( ARIA'S POV )

PARKS & WILDLIFE. Truthfully the only scenic part of the entirety of this field trip. It presented itself to be much more magical and whimsical than it should be, and within seconds I've fallen into the rabbit hole of fairy tales. I'm not quite the fan of external chaos, distancing myself from the crowd. I might've gotten off course, but there was a glint of gold from the distance, and my curiosity couldn't be more helpless.

I could hear the fallen leaves crunching under my boots, the hubbub of my schoolmates now muted. There were fences surrounding the area— white picket ones, that couldn't look more cliche. It'd be a garden if a house was standing on the fresh green grass. Flowers bloomed and buds sprouted, my mother would faint at the sight of it.

The closer I walked, the lighter it glistened— almost as if they want me out of its reach. Vines lined multiple branching trees in the distance, and if it weren't for my reading, I would believe the sights were a hallucination. I sprinted closer, but the golden object was still out of reach. Tough luck, I'm an avid reader. And I know damn well that I want to get to it.

I tiptoed high enough to look beyond the fences— when a force took my whole being out of my body, causing me to collapse onto the roots above ground. I could hear the trees laughing at my failed efforts, marking the exact reason why I don't go on adventures.

"Hey there, Harlows."

My lips were sealed shut, despite my desire to scream at his smug smile and raised eyebrows. His body was covered from head to toe, which is strange in 25-degree weather.

"Issac Scott, still toying around with innocent girls, I see?" I manage to say. He was hovering over me with hands on my shoulders, but I quickly shoved him off. I'm almost certain I've inhaled the scent of manure. I dusted off the dirt on my pants, only now noticing how tight they were.

"Don't push your luck, Harlows, I toy around with everyone. And you're not as innocent as you claim to be," Issac motioned his hand around the area, pointing to different scenes of greenery around myself. "Hmm?"

I glared at him, which proved useless to his humorous nature. He winked at me, but miserably embarrassing himself as he tripped on a rock. He cleared his throat, walking over to stand beside me near the fences. Issac placed his hands on them, veins visibly engraved on his skin. His overall structure would've made anyone kneel down, praising him like some god— that's if he wasn't known as the comedic king of our batch. And that's clearly the preferable choice, or I'd be gossiped about by other girls at this moment. Not that it matters, but I'd rather not have bad blood with women. That's being a lesbian for you.

"What're we looking at?" He asks me, his eyes wandering in the distance. I squinted, my poor eyesight making the situation more difficult. And in an instant, there were hands all over my waist, pushing me beyond the fences.

"Issac! You son of a— " But before I could finish my scolding remarks, he jumped over the fence with ease.

"Relax, Aria, I'd never leave you alone on your first big adventure," he assured me— or mocked me. I wasn't sure, but somehow he's not completely wrong.

I walked further away from him. Explorations like these didn't need companions— I've been doing them alone for as long as I could remember. Thank my father for that.

     "Hey, wait up!" Issac called, walking faster. I only shared three classes with him, but boy was he irritating. He'd always be the one making jokes about our class powerpoint presentations. In my head, he's known as the epitome of free spirit, majoring in courses extrovert and clownery.

     I continued my walk, up until he yelled my name more times than one should. "ARIA ARIA ARIA ARIA ARIA ARIA ARIA!" A tongue twister, but he managed to pull it off. When I turned back, any sense of seriousness left in me dissipated.

     I started taking in heavy breaths, cracking up uncontrollably. It was Issac, alright, with one leg completely sunken into an anthill. He was desperately trying to pull himself out, but his fingers dug deeper beneath the surface.

     "Don't just stand there Harlows! Help me out!" Issac called, displeased but also laughing, until it was visibly obvious that he was getting out of breath. I ran towards him, wrapping my arms around his chest, tucked underneath his shoulders.

     "One... Two... Three!" I yanked him as far as I could, finally pulling him out of the hole. Somehow, I ended up beside him, impulsively screaming at the sight of a thousand fire ants from his foot to his knee.

     It left him physically unaffected, due to his pants being tightly wrapped around his ankles— leaving no room for them to enter. In horror, his leg jerked, tossing off a portion of ants onto my legs. My wide legged pants couldn't save me this time.

     I was tossing and turning on the bed of grass, while Issac furiously scraped off the ants using his other shoe. We were lost in our own worlds, up until we heard a nearby bush shaking. Great, now they're laughing.

     I lousily walked over there, kicking my leg onto the ground as I go. Peeking through, I spotted a dark-skinned girl about our age, hiding her head in her knees. Honestly, I prefer the laugh coming from her other than the force of nature itself.

     "Oh, hi— this is embarrassing," she looked up, frozen at the sight of me. Her features were perfectly crafted, blinking her eyelashes in surprise. The curly hair she possessed was tied into a high ponytail, which looked more like a fluffy fan.

     Issac came racing from behind. "How long have you— oh hey! Natalie, right?"

     The curly haired girl cleared her throat, standing from the untrimmed flowering bush. "It's actually Nayari."

     Issac's mistakes didn't seem to bother her at all, for she beamed a bright smile that could outshine the fiery blazing body in the sky we call the sun. I used to have the same energy she possesses, but that miserably diminished as I grew up.

"And no— I haven't been here long. I've just been drawing the scenery when you two came out of the blue. Aria and Issac, correct?"

I noticed her fumbling with her fingers, her pencils rolling off her perfectly clean sketchpad. Issac nodded, helping her get up.

Our eyes lingered into the distance, hearing the voices of unfamiliar people. Nayari held herself tight, a mix of both timidness and happiness present in her tight smile.

Issac took the lead. I'm quite sure he isn't immune to the lack of expression and communication. Nayari and I trailed behind, avoiding contact with each other. She was too bashful about herself for my liking, but tolerable.

     "...wow! I'm so worried! Oh, what if the teachers leave us behind and we never come back? Seriously, how bad could that be?"

     When I was ten years old, I made a list of things I hated the most. Number six was sarcasm whilst number fifteen was cockiness, and it clearly still applied in the present. I could already picture this man as a living nightmare.

"Damn, Gio, I bet all the wannabe assholes look up to you, being the perfect role model and all. Lose the attitude before you witness how fast these nails can pierce through your expensive clothing."

"Geez, no need to sugar coat it, MJ."

I could see the girl's visible confusion from a distance, and that says a lot when you have terrible eyesight. Issac wasted not a minute to speak up and feel like the life of the party. Too bad he almost always started a conversation with a joke.

     "Speaking of, wanna hear what the salt said to the sugar? 'What's shaking?'" He wiggled his arms and performed his signature wink, but miserably failed to impress the two.

     "Not your finest moment for the class clown," the girl commented. She shifted her gaze from his and onto me. I felt Nayari panic behind me, her shy spirit already making a move in her system.

     "I don't believe I'm in any class with the two of you," the corners of her lips tucked upward, smiling softly. "My name's Miren Jocelyn Buckley, MJ Buckley for short. Remember that when you ever need a therapist."

     Nayari's shoulders spoke for the both of us, loosening from the stiff position it was in before. Miren seemed to be an angel, epitome of goodness. I could feel the warmth and comfort from her aura almost immediately.

"Aria." I waved my hand lightly. "And this is Nayari." The girl poked her head out from behind, offering yet another bright smile and subtle wave. Miren took her time examining our features, as if she could see within us. A part of me was convinced she knew what my exact thoughts were in that particular moment.

"Serene. Independent. Motherly, but not much of a talker... writer? Or poet?" She questioned me, her eyebrows crunched together. I could feel her black heeled boots tapping on the ground, just inches apart from my own.

"All of the above?" I managed to say, though it ended up sounding like a question more than an answer. I tilted my head to see Issac trying to strike a conversation with a whole new group of people. We have company.

     Miren striked a look at Nayari, her lips sealed together. Finally, she spoke, her face glowing. "Whimsical, friendly, people watcher... an artist?"

Nayari nodded enthusiastically, and Miren felt accomplished. The latter walked away seconds later, mingling with the new group.

I turned to look at Nayari, who was already looking my direction. We shared a confused smile together, sending messages through our minds. She picked up her tote bag, marching her way to the rest of the group.

It was at this point in time that I remembered why I snuck into this area in the first place. I decided to mentally bid myself goodbye from the people behind me, walking towards the pond, the golden object a meter away from my reach.

My leg ached of the fire ant bites, quivering as I stood still. The stones of silvers and browns were pressed tightly together, allowing me to place my feet onto them, like a platform.

I looked around for a flash of gold, but it seemed to have disappeared. My eyes hovered over the water, thinking the object could've fallen in.

I placed my fingertips on the running water, the gentleness of tiny waves vibrating onto my skin. Fish swam along with the water, gliding their fins into tolerable currents.

My ears rang at the sound of shouting from a distance. The world could no longer be muted. I unbent my knees and spun around, the group banging and throwing objects onto the fence.

Or to the sky?

And it ricocheted?

I ran towards Miren and Issac, who appeared to be calling out my name.

My body was shaking, my anxiety spiking. I felt an uneasy motion in my stomach. Fear was something I could sense miles away, and I was never wrong about it.

Issac was panting, a mixture of panic and confusion written all over his facial expression. The two stopped me into my tracks, everyone cursing as they threw pebbles into the sky.

"We're trapped in here," he hurriedly said. We paced towards our schoolmates, most of which cursing and banging onto the fence.

"What do you mean?" I breathed heavily, my spine tingling as even the students themselves started ricocheting back.

I took my water bottle, undented, and threw it beyond the fence. It fell back.

My mind raced with thoughts. A moment ago, I was looking for gold. Now I was looking for an exit.

The fences were inaccessible, blocked by some sort of force field. There's got to be an open slot.

I slid myself onto the border, outlining the extend of where we could stand. Nayari and two other boys joined me in doing so, all of us unsuccessful in finding a space to escape through.

I watched as the rest of us threw stones higher into the sky, some digging deeper into the ground, in hopes the force didn't block us from below, too.

Spoiler alert: we were trapped in a sphere.

I peeked through every edge available, desperate to find a bus or a schoolmate in the premises— or both.

No one was present. Park sweepers, gate keepers, teachers, students— all gone.

Just 8 mismatched teenagers stupidly trying to knock the force field open.

The beautiful scenery somehow now looked horrific. Welcome to hell, I could hear it whisper.

AMELIE SPEAKS !
a wild ride for your first chapter,
you're welcome...
it's going downhill from here :)

the other four characters will be introduced
in the next chapter ! thank you to those who
were chosen && are currently reading <3