Chapter V Part II

“Well wasn’t that fun?” Vinny asked sarcastically as the four members of the MOAIT made their way up the flight of stairs that would take them to the third floor. “I, for one, don’t feel like we wasted a perfectly good afternoon getting jeered at by snotty little freshmen. Who doesn't like that, after all?”

The blonde boy smirked, glancing back at the three behind him. Damien was carrying their poster as he walked next to Liz, both looking exhausted. Behind them was Eric, who had his hands in his pockets and was staring down at the ground. None of them replied to him, leaving Vinny to sigh and turn his attention back to walking. The halls were empty since everybody was either still at club rush or had already gone home. Technically, they were supposed to still be out in the courtyard but, seeing as it was painfully obvious that nobody was going to join their club and Mr. Lowe had already marked them as present, there had been no reason to stick around. So, Damien suggested they pack up and head to the clubroom to hang out and unwind. Despite not having to do much, it was exhausting sitting out there and putting up with all of the laughing and jeering from the passing students.

Those little bastards just don’t know what they’re missing, Vinny thought with satisfaction. This club is fun as hell and now, they’ll never get to find that out!

However, despite the insults, which had been predictable, Vinny considered the day to be rather successful. He hadn’t wanted anybody to join the club anyway since he was completely content with the dynamic the four of them shared. He hadn’t wanted some annoying little freshmen to waltz on in and start getting in their way. Theirs was a unique club and he knew that most people simply wouldn’t fit in.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Vinny took a left and made his way down the hall, toward where room 3-5 was located. Damien had given him the clubroom key so he reached into the pocket of his uniform and removed it, unlocking the door then heading inside.

“Ah, home sweet home!” he said cheerfully, flopping down into one of the desk chairs at the front of the class. “Stupid courtyard’s got nothing on the sweet, air-conditioned clubroom.”

“Honestly,” Liz mumbled. “It got kinda hot there at the end, didn’t it? I really can’t wait for summer to finally be over!”

The girl took a seat at the desk in front of Vinny while Damien made his way to the back of the classroom to the table he usually sat at. The boy had made a stop in his sixth period class on their way out of club rush to retrieve his laptop, which he silently pulled out of his backpack and opened. Vinny watched him with amusement, knowing he was probably going to work on his homework like he always did during their daily club meetings. As for Eric, the tall boy was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, once again staring at the orange gemstone he found at the beach a few weeks prior.

I wonder how long he’s going to obsess over that thing, Vinny thought. I mean, I get that he thinks it’s magic, and there was definitely something off about it when I held it, but I’m starting to worry about him a little bit. Every chance he gets, he’s fidgeting with that thing and staring at it like it’s the most precious thing in the world. It’s kinda creepy, actually.

“Hey, Eric,” Vinny called over to him, holding his hand up in the air. “Toss it over. Let me get a look at it.”

His friend didn’t seem to hear him since he made no response and just kept running the stone around in his palm. Liz glanced over at him and cocked an eyebrow.

“Uh, Eric?” she asked. “Oi! Earth to Reiner!”

Eric’s head suddenly snapped up before he causally turned to look at them, as if nothing was wrong.

“Hmm? You say something, Liz?” he inquired.

What the hell? Was he really that entranced by the damn thing?

The bespectacled girl furrowed her brow, looking as if even she were unsettled by Eric’s odd behavior. “Uh, Vinny and I were trying to get your attention. I get that the gem’s pretty and all but it’s clearly no match for my good looks! I get ignoring Vinny for it but you don’t get to prioritize it over me!”

“Geez, ego much?” Vinny grumbled but both Liz and Eric ignored him.

Eric simply chuckled and looked at her with an exasperated look. “Sorry, sorry. I was just thinking, is all. What did you need?”

“The gem,” she replied sternly. “Hand it over. I want another look at it.”

Eric grinned. “Oh? You finally coming around to the possibility that this thing is a magic talisman, dear Liz?”

“Sure, whatever you want to think, buddy,” she replied dryly. “Now, hand it over.”

Laughing, Eric tossed the gem over to her and she caught it with ease. The moment he had looked away from the gem, Eric seemed to be back to normal. It was a weird contrast. It was as if just holding the stone sent his thoughts spinning so much that he shut himself down from everything around him. Vinny couldn’t even begin to fathom what about it made him think so much nor could he figure out why that specific stone was what Eric had determined was magic. Ever since the MOAIT was formed in their freshmen year, Vinny had been trying to play into the whole investigation part of the MOAIT name by bringing in cool conspiracies or items that he believed would be fun to mess around with. Yet, despite making the club, Eric never played along. If he didn’t think it was magic then he would say so and that would be the end of it. He knew Eric genuinely believed in magic but, until the discovery of the stone, he had never classified anything as fitting his idea of the supernatural.

So what’s the difference here? he asked himself. Why now of all times is he so certain something is magic?

It was strange enough that Vinny almost believed Eric knew something that he wasn’t telling the others. However, no matter how many times he had asked since his friend first announced his suspicions about the gem, Eric wouldn’t elaborate.

“Still weirdly warm,” Liz muttered under her breath. “But other than that, I don’t see what fascinates you.”

Eric shrugged. “It’s hard to explain, honestly. But trust me, Liz. It’s the real deal. I just need to figure out how to work it.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Vinny asked. “I mean, how would one even go about trying to get something magical to show its...well, magic?”

The taller boy hesitated for a moment before replying in a soft voice, “I’m not sure about that either. But I’m going to figure it out. And when I do, you’ll all be the first to know.”

Vinny snorted as Liz tossed the gem back over to where Eric was standing. The blonde boy spared a brief glance back at Damien to see if he was paying attention but he was still typing away on his laptop.

“Anyway, I’ll be right back,” Eric continued. “I have to use the bathroom.”

Pocketing the gem once more, Eric turned and left the room, leaving Liz and Vinny to watch after him.

“I’m getting a little worried,” Liz muttered. “I’ve never seen him so obsessed.”

“Maybe the thing really is magical and it’s got some sway over his mind,” Vinny joked, eyeing the girl with a grin.

She scoffed. “Oh shut up.”

***

Much to Lilly’s relief, Alice came to her rescue and told Jay she needed to get home to start on some calculus homework. The boy didn’t argue and so, she was able to get out of club rush earlier than she thought. However, she wasn’t all in the clear since Alice bringing up their homework reminded her that her math notebook was still in her locker. Therefore, she was stuck walking up to the third floor of the school building with Alice and Jay to where the junior locker hall was located. Ellie had all of her stuff on her so she decided to wait for them at the newspaper booth where a few of her friends were working. Much like before, Lilly lagged slightly behind Jay and Alice, who were walking side-by-side and chatting about some race they had both run over the summer. When she saw them talking so comfortably with each other, part of her wondered if they were actually dating. At least, if they weren’t, she guessed that they might have had more of a history aside from being simple school friends.

“So, Harper,” Jay suddenly said, glancing over his shoulder. “What did you think of your first club rush? Pretty cool stuff, right?”

Lilly shrugged and looked out the window to her right where she could see the courtyard, and the students still browsing the clubs, down below.

“It was fine, I guess,” she replied softly. “Though there wasn’t anything I’d be interested in joining.”

The boy smirked. “Well, of course not. Cross country is still far superior to any of those other activities. Still though, it is fun to see what they’ve got.”

Lilly shrugged a second time. “Sure.”

“Man, we really got to teach her how to hold a conversation,” Jay teased, addressing Alice this time.

The girl snorted. “Or maybe she’s a great conversationalist and she just doesn't want to talk to you. You ever consider that, Jay?”

“Ah, nonsense,” he replied, brushing her comment aside with a wave of his hand. “Harper and I are best friends. She’s just a little introverted, is all.”

Well, you got that last part right, she thought irritably. However, I wouldn’t even call us friends, let alone best friends. Even ‘acquaintances’ is a bit of a stretch.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Jay.”

The three of them rounded a corner and arrived at the junior locker hall where Lilly immediately headed toward her own locker. She wanted to get her stuff and leave as fast as possible so she wasted no time putting in her combination and opening it. There wasn’t much inside other than a few textbooks and notebooks, which made it look relatively empty, so it didn’t take her long to find her math book. Glancing down the hall to where Jay was standing with Alice while the girl opened her own locker, she realized she had a prime opportunity to just bid them goodbye and hurry home.

Lilly sighed as she closed her locker door.

But then again, I did say I would walk out with them. I guess it’s not that big of a deal to wait. After all, if I ditch now then Jay’s gonna be all over me tomorrow and suffering through today will have been for nothing.

“Alright, I’m ready to go,” Alice announced, closing her own locker and looking over at Lilly with a smile. “You ready?”

Lilly nodded, indicating her blue math notebook clutched in her left hand. “Sure. Whenever you are.”

“Awesome,” Jay said with a grin. “Then let’s not keep Ellie waiting. On we go.”

The three of them left the hall behind and were heading toward the stairs when they heard an irritated-sounding voice call out.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Eric Reiner all by himself.”

Lilly instantly recognized the voice and, when the three of them rounded the corner, her suspicions were confirmed. Down the hall, right outside of the bathrooms, was one of the kids from the Magic Club and Bradley Fischer, the latter glaring at the former with a sneer.

“What? Out by yourself this time? Don’t got Damien or that asshole Vinny with you?” Brad went on.

As was usual when Eric and Brad got into arguments in the classroom, the boy didn’t seem particularly irritated. Instead, he merely grinned and faced the larger boy with clear confidence, as if he weren’t twice his size.

“Got a problem with that, my friend?” he asked mischievously, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants as if trying to look casual. “I mean, you’re up here by yourself, too. And I mean, it's not like I need my friends around all the time. If any demon or evildoer decides to jump me in the halls then I’ll simply strike them down with my special flame technique. Nobody stands a chance against my overwhelming power. Not even a meathead like you, dear Fischer!”

“God, he’s such a dumbass,” Jay muttered under his breath as the three watched the odd conversation taking place.”

Brad scoffed, clearly already fed up with Eric’s performance. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I swear, you must’ve been dropped on your head as a child or something. You’re a fuckin’ lunatic.”

Eric laughed in what was clearly an attempt at mimicking a villain from a movie. “A lunatic? Yes, in fact, I am. I’m quite insane so perhaps you should not be so quick to pick a fight with a man of my stature—!”

“Just move,” Brad snapped, grabbing Eric by the shoulder and shoving him out of his way.

Lilly cringed as she watched Eric collide with the lockers before losing his balance and stumbling to the ground. As obnoxious as the boy was being, she felt Brad was far rougher than he should’ve been. She heard Jay scoff and glanced over to see him looking at the big boy with clear disgust.

“You didn’t have to shove him, you asshole,” he growled softly.

Despite how annoying he could be, Lilly suddenly felt a little bit of respect for him seeing how, even though he had said multiple times how he would rather avoid the Magic Club and their strange personalities, he still didn’t like seeing them bullied. He might have been weird, but he wasn’t a bad guy, she thought.

When she turned her head back to the boys, she saw Brad scoff at Eric before passing him by and walking into the bathroom. Lilly then turned to look at the boy on the ground, who was holding his shoulder and cringing in pain. Clearly, he had hit the lockers harder than she realized. Sighing, knowing that it would be rude to just watch, Lilly walked forward and began heading toward him. It was then that he must have realized she was there as he looked up at her with a surprised look.

“Oh, we had an audience, I see,” he muttered.

She cocked an eyebrow at him but decided to simply extend her hand out to him to help him up. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, grasping her hand and allowing her to pull him to his feet.

“Of course I’m fine,” he replied confidently. “A mere ape like him could never hope to harm somebody like me.”

“Well, you sure look like you’re in pain, Reiner,” Jay called over to him. “Maybe—and this is just a thought—you shouldn’t antagonize the brute. What good does it do you to make fun of a guy that could snap you in half like a twig?”

Eric glanced over at the boy and smirked. “Snap me in half? Have more faith in me, my friend. Just because you haven’t seen my power doesn’t mean I don’t have it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s best to let Brad think he’s the stronger of the two of us lest his fragile ego be shattered forever.”

Lilly exchanged an uncomfortable look with Alice and she could tell that the other girl was just as weirded out by Eric as she was.

“Well, I appreciate your concern,” the tall boy said, turning his attention back to Lilly. “But I’m perfectly…” His voice suddenly trailed off as he stuck his hand in his slacks pocket. He furrowed his brow and then stuck his other hand in the other pocket only for his confused expression to deepen.

“Lose something, Reiner?” Jay inquired.

“Um...it seems so,” he whispered, turning to look frantically around the hall.

Lilly frowned, deciding for his sake to at least scan the area for any sign of something he might have dropped. However, she quickly noticed a small orange ball laying beside the lockers to her right, right next to her foot. She kneeled down and picked it up, realizing suddenly that it wasn’t a simple ball but a rather pretty looking gemstone. The fact that it looked so expensive made her almost certain it was what Eric was looking for.

“This it?” she asked, raising her hand up to show him.

A look of relief washed over his features and he nodded. “Yeah, that’s it. Thanks!”

“What on earth?” Jay muttered. “What’s that?”

Eric smirked, extending his hand to take the gem from Lilly. “Just a simple talisman my club came across over summer. We have yet to figure out how to use it but—”

What happened next was so sudden that Lilly couldn’t even process what was going on. The moment Eric’s fingers touched the orange surface of the stone, Lilly’s entire vision went white. It was as if she had been suddenly submerged in an endless ocean. She couldn’t feel anything, as if she didn’t even have a body. She felt like she was existing within a void and the thought made her suddenly panic. However, the sensation lasted for only a few seconds, before feeling began to return to her body. Yet when she did, her shoulder suddenly began throbbing and everything felt a little off.

Then, when her vision finally returned, she was thrown so off guard that she wondered if she was hallucinating. Instead of being crouched on the ground like she had been moments before, she was now standing up, her arm extended out to the person before her. And when she looked into the eyes of that person, her own went wide in disbelief.

What...the hell? That’s...I’m hallucinating. I have to be…

It was the only logical explanation aside from somebody having secretly put a mirror in front of her in the few seconds she was in the white void as, crouched down before her, she was staring not at Eric Reiner but at herself.