feathers and scales | j.j.k

IV

PROFESSOR LIN POV

She looked just like I remembered. Except that her hair was a dark brown instead of purple. But she had the same stunning blue eyes, the same coral-colored lips, the same twinkle in her eye.

My eyes trailed down her neck to her collarbone. No matter how many times she was reborn, that... mark would always stay there. It rested in the hollow of her neck, a small, barely unnoticeable patch of skin. Except that where the skin was supposed to be, there were small scales. To the untrained eye, it would seem to just be a rough patch of skin.

I looked at Baem on her wrist. His tongue was flickering in and out angrily and he eyed the girls with a bloodthirsty glare.

Sire. Those girls...

No. Leave them. They are insignificant.

Are you sure sire?

Yes, Baem. We mustn't call any attention to ourselves.

As you wish, sire.

I slipped my glasses on again, shielding my eyes. To the world, they looked simply green, but to me, they enhanced my sight. I could simply look at a person and see their ancestry, what animal they were descended from, and if they had powers.

I smiled at Lyn. Vipera. My queen.

"Are you alright Ms. Bae?"

Her eyebrows were furrowed and her tongue was sticking out a little. Another habit she inherited.

BACK TO NORMAL POV

Lyn crossed her arms and scrutinized the man. He looked familiar.

"Are you alright Ms. Bae?"

Lyn let the confusion slip from her mind and she nodded. "I'm alright Mr..."

"Lin. I'm Austin Lin. Your future Biology professor."

"What happened to Mr. Ryu? Is he retiring?"

Mr. Lin chuckled. "Oh no. He's just taking a break from work. Usually, I work overseas teaching masters classes, but he asked for a favor."

Lyn nodded. "Oh. Hm." She bowed slightly and head back to her seat. For the rest of the ride to the pagoda, she stared out the window, letting Baem slip in and around her fingers.

[...]

"Alright kids, leave your bags on the bus. No electronics or food or drink is allowed in the pagoda. Follow your counselor and don't wander off."

Most kids snuck a few snacks into their pockets and the girls slid their phones in their shirts. Lyn slipped her phone into the space between the waistline of her jeans and her stomach. 

Goosebumps rose in the area of skin that touched the cold screen.

They walked into the mostly empty pagoda. Out of the corner of her eye, Lyn saw Chris sneak off into the bathrooms with one of the fangirls who had tried to pour water on her earlier. 

Lyn kept walking with the group. They walked through the different exhibits. When they got to the one in the middle, right before lunch, a tall, fairly lean boy walked through the doors, accompanied by two bodyguards by his side. Next to him, a boy of similar stature, just slimmer, with silvery hair, smiled at Lyn.

"Oh my god! It's Jungkook!"

"He's so hot!"

"Yeah, and rich! He's, like, number one on top 10 hottest bachelors in the world!"

"I know right! I heard that his family business is just a ruse for an armory empire."

"Really? I heard it was a drug empire."

"I don't care. It makes him so much more mysterious!"

Lyn looked at the boy. He had lightly tanned skin and hair black like the night. His lips were bloodred and his skin was smooth as ivory. He wore a dark silky shirt, black dress pants, shiny business shoes, and a black blazer hung lazily from one hand over his shoulder. The other hand was in his pocket, and Lyn noticed the black fabric of a glove peeking out. He wore dark sunglasses that covered his eyes, but Lyn could feel his gaze on her as the elevator door closed. 

She shivered and shook the feeling off. Baem was moving restlessly on her wrist. Lyn rubbed his back.

"Calm down," she thought. "Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"

Jungkook's bodyguards were stationed outside the elevator, one of them speaking to a docent.

The docent nodded and bowed a few times. Then she announced that the group would be eating lunch outside in the grass instead of in the indoor restaurant. The pagoda apologized for the inconvenience and would reimburse their meals along with food blah blah blah.

Lyn waiting in front of the bus to get her bag. As she leaned against the metal sides of the vehicle, a big, fat, meaty hand landed around her head.

"Chris. Done with your little fangirl?"

Chris laughed. "Hah. Whatever. My dad told me that you told your dad about me. You do know that my dad is the Chairman and your dad is just on the board of directors, right?"

Lyn faced away from him and his stinky breath. "Baby, if you don't want your dad to get fired, you'll do what I want."

Lyn pouted and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry babe. I didn't mean it. I just wanted to tell you..."

Chris smiled next to her ear, panting like a puppy in heat. "Yes?"

"That I'm truly not sorry for what I'm about to do."

Lyn kneed him in the groin and kicked him to the ground. "Yes, my dad is on the board of directors. But, you fat dumbass, didn't you know that my dad holds most of the power on the board and is the prime investor? If he pulled out, which he'd do if I asked him, the other investors would follow suit and you and your family would go bankrupt."

Chris rolled around on the ground and started kneeling at Lyn's feet. "Please don't tell your dad miss. Please don't." He whimpered.

Lyn kneeled down and whispered in his ear. "Maybe I will. Maybe I won't." And with that she walked away.

[...]

Lyn wandered the yards of the pagoda, letting Baem hunt for insects in the grass. She walked back inside, looking at the artifacts. She walked up the stairs to the top floor.

When she walked into the snake exhibit which showed the sculptures of snakes, the room spiraled out of sight. She was in some kind of round, blackish bluish room.

In the center, holding his hands out, was Jeon Jungkook.

A/N: Before the author's note, this chapter was exactly 1000 words lol. I know I said before that Chris was son of the Chairman, but I changed it to the CEO. (I really don't know who is more powerful, but I think CEO is weaker than board of directors idk.) Tell me what you think about this chapter in the comments! I always love to read your opinions! :)