【ＭＡＮＹ ＳＥＣＲＥＴＳ】

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ５】

S

               C

                                  R

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                                                         A

M

A cold breath tickled M/n's neck as he heard a scream, too loud for him. The thing screamed. At least that's what he thought.

A long, sharp hand scratched the arm of M/n, then heard a metallic screech. '[My arm!]' thought the boy. He gripped his prosthetic arm and swerved around.

His [eye color] eyes looked around quickly but not seeing anything. The world felt as if it was shifting like it was moving. But soon, he fell to the ground next to Ashlyn.

"[What the fuck was that??]" he mumbled in sock and terror. His hand gripped the metal arm as he looked around. "[When did it get over there? How did it..?]" M/n's questions were left unanswered as he glanced at Ashlyn.

The girl was also shocked, staring at the new space. He sighed and checked his arm, it wasn't scratched or ruined. '[I thought I heard it...'] but there was nothing.

He got up and dusted himself off, checking that there were no scratches or anything. Although the area where the things hand was, stung a bit.

He winced, barely noticeable before he held out a hand to Ashlyn. "Are you alright?" The boy asked her. She looked at him, surprise on her face for a short second before it became neutral.

"Fine." That was all she said and grabbed his hand. He hoisted her up, also making sure she was alright without overstepping her boundaries.

The others were sent into a panic, immediately asking questions. Tay was worried as Logan held his camera. Ben stared at the empty area, notebook, and pen in hand as Aiden was intrigued by the ghost.

'[I don't think ghosts look like the monsters in the darkest corners of your room.]' M/n thought when he heard Aiden ask where the 'ghost' was.

"Are you guys dumb?" Tyler's aggressive voice broke the commotion. "Ghosts aren't real. This is just some prank." He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"A prank?" Yin asked, eyebrow raised at the auburn-haired boy.

"Obviously." He stated. "A group conveniently cancels a reservation, and our guide just happens to have an excuse." He took a breath. "Then when we're all alone in a 'haunted' house, we have a scary encounter. Immediately after said 'scary encounter', the thing disappears before we can confirm or touch it?"

Tyler got angrier as he spoke. Saying stuff like it's for a 'reaction' video and they have cameras and stuff. Then he started yelling, again.

Irritated, M/n stuffed his hands into his sweater pockets, feeling something inside. "[What's this...?]" he mumbled as he held the bag gently.

"[How the fuck did I not notice this?]" he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he read the little note. 'Candy in case you get hungry. Don't forget to take your pills!' Was what was written in neat font-like handwriting.

He saw the signature, 'it'. He let out a soft chuckle at his sibling's note and opened the bag. Inside were little versions of 'fave candy' and Yin's fave candy.

"You good?" Yin asked the boy, a keen eye on him. "Mhm. It gave me these." He held out the bag so Yin could get her candy. She laughed and patted M/n's head.

"It's almost 5:30. We should head out." M/n acknowledged as he headed out. Another shiver was sent down his spine as he took one last look around the building.

'It's so cold in here...'

M/n gently placed his arm back on and then his fluffy [color] sweater for home. Technically, this was his travel 'home sweater' but it was the same as his home one, just a different color.

The only reason he wore the sweater, was because he didn't want the others to ask him questions about his prosthetic arm.

He stepped out of the bathroom in the hotel room as the guys sat around. It was surprisingly calm and quiet, despite the thing that happened earlier.

Aiden was fiddling with his rubix cube, Tyler was on his phone, Ben was drawing in his red notebook and Logan was looking at something.

The [hair color] boy took a breath, the room was crowded with 4 other males, and he did not want to socialize. It's not like he could complain though, he had to share a room with 5 other people and only one bed. With a silent sigh, he quickly looked around for something to do but nothing came.

Instead, he decided to take a walk to the vending machines in the hotel. '[This place is big.]' thought the boy '[I didn't know the school had this much money.]' He made his way to the door, only to be stopped.

"Where is ya going?" Aiden asked, head handing off the end of the couch, red eyes looking into his. "...Vending Machine." Was all M/n said.

"So late?" M/n rolled his eyes and nodded, hand turning the door. "I can go with?" "No." The sandy blonde-haired boy let out a fake grumble as M/n stared at him, more like glaring.

Ben wrote something in his notebook and then showed it to M/n. 'Would you like me to go with you? It's not safe to go alone.' M/n read it and let out a silent scoff.

But he agreed. So he and Ben took off, silently to the Vending Machines. Down the hallway and the stairs as quietly as possible without disturbing the other kids, teachers, or possible residents.

There were three vending machines, one with drinks, chips, snacks, and candy. M/n, who had finished all the candy It left them, went straight to the candy vending machines.

There were the basics, chocolate bars, gummy bears and gummy worms, gum. Ben gently poked M/n and pointed to the chips when he turned. "No candy? What do you mean?" Asked M/n jokingly. Ben pointed to the sky as the [hair color] boy let out a chuckle.

"Not that late. Only-" he checked his phone. "It's only 21:52." Ben tilted his head and looked at him, with a look that mothers give their kids.

"Alright, I get chips." He went to the vending machine and got [chip] and orange soda. Then he got a strawberry soda. Taking it out, he handed it to Ben.

Surprised, Ben took it with a smile. M/n gave a short, quick smile as they headed to their room. Not a single word was exchanged but they enjoyed the presence of each other.

After they got back, Ben sat back down on the couch, sipping his soda. "Aww, nothing for me??" M/n rolled his eyes and pressed the orange soda to his head. Aiden seemed surprised and sat up but his smirk came back.

M/n plopped himself between the two as Aiden went back to his original position; lying horizontal with his legs over M/n and Ben. M/n sighed but made no effort to move.

A few minutes at least 30, later, they heard Logan's voice. "Uhm... guys?" Logan's soft and timid voice caught everyone's attention. He fiddled with the camera, and what they thought, was a photo. Logan looked at the table as he spoke.

"When we were in the Sorrel Weed house..." he gulped. "I took a photo of the creature." Shivers instantly went down M/n's spine as his [eye color] eyes stared at the strawberry blonde.

"Huh??"

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Short, messily written chapter! Not proofread and unedited. Please tell me if there are any mistakes! Thank you for reading this story! Have a nice day/afternoon/night!

B_R