The Gifted (Txt x Itzy)

七十三

The boys absolutely adored Heesung; he was a boy their age and they had the same likes and dislikes. He was like them, confined by their ability and ran away from home, searching for the magic island.

"I never made it here," Heesung explained, "I met other gifteds with a map to this island and followed them. To be honest, it was really hard to keep track of when and where I was everytime my gift kicked in."

"That," Kai said, "Is quite cool. Your gift, I mean."

Heesung made a face, but Beomgyu cut in, "So you have no control over it?" They were so curious, wanting to know more about their friend.

Heesung replied to questions and retorted jokes, making them all feel so at home.

Namjoon's voice made its way to them, causing them to stop their activities, straining to hear the soft serious words. The thundering sky made many shiver in fear or from the mild cold wind that drifted from who knows where.

They were silent for a while, before Soobin asked, "Would you go back?"

Yeonjun immediately tried to reply, but groaned in pain first. "Don't move so much," Beomgyu said, helpfully swatting Yeonjun at an uninjured area, "If not you'll die."

"Very inspiring, Beomgyu," Yeonjun said dryly.

They laughed for a while, feeling like normal human boys, human friends, then Soobin repeated, "But seriously, would you?"

"Nope," Yeonjun quickly shot back. Taehyun didn't say anything. Kai shifted in his spot, "I mean...yeah. I do have a family, and if the humans all forget about the gifteds, then maybe I'll be safe."

"You don't want to stay with us?" Soobin said teasingly. Looking meekly at his brother, Beomgyu seemed like he wanted to say something, but was interrupted as the girls made their way over.

Yeji swooped down to check on Yeonjun, chiding him for running out and "what if you open the wound?" Yeonjun waved her concern away with "Nah Minghao did a good job".

All around them, the gifteds were in a flurry of motion, some helping to set up tents, others packing their little belongings and saying their goodbyes as they headed towards the entrance.

At the same time, chilly air rushed in as the entrance was opened, and a hoard of tired and lost-looking people were ushered in, two leaders at the back, ensuring everyone was safe and good.

"Is it night time yet?" Jisu wondered, the dimly-lit cave being a poor gauge of the time.

"Maybe. We should get a tent or something," Ryujin said distractedly, her eyes searching through the cave, as it gradually filled.

"This is nice," Yuna said softly, making them turn to her.

"Which part?" Kai asked, "The feeling of being homeless? The absolute comfort of being in a dark cave? Maybe the lack of food?"

The youngest shook her head with a light laugh, "No, the fact that it feels so much like a home with everyone."

-

Once it was clear that it was night time, with tents pitched, many gifteds were settling to sleep. Tucked in their own tents, the ten slept soundly. Well, most of the ten.

"Can't sleep?" Jisu asked as she peeked out of their tent to see Yeji sitting cross-legged outside. The older girl exhaled slowly, looking around the sleepy cave, which was adorned with a few weak flaming wall torches. "Yep."

"You reckon there are stars outside?" Jisu murmured, squinting at the darkness at an attempt to see Yeji's expression.

"Well, should we find out?"

They emerged from the damp cave, marvelling at the gorgeous sky. Inky black and speckled with an uncountable number of stars, the night sky still showed the constellation of arrows, perhaps to guide home the wandering gifteds.

"When we were still trying to find the island, every night when we slept, we would see this night sky," Jisu recalled rather fondly. "Yeah," Yeji said, so hushed that only in such a still silent environment could such a whisper be heard, "It sure brings back memories."

"Do you think that we'll be able to be happy here?" Yeji asked, a rhetorical question meant to be whipped away by the wind.

"Yeah," Jisu replied, squeezing the other girl's hand, "We will. Yes we're leaving behind our lives, our education and our future, but we can learn things that are more vital to us. And we can keep each other company."

"Mhm," was all Yeji replied. They stayed out in the cold for a while, before they couldn't take the biting weather and scurried back in. In the girl's tent, the three girls were shuddering from the freezing breeze, Jisu subconsciously tucked a large blanket over them.

-

"Can't sleep?" Soobin mumbled out as he noticed his twin tossing and turning. Beomgyu gave up trying and sat up, rubbing his eye and shaking his head. "Something wrong?" He then asked, concerned. The younger scrunched his nose up "Maybe we should go outside."

So they did, and they sat cross-legged on the dusty floor. Beomgyu stared at his hands as they tangled and twisted. "What's wrong?" Soobin smiled gently. Taking a shaky breath, Beomgyu managed out, "Do you really want to stay here? There isn't a real future for us here. If we go back, we can live like humans, and maybe-" His voice broke gingerly "-maybe we can have a happier family for once."

"You're not happy here?" Soobin asked, a little sad that his twin wasn't able to share the same joy as he had. That left Beomgyu quiet as he thought. Soobin tilted his head back as if he was mesmerized by the stars he could not see, "I feel like this is the happiest family we could ever have."
And they sat in silence, both of them simply leaning against each other, enjoying the sweet tender night.