The Gifted (Txt x Itzy)

六十

"Are these them?" A male voice drawled smoothly, "They look so young."

"Well," Another gruff irritated voice said, "They match the description, so I believe yes, these are them."
Yuna's eyelids fluttered open and she gasped.

They were in a room, white walls, white door, white floor, white ceiling. They were bound with white rope, covered in white cloth and tied to heavy chairs that were, (you guessed it), white, in a circle. The rest were still unconscious, but Taehyun's fingers were twitching and Yeji was breathing, shallow but there. Yuna flicked her eyes up, ready to make the nearest person untie her before her breath caught in her throat.

"Father," She breathed.

Mr Shin stood there, composed and collected, his hairline still unflinching despite his age, though his dark hair had grown a few grey strands. He simply nodded at her, then said, "Why didn't you come home when the police called you at the arena?"

That seemed so long ago.

"And why did you go run off, to go join this...circus club?" He asked, gesturing to the others.

Hot anger boiled in Yuna's stomach. "Is that what I seem like? Is that what this all looks like? A circus troupe?" She asked, hurt, saddened.

Mr Shin sighed, "Well, let's just go home, I'll arrange for more people to look over you-"

"No," Yuna said with a steely edge to her voice.

"No?" Her father turned to her, frowning in confusion.

"No," She repeated, firm and unyielding.

Mr Shin was starting to get mad, "Yuna, you are-"
Out of the corner of her eye, Yuna saw Taehyun peek through one eye, taking in the scene. Everyone was rousing. She just has to stall for a while longer.

"What am I going to do when I go home?" Yuna cut in, "Go back to being ignored? Put in the limelight to make yourself look like the perfect, best father in the entire world? Or are you going to pamper me without even getting to know me?"

"Yuna-"
Yuna made eye-contact with the prison guard that stood behind her father. "Release them."

"Yuna-" Her father started again.

"Shut up."

Her father complied. As they were cut loose, an alarm began blaring.

"Ah, jeez," Yuna muttered, then turned to her father and the prison guard. "Stay here, don't tell them what happened."

"They probably know what happened already," Kai croaked out weakly. She whipped around, "Kai, you're okay?"
"We're okay too, thanks Yuna," Yeonjun grumbled.

Chaeryeong sniffed, "We appreciate the concern, I got hit on the fucking head-"

"Language!"

"How do we get out of here?" Jisu managed out, as she untangled rope from her waist.

"The door," Taehyun provided helpfully.

Jisu stared at him, "Did they inject you with anesthesia?"

"Let's just go," Yuna hurried. The doors were yanked open, and the room was flooded with men, armed to the teeth.

"Hey," Kai greeted sleepily.

That was a bad way to greet fifty angry, scared and armed men. They nervously eyed each other, their guns held in position quivering ever so slightly. "Could let us leave peacefully? It would be a win-win situation for all of us," Soobin suggested. "Yeah," Beomgyu agreed, "We can even dance for you."
"Dude, are you okay?"

Mr Shin weakly raised an arm, warbling commands as he staggered forward towards the door, the soldiers shifting uneasily. Taehyun's sharp eyes caught the scruddy bits of dirt on the shoe soles of the soldiers. Jisu muttered, "Are you sure you can-"

"Well, only one way to find out."

Tendrils of plants began crawling across the ground, like dozens and dozens of tiny snakes, curling around the feet of the soldiers, who had stopped shifting uneasily and were now exclaiming in horror. The plants seemed to grow bigger and bigger, wrapping around tighter and tighter.

"Yuna!" Her father coughed out, he too being embraced by a cocoon of earth. The men were being choked, gasping for breath and screaming.

"Taehyun, stop!"

The boy's eyes were glowing a brilliant white light, angry and frustrated, and he wasn't going to stop-

"Taehyun." Jisu whispered desperately as she wrapped her arms around him, "Stop."

The glow slowly faded from his eyes as the plants loosened and fell, the soldiers collapsing to the ground, some fainted, some weak, Yuna's father straight up falling to the ground with no one to catch him.

Everyone swarmed to Taehyun.

"Are you okay?"

"What was that?"

"That was scary."

"Is that normal-"

"Guys, shut up," Yuna demanded. Taehyun looked so drained, so tired, so fragile. He struggled up and slowly brushed nonexistent dust off his body, a shuddering smile on his face. "I'm okay," He managed out, "It's fine, let's get out of here."