his dark hair swept over his forehead, the silky locks slipping through his fingers as he subconsciously raked his digits through them, dark brown eyes focused on the lesson that the teacher presented. "the chemical compound of hydrogen peroxide," beginning to zone out the professor, his deep voice just became an annoying background buzz as baekhyun frowned, his finger getting caught in a tangle in his ebony locks. working his way through the knots, he absentmindedly twirled a section of his hair, his nimble fingers slipping through the fine hairs.

he sat, uncomfortable in his stiff cotton uniform, the tie a little too tight against his neck, the navy blue pants a little too long for his liking. smoothing down his hair, he couldn't help but notice two eyes watch him as he pushed his tresses back over his forehead, squirming in his plastic seat. he glanced out of the small window in the classroom, noticing the dreary weather with bleak thunderclouds resembling damp cotton hanging in the sky. the gaze unwavering at the back of his head, goosebumps pricked baekhyun's skin and drew a shiver from him, rain now beginning to patter against the glass. the class was a messy arrangement of tired teenagers and wooden desks, graphite and ink staining the faded gray metal of the tables.

soon, a streak of lightning could be seen painting the sky, a flash of white in a field of grey monochrome. the sound of rain mixed with the scratching of pencils didn't cease as baekhyun tilted his head to lock eyes with a familiar shade of brown, the same pair that had been burning themselves onto his back. "finally turned to look," the owner of the dark irises spat, bleached blonde hair styled to perfection above his forehead. the teacher now took a seat behind his desk, clasping his hands rather animatedly over a pile of papers strewn across the surface. he peered at the two over his spectacles—observing one of many exchanges between the two boys.

"can i help you with something?" baekhyun murmured quietly, averting his gaze to trail the vinyls on the floor. again, he found his hands in his hair as they furiously twirled and loosened, his lower lip tucked between his teeth. anxiously, he tapped his foot against the cold floor, his shoes now a muddy brown compared to the pristine black they had been just a few months ago. his pale skin contrasted greatly against his hair, making him glow like a fluorescent light.

a teasing smile made its way onto the boy's thin lips, his hands reaching up to adjust his already perfect hair. "of course you can, baekhyun," he sneered, large nose crinkling after saying his name. "just meet me and my boys after school, and we'll tell you what you can do to help us." his voice rose an octave near the end of his sentence, the vibrato of the underlying threat shaking through the dull-eyed male.

everyday, it was the same routine. force material through his brain all morning, making his skull ache, but continue to receive the same harassment each fourth period. lips set in a straight line, baekhyun nodded curtly, swivelling in his seat to face the front once more, quickly flipping open his textbook and beginning to pen down his answers and hypothesis to the given laboratory experiment. his thick lashes fluttered to a close as he breathed through his nose, the oxygen performing a pirouette through his lungs before diving back out into the toxic atmosphere.

soon, the faint sound of metal against metal was heard as the other students rushed out of the school, eager to let smoke fill their already charred lungs, and to waste away the night in front of screens and in the arms of someone who'd leave them the next day. he lethargically packed up, taking his time as certain brown eyes impatiently glared at his tall figure to hasten his pace. sliding his binders and folders into his small red knapsack, baekhyun slung it over his shoulder and began to walk out, the other figure following him at a leisurely pace. pressing his pale hand against the front school doors, he pushed them open. the dismal weather caused a shiver to race up his spine as a strong shove pushed him out, causing him to lay splayed across the front steps of the school. pain seared through his body as his knees made contact with the rough concrete, a small yelp leaving his chapped lips upon noticing the red streaks now mixing with the falling rain. he pulled his knapsack closer to himself, his grip on the bag making his knuckles turn a ghastly shade of white. small crescent imprints made their way onto the fabric of the bag, his nails digging through the leather.

"finally, the bitch is out of that hellhole - thought he'd never leave," the fellow boy tittered, two others stepping out of the tall metal doors and flanking him. "we need some of your help, baekhyun." his eyes held an unsettling gleam of excitement, causing baekhyun's heart to lurch. nodding timidly, he felt his teeth chatter, his hair becoming heavy with the weight of the musty rain. he quickly pulled his fingers through the dark locks, attempting to tame them. the three boys snickered sourly, throwing their heads back and allowing the sound to fill the empty silence. their scrutinizing eyes grazed over baekhyun's terrified state, bringing grins of satisfaction onto their lips.

circling around him like vultures at their roadkill, their arms were neatly folded at their chests, their noses pretentiously in the air. "there's a house down elvira crescent. heard it's loaded. no one even lives in that manor." was the simple explanation from one of the boys, the one with caramel brown hair and muddy brown eyes, his height towering over the other two by a good six inches. baekhyun's dark irises flit from one boy to the other cautiously, his hands behind him as he sat on the now wet asphalt. by now, the droplets of water had drenched them all. baekhyun was sure that his father wouldn't be too pleased about his tardiness when he got home as he glanced at his wristwatch, the silver hour hand pointing to the hour three, indicating that he was late by approximately thirty minutes.

"sehun, tell him what he's got to do." the last boy urged the blonde, blowing stray hairs away from his visage. "can't train a dog without telling it what to do."

the leader - sehun, as they called him - rounded on baekhyun, a tasteful paso doblé of brown against ebony as they blankly stared at each other. "we just need you to go and grab whatever's there, baekhyun. if you do well, maybe we'll even share some of the findings with you," he pleaded in a sickeningly bittersweet voice, fluttering his lashes at said boy mockingly. baekhyun slightly rolled his eyes, a sigh slipping past his lips as sehun stood with his hands crossed over his chest, tapping his shoes on the ground. after moments of silence, his eyebrows rose along with the volume of his voice, "well? are you going to do it or not?"

baekhyun simply shrugged, a rather bold action against these boys and the circumstances. although a fiery blaze of anger coursed through his veins, he kept his emotions level as he asked, "if i refuse...?" small crinkles formed on his nose as the brunette stepped forwards, pulling an electrical shaver from his messenger bag which was comfortably slung across his shoulder. he stepped forwards, grabbing a handful of baekhyun's thick hair, holding the shaver near his scalp.

"why would you ever do such a thing?" he rasped into baekhyun's ear, lips dry and chapped, "we wouldn't want all of this hair to be gone, now would we?" he started the shaver slowly, the vibrations of the moving blade sending shivers across his skin. baekhyun's breath caught in his throat, his eyes scanning the vicinity for any way to create distance between himself and this lunatic.

tucking his backpack against his chest, he quickly rolled onto his side, causing the irritated male to kick his side harshly, a pained grunt heard from baekhyun. "no," he croaked, small tears welling in his glossy eyes, "i'll do it." he hoped he sounded convincing enough, the rain almost making his gentle voice inaudible. as he feverishly stood up, he noticed satisfied grins on his captors' faces, the two ahead of him parting to allow him to pass. "when, and where?" tears mixed with the falling drops of water, making them unnoticeable against his light skin.

"tomorrow. after school. don't miss it, although I'm sure we don't have to remind you more than once, hm?" twirling the razor in his fingers at a painstakingly slow pace, the three stalked off, wiping their damp faces with equally damp sleeves. they seemed to be rejoicing, at least from what baekhyun could see. "see you tomorrow, baekhyun!" they yelled in unison, waving over their shoulders as they playfully pushed each other, a certain bounce in their step now that they had fulfilled what they wanted.

sighing, baekhyun slung his knapsack back over his shoulders, turning away from the school and walking in the opposite direction to a place he hated to call home. the sun began to peek over the dark clouds, bathing everything in it's warm yellow glow, contradicting what baekhyun was actually feeling. he tucked his thumbs under the straps of his backpack, lips pressed together in a straight line as his small home entered sight, the unkempt lawn littered with weeds, the split wood on the steps, and the rusty doorknob that sat wedged into the door, making the house look miserable and desolate.

baekhyun carefully tiptoed up the damaged steps, listening intently for any sounds over the constant rustle of dead leaves and the breeze. he jumped upon hearing a crash, holding his breath before twisting the doorknob and entering, noticing his intoxicated father holding a woman by the hair, her face against the wall and broken sobs leaving her lips. "third one this week," baekhyun noted with solemn eyes, watching his father fumble with something in his pocket before pulling out a small cigar, pressing it between his lips and setting the end ablaze with a click of a lighter. the smoke leaked from his mouth in small, translucent spirals, dissipating into nothing as he continued to bark insults at the poor woman, her goddess-like features contorting into a pained expression.

before his father could notice baekhyun's torn figure in the doorway, he softly closed the door and sprinted up the stairs, slipping his shoes off somewhere along the way. finally reaching the door of his dingy room, he hastily opened it before slamming it shut behind him and sinking against it, slowly sliding down until he was seated with his back to the door. hearing more painful thuds from downstairs, tears glided down his cheeks, and this time, he didn't bother stopping them.

he pressed his eyes into his palms, feeling the salty tears pool in his hands, soft whimpers heard from him as he continued to weep, his heart aching with fear and contempt. as he drew his scraped knees to his chest, encircling them with his arms, he wished that he were away from everything, away from this cruel world.

little did baekhyun know that his wish would come true the next day.

an;
lmao here's the first chapter, it's gonna be some slow updates starting up but it'll pick up the pace, i promise :)