All ten of us dropped our bag of clothes with a loud thud before the boys crashed into the dusty couches. It was a disgusting smell that emitted from the dust and stench hovering in the air like a cloud.

But none of us cared.

We woke up way too early, displayed through the large bags under our eyes, and Jungkook already fast asleep.

Even worse, we drove miles out into the country, so remote no one would find us without getting lost. For four hours, we all sat in a car that smelled like piss and a driver who was awkwardly silent and dry as fuck. It was bad enough to sit couped up with seven boys who didn't want me there, but clearly, I was wrong.

Once we arrived, I noticed how the house could be easily mistaken for a small cabin since it was small, cozy, and predominantly made of carved wood. Though it seemed unsafe, from how old it was - the house was substantial to hold at least seven people - with nine beds and a somewhat large sitting area.

I before turning to gaze at the old architecture of the place; it's decorated walls and iconic arches that reminded me of medieval times. The cupboards were a midnight black, and the floors were dark auburn wood.

My eyes then flickered over to the wall behind the couch, with a painting of a beautiful blue tree. It glowed in the dark atmosphere, its illuminating petals falling down like snow. That's when I noticed the small signature in the corner, in bold red letters:

Coré.

My eyebrows lowered, realizing it was the same painter from before the attack. He must have been a famous painter for the Order - his style was laced within each painting throughout headquarters.

What is his significance?

I bit my lip before seeing Hoseok's loud voice from the opposite side of the room, his eyes widened with confusion.

"What is this?" He asked, gesturing to what seemed to be a large can in his hand.

My face softened slightly from noticing its similarity to a spray can, which is what the humans used to create graffiti. I gulped, remembering the slurs the humans used towards the Gems and the dark paint dripping down the wall like blood.

I quickly walked over to him, and he hesitated before gingerly placing the can in my hand, eyes asking me to determine what it was.

"Black hair dye?" I tilted my head to side, my eyes narrowed at the label. "Why would they give this to us?"

I turned to face the six couch potatoes and two girls off to side, who gazed at me with tired eyes like cows, and their hair ruffled and messy.

That's when it hit me. "They gave this to us as a disguise," I whispered. "It's so that no one recognizes you."

Seokjin groaned, face meeting Taehyung's shoulder. "So we have to become human?"

I shrugged, "yes, but it's for your protection," I said eyebrows tying together with worry, "you can't go out with coloured hair, the humans wouldn't hesitate to shoot you."

They all groamed is protest, but simultaneously nodding in agreement, not moving from their position.

"Who's first?"

***

I thought teenage boys were bad...but I quickly realized that men in their early twenties were far worse. Perhaps the abrupt transition into adulthood left them mentally behind - convinced they were still twelve, for each of them whined like babies as they complained about the sting from the dye.

The whiniest was surely Seokjin and Hoseok.

Tears spilled out of their eyes, and Seokjin complained about his precious face having stains on it. Hoseok's yellow hair took the longest, the bright yellow refusing to darken under the black color, making him wince and let out whines of pain. I rolled my eyes at their immaturity, happy that this situation with seven irritating boys was only temporary.

After getting through six of the boys, I gasped when they turned to face me, looking freakishly human; hair black, skin pale and ethereal, eyes the same deep black. If they walked straight into my town, every girl would - without a doubt - try to grab their attention.

I waved my wrist around, hand and mind tired from dealing with them. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I wiped it away, exhaling heavily.

One more to go.

I faced the doorway, watching as Taehyung calmly walked in, his face straight and demeanour calmer than I've ever seen. I raised an eyebrow, observing as he sat in his seat and watched me in the mirror that sat in front of the dresser.

I gulped before spraying the black paint on his gorgeous red locks, his eyes never leaving mine. I continued spraying, moving his hair slightly - with the intention of avoiding the intense gaze he was giving.

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. "What are you looking at?" I asked with a small chuckle, my eyes finally meeting his.

But Taehyung didn't laugh. Instead, his gaze narrowed even more as if he was analyzing my soul.

I scoffed and looked away.

"Well, at least you're not complaining," I mumbled, going on with darkening his now auburn hair.

Once I finished, I let out a sigh of relief, placing the can on the dresser and watching as Taehyung spun around in his chair to face me.

I raised an eyebrow, taking in his appearance. The black hair definitely suited him, making his skin seem brighter, yet his aura darker - reminding me of a villain.

He didn't utter even a word to me as the boy stood up and walked out of the room, not once glancing at me again.

"Asshole." I scoffed.

The rest of the day went on with the boys sleeping, so Ryujin and Lisa dyed each other's hair, and I took the opportunity to clean the disgusting house. I made the ultimate attempt as removng its dusty layers; which have been collecting for longer than normal. I used what the small cupboard in the far corner of the room provided - going over the floors with a damp mop and washing the couch cushions in large buckets of water and soap.

As I headed outside to hang them for drying, I noticed the slight change in the sky's hue; how it was a darker orange, purple peeking it from the far horizon. It was truly beautiful to witness - especially out in the peaceful country, no buildings or dirty towns masking it.

It was all nice until I realized we had to hunt for food.

Great.

After hanging the clothing to dry, I stepped back inside, seeing Jimin standing in the middle of the kitchen and rubbing his tired eyes. I resisted the urge to run over and hug him from how cute he looked, but the task before me made me grind my teeth in irritation.

I had to teach seven boys how to fucking hunt for food, when they had it handed to them on a silver platter their whole lives.

"Are the other boys up?" Jimin asked innocently, as he turned to face me.

"No, but they need to, or you aren't getting dinner," I replied bitterly.

"Did someone say dinner?" I heard a louder voice emerge from the bedroom, and next thing I knew, a smirking Seokjin emerged from the doorway. "Where is it?" He asked, surprised it wasn't already there in the kitchen.

Rustling of bedsheets filled the house at the sound of a meal, and I rolled my eyes. "We're going to go and get it ourselves,"

As the seven of them gathered in front of me, they tilted their heads in strange unison. Clearly, as I've come to observe, they are around each other for far too long - making them have almost strange power of telepathy.

"But first... you need to learn how to hunt."

My feet stepped outside, and onto the long grass, the boys following close behind - quietly and obediently. While Ryujin and Lisa stayed back at the house, I brought the boys with me to hunt for our soon to be dinner.

Seems that I made that sound easier than the reality.

I could feel my hearing heighten, listening for any sounds of danger or death nearby. I found that learning to hunt and being independent that animals were unpredictable, so hyper-awareness was the only way to combat it. However, it was going to be difficult to teach boys who've never seen an animal in their life - besides a domestic dog or cat.

The seven of us eventually made it into the forest, and I stepped quietly, almost as silently as the small squirrels climbing the long trees I've become so accustomed to.

I carefully kneeled down, making my way toward a bush with the boys trailing behind. I looked over all of them, making sure they were all present before reaching down to find a stick.

"You'll need to know how to do this in case something happens," I whispered, and they all nodded, though reluctantly.

"First, you'll find a stick like this," I said, holding a random yet sturdy stick.

They all listened carefully, all except for Taehyung.

He sat behind the others, jaw tightened and eyes not even offering one glance over at me. I knew why he was doing this; we both did, and I knew that forcing him wasn't going to change his mind.

He's as stubborn as I am.

I rolled my eyes and went back to talking to the others, not giving him any thought.

"Then, we're going to find a long vine of some sort," I said, pulling a vine from the ground and wrapping it around the stick a few times so that it wouldn't blow away.

"Next, find two stones," I reached for somewhat sharp stones and brought them into my lap. I started to bang one against the other, scraping off the layers of one so that it was sharp. "Like this, okay?"

The boys nodded, and I smiled that they were actually listening.

"Finally, attach the stone to the head of the stick," I explained, before holding the stone firmly to the head of the stick, and wrapping the vine around it so that it remained in place. I held my spear-like invention to show them.

It reminded me of the time when my father showed me to hunt for the first time; I was five. It was a special year for me as a child - I learned combat and the rule to not trust anyone other than yourself. All of this brought me straight back to that, when I was with my family, and when things were less complicated.

"I will do this first, okay?" I whispered to them, my eyes surveying the area for any movement. The silence and stillness seeped into my bones, creating sweat on my arms and forehead. That's when I spotted a pair of glowing doe eyes. I swiftly raised my spear to the air, aimed it at the deer, and let it go.

It spun in the air like a missile before striking the animals body as it let out whines of pain.

I stood from my hiding spot, walking over to see the animal jolting in pain, eyes wandering. I'm not usually bothered by these things, but for some reason, the way my body tensed and hesitantly approached the animal felt different.

I gulped at the sight of it, tears threatening to fill my eyes.

Hana.

I stared into the eyes of the animal, knowing it was begging for mercy; from its body writhing for freedom, legs kicking, and cries of pain leaving its mouth. Blood soaked into the ground, spreading further and further, and I felt like I was six again - as if observing myself in a mirror. The deer was in death's grasp, and my next choice would determine whether death would fully take it.

My bottom lip trembled at the memories, and I exhaled heavily, begging for them to go away.

But they didn't.

As the agonzing whispers overtook my mind, I felt my hands tremble and legs grow weak.

I gulped as I pulled the spear from the animal's back and stabbed it in the chest - killing it instantly. The memories and voices vanished, tears falling down my cheeks, yet my face was straight...unchanged.

Like nothing happened at all.

[A/N]

"It's not the person refusing to let go of the past, but the past refusing to let go of the person."