blinking quickly as she turns around to leave. "So are we done here? Have you gotten it all out of your system? Or do you need to shout at me some more?"
"Hey." He pulls her back before she can get away. "Are you crying?"
"No," she scowls, even as she angrily swipes a hand across her eyes. And when she faces him again, he notices the tears she's struggling to keep at bay. A mixture of anger and sadness dance across her features, making her eyes wide and pink lips twist in a way that has him completely forgetting whatever it was that they were arguing about.
"Wait here," he tells her abruptly, spinning around on his heel.
"What-" she starts to ask, but he strides straight into the front office. She just stands there staring after him like a loser.
He's back a few moments later, a fluffy towel in his hands. Wordlessly, he reaches forward to drape it around her shoulders. To his surprise she lets him do it, not resistant in the slightest as he tucks the end under her chin.
Juno sniffles. "You're annoying," she mumbles, in lieu of a thank-you.
Haechan stifles a chuckle, finger involuntarily lifting from her chin to her cheek to flick off a rapidly travelling tear. She freezes, and he stops, snatching his hand back into his pocket. They're too close again, and he averts his eyes. "I'm sorry... for yelling at you. It's just scary every time this happens. For everyone. You get that, don't you?"
Juno pokes her tongue into her cheek, mischief returning to her eyes. "Are you... apologizing right now? Is that what this is?" She places a cool palm against his forehead as if to check his temperature. "You aren't in any pain, are you?"
"Screw you," he says, but there's no real malice behind it.
She snorts, shifting uncomfortably. "You're right, though. I should stop the habit of just leaving without telling anyone. It was inconsiderate, and I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, you better be."
"Okay, moment over," Juno scowls, pulling away. "Must you always be so insufferable?"
"Yes," Haechan murmurs. Now he raises a hand to check her temperature, and the heat from her skin has his eyes widening. "You're gonna have an absolute bitch of a fever tomorrow. I guess you deserve it, though. So good luck."
"Oh, shut your bloody-"
"Ju!" a voice suddenly calls, and they spring apart guiltily, even though nothing had even been happening. Livi barely glances between the both of them before running up to shake Juno's shoulders. "Bitch, where the hell were you?"
"Sorry," Juno says automatically. It's only then that she notices Jeno behind the girl. "It's a long story."
"You went after Shawty and never came back," Jeno says.
"Yeah, we went on a bit of an adventure." Juno is too tired to say more. "She's sleeping now."
"But what happened to you?" Jeno takes in her disheveled form, scuffed shoes, and tired face. "Where did you go? And have you been crying?" Concerned, he draws closer, taking her face in his hands to scrutinize her worriedly.
Juno freezes. "I'm okay. Really."
Haechan casts one glance at her stiff body language and comes forward to slowly disentangle Jeno's hands from her. The other boy shoots him a look. He ignores it. "Don't worry, she says she's fine." Haechan turns to face Juno with a quirked brow. "But don't think I didn't notice that limp as you were coming in."
"Limp?" Livi screeches.
Juno gives Haechan a dark glare. He smiles.
Jeno's eyes narrow at their exchange. "Why didn't you tell us she showed up?" he scolds his friend, but doesn't let him reply before turning back to Juno. "And you."
She points to herself. "Me?"
"Are you going to tell us where you disappeared to? Livi and I were just outside looking for you, this close to assuming you were dead." The words are light, but the hardness of his let her know she did mess up a bit. "It'd be nice if you could stop running off and giving us all heart attacks, by the way."
Juno looks down at the floor, chagrined. "Sorry."
He softens immediately. "It's okay."
Livi's eyes roll massively. "Anyway, where were you?"
"Oh, right. Okay, look," she begins. "I was chasing Shawty, right? Long story short, she led me to this place beside the school that had this huge manhole hidden under a swath of fake grass. I feel like she took me there on purpose," Juno muses.
Livi blinks. "Come again?"
"Yeah, I have no idea how she knew... anyway, I opened it up and it was basically some kind of huge tunnel. We literally walked through."
"Where did the tunnel lead?"
"Outside." Juno pulls out her ponytail holder and runs a hand through her hair. "It led to this forest-ish area, and there was a beach a little ways from there. This island is so pretty, you guys. Even right now. I took some time to explore, looking for a possible way off it, but then I got lost and it got dark and now here I am."
They just stare at her.
"What?" Juno cries indignantly. "This is legit!"
"No, we believe you," Jeno clarifies. "It's just... wait, so you found an underground tunnel that leads out of the school?"
"Yes. It was very shabbily hidden. And the tunnel looked used."
"This is huge." Livi looks around at them. "We thought there was no way to escape this place. But now..."
"I know." Jeno taps his fingers against his thigh. "Next weekend, let's all go and check it out."
Haechan raises his brows. "All of us?"
Jeno nods. "We'll all go."