Fall Down (Stray Kids Seo Changbin)

Thirty-eight

They boarded the private jet to Auckland in the evening. Hours had passed since their takeoff and night had fallen upon them. Right when that happened, the jet was divided into two compartments: one which was brightly lit, filled with video games, various electronic devices, a small study corner stocked with various books, binders, reports, cases and more.

The compartment also had various snacks and meals to munch on at any given moment along with both cold and hot beverages. Woojin had to keep an eye on the refrigerator to make sure none of the underage boys stole any alcohol.

The second compartment was dimly lit. There were roomier, more comfortable seating arrangements over here. This part of the plane was for whoever planned on sleeping.

By an hour after take off, it already had six members: Cassidy, Kyla, Paige, Minho, Chan and I.N. Now, all those members were fast asleep, except for Paige.

She had no intention of falling her sleep which was convenient because it seemed her mind felt the same.

She scanned the room, cautiously, glancing down at each person's wrist then instantly retreated into a sleeping position in case any of them randomly awoke. Her theory about the sound recorders just seemed to continuously prove itself, however there was only one case she couldn't quite make sense of.

Lost in thought, Paige hadn't even noticed another presence enter the room until she heard someone plop down beside her.

She opened one eye and instantly met Changbin's gaze. He grinned slightly.

"I knew you were awake," he announced confidently.

Paige rolled her eyes playfully and sat up straight.

"Can't sleep," she simply shrugged.

"Not surprised. After the whole Woojin thing, I'm surprised Minho's asleep."

"He's been tired for the last couple of days trying to hack into the Rebellion's base in Auckland."

Paige was thankful that this compartment was spacious and no one was sleeping beside her otherwise their conversation might have been caught by one of the sound recorders.

Changbin ran a hand through his fluffy hair as he glanced around the room.

"I see they have them too. I checked the other Stray Kids boys. None of them had it," he mentioned.

She nodded.

"I have a theory but I'm not sure how accurate it is."

He turned his gaze back to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Let me hear it then."

"Only Rebellion members have it, or at least people with a connection to the Rebellion in case they plan to betray them."

"And what about Linc? You think he's actually in the Rebellion."

"No, but I bet he may have had something with them in the past."

"What do you mean?"

"Nicholas was the Head of the Society before Linc. I remember how much he went on about wanting to take his spot. Then one day, out of the blue, Nicholas goes missing. I think he had something to do with it and I bet the Society members wouldn't betray their Head like that. The only people willing to do it would be the Rebellion."

"What about Cassidy and Kyla? One of them isn't in it."

"Isn't anymore. Or is trying to detach themselves from it. They may have also had a past with the Rebellion, I'm not sure what they joined for but don't think they still want to be in it. Now thinking about it, I think I recall Janey hinting at something like this once or twice."

"And that could be why they are framing them," Changbin mentioned, making Paige gasp slightly. She hadn't thought of that.

"They made us believe Lincoln was part of the Rebellion and when we stopped believing it, they made Kyla the next target."

"They want us to kill them, don't they? But why?"

"Because they tried backed out. I.N said he tried backing out but it wasn't as easy as he expected. He joined it so he wouldn't die but if he leaves, they'll kill him so he remained."

"That's one theory but what about our parents? They weren't part of the Rebellion but they killed them."

"Chan's were and we didn't know. Who's to say ours weren't?"

"I haven't met up with my parents since their death. Don't you think they would have played the same trick on Minho, you and I to recruit us as well."

"Maybe they tried backing out."

"So they weren't actually involved in an explosion?"

"Probably not... The only problem with all this is how Janey was involved. I highly doubt she was part of the Rebellion. She would have mentioned it."

"Maybe it had something to do with your parents."

That's when everything clicked. She sat up instantly, a grin dominating half of her face.

"Changbin!" She whisper-yelled. "You're a genius!"

"Wait, does it really?"

"Possibly. Even if our parents didn't die from the explosion, someone exploded the old Main Rebellion Headquarters. I suspect my parents did it before their death. And since they died, the only way to make up for it is to get their children to suffer the consequences instead."

Paige grabbed a small notebook from her bag. It was like the one with Janey's reports. Not surprising because she was the one who gave it to her. It was her last gift to Paige before she passed.

"Where are you going?" Changbin asked when she stood up.

"To the other compartment. I need to research more on this."

With that, she planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Changbin instantly flushed bright red but still managed to stammer out, "What was that for?"

"The missing piece to my case. Thank you," she grinned merrily at him before leaving.

Just so you know, their will be another story to continue this one because I don't want this to be too long. However, it will probably be posted in the second half of the year as exams are coming up and in still trying to sort everything out so I pass. From now on, it may take a while for me to update chapters but I'll really try to update when I can. Hope you understand <3

~SpicyThaiChicken