In truth, he knew Elizabeth had been forced to join their ritual. His best friend overheard it when he came back to their classroom for his missing phone. Someone found out Elizabeth's crush and threatened to "teach the boy a lesson" if she didn't come with them.
As for who that "someone" was, his friend refused to elaborate. As for why that "someone" would even do such a thing, neither of them knew.
He watched Elizabeth's figure disappear when she turned to a corner and couldn't help but click his tongue. "Guess we can't really blame her… but still, what the hell's up in that bitch's ass?!"
A scowl infected his face. "Whatever," he turned around and focused on the tree in front of him.
The lectern next to it was made of gold and a polished piece of white wood that sparkled like gems. It was sculpted into an eagle with its head held high, and atop its wings outstretched above its head was the book he wanted to snatch.
It was thin. Even his finger was thicker than it.
Carefully, he approached the lectern. He looked around and crouched behind the eagle. Like a petty thief, he pinched the book's edges and yanked it as fast as he could.
The pages fluttered for a brief moment, before silence returned.
'Elizabeth is right,' he steadied his breaths. 'The game is hide and seek… though, the Seeker has to touch a person to eliminate them, and even then, they can only do it one at a time.'
Before he peeked inside the book, he peeked out of the lectern that barely hid his figure and took in the sight of the garden. It was filled with arrays of different blooms.
One row was full of Scarlet Cannas, next to it was a long bed of Sampaguita, and next to that were the same Sweet Violets as the ones scattered under the tree.
Between each row of flowers were benches, trash bins, and there were even tables with empty plates on top of it.
He looked up and stared at the gigantic digital board next to the tree canopy. It hovered in mid air, attached to nothing as though magic made it float. On the screen were their full names, as well as the current time and a few miscellaneous.
There was even a line of text at the bottom that he couldn't quite make sense of.
{13:01: Hide and Seek
Guests:
> Adam Santos
> Adrian Montano
> Anderson Elcancio
> Cel Topaz
> Croniel John Evans
> Elizabeth Argentina
> Jeffrey Encanto
> Michelle Don Manuel
> Percival Espada
> Vincent Niño
Number of Eliminated: 0
@batch#3A13/ongoing/perfect_run:null}
For now, he averted his gaze.
The garden had four paths, which led to north, west, east, and south, and at the very center was the tree itself.
'How did they build this place?' He couldn't help but wonder. The garden had no ceiling except the empty void, yet the garden itself was bright as day.
'Could it be some… limbo? A place between life and death?' He scratched his head. 'Tch, John, you bastard. You infected me with chuunibyou,' he wiped his already dry lips.
He cast his gaze back on the book tucked in his arms. He held with both hands and felt like he grabbed a slab of honey. Yet, when his hand glided across the cover, it felt smooth like silk.
"Curious," he mumbled and flipped to the first page.
"The Tree of Eden," he narrowed his eyes. The page was full of letters and words, but he couldn't understand most of them.
"What language is this?" He turned to the middle of the book. As soon as he did, he turned back to the first page.
The rest were written in English.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "Can't miss anything that might be important."
He turned to the next page.
"Golden apple?" He squinted and glossed over the page. Everything else was ramblings he had no time to read.
He turned the pages over, until he saw a strange symbol on a page near the end; a doodle of an apple on the corner. He scanned the page for a moment, and sure enough, he saw something unusual.
One sentence had been "corrected" by someone.
'I'm not the first to read this,' he mused.
"45 minutes? That's… that's too long!" He looked at his watch.
[1:02]
"Tch," he tucked the book under his arm and ran toward one of the paths. The garden was large, and the tree was wide. However, there were barely any hiding spots.
The benches and tables were see-through. The flower bushes were low. If he laid down to hide behind them, he wouldn't be able to run if he was spotted. He wasn't exactly athletic.
After a moment of deliberation, he ran north and reached a small entrance carved into the tall fences. Beyond it was a dim hallway that looked familiar.
"Classrooms?" He raised an eyebrow and paused at the entrance of the long hallway. At the very end was a barricaded door labeled [Faculty Office].
On the right side of the wall were six doors, which led to three rooms. Two doors were labeled [Room C-1], the other two were labeled [Room C-2], and the last pair of doors led to [Room C-3].
'This reminds me of… elementary school,' he let his feet carry him. Before he knew it, he was in front of the sixth door.
[Room C-3].
He grabbed the doorknob and gulped. His fingertips felt like icicles even though his heartbeat raced.
"Hooooo," he pushed the door open. Stale air seeped into his nostrils, his gaze greeted by a messy room. He saw no one inside.
With a glance, there were thirty wooden chairs with small tables attached on its armrest. Lifeless bags sat on the chairs, each one different than the last. Pencil cases and notebooks laid open on the tables, and there were even discarded candy wraps on the floor.
Quietly, he closed the door behind him. "The garden had a special item," he whispered to himself, "maybe here too…"
Slowly, he walked forward until he reached one of the chairs. It felt… oddly familiar.
He grabbed the bag and pulled the zipper open. Inside were books, notebooks, and writing papers, along with a thin, plastic envelope. But what caught his attention the most was one of the notebooks.
It had a strange cover.
He reached for the notebook and rubbed the black rose design printed on its cover. A smile crept to his face.
"Never thought I'd see this again." He opened the notebook.
Or rather, the diary; a diary he once had back in elementary.
The first page consisted of one line. He smiled, though his eyes were dim as he closed the diary. After the first page, everything that followed was a naive boy's journey through friendship and loss.
He didn't wish to remember that bitter, stormy day. It was supposed to be a simple outing, yet tragedy struck like lightning out of the blue.
His friend was swept away by the flood, his body never to be seen again.
"Were these our stuff when we were young?" He scanned the classroom.
'Maybe not,' he shrugged. 'Everything else is unfamiliar… After all, there's only ten of us here and there are thirty bags in this classroom alone.'
"I might as well hide," he walked toward the darkest corner of the classroom, right beside a long cabinet and two chairs.
He crouched down and controlled his breaths. Then, he opened the book he got from the Garden of Eden.
Heavy footsteps approached.
His bones locked up, his muscles froze, and his blood ran cold. He curled up and held his breath. The wooden chairs weren't fully solid, but the bags and the barely functional light bulbs made it hard to spot anything with a simple glance.
The footsteps rang louder. Closer.
The doorknob rattled, then twisted. His eyes were peeled, focused on both doors of the classroom when one of them creaked open.
A tall boy walked through.
Adam Santos.
To enter the room, he had to duck. His shoulders were so wide that he resembled a bodybuilder stuffed in a teenager's body. The baffling part? Most of it was genetics.
He exercised, but not often, yet his physique put most gym-goers to shame. The boy scanned the room with his eyes while his hand groped the wall beside the door.
Sadly for him, there was no light switch.
He clicked his tongue and backed out. Moments later, the door was quietly closed.
'Is he gone?' Adrian dared not to breathe loudly.
Seconds ticked by before his shoulders finally eased. He took several deep breaths and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.
"Are you innocent?" A soft voice tickled his ears.
.
.
.
"This place is so unsettling," Adam clicked his tongue and turned around. The moment he did, he almost yelped.
"Hi there, big guy~" A playful voice reached his ears before his eyes captured the owner's face. He felt a hand against chest, and gravity yanked his body underneath the floor.