The Gifted (Txt x Itzy)

二十五

"Great, two more!"

"Then where are we headed?" Yeji asked.

"Some island, I believe."

"A magic island?" Beomgyu mumbled out, mouth choked full of biscuits.

"Where did you get all that food?"

Beomgyu swallowed his lump and replied, "Vending machines."

"Last two," Taehyun muttered out. Jisu leaned over to peer at the book, "Who's next? Number seven?" Taehyun nodded. "Girl of glass."

Yeji wrung her hands, nervously looking over her shoulder as she walked alongside Yeonjun. After a while, he asked, "Are you okay?" Yeji licked her chapped lips, "What happens if people catch us?" Yeonjun reached out and clasped her hands in his. "It'll be fine," He assured, looking straight into her eyes, "We run or fight, depending on what's the circumstance." Yeji turned away, biting her lip. "That's what I'm afraid of."

They are silent the rest of the walk.

-

"We're low on food, our clothes smell terrible, and we need a better place to rest. I think we should find some sort of shelter," Taehyun suggested. Kai snorted, "Like, what, should we check into a hotel?" Jisu snapped her fingers. "That's not a bad idea. Maybe not a hotel, just a hostel or some place small. Yuna, how much money do you have?" Yuna pursed her lips. "Two credit cards, not maxed out yet. Probably enough for a one night stay? Anyways we can't stay long can we?" Yuna produced a slim card from her wallet, before saying, "We should withdraw money instead, better than leaving a trace that my dad can track."

-

They found a small quiet hostel, and checked in smoothly, though the staff did seem suspicious of them; after all, they were a bunch of young kids with little luggage and no adult supervision. Their rooms were next to each other, and Taehyun had gone through the evacuation plan if something went wrong. Food was bought from convenience stores around, Yuna's money draining slowly but surely. The hostel was nestled in a bamboo forest, secluded but empty, but the nature nearby would aid Taehyun. They were all on the second floor, overlooking the forest on the overhanging balcony. Jisu sighed, relaxed. "This place is nice," She muttered. It was peaceful and silent, but Taehyun was tense and anxious. "The staff here are already suspicious of us, there are limited escape routes, and we are all so far apart. I'm worried something bad will happen." Jisu inhaled shakily, "That's true, but hey, we had a strange few days, just...try to let loose for a while. We'll leave after we get some rest."

-

The pale blue sky melted into an array of pinks, purples and oranges that night, at around seven pm. The setting sun beamed against the walls and their faces, all eight of them leaning against the balcony railing enjoying the silence. Jisu's eyes flickered down to the hostel staff, who were observing them. Yuna sniffed. "Are you afraid they're gonna report us?" Jisu jerked her head to the younger.

"Yes?"

Yuna exhaled, "I already sent them the message: don't you dare. But unfortunately I haven't been able to get to everyone."

The wail of sirens pierced the air, far away, but approaching.

Taehyun sighed, "It's been fun and all, but we need to go."

"Yuna you should have tried to get to everyone."

They grabbed their bags, and as they were about to go down the stairs they were blocked by a few security guards. "Guys," Yeji whispered urgently, "What are we gonna do-" "This is going to sound crazy," Taehyun muttered, "But we're gonna have to jump off."

"What?"

"NOW!"

And they jumped off. Tangled branches were waiting to catch them, and they sprinted in a random direction the moment they landed on the ground.

"Bad idea, Taehyun," Jisu remarked.

"Terrible idea," Kai agreed.

"Whatever," Taehyun grumbled, "We need to go. Head to the forest!"