"Alright people! C'mon, let's get going!"
J-Hope's voice echoes around the base. I stumble my way outside, mask in hand. The sky is a dull gray with heavy clouds - it'll probably rain soon.
"Looks like the lazy ones are still missing," J-Hope says after a headcount. "Do any of you know where they are?"
I stop in my tracks and look up at him. "Who?"
"Jungkook and Jimin."
I raise my eyebrows. "They're the lazy ones?"
"Always the last to wake up."
"Oh... you're right. They're still asleep I think."
"I'll wake them up," Suga volunteers.
"Great! Y/n, you can help me with the boxes."
J-Hope goes back to loading supplies, but my gaze is still on Suga. I watch as he strides towards the hobbit door, pauses for a brief moment, then slips inside.
"Don't worry," J-Hope says, noticing my hesitation. "Suga knows what it's like to be woken up, and he hates it. So he'll go easy on them."
Right then and there, we hear yells of complaint coming from inside the base.
"... are you sure?"
"Yeah, that's just a confused and annoyed Jimin," J-Hope waves it off. "They'll be fine."
After a brief moment, I decide to shrug it off. I pick up a box and start helping J-Hope move the supplies.
~
The journey starts off nicely.
While Taehyung helps J-Hope with navigation at the front, the rest of us pile in the back of the truck. We fool around with endless jokes and conversation in the open air - a wonderful distraction from the bland countryside around us.
Topics of discussion include burritos, rubber ducks, Jungkook setting off an emergency doorway alarm, an air hockey game that involved Jin, and some loud (purposefully off-key) singing.
The limited space in the truck makes their chaotic energy much more intense.
Then it starts raining. J-Hope stops the truck so we can all hide in the front (which is only meant for two passengers). Somehow it works out - I end up on Jungkook's lap again, this time squished between Jimin and the passenger door. It's uncomfortable but we're not getting soaked by water pellets anymore so no one complains.
The limited space doesn't stop the off-key singing.
Time passes from one hour to the next, mostly uneventful. The afternoon shifts into the evening, and the heavier sleepers like Suga and Jungkook start dozing off when the sky gets darker.
I want to get some rest too, but I'm too nervous to sleep.
~
Taehyung checks the map again. "We're almost there," he says. "Just drive for another minute this way and we'll arrive."
All the bickering and conversations have long stopped. The surroundings are unfamiliar, the sky is getting dark, and the trees are creepy silhouettes looming over us. How did a whole day pass by so fast? We wait together with bated breath as J-Hope steers into a little clearing.
The rain has stopped, too. Like the sky is holding its breath with us.
It's dead silent when the engine turns off.
"Remember our plan," Namjoon whispers in the darkness. "They don't know how many of us there are, so we're using that to our advantage. Jungkook and J-Hope will go with Y/n since Freedom Academy already knows about you guys, and Jimin will go along for persuasion. The rest of us will hide in the sidelines for a surprise attack in case we end up needing one. Got it?"
We all nod.
"Good. The letter says that it wants us there by the 16th hour, but it doesn't hurt to be early. I say you guys go now."
After another determined nod from the group, the four of us hop out of the truck. A chilly breeze hits me immediately, making me shiver, and we pause to stretch our legs after such a long ride.
Taehyung gives us our final directions before we separate - walk 50 paces east and turn right, where there should be an abandoned parking lot.
Then we say goodbye.
My mind runs through our plan one more time as we walk away into the night.
~
We arrive at the parking lot 15 minutes early.
A feeble orange street lamp creeks in the soft breeze.
Everything else is drowned in darkness. J-Hope doesn't want to waste any of his energy lighting up the area so we let our eyes adjust to the dark instead.
"Now we wait," Jungkook mutters.
My breath casts gentle clouds of mist in front of me, and I watch it fade away under the orange street light. Crickets chirp somewhere in the distance. A heavier breeze picks up, and I tug my jacket tighter around me for warmth.
"Why did we have to come here so early?" I whisper. "It's kind of cold."
"Better early than late," Jimin shrugs. His arms are crossed and he's shivering in the cold, too.
Nothing else is said.
The temperature seems to plummet as time goes on, and soon enough we're walking and jumping around to keep ourselves warm - standing still is no longer feasible.
"This is probably their plan all along," Jungkook murmurs. "They wanted us to come early so we'd be frozen by the time they get here."
There is no response to that.
We wait, and wait, and wait...
I keep myself occupied by blowing into the air and watching the mist fade away. An ink black spreads across the sky when the sun sets, a dark omen engulfing the world entirely.
"HAHAHAHAHAHHAAAA!"
A loud cackle rings through the air. I jump and turn around to see a soldier walking up to us, dressed in a green uniform.
"You pathetic dropouts actually showed up!" He laughs again, and shakes his head. "How stupid and reckless!"
It's bravery, I want to counter. But I'm afraid to speak up.
The soldier's bellowing sounds so loud after the long wait in silence that it's uncomfortable. His beady eyes look at each of us individually in our group of four.
Before I was confident that we had the skills to fight back. But now I just feel intimidated and small.
As if sensing the thought, the soldier's eyes land on me.
"Y/n," he says, and a sickening smile grows on his face. "Just who I wanted to meet. I am so happy to see you again."
"Good for you," I reply.
He straightens up. "I would like to speak with Miss Y/n privately. None of the rest of you have to be here."
We pause.
Fudge.
This isn't part of the plan. Jimin's supposed to do the negotiating, not me. But now that I'm being forcefully removed from the group, we don't have anything to follow.
The guard has moved us off script.
"You can talk to all of us at once," J-Hope steps in, trying in vain to control the situation.
"No, no," the soldier chuckles. His laughter makes my stomach drop. "You misunderstand."
He points at the corner of the parking lot. "We'll talk right over there. It's a harmless offer, really, and it'll only take a few minutes. You people can stay here. Y/n will be in sight and you'll see us clearly."
"If we can see you, then why not let us stand closer?"
The soldier glares at J-Hope disdainfully. "You're a tough one, aren't you?"
J-Hope shrugs. "I'm just standing up for what's right."
"There is no right or wrong, you foolish duck. Look, I'm being as diplomatic as I can. Let her talk to me now and no one will get hurt."
"How do we know you'll keep your end of the deal?" Jungkook steps in.
The soldier scoffs. "You would do well to shut your mouth, pink head. You have no idea how many of us there truly are, hiding just out of sight, ready to jump into action."
It's an order, not a choice. And the worst of all - we're surrounded.
"It's Y/n we want. Stop being all honorable and stuck-up in your heroic egos and think practically. Now, what's your choice?"
This isn't a problem that can be solved by bending light or doing 'A Trip on Thin Air'.
I look around at the group. Jimin's face is carefully blank, J-Hope looks furious (which is shocking from his usual happy demeanor), and Jungkook is desperately trying to find a way around this.
I feel lost.
Then I look back at the soldier, who simply raises an eyebrow in expectation.
I'm afraid of what can happen. There's no back-up plan to follow, there aren't any more options. And there isn't much time left.
C'mon Y/n, think...
I look up at the sky as I think it all over.
"I want to keep us safe... I'll never be able to forgive myself if we pass by this opportunity -" Namjoon holds the letter up "- without taking advantage of it. So you're right, Y/n. There's only a small chance that this'll work out. But it's there. It exists. So why not give it a try?"
Namjoon's voice echoes in my head.
And connected to that memory is a chain of more memories - of Jimin defending me from the almighty Suga, of eating Jin's tasty food, of the twigs stuck in Taehyung's hair when I first met him, of J-Hope's hilarious sound effects.
The thought of any of them getting hurt because of me... I shake my head. If a little sacrifice has a chance of going a long way, then I know for sure that stepping up is the right choice to make. And there's a possibility that it'll work out, right?
I can't let them get hurt because of me.
I've made up my mind. I glance at the boys one more time.
Then I walk forward.
"It's okay, guys," I say, and I'm painfully aware of the sound my shoes make on the wet pavement. "It's just a talk."
There's a precious moment of silence when the meaning of my message sinks in.
"Just a talk?" J-Hope repeats.
"No! Y/n -" Jungkook prepares to run at me, but Jimin stops him.
"Don't," Jimin says. "You'll get hurt."
"I don't care if I get hurt! It's Y/n - she might get hurt, I can't live with that -"
The soldier claps his hands, cutting Jungkook off. Then he gives me a once-over from head to toe and smirks in approval. "Good choice, little girl. You're smarter than I thought. Now let's have our talk, shall we?"
He gestures at the parking lot corner again.
My heartbeat accelerates, a rapid thump-thump reaching my ears. I can do nothing but nod and try to hide just how nervous I am.
"No! Y/n! Please don't go..."
You would've done the same for me, Jungkook. The exact same.
I'm afraid to talk anymore in case my voice shakes. I'm afraid to look back in case I start tearing up. I'm afraid, so afraid...
I remember how Jungkook tried to hide his nerves by holding his hands together. I do the same now, clasping mine exactly like he did, back in the treehouse when he sang me his song. Euphoria.
"That did wonders for me," I say. "Thank you."
Jungkook nods. "Always."
Always, I think.
Then I gather enough courage to follow the green soldier, and the others can do nothing but stay in their place and watch.