Annihilation

Congregation

Even though it hadn't been long since I ate, I could have downed an entire buffet of food if it were available. I recognized Jin, who Namjoon had called on to preparemy first meal, setting small bowls of noodles in front of the five other men who lounged around the unit. He grabbed two more, bringing them over as Namjoon and I approached.

"I need to talk to Jungkook for a minute. I'll be right back." Namjoon said, stepping away and leaving Jin and I searching for the first words to say to each other.

"I'm Alena, thanks again for the food." I looked up at him with the best smile I could manage, taking notice of his striking features, undeniably handsome but with a roundness that was reflected at the puffy skin under his lashes, full lips, and tip of his nose.

He leaned over, dropping his chin in a gracious bow. "Of course, let's find somewhere to sit." He offered. "I know there's a lot of us but I hope we can make you feel comfortable."

I couldn't stop myself from listening in on the small scolding Namjoon fired at Jungkook as they talked at the outer edge of the group.

"Come on Namjoon, they had to die. I stand on that." Jungkook remained confident as he defended his actions with their leader. It wasn't difficult to conclude that he spoke of the prisoners.

Namjoon tried to keep his voice low, putting a hand on Jungkook's shoulder as he spoke. "I'm not disagreeing with you, but you were too impulsive. We have to save bullets and keep quiet, hauling off and shooting them doesn't help us. We would have done it, but in another way." Namjoon reassured him.

"I'm sorry." Jungkook sighed, the small droop at the corners of his mouth giving him a childlike frown.

I turned my attention back to the rest of the group, taking a seat on the other side of Jin just as Namjoon and Jungkook filled in the open space among us, creating a small circle that allowed me to take in the seven men before me.

Namjoon was the first to speak, his deep, powerful voice capturing our attention while  we ate. "Okay, I'm glad we were able to move into this unit. I know everyone is feeling relieved that we have a place to settle again, but for that to really happen we need to get to work. I want to go over our tasks for tomorrow, but first let me introduce Alena to everyone." He started, all eyes falling to me. Aware of the nerves I was feeling, he moved on quickly, introducing each man within the circle while I made small observations so that I could remember their names.

Hobi, who I recalled as the second pair of eyes I met after Namjoon's when they found me, sent me the brightest smile I'd ever seen. I noted the way he was never still, his foot tapping and hands moving animatedly at every moment.

Next to him sat Taehyung, the wavy-haired guy with a stare and beauty so intense that it could initially come off as intimidating. I realized as he balanced his bowl on his lap rather than holding it up as he ate that his right arm had been removed, a metal covering attached to the middle of his forearm.

Jungkook's expression remained serious as Namjoon gave an official introduction, and he seemed to be avoiding eye contact, focusing on quickly eating his food. His hair framed his face in a way that was naturally beautiful, with dark locks that fell to his cheekbones and masked the corners of his round eyes, hiding the cheer of their doe-y shape.

To Namjoon's other side sat Jimin, who kneeled as he ate, peering up with a look the opposite of Taehyung's, the most sweet and gentle set of eyes in the room, alluring and inviting in every way.

Yoongi finally looked up from my other side when his name was called, turning to me so that I could see his face for the first time. It'd be a lie to say that I didn't immediately notice the deep scar that stretched from above his eyebrow to the middle of his cheek, a near straight line that healed in red. His stark expression was a contrast to his features, icy skin and a perfect Cupid's bow that reminded me of a porcelain doll.