Returned// Stray Kids

-14-

Luna and Chan walked back into the room with the baby blue door. "You know I'm dead when I have to go to practice, right?" Chan asked as he looked down to meet Luna's gaze.

"I'm dead 25/8 it's not that bad. When is your practice anyways?" Luna asked as a smile cracked through her tired expression.

"Like in 3 hours." He told her as they walked into the room and closed the door. "Great" Luna said as she grabbed the dusty broom stick in the corner and put it in his hands. "Then you can help me clean till then.

-
"Hey where are Chan and Luna?" Jisung asked and the crazy arguing stopped right there in its tracks.

"She is so dead!!" Athena said getting up in a huff. Her best friend had her worried sick and now she went running off again.

"That's not saying much considering that she has been dead since she got back here." Bambam said sitting at the table as he drank a glass of water.

"Luna used to be so strong and confident and put together." Youngjae said as he sat next to the fuming Athena how halted her anger and listened to the sun shine. "But now I'm worried about her."

"She is falling apart all of a sudden." Jinyoung added as he sat in the circle of people. "I want to help her but I don't understand."

Athena slumped down in her seat as she started down at her hands. She knew they were right she never wanted to admit it but they were. Maybe she should tell them the truth. The truth that wasn't hers to tell.

"It's ok." Jackson said as he embraced Athena in a warm hug. Her heart fluttered around him and she couldn't imagen being apart from him ever again.

"Aww you two are cute" Minho cooed as he looked at the two. "Yeah" Felix added as he continued. "It's the being of a new chapter for a lot of people."

-
Luna sat down on the couch that she and Chan had slept on the prior night. They had just finished cleaning and were now cooling down. "I should try to grab my laptop from up stairs" Luna said as she placed her hands on her forehead in hopes of cooling herself down.

"Why would you do that? Everyone is still up there you know." Chan said as his head perked up and he smiled at her.

"I just need something to do." She told him as her hands moved from her forehead to her temples.

"Why don't you just relax? You basically fell asleep the moment we got here last night." He told her. She still seemed tired after sleeping.

"I just need something to do." She told him moving her hands down the sides of her face. She felt her head start to tumble, her skin felt wet, and the tips of her hair like needles dipped in oil.

Chan walked over to Luna and sat next to her. He didn't know what was happening. "You should lay down."

Her hands massaged her face in order to try and snap herself out of it. "I need something to do."

"You need to lay down."

"I need to work."

"You need to rest."

"That's rich coming from you."

"Luna!" Her hands covered her face. His voice was so much sweeter. It was a point of kindness and genuine worry for her. Why did it sting her so much? His yell of frustration was softer than the voices of her past but she still hated it.

The sound of yelling.

She built her walls high. So high that no one would every be able to climb over to the other side. He didn't climb, he simply pushed them down. The taller they are the harder they fall.

"I need to distract myself." Luna said as she cried into her hands. Her voice was barley a whisper. She felt silly and weak. She never let anyone see her cry.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to raise my voice." He said very worried. He had no idea what he had done. "I just want you to be ok." And he had no idea what he had done now either.

Luna didn't know why he was saying all these words. The ones that she craved to hear since the moment she left. All she could do was hug him and cling onto the unknown, and let out all the doubt and sadness that she had felt for the happiest moment of someone else's.

She jumped from one lifeboat to another.