"Where did you find this?"
"Who did you steal this from?"
"What—"
They both said their sentences in unison, thrown in my spinning head like flying papers across the room. It was hard for me to keep track and focus on which question I should answer. They ignored my inquiry about the place I asked for earlier. The existence of a single brooch was enough to flip the table over and create a chaotic discourse.
I narrow my eyes and hold them captive with my stare.
"One at a time, please. Collin?" I shift my gaze at him, expecting him to repeat.
"Where did you find this?" Collin's words recurred. His lips went thin and his brow turned into wrinkles out of suspicion.
I raise my hand, indicating that I needed to pause, and then I draw in a long breath.
How do I make my story sound plausible?
"At the backyard around three am, I heard a strange noise outside and it bothered me. I went to go check it out and I found this thing—" I gently picked up the delicate brooch, showing it to them "—lying on the ground all of a sudden. I don't know why but someone must've left it."
Unfortunately, my answer didn't sound too convincing. I failed to reach and persuade Collin.
"I don't think anyone would decide to leave a precious thing and make a run for it." He bit down his lip and gave me a good argument. Collin laces his hands behind his head and leans back, looking up at the ceiling.
"Like, late at night? I mean sure, anything can happen when you hear things that go bump in the night but it doesn't make any sense. I'm sorry Huck, but I think you're getting a little delusional, not to be mean."
He's right, but he's also wrong. He hasn't seen nor heard the other side of the story.
I saw everything last night, and I'm not losing my mind I swear. How am I supposed to tell them that 2 random guys were having a messy brawl with powers without sounding too far-fetched or fictitiously made-up? Just saying that they looked like superheroes and villains was enough to make them think it's one of my non sequitur stories because it has no relevance to what preceded it.
I was in a tight corner. An option suggests that I could invite and show them the aftermath later at my house, but I wanted my question answered first.
I looked down at the table and then lift my head to level my view at him.
"I know it sounds far-fetched but I... really don't know why it was there. I was half asleep and it's not like I'd just ignore it or whatever. It was just there okay? Don't accuse me of anything like Anies did!" I defended myself.
"I— hey! I wasn't accusing you! It was merely a question!" Anies exclaims.
"Well, that sounded like an accusation wasn't it?" I give her a frown. "To answer your question, I didn't steal it from anyone. As I said, I found it lying on the ground. Period."
I let the silence sit in the atmosphere between the three of us for a while and cross one leg over the other, folding my arms grumpily and waiting for their reactions.
"Is there any other way for you to prove your claim? We're not being antagonistic here. We're just worried that you might get in trouble one way or another." Collin bit his thumb out of habit and gives me a look that says 'you're a good friend of mine please don't mess things up.' or at least what I assumed to be.
"I'm not going to get in trouble," I say, a marking reminder of my promise with mom was branded in my mind. "And believe me, even if I try to explain and show you proof about the brooch, you guys will end up judging me as a wacko who needs to be sent into a psych ward immediately."
"That is true. I mean you already are a wacko, to begin with." Anies added with a nod.
She gets a pinch on the cheek from Collin as a penalty and winces from the pain, her face of regret spoke in volumes. "No, no, no. Wait. Ow, ow. ow! Sorry! I know I was being a little mean!"
"Good." Collin pulls away and an impish smirk forms on his lips.
I clear my throat theatrically, fishing and luring their attention to me.
"Back to what I was saying... I can't explain or give a coherent reason as to how I found the brooch. All I can say is that I found this in my backyard and I have no clue who owns this." I spoke the half-truth.
A bubble of conjecture popped in my mind, and I only placed my guess on this fire guy being the owner of the brooch. Maybe it was the obvious and transparent answer at this point. Maybe I didn't need to guess? Then again, life is a storm full of crap and it takes a surprising turn sometimes.
Collin lets out a sigh while Anies rhythmically drummed her fingers on the table in a 4/4 time signature.
"I guess we'll have to believe in you." Collin drawled. He still didn't sound too trusting and his gray eyes shimmered in a palpable sense of apprehension, a vein pulsed on his temple and he looked a little stiff.
"Well, who cares where and how he found the brooch? We should digress and get back to answering his question just to be fair." Anies slams both of his hands on the table, her carefree and singsong voice flowed and cut the fog of dubiety around us.
"What was it again? Campaign City, right? Never heard of it before. I don't think they've mentioned a thing about it in our Geography class. Is it the place where the brooch is from?"
"Yeah. Says here on its casing." I lift the brooch and point the engraved small texts.
Collin rubs his chin with a thumb and peruses the brooch like it was brought up for questioning. "You think we can ask Sir Allaband about this?"
"I can also ask my mom and dad when I get home. They might know something! They've been to places before they settled here in RT." Anies contributes. "What do you think the C.C. stands for?"
"Uh. Isn't it already self-explanatory?" I give her a look of unwavering judgment.
"No?"
"It's Campaign City, you goose." Collin nudges Anies on the shoulder with a teasing smirk. She casually rolls her eyes in response and runs a hand through her hair.
"We could also search for details in the school library instead of asking our teacher and see if we can find the place written in the books." Collin proposes another plan. He stretches his arms out wide and yawned, a cracking noise erupted from his spine.
I nodded and concurred; there is good accordance between me and him, plus I liked the idea.
"Yeah, we can do that instead. I don't wanna embarrass myself and be admonished in case I forgot about our lessons. Sir Allaband can get pretty terrifying sometimes." A shudder traveled over my body, tiny hairs on my skin prickled and my veins turned into ice for a sudden moment.
"Haha, the thing is..." Anies laughs nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. Her jubilant mood shifted into a despondent one. "The school library is closed. There's been a bit of an accident... Actually, that's a bit of an understatement. There was a big accident."
"What?"
Collin and I shared the same words as we both goggle and gape at Anies, we were obviously flabbergasted. A deluge of rumination and questions flew up in my head with a splinter of surprise.
"The two of you are quite fond of that word huh?" Anies tips her head to the side and tucks her hands under her arms like she was feeling chilly and impuissant from the world itself.
"Stone the crows," Collin murmurs a whisper. I don't know what it means but it's probably one of his idioms.
"What happened? Why? How? When? Who?" 4 Ws and 1 h spouted from my mouth as fast as possible before Collin could start asking.
"So um," her right hand twitched as if it were trying to thwart her attempts of speaking. "The bookshelves and the stuff in the room were mostly burnt into crisp and ashes when the school librarian came in to open the library early in the morning. No one really knows why and how it happened, and not a single suspect was found. Other people speculate that someone sneaked in and invaded inside the library last night, and then burned it all down like it was some sort of planned conspiracy. I don't know but I'm thinking the same thing."
I tap a finger on my right cheek and sighed. Who else could've done this? Intuition guides and tells me that it was the fire guy from last night because it correlated the 2 events like a dovetail.
But I also have a feeling that it could be a simple red herring, wagging its tail right in front of me to lure and tempt me to take its own bait. Solving this problem was a bit of pain, especially since we still had to figure out where this 'Campaign City' is. I was hopeful and excited yet nervous and dreadful for the things to come.
"Well, unfortunate timing. Maybe after our classes, we can go visit a local library and scour for books there." I conclude and stood up from my seat. I needed to get ready for my Economics class. "Any objections? Reactions? Violations? Solutions? Mentions?"
"Nope! You know what they say. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Anies does a fist pump, punching the air to emphasize her words.
"I mean we can ask Sir Allaband about it tomorrow." Collin gives me a thumbs-up. "I have nothing else to say."
"Then it's settled. The local library it is." I said.
"Wait! How about the funny thing?" Anies interrupts and waves her hand in the air. "You can't leave without seeing the funny thing, Huck. I made a promise."
"Save that for later." I dismiss her, gesturing and shooing her away to leave. "I still have classes."
"Well, I want you to see it right now. I don't have the time and patience to wait."
For a fraction of a minute, I darted a glance at Collin, searching for any facial messages or replies he can give to me, but he simply shook his head with his impish smile saying that I can't argue or fight back against the stubborn as a mule Anies.
"What funny thing are you going to show me anyways?" I sighed.
"Look at this."
Anies temerariously slides her phone across the surface of the table, almost falling off before I seized it like a prisoner in my hands. My god was she mentally straining to deal with.
I consciously examine her phone screen, trying to see anything interesting.
I gave up on that.
I look at Anies once again, my bored eyes meeting with hers, and a weary sigh escaped from my lips.
"What am I supposed to look at?"
"Just scroll down and watch it!" she would encourage me.
Wanting to get this over with, I did what she asked— my finger flicking up to scroll down on this stupid video-sharing website called 'Youtube'. My eyes finally transfer their attention over a title that says "Naked Man Found Living In Woman's Trunk". It was oddly specific. Collin leans to the side and takes a peek over my shoulder as we both watch the video studiously.
"What the fu—"
"I know! For 3 days! He claims to be the son of the pope and he's doing this because it's the rite of passage. What can I say?" Anies cuts me off before I could utter my curse. She places her feet on the table and grins widely.
Collin proceeds to move her feet away with one arm; the amount of strength he has almost made Anies lose her balance and fall to the ground. Anies throws him daggers of icy and vengeful glares. Collin, on the other hand, gives a derisive snicker as a reply.
"I don't find this funny. I find this entirely confusing and concerning." I answer, confounded and puzzled from the video.
"Well, it does look silly and random to me." Collin muses and a light smile tugs on his lips before it waned. "It's something that never happens quite often. Think of Florida for example. What happens in Florida?"
"Nothing, in particular, I guess? There are a lot of murky wetlands in Florida from what I can remember." I fire them a logical reply.
"Alligator wrestling with the Florida man! Also, a man high on drugs who killed an imaginary friend turns himself in." Anies goes for the ludicrous response.
"You're no fun, Huck. And you're too childish, Anies." Collin laughs.
"Whatever." I shrugged.
A few seconds of the clip finally ends with the naked man getting arrested by the authorities. The next clips come to a compilation of people doing comical or zany things. I wasn't too keen or interested in watching since I was supposed to follow Anies' wish; I gave back her phone and she took it with the appearance of cheerfulness and amusement plastered on her face.
At long last, the bell ultimately rang, and I knew it was time to move on and resume our daily lives and studying by rote.
I face 2 of my best friends and send them a goodbye wave before turning around to leave the cafeteria, a storm of chattering dissents was still buzzing in my ears. My legs carry me with a spring of anticipation, our prime objective was to learn more and the discovery of it was an empty book, yet to be written anew and noted down by erudition.
Excitement rushed in my muscles and triggered my hypothalamus.
I can't wait for later.
•••
After my classes were done I casually waited outside the school entrance. Right above me, the sun was playing a little game of peek-a-boo behind the thick sheet of clouds, and the benign sky looked like it had an atmospheric fire. The spilled shadows around my place slowly crept on the ground like it was grasping for a tangible object. The evening was gradually approaching and I'm guessing it was around 3 or 4 pm right now.
We still had a lot of time left because the local library closes at 10 pm.
So I waited... And waited.
And waited for almost a fraction of an hour until my patience had enough and screamed into my brain to start texting the two of them on my phone.
"Where r u guys? Reply asap pls. Tnx."
There was no instant reply obviously. The three of us always messaged at each other in our group chat so it would be simpler, terse, and convenient to text instead of direct messages. Although if we had our own secrets and gossip to share with one person only, it always went straight to the private contacts. It was a rule and manner of respect.
What are they doing anyway? A thought prodded my curiosity and made me wonder more about their situation.
As if on cue, a buzzing cacophony notified me from my phone, breaking my reverie. Anies.
AaaaAaaaaAAAaaaAAaAaAaaaAAaaAA:
"idk about collin juz finished club recently. heading there as soon as i can!!! ill try to be quick :)"
"Where did you last see him btw? Don't you guys have the same class before club activities?"
AaaaAaaaaAAAaaaAAaAaAaaaAAaaAA:
"went to the washroom i think that's the last thing i rember and saw him. my guy wanted to spurt like a fountain lol."
"Ha ha ha ha ha."
And that's where I ended the discussion in a finishing touch of sardonicism. I twiddled my thumbs momentarily and tapped my foot on the ground, starting to count down the seconds of their arrival.
1... 2... 3...
4... 5...
26... 27... 28.
In under 46 seconds, Anies finally arrives with her usual grin and her hazelnut brown eyes reflecting in the light. She gives me a high-spirited wave while I lean against the wall and let out a sigh of relief as the two of us waited for Collin next.
I started to count again but before I could do so—
Lo and behold. My words summoned him. It was the man, the myth, the legend.
"Where have you been?" I asked. It sounded more like I demanded his answer.
Collin purposely and messily ruffles his hair, looking quite abashed of himself. "Took a long time in the bathroom stalls, plus I had to help Miss Sullivan carry the papers and books to her office."
"See? I told you he went to spurt like a fountain and take a massive dump like an elephant." Anies giggles, she was the innate epitome of rascality.
"Stomach tells me it's not a great day." Collin gives a pat on his abdomen. "Been feeling a little under the weather."
"Putting that aside, can we finally go now? Time waits for no one, you know." I walk a few steps forward and fold my arms in irritability and restlessness. I didn't want to linger around and stall for time, long enough until I get in trouble. "I have curfew till eleven. I don't want mom getting too worried."
Both of them nodded and exchanged looks of understanding towards each other. Warmth floods in my chest as I smile and led the way for them.
Our travel didn't take us too long, maybe almost an hour of walking. We didn't spend our small allowance on a fare, deciding that we should have a bit of physical exertion or activity to get ourselves healthy. By the time we reached our destination, the establishment was rising like a stony and undying behemoth.
For a local library itself, I was expecting it to be quite smaller in scale. I was wrong. The exterior sign on top of the building entitled "public library", in all capital letters, was displayed complacently and proudly like it was looking down on us. The wheat-colored facade of the structure had a few parallel, golden lines on its walls, adorning the building with its own free will. The windows... well. They exist. I guess? Carefully lined up in a symmetrical order only to have one of them be a little out of place and uneven. Now I'm no architect, but that's quite off-putting and needs a bit of fixing.
The three of us enter and gently push past the glassy doors, only to be greeted by an empty and hushed world inside this library, yet the warm, apricot lights made the absence of liveliness look purported or make it seem like a sham. The orange and fuzzy carpet below spanned to the librarian's counter, welcoming us cheerfully with its fulgent color. The librarian himself acts contrary to the synthetic fiber under our feet.
He was a gatekeeper from the underworld, probably still in his 20s. Dark rings smeared under his eyes, displeased crinkles marked on his forehead, the muscle on his jaw twitching from our sudden appearance, and the tousled curls on his jet-black hair looked like it was swept away by the aggressive wind. He was definitely the character archetype of "when is my shift over? life is a mistake and I don't get paid enough for this" or probably one of the sleep-deprived college students type.
I've seen a lot of these guys in the movies and I knew not to piss them off in their moody temper like they were in their masculine period if there ever was one.
And it kinda looks like Anies hasn't watched too many of these movies, because the first thing she did was give the dog-tired man a friendly and enthusiastic wave which prompts him to look up with a phlegmatic stare, slowly turning into an icy and hostile one. Yikes.
"Come on, we don't have time to make friends here. He doesn't look too happy to see you." Collin murmurs with a hiss and drags her away.
"We head over to the History and Geography section, room B1. I think." I scratch my head and look around. I could only stretch a sliver of my foggy memory in this library when I needed to return a comic book I borrowed last year.
The gargantuan bookshelves around us served as walls for a massive labyrinth. The signage providing directions was quite nice but navigating the sections inside the library made it doable to get lost here like a child in a populated carnival. There were so many things to read and explore that I can't keep up.
"Should we ask the librarian instead?" Anies actively perks up a suggestion, a fleeting smile drawn on her face.
"Would you like to ask him then? Because no way in hell I am ever getting a single word out of him without being treated condescendingly." I shuddered and continue walking forward.
"Why not? He seems to be pretty chill," she responds with a shrug. "Asides from looking like an added insult to injury."
Okay, wow Anies. That's a bit too far.
Was what my mind wanted me to say but I was mentally tired to speak up.
"He's chill enough to freeze you in place and start cussing at you. I really think we shouldn't waste his waste precious time." Collin answers. "We'll find the place ourselves. It's not hard to miss it."
"I mean, we can approach him later if we're brave enough to do it. It won't hurt us if we try asking him a few questions." I added, hoping to end the discussion and keep Anies contented.
Anies nods and goes along with my plans. "We can sue him if he lashes out on us! Piece of cake."
"Very wise of you," I reply, a tone of sarcasm dosed in my voice.
Praying that the signs will guide us to our promised land, we went straight ahead without reconsidering to go back and ask the cantankerous, fatigued, man who probably had a few hours of fitful sleep last night. We turned a lot of corners, left, right, right, left, right, left, until I couldn't figure out where we were. The mazy network of books left me utterly disoriented, and there were too many things to process inside my head.
I look up to see a sign above me.
Classic section. Room D1.
"Not here," I say to myself and move on. "Maybe we need to move further ahead or go back to where we came from. Maybe it's in another room. What do you guys think—"
I look behind and see the two of them have gone AWOL. It was like their very existence dematerialized with one snap from an omnipotent and unconquerable villain I've seen in the comics and movies.
I have 4 questions.
Did they stray off?
Did they decide to suddenly split up?
Were they pulling a prank on me?
Or is it just my overthinking habits again?
Definitely the last part of the question. I've felt a little irate thinking it may also be the third question but I don't think Collin was the type to fool around and Anies was quite supportive of the idea.
I breathe in... I breathe out... Looping this cycle of consistency until my senses returned to me once more, and I was able to control my agitated emotions. I retrace my steps and walk back to our last spot. It was time to find the fantastic idiots and give them a bit of scolding for disappearing without a trace.
In a series of events, I was able to pick up a sound of scampish giggling coming from my right and I immediately knew who it was. I didn't even need to think about it or say the name aloud. She was always the goof in our group.
"Look, if you guys aren't really in for this research then I think both of you should leave. I'll handle my own instead." I sighed exasperatedly. "It's not really funny when I'm trying to be serious here and you guys are fooling around like a bunch of jerks."
No response. Just more giggling as a way of provoking my anger.
And it did.
Having had enough of this witless mockery, I stomped towards the sound with my sour mood, my blood boiling, and my head filled in with ideas of how to hurt someone without them dying. I furiously dug my nails in my palms, clenching my hands into a livid ball of fists.
Turning the corner, the room drastically fell itself in cold silence, as if someone extinguished a burning candle in a caliginous space. The mellow and cozy lights were replaced by carmine brilliance all around, a shudder of apprehension took over my temperament. I heard nothing but my pounding heart and restrained breath as I watch my surroundings. Anies and Collin weren't even here; there were only tiny particles of dust (and ashes?) that meandered and idled in the air. The reality was falsified and it was like I crossed another dimension.
Was I the one who got lost in the first place?
Was I dreaming?
Did I immediately pass out due to exhaustion?
What is going on?
As if on a cue to answer my thoughts, an audible sound of a knock grabbed my attention. I immediately turn my view to a sight of an unexplainable man with an animalistic mask of a raven, sitting on top of a wooden table with one leg crossed over the other. His outfit chiefly reminded me of the plague doctor I'd see in pop culture media, though his outer, satin garments of black and maroon design made him look quite gaudy and jocular to me. He even had a cape which thoroughly gave away his identity of being another person with powers or abilities.
Seriously, what is up with superheroes or villains associated with capes fashionably? It was tantamount to a cliche of cheesy and romance novels, becoming a trite or banal thing to see that it even displeases me a little. Most of them probably can't even fly! Maybe it was more of a showy or traditional thing to display as a ubiquitous trademark. Who knows?
My train of thoughts was abruptly cut off from the raven-masked figure, tapping his dependable cane on the ground and clearing his throat to notify me and announce his appearance.
"Your brooch! Hand it over. Saberflare wants it back." The raven guy exclaims with a pinch of amusement in his tone. "You don't want to test his temper by taking his precious things do you now? Ahem. Apologies for the intrusion by the way!"
Saberflare? Intrusion?
Something instantly clicked in my head, puzzle pieces were connecting slowly and it kind of made sense despite the situation looking more of a make-believe thing. He was talking about the fire guy and he was believably a comrade of his.
I decided to confidently strike a bargain with him. My anxiety and presentiment of tragedy recently declined and weakened all because of this man's funny-looking and intriguing appearance.
"I'll give it to you under one condition..." I mutter and take a few steps back, the brooch was still buried inside my bag. "You tell me where and what Campaign City is and then I return the brooch."
His response to this was a tip of his head to the right and emitted a chortled noise like he was choking from laughter.
"Ah, no can do sire! Apologies. My lips are sealed and I'm not supposed to tell you that." he raises one finger and wags it. "Got any other thing you want? If you want I can tell you where your friends are and how they're both holding up!"
"That's the only thing I can barter for. Information in exchange for the brooch."
"I really can't tell you. Apologies really." the man shrugs and stood up. He pats away the dust and ashes accumulated on his black vest, then took a few steps towards me.
He can't tell me about the city when it's literally the easiest thing to do? There must be a reason why he can't say a word. My inner voice inferred.
"Apologies to you as well," I say and cautiously turn my body in the other direction, shifting my weight and energy to my legs and feet. My intentions and plans were clear up to this point. "I'm afraid that I have to leave soon. I have my own matters to attend to."
The man dangerously strode closer to my distance with his walking cane, his heavy footsteps shook the ground as an unpleasant feeling confined my bravery and strength to carry on.
"Don't you dare—"
Too late.
I cut him off and broke into a run, sprinting to another room without even daring to look back and see if he bolted into action as well. My heart palpitated and drummed insanely, my veins turned into ice, and my stamina sapped from running and mustering my energy while I attempt to escape from the raven-masked figure.
I don't want to jinx myself but I'm praying to get out of here alive.
I'm even wasting all of my yearly luck and prayers just for my safety.
God, please make it work.