BECOMING HUMAN

CHAPTER 5

Aurora was dragged along by Jungkook. Panting she asked, "Where are we going?"

Jungkook didn't say a word. He observed his surroundings as they kept on running. They were moving further and further away from the train station they formerly came from. Aurora kept looking back, wondering if something or someone was chasing them. Everything looked normal from behind. So why was Jungkook running? They eventually stopped at the curb, waiting for the light to change. Aurora looked up at the tall buildings that surrounded her. They had flashy ads, giant screens and very eye-catchy billboards that lined the streets and the shiny glass buildings.

Breaking out of her trance, Jungkook hurried her along. As they arrived to the next block, Jungkook J-walked to the other side of the street. "You're not moving fast enough." He lifts her into his arms, picking up his pace. Aurora yelped, feeling his body heating up. She wondered if he was overworking himself.

"Jungkook, slow down if you're overworking yourself—" Loud screaming was heard from behind him. Aurora jumped in his arms. Peeking over his shoulder, there was an unexpected performance taking place. People were gathering on the sidewalk to see what was going on.

Aurora remained soundless, looking in the direction Jungkook was taking her. Eventually, Jungkook stopped once he reached the end of the block. Putting Aurora down calmly, Aurora looked up at him. "Why were you in such a hurry to leave?"

"We were on TV."

Aurora's eyes lit up.

"The waiter who greeted us was watching it the entire time. He knew we were in trouble but didn't say anything," He informed her. "If anyone else had seen that, and realized that we were in the restaurant with them, we would have been in big trouble." Ambling along with her following, he continued. "That girl named Cindy seemed all nice. But from examining her body language, she has a history of hating people who didn't own AIs, especially homeless people or fostered children. Although she is hiding it, if she had known that I didn't truly belong to you, and where you came from, she would have called the police immediately and have you arrested."

Aurora felt terribly hurt by that idea. "...the world has this much hatred for people like me."

Jungkook glanced down at her. Aurora's eyes teared up. She tried to suck it up, but it just hurts. She wiped her eyes, sniffling.

Jungkook stopped her, kneeling down to her. "Cindy also had a bad history with homeless people. They abused her, used her in many ways you could imagine and betrayed her. Once she was adopted, she devoted her life to make sure she wouldn't be like those people—raggedy, no manners, no dignity. She wanted to be different. And so, she decided to go along with the majority of the crowd—show deep animosity for her own kind." Jungkook stood up straight. "It's not entirely her fault. She felt that rich people actually had more peace and love and security, which is sadly not the case."

"How can you know all that...?"

"I saw it in her eyes. She's hiding her true identity from the whole world just to be like them."

Aurora sniffled hard. Jungkook wiped her eyes with his thumbs. "Enough crying. I made sure that she couldn't stop us, nor could that waiter." He began walking once again, Aurora following. "His eyes may seem welcoming, but deep down he has a treacherous heart. He'd do anything for money if given the chance."

"So, you can read their minds...?"

"Only their eyes."

Aurora was impressed. It made her wonder if Jungkook examined her through her eyes already. Her curiosity reaching it's peak, she tugged his sleeve, earning a glance from him. "Did you...read my eyes already?"