Fall Down (Stray Kids Seo Changbin)

Twenty-seven

Changbin awoke a bit after sunrise only to find Paige sitting on the couch, looking as if she had seen a ghost. He didn't know how long she had been like that but judging from the drool dripping out the corner of her lips, it had been a while.

"You alright?" He asked, sitting up on the mattress on the floor.

She glanced in his direction, snapping out of her daze.

"Lincoln paid me a visit last night."

"Did he? What did he say? Or do? Or whatever?"

"I think... I think we're wrong... Wrong about him being part of the Rebellion."

Changbin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did he brainwash her? There was so much evidence pointing to him, how could they possibly be wrong?

"Are you serious? Paige, you can't possibly be leaning towards him. What did he say? Did he blackmail you? Bring up Janey?"

"No," she whispered. "I don't fully trust him either but he said some pretty valid points. The Rebellion could be framing him. He's the Head of the Society, if he dies, the whole Society falls into either Cassidy or Kyla's hands. One of them is working for the Rebellion. If it falls into their hands, the Society dies and the Rebellion wins. If he was part of the Rebellion, he would have acted out already. The Rebellion is trying to turn us against him so I kill him and with Cassidy or Kyla rises up."

"Cassidy or Kyla? Why them?"

"The Rebellion gets people close to the person they want to kill to kill them. Apart from Lincoln, they were the closest."

"Paige, the pictures-"

"We taken strategically so it looks like evidence that Lincoln killed her. The Rebellion is smart... How did I not see this earlier? Unless if Lincoln is part of the Rebellion, no one can kill me. He wouldn't kill you because he isn't close to you but the other Stray Kids boys would." Paige instantly thought of Chan. "But the Stray Kids boys can't kill me."

"I'm confused."

"It's still a bit fuzzy for me as well but..." She gasped. "I get it. I get it now. All this time I thought in was strange Lincoln could tell me about idea but not tell me who's part of the Rebellion. If she was listening to it, she would have killed him for that, right?"

"I guess-"

"No, that's what she wanted me to believe. The real problem here isn't between Lincoln and I or Stray Kids and you guys."

"It's between us three," Minho spoke up. When did he even wake up? "They wanted you to trust Lincoln while we don't. Then we'd start thinking you're part of the Rebellion and kill you."

"Exactly," Paige breathed out. "They're so flipping smart. How does one think of that?"

"They've been doing this for years," Minho shrugged.

"Okay, I get all that stuff. But who is behind all this? Cassidy or Kyla?" Changbin questioned.

"He couldn't tell me. Whoever it was somehow planted a sound recorder into his body. He can't say a thing," Paige explained.

"But that doesn't mean we can't guess," Minho uttered. "Which has been acting strangely?"

"Well, Kyla's quieter and more mysterious. She was also the only one there when Janey died."

"So Kyla it is."

"But Cassidy's always been trying to debunk everything Kyla does, even when she knows majority of the time she's right. She's very persuasive and she's all bubbly, if I was part of the Rebellion, I wouldn't act all dull and secretive like Kyla."

"So both. Thanks for that, Paige."

"I'm just figuring things out as I go. I could be awfully wrong and Lincoln could be part of the Rebellion but you never know. Let's just keep an eye out for all of them, alright?"

The two boys nodded, knowing that from now on, things are just going to get harder to solve.