I was really doing this.

The overwhelming anxiety shows in my body, more dramatic and pronounced than usual. Painful tingles spark up my spine and limbs as the said body parts flicker in and out of existence— the movements so violent that I can barely see the red, puckered scars on the exposed skin.

Fresh wounds from the day before decorates the top of faded scars, painting the skin with varying shades of scarlet and crimson. That's not all— ugly bruises that I'd rather keep hidden pokes out from underneath the loose bandages I'd wrapped around the new cuts, most of them already soaked and drying with blood.

To sum it up in a few words, it felt like I was going to die. And imagine this: this was actually considered one of my better nights. There were times that I was immobilized and barely alive— every breath a painful shudder up my sticky throat.

But no more.

I was going to do this, and there was no going back.

The night air is fresh and tinged with a chill that makes me feel alive— a precious feeling that I hadn't had the privilege to feel in a long time.

Bye, father. I hope I never see you again.

The thought is vibrant with life in my mind as I shyly reach out the windowsill, wrapping my hand around the metal bar above. This was the one time my father had forgotten to secure the closet window, and he would pay for his mistake— forever.

Just imagining his face when he realized that I wasn't in for his experiments the next day made me want to burst out in laughter.

My fingers brush against the knife I'd hid against my thigh— a small comfort for my thundering heart. And right now, I needed all the consolation I could get.

I couldn't mess this up.

And then I jump, my lips clamped shut to keep myself from screaming as gravity takes its hold on me, pulling me down, down, down.

This was a lot different than I'd imagined.

And not to mention, the ground was farther than I'd thought it would be.

I barely see the surface of yellowed grass as I curl my body into a tight ball, nearly biting my tongue off as my wounded back meets with freedom.

And just like that, I had escaped from the most highly guarded compound that Korea had ever known.

Even though my back felt like it was about to shatter and I could taste the familiar metal in my mouth, I was grinning so hugely that my lips were starting to hurt.

I shouldn't have known to celebrate so early.

A sudden blare of red sirens light up the quiet night, breaking the tranquil silence that had accompanied the darkness.

Time to go.

Spinning on my heel, I dive into the midst of crowded buildings and alleys— knowing I would have the best chance of survival there. When I glance back, I see black shadows of men—their targets all the same.

To capture a weak, wounded girl—which unfortunately happened to be me.

Ignoring the stings that each stride brought, I weave through shops and houses as fast as I can. Adrenaline pumps through my blood as my feet hits the pavement, which also meant that my body must be glitching in and out like crazy.

Then my heart skips a long, painful beat as a bullet whizzes by my ear, bouncing off the wall just inches to my right. Letting my instincts take over, I curve to the right as I hear the popping sound of gunshots— too close for my liking.

How had they found me so fast?

Fear slowly fills my thoughts, making me think that each footstep, each bullet sounds closer than the last. My breath is already rough and ragged in my weak body as I resist the urge to collapse.

If I gave up here, I might as well have thrown myself in front of the firing men in the first place.

But I hadn't, which only left me the choice to keep going.

There wasn't any other option.

Aiming to avoid the rounds of bullets, I take every turn and twist I can find. Going straight would be the quickest path down to death— something even worse than death.

Dragged back into that hellhole, and watch my father make torture before seem dinky in comparison.

Never, never, never.

With my heart in my throat, I fade my body to the point where the bullets go through me like air.

I am air.

I never thought that having this curse would turn out to be such a blessing— if it hadn't been for the fade, then my body would've been riddled with death and pain.

Not a pleasing thought.

All of a sudden, everything goes red as someone's arm curls around my waist. My mind goes panic mode as a hand slams into my mouth, cutting off the scream that had been forming in my throat.

I'd been caught.

When he forcefully pulls me into an alley so narrow that I had failed to notice earlier, my mind switches from panic mode to survival mode.

My entire body sparks and tingles, turning me from reality to fiction within a second. A brief moment of satisfaction overwhelms me as I hear the man intake sharply in surprise.

That's all the time I need to stab my knife straight into his shoulder.

I'm shocked at how calmly this man handles a stab wound that deep— he merely dismisses it with an angry curse and pulls me even deeper into the alley, hissing darkly.

"If you keep acting this way, I'll just throw you back out there to die."

Disbelief and shock hits me so hard that I nearly disappear right in front of his eyes. I barely keep myself in the fragile holds of reality as I try to register what this man just told me.

Throw you back out there to die?

He was saving me?

"Damn Jin hyung— he just has to help everyone, does he?" The man growls, voice distorted with pain and fury.

Who in the world is Jin?

"Are you okay, Taehyung?"

A sudden voice around me nearly makes me scream my daylights out. When I whip around, I see another tall figure as he slings the injured man's arm around his shoulder.

"Damn, that's deep." The man says as he gives me a half-angered, half-amused look. I can't seem to remember how to speak as he motions for me to follow.

"What do you think?" He hisses, voice low and annoyed. His dark eyes flash back to me in hatred as the detest changes to pain.

"I'm sorry."

The apology is out before I can stick it back down my throat, and both men stop all of a sudden. While the man with my knife in his shoulder does nothing but to give me another look, the other waves his hand in amazement.

"You should be proud of yourself— how did you even manage to escape V's grip? Not to mention get a knife in him."

"Shut up, hyung." The man who seems to be V whispers as he winces visibly. Guilt fills me like a river— I'd pushed in that weapon with all the strength I'd had, propelled by panic and adrenaline.

Speaking of adrenaline, the chemical that had drowned my blood just a minute ago now seems to dissipate like mist. My legs nearly give out as a sudden wave of pain and exhaustion hits my body, bringing another round of glitching.

"She's fading," V shifts off of the man supporting him, his eyes fixed on my unwanted magic show. "How...how are you doing that?"

A lot of things happened after he asked me the question, each word laced with wonder that I hadn't really expected from the stone-cold man. After all, he hadn't even been surprised when I'd stuck a painful blade through his shoulder.

The first thing my mind had been functional enough to remember was that my sense of balance had gone somewhere to take a break. Blood had roared in my ears as I tilted to the side, not even realizing until something firm had pulled me back up again.

The second thing I can faintly recall is that it was V who had caught me, his eyes painted an unusual confusion that mirrored mine.