Chapter Text
It's the night after the idol awards.
Zoey and Mira return home, with no Rumi.
They were honestly clueless about where she could've gone.
"She can leave for good, I don't care." Mira exclaimes slamming her hands on the counter of the kitchen, frustration and betrayal leaking from her facial expressions
Zoey doesn't flinch. They both know that wasn't true but neither said anything else. There was nothing that could be done.
Rumi was gone, Mira was going crazy. And Zoey? Zoey was in a different headspace entirely. Her vision was foggy like a barrier protecting her from the outside world.
It was over.
"I'm leaving tomorrow." The older girl says not looking up from her phone.
Zoey doesn't remember when she pulled her phone out, nothing felt real in this moment.
"Going where?" Zoeys eyebrows pinched together with fear.
She can't leave. I can't do this alone.
The silence between them was deafening. The only light shining in the room were the lights from the city outside.
This wasn't really happening, was it? Was this really it? But they always found a way to fix things, always!
Zoey slowly, looked into the older girls empty stare. Out with the anger now all that resided was pain.
"I knew this was all to good to be true. I can't stay here." There was finality in her tone, she sounded completely sure despite the slight waver in her voice.
Zoey looked down at the floor. There wasn't anything she could say. Because she agreed. It was to good to be true.
Zoey spent years learning how to live with herself, learning how to be enough, how to prove herself.
Because if she wasnt enough, what was she?
Once she joined huntr/x, she had finally began to learn that she was in fact enough, that she had a purpose in life.
All the progress of Rumi and Mira convincing her that she has nothing to prove,
their meticulous timely methods of showing showing Zoey that she is more important than the voices in her head telling her otherwise.
It was all ruined, in mere hours.
Zoey felt ill. Bile crawling up her throat, which was forcefully swallowed. She has to be strong right now.
"Our faults and fears but never be seen." Celine's voice echoed in her head, the memory flashing so vividly in her eyes, until she snapped back to reality.
She only looked back up when she heard Mira stalk towards her bedroom. Leaving her in the kitchen to stand and stare at spot the older previously occupied.
She wasn't sure what to do. Scream? Cry? Plead? She felt completely numb.
Nothing she could say or do would fix this mess.
She doesn't remember walking back to her room, or getting into bed, still wearing the outfit from the idol awards.
Everything felt like a blur. She found herself staring at the ceiling, until slowly, she was lulled to sleep.
---
When she awoke again. It was morning, the sun was shining through her window, cars were honking signaling to her that the morning rush hour was still ongoing.
And for about 5 seconds she felt completely at peace. It was short lived though.
The memories of last night's events crashed over her like a wave and suddenly that dread and emptiness was all she could feel.
She didn't wanna leave her room. But she also wanted to say goodbye to Mira before she inevitably left for good.
Zoey was mad at how easy it was for Mira to leave. Despite this not being an easy thing to go through. They were supposed to be a team.
She rises from her bed and catches a glimpse of herself in her full length mirror. Freezing at the sight. She looked like a mess.
But oddly enough, she had pajamas on? Zoey has no recollection of changing last night..
She ponders on it for a moment before deciding it was probably just something she did subconsciously.
She opens her door and walks towards the living room. She can already feel the emptiness creep into the living room.
What she doesn't expect is to see Mira on the couch,
Shouldn't she be packing? I thought she was leaving?
Hope sparkles in the shorter girls eyes.
But what was even weirder. Rumi was in the kitchen, making breakfast.
That set off alarm bells in Zoeys head. But before she could process anything, she bolts straight for Rumi.
Hugging her tightly from behind.
Rumi tenses at the unexpected contact, but soon melts into the touch. She doesn't say anything at first, letting Zoey take the lead.
"Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" Zoey was frantically asking questions, her brain going so quick she was thinking more than she could speak.
Holding Rumi tighter like she would disappear if she let go.
Rumi turned around now and brought Zoey into her arms.
"Hey I'm okay, what's with all the questions? You're scaring me." Zoey pulls back a bit,
looking into Rumi's eyes but only to see nothing but pure confusion.
That set off another round of alarm bells in her mind.
"Last night? You- I- Mira's still here- you're still her- what?" She admits,
Why is Rumi here making breakfast, and why is Mira on the couch acting like she wasn't two seconds away from ditching her Korean life just last night?
Rumi looks down at the shorter girl with a smile that had laces of pity, on her face.
"Did you have a nightmare, my love?" Rumi's sweet voice coaxed the younger out of her thoughts.
It definitely wasn't a dream. It was to vivid. She wasn't crazy. Suddenly, she has a theory.
"Can I see your phone?" Zoey asks. With no hesitation Rumi hands her phone over.
She opens Rumi's phone. The familiar lockscreen of them three puts her a bit at ease. That is until she saw todays date.
June 20th.
The day before golden was getting released.
Zoey puts down the phone, in shock.
She still has time.