That night, Chaejin could not sleep. His mind kept returning to Zelo, and he had decided to go through with plan B. Writing a note, he slipped down to the prison quietly. Punching the one creature that was watching the door, he used all his strength, and it fell to the ground. Ellister had made a mistake when he had created these powers and gave them to him. He could take down these demon creatures. He then smiled at Zelo. "I'm sorry they locked you up, but just play it cool for now, and I have a plan. Here." He handed a paper through the bars, along with a protein bar. He thought that Zelo looked terrible, with his pale complexion and the dark circles under his eyes. At least they hadn’t beaten him, as they had beaten Chae up years ago. That had been his breaking point, and he had done everything they wanted. He had not been as strong as Zelo. "If you are quiet, they will let you out soon." He squeezed the younger boy's hand, wishing he could touch his face. "You said the other night that you trusted me, and I hope that still stands. We need each other. Just stay strong, okay, love?"
Zelo's eyes widened at the last word, but he nodded. "Okay. Whatever you have planned, I trust you. I hope we can get out of here soon."
Chaejin nodded. "I hope so. Just hang in there, okay? You CAN trust me, baby."
"I know," Zelo smiled at him weakly.
Chaejin glared at the guard, who was still sound asleep. He would not remember what had happened, because Chaejin had wiped his memory of the event. He smiled at Zelo, then left.
Once he was gone, Zelo opened the note, reading it carefully.
‘You have the power to help me take them all out. It will take strength and determination, but we both have that. They are planning on using you to end the world. If they still have you here by your 18th birthday, the curse that is on you will cause you to make the world crumble. That was the payment to your father for not agreeing with their plans. I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but they were always around. You will be eighteen next year, so your power will be strong. We need to get out of here before then. Do not let them turn you into a killer, or they will have you where they want you. We can turn the plan around on them and kill the leader. If we do that, all the demons here die, we are free, and the curse is broken. That is why he fears us. Love, you have the power to do this, so do not fear. When you finish with this note and drop it on the ground, it will turn into dust. Trust me. I love you, babe.’
Zelo sighed, placing the paper on the floor. He watched as it turned to dust. Looking more closely at the dust, he noticed that it was shining golden, instead of grey. Smiling, he watched as it blew it away.
*****
The creatures let Zelo out the next day, but he still refused to kill for them. They were angry, but did not press it. Instead, they began to train him, as Chaejin had said they would. Ellister was acting different toward him, also, viewing him as a disobedient child, and it was nerve-wracking.
A week later, Chaejin approached Zelo. "They are planning on taking us into the city so they can show us what humans are supposedly really like. Last time, it was a whore house, which made me want to puke."
