It's funny how meeting someone only shows you a very specific part of them. In the few hours she had gotten to know the workers of Body Works Piercing Parlor, Eden really only saw one side of each of them, Hoseok and Taehyung excluded. Jimin and Jin were kind beyond belief and two of the most welcoming people she'd ever met. Jungkook was a flirt, Namjoon was a go with the flow kind of guy, and Yoongi was just angry.
But now, as the seven of them ran around the room in silent panic, there was another, completely different side to them.
And truthfully, it terrified her.
"Alright, we're ready to go," Hoseok breathed. Yoongi had been leaning against the staircase railing the whole time, his eyes never leaving the dark walkway. Eden could tell from his posture that he was completely on guard, waiting for even the tiniest piece of lint to fall out of place.
He hummed absentmindedly, barely paying attention to what Hoseok was saying to him. "Take her to the car," he mumbled. "I'll meet you guys at the house soon."
"Yoon, really, you should just come with us now. There's no time."
The blond ignored him. "Eden, follow him downstairs. The others are in the car waiting for you."
"Are you not coming?"
Yoongi peeled his eyes away from the staircase for a second, his eyebrow quirking up at the fear in Eden's voice. He paused, his eyes roaming her face in search of something she couldn't figure out. He sighed and looked back down the stairs. "I'll meet you guys when you get there. I have to make sure everything is in place and you all can't stay here when I do. You definitely can't stay here."
"Come on," Hoseok said. He reached his hand out for Eden to grab. "We should go."
Though they hadn't been formally introduced, the look on the tall brunette's face said that he would take care of her, just because Yoongi told him to. She didn't doubt she was in good hands, not for a second, but she couldn't help staring after Yoongi as Hoseok pulled her towards the staircase on the other side of the room.
The two hustled down the stairs quickly, their hands never drifting apart for a second. Hoseok moved like a shadow, every step quick and calculated to the T. Eden barely registered the dim fluorescent lights from the back room of the parlor before she was whisked out the door and into the cold.
The freezing December air nipped at her skin, reminding her of her poor choice of clothes. It seemed so long ago that she was unpacking her things in her new apartment, starting her new life free from the confines of her childhood.
This was certainly a new life, but not the one she planned for.
Hoseok put his hand in the curve of her back, his brown eyes inspecting every inch of the scenery around them. He led her around to the back of the building, where a completely black car stood waiting for them. The back door was open, and she could see Jimin's head peeking over one of the seats. With a final look around, Hoseok ushered Eden into the third row of seats in the car. Jungkook scooted so he was out of the way, letting her sit in the middle of him and Taehyung. Hoseok fixed the pulled down seat in the row in front of them and climbed in after her.
"Where's Yoongi?" Jin's voice sounded panicked.
"He said he'd meet us there. We have to go now. There's no time to wait for him."
Jin sucked his teeth and slapped his hand against the dashboard. At the concerned looks of everyone behind him, he closed his eyes and took a breath. "Alright, it's fine, it's fine. Jungkook, keep an eye on Eden please."
The youngest of the group nodded, throwing his arm around the back of Eden's seat.
Jin put the car in drive, buckled his seatbelt, and sped off down the alleyway.
The car windows were heavily tinted, the only source of light in the vehicle coming from the windshield, and even that threatened to disappear any second as the evening grew near. The car was full of anxious energy so thick Eden thought she could bite into it like an apple.
Jin's hands gripped the steering wheel with vigor, so much so that Namjoon reached over and patted his hand to call him down. The action was a bit ironic, given their powers. The pat seemed to work, and Jin eased his grip.
Behind them, Hoseok and Jimin were curled into the back doors of the car. Jimin's stoic expression completely opposed the red in his hair, which glowed almost fluorescently in the late evening sun. Eden was so used to seeing his eyes bright and curled up into a smile, they looked almost out of place on such a somber expression.
The redhead in question let out a sigh, his eyes fixed on the road outside the window. Hoseok reached over and ruffled his hair, and the two shared small but genuine smiles.
Eden felt really out of place.
Jungkook hummed to himself and tapped nonsensical patterns into the headrest behind her. It was taking a lot of effort for Eden to relax, and no matter what she tried she just couldn't. She didn't want to admit it, but a part of her was a little worried about Yoongi. Soultie be damned, the rest of the group was actively fleeing a threat he stayed behind to face head-on with no problems.
He really must be the leader then.
"Hey."
She turned to her left to see the grey haired man she had assumed earlier was Taehyung. He had curious eyes that seemed to peer into her deepest thoughts. It would've been intimidating if it weren't for the big, boxy smile on his face. He held out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Taehyung, we didn't get to introduce ourselves earlier. Nice to meet you."
Eden shook his hand, mustering up a small enough smile to seem polite. "Eden. Nice to meet you too."
His face held a curious expression for a second, innocent eyes roaming Eden's face for an answer to a question he didn't ask. Just as quickly as it appeared, it left, and he shook his head.
Taehyung sat up from his lazy slouch into the curve of the seat and leaned his head against the row of seats in front of him. "It's gonna be a long drive," he sighed. He blew the hair on his face away from his eyes. "Do you know any good games?"
"Games?"
"Yeah. We could play TicTacToe, but we'd need paper and pens and all my stuff is in the trunk. We could also play hangman, but, you know, same issue."
The idea of playing a game while they were fleeing some unimaginable horror seemed... inappropriate, to say the least. But he did say it would be a long drive, and since Eden had left her phone in her apartment she had no way to keep her mind away from all the thoughts racing through it.
"What about... categories?" she offered weakly.
Taehyung's eyes lit up immediately. "That's perfect! Why didn't I think of that?" He leaned over and peered at their third seat partner. "Hey, Kookie, do you want to play categories with us?"
At the mention of his name, Jungkook blinked his doeish eyes and looked toward the pair. He looked at the ceiling of the car in thought, then shrugged, turning his body fully toward them. "Sure, why not. How do you play?"
"There are 5 categories: boys name, girls name, place, animal, and food. We take turns going through each category for each letter of the alphabet."
"Sounds simple enough. Who starts?"
"Let's let Eden start," Taehyung grinned. "Then you, then me."
Eden blinked in thought. "Um, alright," she started. "How about.. Arthur?"
"Anne." Jungkook spared no thought for his response.
"Australia," Taehyung beamed.
"Alpaca."
"Alfalfa sprouts," Hoseok muttered from in front of them.
At the silence that blanketed his answer, he looked back. "What? It starts with A doesn't it?"
"Bianca," Jimin chimed in. "A girl's name with B."
"You messed it up," Taehyung whined. "It was supposed to be a boy's name."
"So you give the boy's name then."
Taehyung stuck out his tongue at Jimin, who flared his nostrils wide in response. Completely forgetting the game they were playing, the grey haired boy started a new conversation about something Eden knew nothing about. Eventually Hoseok joined their conversation, his strong presence subduing their stifled laughs and incessant teasing. She watched them interact for a few seconds, the feeling of not belonging growing in her chest once again. With a sigh, she leaned back in her seat and fiddled with her hands.
"Feels weird, huh?"
Jungkook wasn't looking at her, his eyes were trained outside the window. "That sinking feeling of being somewhere you don't belong. You feel trapped, don't you."
Eden blinked. How was it possible that Jungkook knew just how she felt without her even opening her mouth?
He finally turned to look at her, his curly strands reflecting the shine from the windshield in front of them. "I told you, we have a lot more in common than you think."
"Are you sure you're not just reading me like Namjoon does?"
Jungkook laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Nope, wrong clan. But this isn't like a magic thing— a sirid thing. This is... a common background thing. A bonding thing."
He held up his hand for a high five. "A newbie thing."
Unable to help the smile on her face, Eden smiled back, tapping her palm against Jungkook's softly. "A newbie thing."
******
I've written and re-written so much of this chapter, and I'm still so so unsatisfied with it. But I think this is as good as its going to get.
Sorry if updates get spacey! Finals are surely kicking my behind right now.
How are you all enjoying it? Feel free to let me know (or yell at me on twitter, either is fine.)
xoxo
layerjoon