The Ace (Stray Kids Kim Seungmin)

39

"Harri?" Aira blinked. "I thought you were dead! What happened to you?"

Harri raised an eyebrow at her, clearly unamused as she uttered, "I could ask you the exact same thing. You left me to die out there. You left us both to die."

"Rayne's dead?" Brea shrieked. "What? How? When? Why didn't you save her?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now," Harri sighed. "I've been having weird memories recently and I  hear it all links back to a Pen so if you don't mind me, I'll be heading there right now."

"What a coincidence! We are heading there right now too. Let's all go together!" Brea shouted, linking her arm with Harri's before sticking her tongue out at Kayleigh.

"You are?" Harri narrowed her eyes at the Ace of Diamonds. "Why would you ever want to go back? Are you trying to expose yourself?"

Kayleigh scoffed, "expose myself? There's nothing to expose. I didn't participate. If anything, you're the one exposing yourself. Besides, I never agreed to go back."

"Everyone already thinks I'm the Joker so I have nothing to lose. I've never viewed myself as a Joker, you know, I have always believed I am too, well, honest and straightforward to be one. But everyone believes I'm one so I believe returning to the Pen will clarify things for me," Harri shrugged. "In my opinion, Jokers should be manipulative, cunning and just intelligent in all aspects. In my opinion, Aira would make a perfect Joker."

"Me?" Aira furrowed her eyebrows. "Why me? When have I ever manipulated anyone? Why do you think I'm cunning? Harri, we've been through thick and thin together! How could you try to pin this on me?"

"How could I try to pin this on you? You're joking! You have to be kidding me right now! We were in that desert for two months, Aira, and the whole time you were telling me that I am the Joker and you know I'm going to betray you. You've been pinning this on me all along! That's why you got me to kill all the hearts, isn't it? That's why you got me to kill Mel! You knew she would remember eventually and you didn't want to be dragged into all of this but guess what? I remember too!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Aira shook her head. "You clearly didn't remember correctly then. I asked you to make sure the walls stayed down. I never told you to kill them."

"But you planted the idea in my head, didn't you? Yeah, I'll admit it, I killed the hearts and Mel. I'll shout it out for everyone to hear if you wish. I have nothing to hide so go ahead, tell them you saw Mel's blood all over my body. In fact, look at my arm! Look at Rayne's blood speckled all over it! Tell everyone that I'm the Joker, kill me off it you wish. I don't care anymore! But don't you dare pretend your all innocent, Aira! Not when you're just as guilty as the rest of us."

"I haven't killed anyone, Harri-"

"You planned the murders, I committed them. Without the plan, nothing would have happened. If you hadn't planned them, the hearts would still be alive."

"You think I wanted to kill my people? It killed me to even think of it! That's why I made you do it instead! I couldn't do it myself. And I didn't want to kill them!" She pointed at Melody. "That girl had the key to the escape in her hands and refused to use it! She wanted to lock us in, Harri! I was saving our lives!"

"No," Harri shook her head, glaring at Aira. "You were saving your own life. It was never 'us' or 'our', it was always just about you and you manipulated me into thinking you cared! And I'm so sick and tired of sucking it up and pretending this is what I want. Rayne's dead, Aira! Does that even matter to you? She's gone!"

"Of course that matters! She was like a sister to me! I loved her like my own family! How dare you ask if that even matters! And what have I ever done to make you think I don't care about you? I care so much about you, Harri, I would give up my life for you! Why..." She paused, sighing to calm herself down before adding softly. "Why can't you see that? Why don't you believe that?"

"Because it's a lie," Hyunjin interrupted, making his appearance known by cutting all the branches in his way as he approached them. "If it was true, why did you leave her alone in the desert? As soon as you saw me, you darted and left her to deal with me alone." He smirked at her. "Harri was right in saying you'd make a perfect Joker. Almost too perfect. And I'm sure the creators knew that too."