1. Project IZ*ONE

Chapter 10 - Cover-ups

It was a bit past midnight, and most of the trainees had already fallen asleep. Lights out was implemented earlier than usual because of the unknown events in the other match. Everyone was told to just wait until morning for an official announcement, so there was little reason to stay up. While Wonyoung and Yujin had fallen asleep, Yuri was still tossing and turning on her bed.

The room felt a lot emptier without Goeun and Juri in it, and she was still wondering where they could have gone. Finally, she sits upright and leans into the bed's head-rest, trying to think. It was then that she noticed another empty bed, Yena's. Where could that idiot have gone? She thinks to herself. There were heavy sanctions for staying out past curfew like meal restrictions or being forced to do extra laps around the facility, but at the moment, Yuri didn't particularly care. She gets up and slowly creeps towards the door and exits to look for Yena.

Yuri was still irked about their argument during the match with Wonyoung's team. It always felt like she was talking to a different person when she was with Yena on missions, and it had frustrated her. She walks along the corridors quietly, taking in the serene night breeze. It was rare to be able to walk around the dorm without hearing much commotion. It felt calming to see the stars in the sky shining down on the building. It was a nice change of pace from the smog-filled skies in the city. After walking for a while longer, she sees a figure leaning on terrace balcony placed at the end of the corridor. It was an open area with a few benches and tables that many trainees would hang around at during breaks. Right now, it was empty except for Yena basking in the moonlight looking out into the horizon. Yuri slowly approaches her, careful not to surprise Yena which would alert the guards. She was about to ask her what she was doing out here this late, but Yena spoke first, as if sensing Yuri's presence.

"I'm sorry about a while ago." She says as she turns towards her. "I didn't mean to sound so bossy." Yena's looking down at her feet, avoiding eye-contact as Yuri approaches. She eventually feels a hand on her shoulder and another pushing her chin up to meet Yuri's gaze.

"I forgive you, but why are you really always on guard during missions. I know you said you're doing this for your parents, but I don't know if that's everything." Yuri says. "I told you the truth about myself, so why are you still hiding something?"

Yena sighs, distancing herself from Yuri. It felt noticeably colder now that they were standing apart. "Okay, you got me. What I told you wasn't the whole truth. I just didn't want to say anything because I was afraid that I'd scare people away."

"The truth is that I ran away from home too." Yena begins. Yuri is definitely taken aback by that new piece of information.

"But I thought your parents cared about you. I thought they tried to protect you." Yuri says, recalling what Yena had told her previously.

"Yes, and that's why I had to leave." Yuri gives Yena a dumbfounded look, as if not connecting the two truths. Why would you run away from people who cared about you?

"My parents would go to the ends of the earth to protect me, but as I got older, it got harder. They couldn't keep blaming the faulty electricity for the random power outages. I didn't know how to control my powers, and it was affecting them." Yena looks crestfallen looking back at her past. "I didn't want to be a burden to them anymore, so I left them a letter and ran away."

"So, where'd you go?" Yuri asks.

"I wanted to learn how to control my powers, so I looked for other mutants. I ended up joining a bad group of them because at the time, I didn't know where to turn. Sure, I learned to control my powers, but the people I was with were bad people. They used their powers to terrorize normal people, stealing and vandalizing everything in their area. I couldn't run because they'd just hunt me down too. I witnessed them do horrible things and I couldn't speak up against any of it. One day, I managed to send out a message to the police department, and when they showed up... they shot everyone. It was all my fault." The last few words of Yena made the atmosphere so much heavier. Yuri was still processing everything.