Evanesce

(Chapter 6) Damage

 When I awoke, I was faced with a bright white ceiling, blinding me temporarily. When I regained my vision, I sat up and looked around. I realized I was in an unfamiliar building, in a bed that wasn't mine. I suddenly heard footsteps from down the hall, I quickly tried to stand and hide but my legs betrayed me, instantly dropping me on the cold floor.

The door burst open at the sound of my knees hitting the hardwood, one of the boys from before stood, bewildered by my position. For some reason I couldn't recall his name, but immediately recognized his angelic face. He wore black slacks and a white button up shirt, the top two buttons undone and the cuffs pushed up past his elbows. He wore house shoes with black socks, his hair was styled up and to the side, as if it was windswept.

He held his mouth slightly agape, his eyes were wide with concern as he assessed me. I looked down, suddenly embarrassed, then shakily tried to stand. To no avail, my body might as well have been Jell-o, and I had a feeling the man's presence in front of me, wasn't helping. He sighed finally and bent down to help, gently pulling me up with ease. I steadied myself back on the sky-blue sheets, before turning back to him.

"How are you feeling?" He surprised me by speaking first. I shrugged shyly, not able to find my voice. His eyes burned into my own, his face was hard and he crossed his arms across his chest. "You can't be acting carelessly like that, at least not until you're better." He scolded me, referring to my previous failed escape attempt. I just nodded, wide eyed, like a child being punished for misbehaving. He suddenly smiled slightly, revealing the light lines around his eyes and mouth. I wasn't aware he could be anymore beautiful than he already was. "I bet you're hungry, you've been out for like a week!" He teased lightly, "Do you want me to get you anything?" He stared at me expectantly, but I couldn't answer. My brain was still trying to process his previous statement. An entire week.. what happened?

I wracked my memory for anything that might bring back what might have happened to bring me here, I remember the clan of boys visiting us, I remember talking to mom, and running through the woods with Sunji. But none of the pieces were adding up, I stared at the wall adjacent to me, a horrible feeling rushing through my being. I felt the bed move beside me but I couldn't acknowledge it, I felt my heart race as bits of memories started to appear, my father visiting me in the clearing, my tattoo glowing..

The gentle embrace from the boy was barely noticed, as I began spiraling. Something horrible happened to my family but what.. ?

"I have... questions." I slowly spoke, startling him. He blinked innocently at me, the cute expression soothing some of my anxiety, then nodded. He removed his hovering arm from around me, begrudgingly on my behalf.

"I'll get you some clothes and then get Suho, he'll have more answers for you, then you need to eat something. If you slept any longer, Yixing would've had to put in a feeding tube." He said, grimacing to himself. Then he sauntered off, closing the door behind him.

While he was gone, I stretched out my limbs, ignoring the ache. I wiggled my toes and swirled my feet around before slowly attempting to stand again, only slightly stumbling this time. The man glided in abruptly, steadying me with his free arm, a pile of clothes in the other. I blushed and thanked him timidly.

"The shower is in there, come downstairs when you're finished." He pointed over my head, flashed me a cheeky smile, then strode back into the hall.

As I began to remove my clothes, looking back a 5th time to make sure the door was in fact locked, I finally realized what I was wearing. My black tank top was scorched and in tatters, my jeans were black with soot and torn beyond salvage, and my shoes were completely absent. I stared at myself in the mirror for a long moment, Plum colored rings under my eyes, as if they were bruised, dirt and ash smeared across my forehead, down to my cheek. My cheeks were slightly sunken and I was paler than usual. I hurried into the shower before my insecurities could eat me alive, the warmth of the water relaxing me instantly. I used the small travel toiletries left for me, thankfully my blonde hair was only shoulder length so I didn't need much product.

Once dried, I slipped carefully into the clothes given. A plain white T shirt, and a pair of black sweat pants, both were far too large for my body. I rolled up the pant legs and loosely tucked the shirt into the waistband of the bottoms, securing the knot on the drawstring.

I blushed as I grabbed the door knob, suddenly self aware. I was never given under garments and I was about to stand in front of a room full of males. I slowly lifted my hand from the knob, taking a careful step back, when someone knocked loudly. The abrupt noise startled me, answering it quickly out of surprise.

"Oh good, I was scared you might've drowned." The boy from before teased me, smiling slyly. He leaned against the door frame, only a foot away from me, I felt the red deepen on my face. His smile widened, turning to a confused one, as he tilted his head at me. Resembling a puppy, he somehow soothed some of my paranoia, once again. This boy must have some sort of emotion control powers or something. He lightly grabbed my hand in his, leading my out of the room and down the grand staircase. The house was massive and elegant, like a castle, though I barely noticed with this angelic creature holding onto me.

We approached a wide doorframe with thick, heavy curtains concealing the entrance. He lifted the fabric, ushering me under his extended arm. We entered a sort of home theatre, the room was dimly lit, but enough that I could confirm my suspicions. Either additional pairs of eyes were glued to me as I stepped in, making me feel tiny and boosting my insecurities. I wrapped my arms around my torso and looked away to the man that led me, trying to shrink into the shadows. He gave me a reassuring look before offering me a seat next to another familiar face. His eyes were catlike and he had very young features, he looked very approachable and kind, cute almost. He smiled politely at me, ducking his head respectfully, I mirrored him.

"Alright, now that we're all here, I'd like to start by introducing the newest member of the family." The man I remembered as Suho announced as he approached the projector screen. He held out an open hand, gesturing to me.

"Minji, we're very happy to have you here and we're very relieved you're awake and healing. I'm aware you're confused and don't remember much but I will privately discuss that after. Minji, this is our family, you know Minseok, Baekhyun, Yixing, Sehun, and of course, Jongin" He waved his hand toward the boy sitting achingly close to me. Jongin, that's right, how fitting for such a gorgeous person. "The grumpy looking one is Kyungsoo, " The young man's round eyes widened, looking up at his leader with disdain. Suho chuckled before moving onto the next man, sitting next to Kyungsoo was a boy with straight black hair that laid flat on his forehead. His face looked naturally smiley, even his mouth curled up slightly at the corners. "That's Jongdae, and finally, The giant in the back," A puff of floppy red hair popped up from the group, a dumb smile plastered on his face. "That's our nuisance Chanyeol. We love him, but he's the least favorite" He teased, suddenly a slipper flew past an unfazed Suho, smacking the screen and sliding down.

"Ya! You're gonna pay for it this time if something else breaks!" An angry looking Baekhyun complained to the back of the room, receiving a chorus of chuckles. Chanyeol disappeared momentarily, returning to brandish the other slipper, threateningly. Baekhyun just stuck his tongue out, barely ducking under the incoming attack.

"Alright alright, everyone out now. It's time to get serious." Suho said, looking at me. Everyone in the room stood and began filing out, leaving only myself and Suho in the room and Jongin hovering by the door worriedly. "Fine" Suho sighed quietly, releasing a now cheerful Jongin back to his seat. Suho sat on the couch across from us, sympathy and sadness the only emotion left on his face, I felt Jongin preemptively wrap his arm around me, before Suho reminded me of the horrendous nightmare that I experienced a week ago in vivid detail. 

A/N:

Guys I'm sorry I was late by a few hours T.T I was somehow locked out of my account, might have been hacked or something but I don't know, the password was changed. I'm getting better at uploading in a timely manner, I hope you guys are enjoying the story. <3 

Also slight filler, more interesting stuff coming next Chapter, stay tuned. ~