"It's so unfair that you get to go to Kiris and I don't. You don't even like nature," Chubby exclaimed as he watched Mel prepare for her school's field trip.
"Chubby, let your sister be!" Kate yelled from the balcony.
"Trust me, Clinton, the last thing I want is to attend this trip. If we could switch places, I would gladly trade with you. But I don't have a choice; I have to go on this boring trip," Mel said, unintentionally offering her brother some counsel.
Chubby had been a nature lover since birth, a true enthusiast for plants and soils. Mel often teased him about having been a greenkeeper in his past life.
Everyone who knew anything knew that Kiris was an embodiment of pure nature. It was also rumoured to be an ancient spiritual place, though Mel couldn't have cared less. Her only reason for going on this trip was that it was compulsory for her grade, and she needed to improve her D in biology from last semester, lest she fail the class.
After hours of packing, Mel was finally ready. Chubby's sulking came to an end when she promised him he could use her ring light for shooting TikToks.
Upon arriving at school, the bus was nearly full, but a space had been reserved for her by the twins. Mel thought to herself that she wouldn't have survived high school without them. Pen and Twelve sat together, and Pheebs and Mel faced them. The two-hour journey brought them to Kiris.
"Wow, this place is so beautiful," Mel exclaimed as they unpacked their belongings. She finally understood why Chubby was upset about missing this.
"I agree, Mel. For such an ancient place, Kiris is stunning," Pheebs chimed in.
"Best school trip ever!" Pen cheered, running towards Twelve who was setting up their tent.
Mel was about to join in when Pheebs addressed her with a concerned expression. "Are you okay, Mel?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Mel replied, feigning detachment.
However, she had been avoiding a conversation with Pheebs about something that had been nagging at her. Weeks had passed since she had that peculiar encounter with the boy, and he had vanished. She couldn't shake off the feeling that her actions that day had scared him away. Maybe he had just been genuinely interested in her, and that was all. She had been replaying that day in her mind to figure out where she might have missed him, but she was beginning to think it had all been a hallucination.
"Don't play innocent with me, Elsher!" Pheebs retorted firmly.
Luckily, Twelve intervened to rescue them from the tension. "Come on, girls! Let's get the tent set up. Pen and I found two more roommates for your girls' tent."
"You're supposed to be finding roommates for yourself, big guy," Pheebs teased Twelve.
Mel had dodged the topic for now, but she knew she owed Pheebs an explanation. Her friend was undoubtedly concerned, and she didn't want to keep her in the dark. But how could she explain something she barely understood herself?
"Veronica Rose and Gale Hillman are our extra roommates? Seriously? Veronica still dislikes me for some reason, and Gale inherited it," Mel commented after Pen filled her in.
Pen attempted to reassure her. "I'm sure Veronica doesn't still feel that way. That was ages ago."
While it had been a while, everyone knew that Veronica still harboured some ill feelings.
Veronica Rose used to have a major crush on Ervin Mitchell back in 7th grade. Her infatuation was so obvious that it was known to everyone, including Ervin himself. However, Ervin wasn't interested in her. He wasn't mean; he simply didn't share the same feelings. Then, at a house party one night, Ervin ended up kissing Mel. It was a result of being caught in the moment and having a bit too much to drink. Unfortunately, Veronica witnessed this kiss, and her feelings turned sour towards Mel. From that point on, Veronica held a grudge against Mel. She once even went so far as to soak Mel's uniform while she was participating in a game. Mel had no choice but to wear her sweat-drenched sportswear. Over the years, the intensity of their feud had lessened, but the tension between them was still palpable.
After successfully setting up their tents, it was quite late, and the students were meant to rest. However, some students suggested having a bonfire and playing games for a while. Mrs. Archer initially hesitated about this idea, but after persistent persuasion, she eventually agreed, setting a curfew before retiring for the night. She promised to return for an inspection.
The chosen games centred mostly around truth or dare, with no alcohol involved due to Mrs. Archer's vigilant supervision. Mr. Devin, another chaperone for the trip, was present as well. Unlike Mrs. Archer, he was more relaxed, and the students liked him.
"You're in my way, dumbass," Veronica bluntly told Mel, who was nestled in her sleeping space.
Mel intended to avoid participating in the games, hoping to sleep early to steer clear of Veronica. Unfortunately, Veronica had other plans.
"I'm not obstructing you in any way, Veronica! If you're trying to provoke a fight, you've picked the wrong night and the wrong girl," Mel retorted in frustration.
Veronica's response was aggressive. "You must think you're worth my time, huh? Well, newsflash: you aren't!" She grabbed a flashlight from her backpack and stormed off toward the game area.
Whatever Mel had said moments ago seemed to deter Veronica, granting her the chance to finally get some sleep. As she prepared to close the tent, she surveyed her surroundings, filled with teenagers engaged in the evening's activities, many of them quite eager. In the distance, she spotted Pen and Twelve sharing an intimate moment. Mel had often thought they made a great couple. This sight prompted her to ponder her lack of romantic involvement. At seventeen, her experiences were limited to hazy make-out sessions with boys at parties when she wasn't entirely sober. She couldn't pinpoint a particular reason, but it seemed boys never sought more than that with her.
Before drifting off to sleep, Mel's thoughts turned to the mysterious boy in the hoodie. She wondered what had drawn his interest to her. In her eyes, she wasn't anything particularly special.
The next morning Mrs. Archer and Mr. Devin gathered the students to explain their initial task for the field trip, they were all to work in groups. Each group of three had been assigned a specific plant to locate within the expansive Kiris landscape. The task required teamwork, as they were all expected to collaborate in finding their designated plant.
Mel had never been fond of teamwork, but she knew she had no choice. She dreaded the idea of being paired with people she didn't know well. When she discovered her partners, she felt like the unluckiest person alive – Ervin and Veronica, and they were tasked with finding an orchid.
"You'll be fine, Mel. Veronica doesn't bite, at least not anymore," Pheebs comforted her. Pheebs had been paired with two attractive senior boys.
Mel responded with a sarcastic tone. "Oh, great, Pheebs. That makes me feel better."
Mel kept pushing back a conversation she knew she needed to have with Pheebs. She couldn't keep avoiding it forever; Pheebs wouldn't let it go. However, with so much else happening, Mel couldn't seem to find the right moment. She felt a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and frustration regarding that enigmatic boy.
"Come on, Melanie. We don't want to be trailing behind. Orchids are a challenge to find here in Kiris," Veronica remarked when she approached.
Mel forced a smile and joined Veronica. Pen went to her side to share some words of comfort with her. "You've got this, Mel. Do well to make the best of it."
After walking in silence alongside Ervin and Veronica for 20 minutes, Mel finally decided to break the ice.
"So, Veronica, how much farther are we going? You've got the map," Mel inquired.
Veronica had been given the map to assist their group, as Kiris was an extensive area.
"Here, take it," Veronica replied, tossing the map at Mel before walking away.
Stunned, Mel struggled to find words. "Are you all right?" Ervin asked, helping her up since she had stumbled trying to catch the map.
"I'm fine, but where did Veronica go? She has no map; she could get lost," Mel voiced her concern.
"Wow, you're quite considerate. How can you still worry about her at this point?" Ervin remarked.
"It's not about being nice. We need those orchids as a team; otherwise, we'll fail the task," Mel replied, showing she cared little about Veronica's fate.
"How about we split up? You search for the orchids with the map, and I'll look for Veronica. You two don't get along," Ervin proposed.
"Of course, we don't. Veronica still has a huge crush on you and resents me for our 7th-grade make-out session," Mel blurted out, tired of Ervin's feigned cluelessness.
"We made out in 7th grade?" Ervin asked, taken aback.
"See? You don't even remember. Why does she still remember that and taunt me?" Mel expressed her frustration.
"I'm sorry. I'll find her right away," Ervin promised.
Once they split up, Mel consulted the map to navigate. She couldn't help but wonder why the orchids were so deep in the forest. She couldn't see any other students around; thick trees and bushes surrounded her. Initially unafraid, Mel began to hear escalating sounds, growing louder as she moved.
Consulting the map again, she couldn't pinpoint her location. The sounds emanated from the bushes, intensifying with each step she took.
"Are you frightened by these dense woods, beautiful?" a voice behind her inquired.
The voice was both strange and familiar. Slowly, Mel turned to face the person behind the voice. Surprisingly, she didn't feel afraid upon seeing his face.
"You!" she exclaimed with a mix of relief and curiosity. The boy in the black hoodie who had been shadowing her, and then abruptly ceased, stood before her in this remote location.
Questions flooded her mind. How did he end up here? Why had he been tailing her? What prompted him to stop? Who was he, and what did he want?
"Yes, it's me, my beautiful one," he responded with a smile.
His charm and seemingly harmless demeanour momentarily put Mel at ease.
"What's your name?" she inquired, seizing the opportunity to address him properly; referring to him as "the boy in the black hoodie" had grown old.
Her question appeared to catch him off guard; he expected the typical "who are you and what do you want" query, not this display of genuine interest.
"You're curious about my name and nothing else?" he questioned, moving closer.
"You wouldn't answer any other questions, so you might as well tell me your name. It's a start," Mel retorted, drawing closer as well.
Her boldness intrigued him. "Very well, if that's what you want to know, I'll tell you. I'm Mal," he answered, offering a slight smirk.
"Mal! What sort of name is that?" she remarked, accompanied by a mischievous laugh.
"Did you just mock my name, miss?" he asked, surprised.
Her audacity amused him. "Did you just laugh at my name?" he countered playfully.
Mel chuckled. "All right, I'll ask the question that's likely on your mind: Are you planning to kidnap me and harvest my organs?"
Mal was taken aback; he hadn't anticipated such a question. He struggled to comprehend her—she was an exceedingly peculiar human, indeed.
"I assure you, I'm not a serial killer. I'm merely quite intrigued by you, Melanie," he revealed, gazing deeply into her eyes. Her lack of fear puzzled him.
"Don't serial killers often say the same thing?" she replied, and he burst out laughing.
Her realization that he knew her name wasn't surprising; after all, he had been stalking her.
"You've been aware of my name all along. Why persist with calling me 'beautiful'?" she inquired.
"Because you are," he replied with a smile.
"Quite the cheesy line, Mal," she remarked.
"Really? But your voice gives my name a different melody," he stated.
Mel laughed. "So, what's your agenda? Stop stalling and get to the point."
He was intrigued by how she shifted from lightheartedness to seriousness in an instant. Was she frightened of him? She didn't seem to be, he observed.
"I'm not stalling. I genuinely want to help. This part of Kiris is perilous," he explained.
"Why would you want to help me? You don't even know me. Besides, for all I know, you could be more dangerous than this part of Kiris," she reasoned.
A sudden rustling came from the dense bushes—Mel had heard the noise before Mal arrived.
"What's that?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.
"Whatever it is, it's best not to find out," he cautioned.
"Oddly enough, you don't seem afraid. Do you even know what's out there?" she questioned.
"It doesn't matter. Being here isn't safe. You should return to your group," he advised.
"I can't do that. I'm here to obtain something, and I can't leave without it," she confessed.
"Are you referring to the orchids?" he asked.
"How did you...?" Mel began but halted. Of course, he knew; he had been tailing her. But why?
"Look beside you; there are the orchids. Grab them and go," he directed.
She turned and saw the orchids beside her. However, she was certain they hadn't been there earlier. How was this possible? Who was he? Could he be some sort of fairy godmother, or rather, fairy god-boy?
"But I'm unfamiliar with the way back," she admitted.
"This won't suffice," he said, stepping closer and taking her hand.
Realization dawned upon him; their initial interaction hadn't gone well. However, he promised that their next meeting would be smoother. Gazing into her eyes, his own eyes shifted colours, causing Mel an intense headache. It felt as though her head had been struck hard, and suddenly, everything faded to black.
"Mel! Mel! Can you hear me?" The urgency in the distant voice cut through the muffled haze that clouded Mel's senses but she was so sure that the voice was not of Mal who had been with her a few seconds ago. She felt herself caught in an ethereal drift as if carried by an unseen current that defied logic. The world around her swirled and morphed, like a surreal dance of shadows and light, before yielding to an all-encompassing darkness that swallowed everything, leaving only a sense of suspended anticipation in its wake.
In this enigmatic void, time felt both elongated and suspended. It was as if she existed in a space between consciousness and dreamless slumber. Fragments of memories and fleeting images floated by, like stars in a velvet sky. It was as if her mind was piecing together a puzzle, attempting to make sense of her current disoriented state. Was this an extension of her encounter with Mal, or something entirely different?