"Why did I even come here…" Ethan blinked his eyes as he looked around him with a lost expression.
Around, he was surrounded in a hall full of slates and people, the faint glow of smartphone screens that peeked out from pockets and bags.
He would have never come here if not for the perfect attendance his Aunt's demand.
"Honestly, how the hell did looking at weird slates provide any entertainment?" Ethan clicked his tongue.
"I wonder the same."
Right. He wasn't alone. He turned to his side, glancing at the 15-year old boy leaning on the wall next to him, hands in his pocket.
Gilbert. A somewhat popular guy in class.
Ethan was still confused why this guy chose to hang out with him.
Regardless, he didn't mind. He had someone to grumble with afterall. "Why do they have to ask so many questions?" he gazed at his classmates scattered all over. "It's not like any of this matters."
Gilbert chuckled softly, "Right? They all are acting like this an exam!"
Their conversation, however, was interrupted by a distant commotion. Ethan looked over, his gaze quickly turning into a brief, disdainful glance.
He grimaced, turning the other way. "It's him."
Gilbert sighed, looking at a particularly crowd, spotting 'him'. A tall, slender boy with blond hair and crystal blue eyes, surrounded by an entourage of admiring girls and boys.
"Adrian." He finished for Ethan.
There was a simple reason Gilbert didn't like Adrian.
In the grand scheme of high school hierarchy, Gilbert could be considered fairly handsome, but next to someone like Adrian, he looked painfully average.
Ethan's hate however, wasn't for the same reason.
"Hey Gilbert?"
"Hmm?"
Ethan turned to face Gilbert, "Should we just kidnap that guy?"
Gilbert furrowed his brows. "What?"
Ethan maintained his stoic mask, "Don't worry much, we'll just apply some non-harmful torture methods a bit, like the Chinese water torture before leaving him."
"Wait–"
"Don't worry, even if we get caught, we can play it off as a prank. Everyone will think we're foolish 15-year-olds. Worst case scenario, we'll have to do community service for a month or two."
Gilbert frowned, before sighing, "I can't tell if you're joking or serious…"
Ethan raised a brow, "Why would I be joking?"
Gilbert coughed, looking at Ethan with a strange expression. "Why do you hate him anyway?" He pointed his index at him, "Like, aren't you on par with him in looks?"
Ethan frowned, looking forward as he pointed his finger in front, "What do you see?"
"Tons of people flocking around Adrian."
"Exactly." Ethan clenched his jaw a little, "this happens every field trip." He clicked his tongue, "Whenever he finds something interesting, those sheep suddenly pretend whatever Adrian is looking at is the coolest thing ever. All as an excuse to start a stupid conversation with him."
He paused, glaring at Adrian. "Frankly, it's disgusting how he can entertain so many conversations. If it were me, I'd ignore them or tell them to shut up. Maybe then, getting home would be faster."
Gilbert began to blink for a few moments before breaking a chuckle. "Your reasoning is so... Ethan-like," he said. Ethan's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean by th–"
"Hey guys, what are you up to?"
He immediately stiffened, feeling the discomfort flickering across his features. He turned to see two girls approaching them and stuttered. "Uh, nothing much."
Gilbert looked at the two girls with a smile, "Just the usual, grumbling about Adrian. Where were the two of you?"
Reyna rolled her eyes, pointing at the girl beside her. "Appartantly, Samantha was a really big fan of these stupid artifacts. What a shocker!"
Samantha chuckled a little, stretching the back of her hair. Her hazel eyes looked to the side as she spoke, "Isn't it fascinating, though? All of these artifacts have their own stories."
Ethan glanced briefly at the ancient pottery and weathered scrolls she was looking at, "Sure, I guess,".
Gilbert and Reyna simply followed suit.
Reyna raised her hand, "Oh yeah, speaking of artifacts, I saw a very weird looking one right over there." She extended her hand, pointing at a particular artifact.
Following Reyna's gaze, Ethan's eyes were drawn to a striking clay vase cushioned in a display case. The vase was meticulously crafted with intricate gold outlines, while its surface was a tapestry of swirling patterns and ancient symbols.
It's most eccentric feature was the monkey-like face etched in front.
"Like, what kind of idiots go on dates in places like these?" She added, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Reyna… Are you calling me an idiot?" Samantha had a dangerous smile. Reyna raised her brow, "It's not like you're on a date, are you Sam?" Then, she smirked, glancing at Ethan, "Or do you have someone in mind for dates like these?"
"Eh?!" Samantha flinched at the sudden question, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson. She began to fidget nervously with her long auburn hair, twirling it around her fingers.
Her eyes darted towards Ethan briefly before she quickly looked down, her embarrassment palpable.
'Could you please be more obvious…' Gilbert looked at the scene with a deadpan face.
Suddenly, however, Ethan walked to the vase, ignoring what was happening around him.
The vase looked just like any other weird artifact but yet it was different. As Ethan approached, the ambient noise of the museum seemed to fade into the background. He could hear the muffled voices from behind, but he couldn't discern the words. The only sound that he could hear clearly was the soft clicking of his own shoes.
Step.
Step.
Step.
With each step closer, He felt an inexplicable pull, as if an invisible thread connected him to the artifact. The air around him felt thick. He was barely breathing. No, he wasn't breathing, rather, holding it in.
"THUD!"
He crashed into someone. The sudden collision jolted him out of his reverie as Ethan looked down to see Adrian on the floor.
'Agh..'