Episode 22: N e w B e g i n n i n g s
"This is the start of how it all ends."
Jungkook practically shoved me in to the mansion and quickly closed the door behind us, taking a moment to rest against it and catch his breath.
"Jungkook, what the hell is going on?"
"Hanul, I don't know. But once I got the warning from Suga I quickly ditched my class and searched the entire campus for you. It was a smart move since I was the closest around."
"Wait, Suga told you about this?"
"Yeah. I don't know what the hell is going on but he told me to get you because V and Jimin were completely going to lose it and you'd have been in deep trouble. You know, it was his visions..." Jungkook walked over, getting close enough to relay the seriousness in his eyes. "He also told me something else."
"What is it?" I gulped down.
"He...told me that you should seriously stay away from Jimin." His eyes wavered. "And yes, it is a warning. Hanul, listen, I don't know what's been going on lately. I just found out about what happened to Solji and the freaking angels. Now Jin and J-hope are not telling me things, and Namjoon is constantly worried. Now that Suga's involved, all that I could say is that you really have to watch out for yourself. Hanul...if...no Suga's always right Hanul. If I were you, I'd seriously listen to his warning."
My breakfast rose up in my stomach and I had to force myself to snap out of my dizziness. My mind flashed back to Jimin's sudden personality change and how V had reacted to my blood. There was definitely something wrong, something I had missed between them when I was talking to that guy in Church.
"But, I can't just sit here and hide." I looked at Jungkook. No matter how scared I was, I had to get to the bottom of this. "I'm involved in this mess whether I like it or not."
"What do you mean Hanul?"
"You...you don't want to know." Fear struck my heart. What would happen if the rest of them found out? Would they react like V and Jimin. They're after my blood, that was the secret Jimin kept. I knew that, but I didn't fully understand what it plans they had to use it in. Something, however, told me that it wasn't too good of a plan.
"Jungkook, what's happening? I felt your nervousness all the way from school." Namjoon appeared on the bottom of the stairs looking a little disheveled.
"Joon, Jimin and V disappeared and left Hanul without the barrier," Jungkook explained. "Suga gave me a warning and I ran to get her before anything could happen. I was so frightened brother. In his vision, apparently, he saw her being eaten alive."
"What." I snapped my head at him.
"They're subject to change sometimes if we intervene. Don't worry too much," Namjoon reassured me. "But Jimin and V left you alone?" Namjoon looked at me with confusion.
"Yeah...something happened to Jimin," I replied, still not over the fact that I was almost close to being demon food. "And V just, he just kind of cracked his neck and disappeared with him." Namjoon and Jungkook exchanged a look that seemed somewhat devasted and scared. "Is he going to be okay?"
Namjoon glanced down at me. "What did Suga warn you about specifically?"
"Jungkook said that he wanted me to stay away from Jimin. But I don't get it! Can he really see what's happening? Everything was going fine until I walked in on them arguing."
"Where were you before?" Namjoon narrowed his eyes. I bit down my lip and tried to avoid eye contact.
"Church."
"Church?" A long silence followed after. "Tell me. You haven't been seeing strange things lately...have you?"
"What do you mean?" My heart sped up.
"Like strange people watching you, or anything like that?"
I shook my head, sealing my lips together. I had a feeling that telling Namjoon about meeting two possible guardian angels might not mix well with him. He seemed a little bit too angry with anything that was holy. "Nope. Not at all."
His eyes didn't peel off of me right away, but after a few seconds, he seemed to finally be convinced.
"Where's Sera?" I suddenly asked.
"She's fine. I sent her off with Lith watching her. She's playing in my room." Jungkook answered. God, I could really trust him the most if I was being honest here.
"Anyway, where did you disappear to yesterday? V and Jimin were gone for a while too." Namjoon asked me.
"I went to Lucifer's and it was definitely not the best party I been to," I shuddered. "I also met Leyla."
"You what?" Namjoon's eyes flashed purple.
"Leyla?" Jungkook practically choked out. "Did you really...with V and Jimin?!"
"What's wrong? Isn't she Suga's mom?" The mood darkened
"That woman is despicable." Namjoon could have spat it out. "I can't believe Jimin was desperate enough...what in the world is going on?"
"What's so bad about her?" This reaffirmed that none of the boys seemed to be comfortable with her. "I mean, I do find it weird that she's hanging out on earth with humans as Satan's concubine."
"She's banished from Abaddon, Hanul. For a good reason." Jungkook stepped in. "And she's satan's ex-concubine."
"That's not of importance right now. What's important is that she must have told things that messed with Jimin's mind. Damn her nefarious visions."
"What's so special about her visions?" My heart pounded. "I actually got a reading too."
"You what?" Namjoon's eyes widened.
"I saw things..."
"Damn it. It was best that you hadn't been introduced to that kind of dark magic." Namjoon cussed.
"But why? It's just a vision."
"It's different, Hanul. She's not natural borne like Suga. Her power isn't pure. That woman has the ability to touch and awaken darkness. Do you know what that means? She's indirectly caused Jimin's restraint to weaken against his inner darkness."
"But...if that's true then, then wouldn't I be changing by now too?" There didn't seem to be anything wrong with me yet. I didn't feel different, I only felt fear not evil.
"I don't know what she did to you exactly." Namjoon sighed and shook his head. "But I know that it'll be much easier of course for Jimin to change. Darkness is his nature after all."
"This isn't good," Jungkook mumbled beside me. I looked back and forth between their faces. They were definitely hiding something.
"Why?"
"It...well, let's just say, this has never gone too well in the past."
Like an omen that came true, the front door flew open and a rush of hot wind blasted my hair back. I had to cover my eyes to avoid them from tearing up, but as soon as I put my arm down I could smell a strange yet strong iron stench radiating off of V.
I felt my heart leap to my throat and my stomach flipping away like a looseleaf in the wind.
His eyes were lethargic and drunk. They seemed so distant and filled with malice. Blood dripped down his chin, leaking from the small smirk plastered across his face. He lifted his bloodstained arms and wiped off the next drop off before it could drip down. Next, his tongue flicked out, licking the gore off his hands with full enjoyment.
Besides me, Jungkook completely froze into a rock with his mouth gaped open. Namjoon stiffened and stared at his older brother with complete shock. Even he couldn't seem to react to save Jungkook right away, but this time the boy was smart enough to look down to his feet.
None of us dared to move a muscle as he stepped in, slowly taking his time. But he didn't seem to mind us at all. He was walking idly, his bloody finger between his lips, with a euphoric smile upon his face almost as if he was experiencing some sort of high and couldn't be bothered by anyone or anything right now.
It was just in the moment he walked right past me where his yellow, murderous eyes caught mine. Quickly, I averted them, almost smelling the stench of my own death happening before he could even do anything.
We all stood very still, hearing his footsteps go up the steps. I didn't release my breathe until I heard his door close shut with a slam.
"What the hell?" I whispered, cranking my neck over to his brothers for some sort of explanation.
"Oh fuck," Namjoon growled. "They've lost it again."
"Hanul..." Jungkook started with hesitance. "I'm pretty sure that Suga's warnings are one hundred percent beneficial for your safety. Wh-when V gets like that, oh hell, it's really bad."
"I don't get it guys. What the hell is happening?"
"Let's just say, the twins might finally be best friends again," Namjoon muttered. "And since I don't want Jungkook to be involved in this mess, I apologize, but we're going to have to stay out of this one. As should you."
In the next second, both of them vanished into thin air.
"What the hell does that mean?!" I yelled at nothing. "Stupid demons! I hate this place!" I vented out, also to nothing. But the chills riddling my skin wouldn't allow me to relax.
"That's hurtful." A smooth voice sang into my ear. I nearly broke my ankles trying to spin around and leap back both at the same time. Jimin caught me by the arm before I could fall and shoved me close to him. "Are you okay?"
"W-what..." I blinked out of my confusion and stood straight, pushing back from him slightly. "Yeah...I'm okay. Are you?"
He smiled and cocked his head to the side with a slight squint of the . "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"I-It's nothing. Jimin, tell me, do you remember what happened earlier?"
His eyes fogged up and his brows scrunched. "No, why? Is there important that went on?"
I shook my head, eyeing him down carefully. He did seem physically fine, except for that permanent amnesia he currently has. Maybe V rotating his head earlier had something to do with it?
Jimin chuckled and lifted a brow. "Listen. How about we go somewhere tonight?"
I blinked and scoffed back at him, unintentionally. "Jimin, do you know what's going on right now? The world's breaking down into shambles. We just came from visiting Leyla and there's a lot that happened, even if you don't remember. I don't know if we can just--"
"Shh." He lifted a finger to my lips, rudely forcing me to bite back on whatever complaints I had. "It'll be okay. I think what you need more of is to loosen up during these rough times. All this demon stuff has definitely messed with your head, and I apologize for that. So, I'll meet you downstairs at 9. Don't be late."
"But I--" Just like that, without even hearing what I had to say, he vanished into thin air.
____
For three hours, I paced around my room. My mind wasn't at peace for a single second.
There was the problem with what Leyla has shown me, plus the curiosity of what she had shown Jimin ate at me. Not to mention, there was still the confusion about why blood connected with demons. But now, I had a larger issue to deal with.
What the heck had gotten in to V and Jimin?
It was like someone had amplified their personalities to the extreme. Jimin was way too chill and V was way too murderous. If I hadn't known better, I would have assumed that this was very natural. But this whole ordeal was unnatural enough.
Oh, might I add that none of their cowardly brothers cared to approach them nor explain to me why they were hibernating in their rooms? Besides, Jungkook and J-hope seemed to have some kind of temporary sibling fight over satan-knows-what and Jin was never here after sundown anyway. Suga was the only one I could go to if only he'd open his eyes for a good twenty minutes and explain what his visions meant without falling asleep or turning creepy.
To top it off with a wonderful cherry, the clock now read 9:00 and I was fully dressed and ready to take my chances with the eldest brother. Personally, I don't know what convinced me to actually get ready and meet Jimin, but I couldn't also just stay cooped up in this place until I was driven insane by my thoughts. If I wanted to find out something, I was probably going to have to stay close to the answer.
Either way, I definitely didn't feel like I could trust anyone enough to actually give me correct answers or to even confide in. Jungkook was probably the only one who would understand, but I knew that he would spill everything if V so much gave him a glance. Couldn't blame the poor guy.
A soft knock raptured against the door. I glanced at Sera, softly sleeping in her own bed and went over to open it.
Jimin stood tall and styled to the T. His red satin dress shirt was neatly tucked into perfectly fitted black trouser. To top it off, his dress shoes were fashionably contrasting together with their white and black gradient color. His silver hair, however, was styled differently. Pushed back and one lose strand teasing the clear skin on his forehead.
"Uh..." I cleared my throat and glanced down at my plain black midi-length skirt and short sleeve white tee-shirt half tucked into it. My hair was fixed into the sadness of a failed bun. Clearly, there was a difference of taste and luxury between us.
"You look gorgeous." He leaned against the door frame, taking me in with his eyes as a small smirk crept up his face.
"You have really low standards for quite an expensive guy." I stretched my head and awkwardly looked anywhere but at him. "So, where are we going anyway?"
"Close by. Some restaurant. It's really good, I heard." He stood up straight, flexing the rings on his fingers as he spoke.
My eyes narrowed at him, "Jimin, are you sure that you're okay. Like, V didn't do anything to you? Try to remember."
He took a moment to glance up with thought and then looked back down blankly with a smile. "I think I'm fine. In fact, I've never felt better."
"O-Okay...whatever you say." I nodded, not totally convinced. His palm stretched out to me. I looked down and then back up at his patient face. "What, do you want a high five?"
He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Take my hand."
My eyes were seriously fluttering out of control by now, and I'm sure it wasn't because there was an eyelash stuck in them. If I had any brain cells left then it would be a miracle by now. Slowly, I reached out, but he accelerated the process and snatched my hand from its mid-motion.
I practically stumbled out after him as he energetically swooped me along, marching over to the veranda. "Why exactly do I have to be dragged around like this again?!"
He laughed back in reply. "Sorry, I'm a little too excited. There's this place I discovered and I really want to go with you."
"If it's about food then I'm your girl." I grinned, feeling the slight rumble in my stomach. The hunger is never truly satiated. Even if you're being held hostage by some demons.
We stopped in front of the railing and he turned around again, looking me in the eyes. Slowly, a red fire began to dance in his and when I blinked open again, the scenery around me changed.
"Wow." I wheezed out and sniffed the hot bread and saucey smell in the air. "This...this is...it's McDonald's?" He nodded like an excited kid who thought he had discovered something extraordinary. "You seriously do have low standards." I chuckled, finally letting loose.
Of course. This was something Jimin would do. He would always confused me with his chic personality at first, but when he suddenly warmed up there was a charming childish side to him that seemed to be rather comforting and loving. With him, sometimes, I temporarily forgot that I lived with a coven of unreliable demons.
"Here." He rushed over and pulled out a seat by the windows for me. I awkwardly grabbed it and sat down, not used to this dainty treatment. We were in McDonald's for goodness sake. Besides, the last time a guy offered me a seat was on a public bus because I had gone forty-eight hours without sleep haunted by demons and research papers I never finished the papers by the way. And I really needed that seat.
He took the seat in front of me and began to skim the menu tapped onto the table. "Hmm, what else is good here? I had a double cheeseburger earlier but now I just want to try everything!" He grinned and licked his lips. I couldn't help but force back an ugly laugh. I have never seen anyone excited over McDonald's before. He looked up at me and narrowed his eyes. "What? Am I embarrassing you?"
"Oh! No, not at all. It's just..." I flushed red and looked down at the menu.
"It's just what?" He demanded me to continue.
"It's just a little cute." I quickly spilled out, keeping my eyes glued on to the menu. His silence was making me even more nervous.
"Not cuter than you." He whispered back. My head jolted up but he was focused back onto the menu. Did I just hear that right? Was the prince of hell calling me cute? I wiped the heat on my cheek with the back of my hand and focused on the window behind him. There's no way that my feelings were going to betray me like this. I'm losing a sense of what I initially am sitting here for anyway. I'm here for answers.
"Oh! Maybe I'm in the mood for a Mc-McFlurry. You know, I saw a few people trying it with french fries earlier and I was wondering if that tasted good?"
My eyes wandered out to a man standing in front of the store. He seemed to be licking his lips, and I had initially thought it was towards the big juicy cheeseburger advertisement plastered on the glass window behind Jimin. But strangely enough, his eyes staring right into mine. A cold shudder ran down my spine.
"Hey, Hanul? What's wrong?" Jimin's face suddenly came into my view, too close for comfort. I slid back into my chair and shook my head.
"Nothing. What are you ordering?" I changed my scenery back to him. He stared at me with confusion but quickly shrugged it away. When I looked behind him again, the guy was gone.
Now that was definitely not creepy at all.
"I'm ordering you." Jimin's incredibly bad flirting had my attention in a second.
"What?" I nervously chuckled, observing his sudden serious face. His eyes trailed down over to where his hand was slowly crawling towards mine. I slid my hand back slowly but he relentlessly continued to snake after it until he held it down. I couldn't even muster the strength to get up. "Jimin, what are you doing?"
His eyes looked into mine with chilling darkness. "Making you mine." He grinned.
And what I thought had been circles he was tracing onto my hand turned out to be a very large "J" engraving onto my skin like a tattoo.
Just like that, before I could even realize and do something about it, Jimin had sired me under his control.