Meeting Stray Kids

"Hey, uh... great singing?"

The voice didn't startle Juyeon-it was the fact that it came from the middle of her living room.

She froze, the melody dying on her lips, and slowly turned-almost dropping her mug of water.

Eight figures stood awkwardly in her tiny apartment, their faces hidden by hoodies and baseball caps. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating, but no. The familiarity of their faces hit her like a punch.

Stray Kids. In her house.

"WHAT THE HELL-" she yelled, stumbling back.

"Wait, wait!" Bang Chan said, raising his hands. "We can explain!"

"Explain?" Juyeon sputtered. "You're in my house!"

"Technically, your door was open," Han said sheepishly. "Kind of."

"Because you kicked it open," Seungmin muttered, earning a glare from Han.

Juyeon's head spun. She was a 13-year-old trainee, barely surviving on instant ramen and six hours of dance practice. How was she supposed to handle Stray Kids showing up, looking like they'd been running from the law?

"We were followed," Chan explained, his tone softening. "We didn't know where else to go."

"Followed?" she echoed, her eyes scanning their disheveled forms. Hyunjin peered through the blinds like he was in a spy movie.

"We needed somewhere safe," Felix added. "This was the closest place."

Juyeon stared, her heart racing. Stray Kids were in her house. They'd been followed. And now, somehow, she had to figure out what to do next.

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