KING

一 14

Her eyes flew open as she sat up, eyes fixed on the door.

She could hear the soft pat of footsteps against the floor down the corridor. Someone had just come down the staircase, she could tell by their slightly erratic breathing.

They were clearly trying to be quiet, almost tiptoeing down the corridor, until she heard the rapping of knuckles against one of the doors.

A few seconds passed, and then the soft creak of hinges, and Yuta's voice asking sleepily, "Mark?"

Mark.

Her eyes narrowed immediately as she tensed. She had heard no more than one pair of footsteps, so where were the two boys he has taken with him?

"Is she here?" Mark asked, his voice low and raspy, so faint Rina's sharp hearing could barely make out. "The prison girl?" Yuta asked.

Mark didn't give any response, so Rina assumed he had nodded. "Yeah, she is in Taeyong's room."

"Oh, thanks. Goodnight." He wished the older, and the shutting of the door covered the sound of his quick, approaching footsteps, alarming Rina when she heard the sound of a swishing coat right outside her door.

She flattened herself against the bed, heart hammering in her throat as she could make out the soft tapping of Mark's knuckles against the door twice, before she heard the turning of a door knob, but the door never opened.

He took a step back, the sound of his boots clacking against the floor giving her enough indication of his actions, before he turned around and the door of another door opening was heard, possibly the door to his own room.

And then, silence.

She could hear the sounds of her quickened breathing and heart pounding, clenching her fist.

Where were Jisung and Chenle?

Mark said he would take them somewhere safe, right?

Didn't the brown haired boy also owe her an explanation about his encounter with Donghyuck in the prisons?

What was the time?

The last question running through her mind had her lifting her head up, staring at the walls for any sign of a clock, but nothing was found.

So she found herself slipping out of the warm bed, feet padding against the cold floor as she opened the door, and poked her head out into the corridor. It was empty, and so she walked out, climbing up the staircase, walking into the living room.

Could she possibly just walk out? No one was around, were they?

"You're up early." She flinched, whirling around to be met with the site of a rather exhausted Sicheng, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a spoon in another, with messed up hair and crumpled clothes.

She pointed at her wrist and shook her head, glancing around the room in search of a clock once again.

"Watch? You don't have a watch?" Sicheng asked, the befuddled expression lifting from his face when she nodded in affirmation.

"Ah, okay." He nodded. "It's about six thirty right now."

She was startled. That was rather early.

"Would you like some coffee?" He offered, and she nodded, taking a seat hesitantly at the counter.

Silence fell over the two of them as the sounds of the whirring of a machine filled the air, making her blink in surprise.

Soon, he set a mug in front of her with a warning that it was hot, and took a seat opposite her. Her fingers encircled the object, flinching a little when the warmth scalded her skin, but she clung onto it anyways, blowing gently before taking a sip of the bitter drink.