Wyatt had always considered himself to be a rational, sane person.

Which was why he wasn't surprised to hear nothing back at all after they submitted the application to the mystery trip.

The social media world, of course, didn't let them forget about it. The hashtags mystery tour and the trip of a lifetime were trending like crazy and speculations on who the guide was, where the tour would be and when the news of the participants would be announced didn't stop.

George, if you would believe it, couldn't stop telling people that Wyatt and he would be going on this trip to anyone who'd listen. Despite the constant embarrassing incidents that his best friend had landed him in, Wyatt had to admit this was going to be one of the worst (or best) yet. He had no idea how they'd live it down.

"Wyatt, you've got a letter," his roommate swooped in and shouted. "You need to go and sign for it out front."

Wyatt raised his eyebrows and picked it up. He never got letters. Not even from banks.

Confused, he got up and headed to the foyer of their hall. It was a modestly sized area connected to the stairs that led to the first-floor dorms. One of the security guards hovered by the door with a postman. He gestured for Wyatt to come over as soon as she spotted him.

"Please sign here." The postman directed him and handed a large manila envelop to Wyatt. There was a printed label with no return address. In fact, the postman didn't seem to be from the post office but rather a delivery company. The security headed back into his office nook, leaving Wyatt with the huge envelope.

"What have you got?" a few of Wyatt's corridor fresher that had just returned asked, spying the huge package in Wyatt's hand. The boy shrugged and ripped the envelop over. There was only one way to find out.

Several items slipped out and Wyatt quickly tipped the envelop so they won't fall to the ground. But he wasn't fast enough and a disk-like object fell to the ground.

Before anyone could react, a holographic projection sprung up from the fallen item, causing everyone to jump in surprise. The security had returned to the foyer and one of the fresher had whipped out his phone to video the strange occurrence.

A man appeared in the hologram, his dark blond hair fell in waves and he was dressed in some kind of strange costume. Wyatt quickly grabbed hold of the envelop tighter, afraid that something else would escape.

"Congratulation applicant, you are chosen to go on the trip of your lifetime..." the holographic figure started. Wyatt's brain freeze as the strange guy introduced himself as Arthur. He quickly peeked into the envelope to see the rest of the content to find an invitation, an information package, and a top.

"Wait, is this the mystery tour?" another fresher asked. Phone chimes started going off around the dorm and Wyatt wondered how long would it be until the entire school knew. He should have opened it in his room.

"Of course it is, you idiot!" another fresher shouted. Wyatt sighed internally and legged it back to his room. If the entire hall had to know, the least he could do was not be there when they talked about it.

Thankfully, his roommate had already left. Wyatt locked the door swiftly and poured the content of the envelope on his bed.

He picked up the invitation first. The paper was fancy, almost parchment-like with an elegant script and directions to a pre-trip meeting that'd be in two days. He'd have to go to London for it. A train ticket was already included.

What he thought was a t-shirt turned out to be some sort of weird tunic. It's made of a soft material and light cream in colour. He checked the direction card to see if it said anything about wearing it. He really would rather not.

Before the day's out, Wyatt had received no less than twenty WhatsApp from friends and family about the rumour of him winning the trip. It was just before nine when a figure burst into his room.

"George! How did you get in?" Wyatt stared at him, who looked relieved to see Wyatt. Suspicious flooded through him at George's expression. Did he break into other people's room, too?

"Did you win?" George asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Wyatt answered, waiting for the other shoe to drop. His best friend might be a loyal, trusting person, but he sure as hell was prone to theatrics. It might be better if he rejected the win if possible.

However, the expected reaction didn't happen. Instead, George jumped into the air with his fist, again and let out a shout that could wake the dead.

Wyatt quickly hushed his friend. George's excitement, however, was uncontainable as he hopped around the room like a mini tornado.

"What is wrong with you?" Wyatt asked his friend. He really needed new friends.

"I got it, too!" George exclaimed, using his outside voice and thrusting a piece of thick paper at Wyatt. Catching it in surprise, Wyatt scanned the content and saw that it was identical to his own. Though he was pleasantly surprised, he was also a little confused. How would both of them get chosen? This didn't make sense.

"This is going to be the best summer!" George practically yelled before grabbing the card and exiting, leaving Wyatt to mused over this new development.

***

In Wyatt's dream, he was being chased by a mountain of people. He was riding on the back on a dragon, soaring higher and higher into the sky when all of a sudden, a familiar voice broke out from the heavens.

"Wake up you lazy dragon, it's time to go!"

Wyatt's first reaction was to brace himself, but the fall never came. The rumbling sound of the train pulled him back to reality. They were on the train to London, to go to the preliminary meeting for the mystery tour.

"Why'd you called me a lazy dragon?" Wyatt asked his friend, remembering bits of the strange dream he had. George shrugged.

"Don't know, just felt like the right thing to say," George replied. Wyatt saw that he was reading a fantasy novel and let the issue drop.

"I wonder if Chloe would be there," George mused, abandoning his book now that Wyatt was awake. If Chloe was chosen too, at the very least she'd be on the same train. Besides, the winners' names have been broadcasted all over social media and news and her name wasn't on it.

The got off at Kings Cross and got on the Central Line to Notting Hill. Wyatt put himself in charge of navigating, afraid that George would get lost. The two stopped in front of what looked like a Roman Villa with the jaws hanging open.

"Welcome, you just be Mr Cheng and Mr Richmond. Please, do come in and have a seat," a man greeted them. He looked to be in his fifties with greying hair and dressed like a butler. They were ushered into a well-decorated room. Both lads were too busy ogling at the lavish interior to notice that the butler had magically disappeared.

Even though they had arrived early, a girl was already in the room connected to the atrium. She was seated on one of the paisley lounges and was reading a book.

She must have heard their footsteps and looked up. Wyatt was shocked to see that she was around their age and uncommonly pretty. Her hair was a rich, dark mahogany and her eyes a strange hazel. She smiled at the two, folding her book shut as the boys approached.

"Hi, my name is Juliette. Congratulation on getting picked for the tour," she said. Her voice was soft and melodic, but lower in pitch than expected.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Wyatt could see George staring at the girl. He coughed, hoping his friend would snap out of it and smile at Juliette.

"Hi, I'm Wyatt and this is George. Nice to meet you," he said, pulling George to settle down on the sofa opposite Juliette.

"Pleasure," she replied. The girl didn't seem to notice or mind the staring. Wyatt felt oddly exposed as she studied them it felt like she was somehow scanning his life story.

"Where are you from?" Wyatt asked after a short pause. He heard a twinge in her accent but couldn't place it.

"I'm technically British, but I was raised in Australia," Juliette explained. She was still looking at Wyatt in an unnerving way. "You are Chinese, right?"

"Yeah, my family is from Singapore," Wyatt replied, a little uncomfortable for some reason. Juliette continued to stare at them.

"We're from the same uni and are best friends," George blunted. Wyatt sighed inside; not again. George had no control over his speech when he meets someone attractive.

Before the atmosphere took a nosedive, a figure burst into the room. A man with dark complexion and a devilish smile beamed at the trio.

"Hello my future friends, it is so good to meet you at last!" the man declared. Wyatt estimated him to be in his late twenties and there's an obvious Italian accent.

"Hi," Wyatt replied when neither Juliette nor George did. The man didn't need more encouragement.

"My name is Salvatore," he introduced himself and on went another round of greetings. His enthusiasm was infectious and Wyatt found himself more excited.

"I hope I didn't miss anything," a deep baritone called and the most intriguing man Wyatt had ever seen walked through the door. He looked around the same age as Salvatore, dressed in a low V neck shirt and jeans that matched his royal blue eyes. Despite having his hair in a ponytail, Wyatt recognised him as the man in the hologram. Their mysterious guide.

"A pleasure to meet you all. I'm your guide and leader for this trip. You can call me Arthur," the man said. His voice was strangely hypnotic and Wyatt blinked hard twice to remember where he was.

"Am I late?" a new voice asked, pulling Wyatt back to reality. A tired looking girl was peering at them outside the door, dressed in baggy dark clothes that made her almost blend in with the mahogany walls. She looked young, but there was something about the way she carried herself that told Wyatt she was older.

"No, certainly not, Miss Gadre. Do come in and have a seat," Arthur said gently and the girl walked in hesitantly. She glanced at the group warily, as though she wasn't used to seeing so many people.

"Hi, I'm Riya," she introduced herself with a small wave. Thus cued another around of introduction. There was something endearing about her that the others immediately like. The same can't speak for the next person who walked in.

A man who looked around the same age as Salvatore walked in and, instantly, Wyatt didn't like him. There was an attitude, a vibe, from him that screamed trouble. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed and didn't even bother to greet anyone. His gazed around with his nose up before zeroing on Juliette and he settled down next to her.

"Hey pretty, is this the mystery tour thing?" he asked her. Juliet, whom Wyatt thought would be uncomfortable, merely glared at him and ignored his question.

"Um, yeah," Riya said when it became clear that Juliet wasn't going to respond.

"I'm not talking to you, immigrant." The man glared at Riya. Wyatt felt a wave of anger washed through him; that was no way to talk to someone they just met. Salvatore looked appalled and was ready to stand up when Arthur put a protective arm around Riya and stepped forward.

"Please have a seat, Mr Carl, the meeting is about to start. And I'd prefer it if you refrain from insulting other members of the group," Arthur said calmly. The man gave him an accessing look but nodded, going back to harassing Juliette. Wyatt could felt a headache coming on; the idea of going on a trip with this head case for two months was worrying.

"Oh, they have already started! I told you we were going to be late, dear," a man said as he rushed in. He was dressed in a crisp white and blue linen shirt and behind him was a woman and a young boy. They looked around expectantly, their faces smile becoming frozen as they took in the room.

"You must be the guide!" the man turned to Salvatore, who looked bewildered to be addressed. The man's face fell when he spotted Mr Carl and Wyatt felt his anticipation for the trip dropped even more.

"Sorry, Mr Hatfield, I am the guide and this here is Mr Bianchi and the rest of the group." Arthur stepped in to defuse the situation. Mr Hatfield's smile dropped faster than you can blink.

"Well," the man started. It was clear from his expression that he was disappointed. He gave Mr Carl, who was busy trying to look down Juliette's shirt, a withering look, and the corner of his mouth turned down. Before he could finish, however, a couple more people had arrived, followed by the butler-looking dude.

"Please take a seat," Arthur shouted loudly and clasped is hands together to gain everyone's attention. The butler-guy retrieved a bag hidden in a corner and took out a huge wade of paper and started handing it out.

Wyatt shuffled his seat so that they formed a semi-circle in front of the guide. He nodded thanks and glance over the paper. The words None Disclosure Agreement and confidential were printed on the first couple, and the remaining few were related to liability and risk acceptance.

"Is this really necessary?" Mr Hatfield asked, a slimy smile on his face. A few others sported a hesitant look and Wyatt must admit that paperwork made him feel uneasy.

"I'm afraid so. It's imperative that all the information must be kept in this room," Arthur stressed, although his smile made it all seem less serious.

"Done," George shouted. Wyatt turned just in time to see him handing over the documents to the butler-guy. Did he even read the fine print? Obviously not.

"I encourage you to look read through everything," Arthur said, and the butler-guy return George's documents back to him. To be fair, it was all written in legalese that sent Wyatt's mind into a head spin. Perhaps he should have chosen to study Law and not Biomedical Science.

Wyatt looked up to see how the others were doing with the paperwork. Mr Hatfield had his phone out and was talking rapidly to who Wyatt assumed was a lawyer. His wife was whispering to their kid, who looked ready to throw a fit. Riya was sifting through the paper, but her eyes were unfocused. Turning back to George, Wyatt could see that his friend wasn't going to bother reading it at all despite what Arthur had told him.

"It basically says that whatever happened during the tour is our own responsibility and that we can't breathe a word of it to the outside world," Juliette said. Wyatt turned to look at the girl and she gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She signed her name at the bottom with a flourish: Juliette Layce.

Swallowing the trepidation, Wyatt leafed through the papers one more time just for the sake of it and signed his name, too. His heart was beating wildly and he had never felt so excited yet nervous in his whole life. As he handed the wad of paper back to the butler-guy, he couldn't help but wonder if it was the right thing to do.

Of course, he didn't realise then just how big of a turning point this was for his life.

---------------

I'm so excited to get back into writing this story! For those of you who had read chapter 1 before - go back as I have changed a few things. I've aged up George and Wyatt to the last year of University, and yes, the story is based in UK. At least, for now!