Sway Me Smooth

Chapter Two

Minho is the first to step in deeper into the mansion, and along with his steps, more lights shine in one direction leading to the staircase. He stands there with Jinki, reminiscing, perhaps? Because the interior is nothing like Taemin remembers, and it obviously shows on his face.

"He ordered it changed, a couple of years after moving in," Minho answers his unsaid question as Jinki lowers his body towards the ground and places an ear on it.

"I cannot feel any presence," he informs them. Taemin folds the paper in his hands and it keeps his trembling hands busy as he takes the steps remaining separating him from the staircase. Kibum closes the door behind them to stop the cold air from entering the mansion, and Taemin feels an added warmth invading his body, if it wasn't for the eerie feeling he keeps getting in his stomach. The more he climbs on the stairs, the more lights are turned on, the fire dancing towards a big hall and stopping at a specific door. Minho's lips part as he stands in front of it but he doesn't say anything until Taemin turns to look at him.

"It's your room," Minho tells him. "Contrary to your beliefs, your father has always waited for a day where you'd come here on your own," he goes to turn the door knob but it doesn't open and he furrows his brows at it.

"I think we have established that there's one key among us," Kibum interferes, and Minho sighs as he backs away for Taemin to try instead, and just like they expected, the knob turns successfully, and Taemin is met with a dark room, no more lights turning on as he steps inside. Though he can still make out the shapes of the bed, the wardrobe, the night stand, and almost every other furniture peace inside the room.

"I'll be staying here," he turns to face the group, mostly speaking to Minho. "It's my home."

"I haven't said anything," Minho replies with annoyance laced onto his voice. "Despite the mansion looking like it has been cleaned a minute ago, I doubt you will be able to survive on your own."

"I won't be alone," Taemin scoffs. "I'm sure a mansion this big surely has at least one guest room," he glances at Kibum. "Kibum will be staying with me, prepare a room for him," he turns his gaze back to Minho who stands there cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't work for you."

"Fine, you can get out," Taemin replies bitterly, stepping forward and grasping Kibum's wrist to lead them out of the room. He'll find a guest room for Kibum on his own, or they will share the same room if they must, he really doesn't mind. He's more than surprised when neither Minho nor Jinki shoots a reply back his way, instead, the two actually exit the mansion. It's a little difficult to light the way leading to the room next door, but it has clean sheets and a warm blanket that Kibum deems more than enough to stay the night.

When Taemin goes back to his room, he's gotten rid of the coat and most of the layers covering his body, enjoying the warm temperature in the room. The necklace his mother has given him is resting on his chest, and his fingers find their way to twist and turn at it as he stares at the ceiling, his eyes getting accustomed to the dark. He hears more than he sees something shifting on the ceiling, like a stone moving, and he holds his breath, but nothing happens again. His hand holds the necklace tightly, and when he looks down at it, there's a blue light coming from it and it startles him to a sitting position, his eyes spotting the same blue light coming from above as his hands uncover the necklace, and it seems that as long as the necklace is facing the ceiling, both are lighting blue.

With a tentative finger, he twists another part of the necklace and the ceiling moves with it at the very far corner, another blue light shining, and Taemin never thought he would be able to figure out what the puzzle in his hand was for, his eyes trailing over the blue-lit lines. The more he twists and turns the puzzle in his hand, the more he can see a picture forming on the ceiling. When the picture finally completes, he notices that it's his own Zodiac sign, Cancer. An opening in the middle of the ceiling starts to form, and it descends slowly until it's no longer out of reach. It reveals a small chest with an odd key hole. When Taemin picks it up, the part of the ceiling starts ascending again until you cannot recognize there was ever an opening, though the cancer sign still lights in faint blue. As he holds the chest on his lap, his eyes glance at the necklace, and it looks identical to the odd key hold, so he doesn't hesitate as he takes it off and inserts it to open the chest. It reveals an old cassette tape with nothing written on it, and Taemin collapses into the mattress again as he holds it in his hands.