GROUND ONE • LEE DONGHYUCK •

thirty-four.

THEY HAD RELOCATED AGAIN— WHICH WASNT A BIG SURPRISE.

Sage had been silent the whole time, watching as the boys moved their stuff into the car. Not one word came from her mouth in hours. She knew that if she spoke even one word, tears would threaten to spill. They had relocated to another house that was located in the forest. It looked like the first house but was a bit smaller.

As soon as they had arrived at the place, Sage went to her room and never came back out. They had began to grow worried when morning had came around and she still wasn't out of her room. They tried numerous times to give her food but, she just wouldn't budge. The thought of eating made her nauseous. Night had came once more, Sage barely even realizing it.

She sat in the dark room, her knees up to her chest as she thought. Kai reminded her of her mom in a way. They were both controlled by their minds that had been modified for violence. Neither of them wanted to do the things that they had done. It was unfortunate. Sage found herself missing her mom as she stared at the wall. Her real mom.

The mom that would always take her to the park on days that she was off. The mom who would take her to get mint chocolate ice cream every Saturday on their mommy-daughter dates. She missed getting sung to at night.

Her dad took all of that away from her the minute he let the scientist inject her with his so called "antidote." Her mom had to live years stuck in her own body that she couldn't control.

Sage stood up from her bed, opening the room door. She walked down the stairs— gaining the attention of the boys who were in the living room. She didn't care though. She ignored their stares as she grabbed Taeyong's laptop which still had the drive in it.

Once she got what she needed, she made her way up the stairs. "Sage," Taeyong called out. She paused on the step, allowing him to speak. "You have to eat something. Please."

She scoffed before continuing her walk up the stairs— closing the door loudly behind her. Taeyong let his head fall, knowing that she wasn't talking to anyone anytime soon.

"Just give her some more time Taeyong. None of this has been easy for her," Johnny reassured. Taeyong nodded.

"I'm just worried that this might be another trigger. She was already struggling and now..." the leader trailed off.

Donghyuck ran his hand through his hair out of frustration. "I shouldn't have shot him without at least confronting first."

Taeyong shook his head. "You didn't know it was Kai. It could have been anyone trying to kill her in there. What has happened can't be changed."

Donghyuck sighed. "In the farmhouse she said that Kai wasn't trying to kill her. And her hands and feet were untied."

"I think the injections from Ground One was finally wearing off of him. I remember back at that place how Kai would call himself Jongin. But he let her call him Kai until he died," Renjun spoke up.

Johnny stood up from his seat, brushing the wrinkles from off his pants. "I'll talk to her and bring her food."

The boys nodded, letting Johnny fix her a plate of the dinner that they had previously had. Once he warmed up it up, he was off to her room. He knocked with his free hand, the man only being met with silence.

"It's Johnny. Say something if you don't want me coming in."

Silence.

He opened the door, looking at her figure in the dark room. The taller man turned on the light and came closer to her bed— watching as she looked intently at the computer screen. He set the food down on the nightstand, his heart aching once he realized that she was watching the videos of her mothers experiment. His slender finger pressed the space bar to pause it.

Once the video had stopped, her eyes began to look into his. "Sage doing that will only make you hurt more," he softly said, shutting the computer. He sat down on the bed, making sure to give her enough space to where she was comfortable.

"Although we don't talk that much, from when we have, I can tell you are the one of the sweetest and most genuine people that I have ever met. You always put others before yourself. You have done nothing wrong so don't think that your dad choices are your fault. He chose to do that himself, not you. I'm really sorry about your mom and Kai, Sage, I truly am."

The tears that she had thought she had got under control began to roll out of her eyes once more at his touching words. "He didn't deserve that Johnny. None of them did," she spoke up, her voice coming out broken.

His eyes softened. "I know. You also didn't either Sage. This world hasn't been fair to you has it?" he asked. She shook her head, her fingers reaching for his jacket. He understood, scooting closer to her as he engulfed her in a hug.

"I don't understand why people get put onto this world to only suffer. It's unfair," she cried out, Johnny's heart breaking. The only thing he could do was reassure her and rub her back. She just needed someone to be there for her. To hold her while she was vulnerable.

After a few minutes, she let go of Johnny— wiping her tears. As she did so, he grabbed the plate and placed it onto her lap. "I know that you may not have an appetite but you need to at least eat a few bites."

She followed Johnny's words, eating what she could. Although her plate was still mostly filled, he was happy that she had even touched the fork. Once she was finished, she set it back on the nightstand— a question arising in her head.

"D-Did you all bury him already?" she asked. Johnny nodded slowly.

"He's in the backyard beside the garden if you'd like to go visit."

She smiled softly. "Can you show me the way?"

She followed behind Johnny, the boys relived that he was able to get her out of the room. He opened the back door, and pointed towards the newly dug dirt. "He's right there. I'll let you go out alone."

She thanked him and walked up to his body that laid six feet under her feet. She grabbed a few flowers, from nearby and placed it onto his empty burial. "I don't blame you for what you've done," she started, sitting down beside him. "I've tried so hard to be mad at you but I can't because you were a victim too," she sighed. "And I think that's why i'm not mad at my mother anymore either. Everything she done to me was because of what my dad did to her."

Sage wrapped her arms around her body due to the cold wind that gave her goosebumps. "I'm going to stop him. For you and my mother. I just wish that you two were still alive to live a life without the burdens that you carried."

She stood up, brushing off her pants. "We will meet again one day, i'm sure of it."

And with that, Sage entered the house once more— retreating back to her room.