Photograph

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sɪx

"I don't think I can come!" Sena said as he remained on his spot after his friends got into Calvin's car.

They were supposed to hangout at the beach today.

"What? Why?! We've been planning on swimming since last week!" Ruby said as she looked at Sena with the most questioning face.

"I know. But I got somewhere to be!" Sena reasons which made the group turn to Amy.

"What? I'm not his secretary! How the hell am I supposed to know?!" Amy blurts out before focusing back on fixing her makeup.

She doesn't really care whether Sena joins them or not. It's not like the beach would go away and Sena's probably not gonna join their activities and would rather take a picture of the view instead. As he always does.

"Is it that important?" Hanz asked and furrowed his brows at the taller.

"It is. Now go before other groups hog the beach!" Sena chuckled and walked the other way first.

"Alright! Your loss!" He heard Calvin laugh before he started the engine and drove out of the lot.

Sena had to double-check that they were far before he made his leave out of the school's premises. Walking on the same road but a different destination.

'Magic Island'

Sena reads as he stares at the large arc of the entrance to the carnival. He stood there for a while. Bothered by a fact that not many would've noticed.

The color of the font turned orange...
He thought.

He took a picture of the arc the previous day and looked at it before he went to sleep. He looked at the picture again earlier when he was waiting for their class to begin and that's where he began to feel a foreboding feeling.

Now that he's standing in front of the arc. Which he remembers to have the Magic Island written in red colored font. He became more anxious and curious about the carnival.

He and his friends have been hanging out at every known spot in the town. And out of all places, the carnival is the newest they've never been to before.

"What secret are you hiding?" Sena mumbled as a cynical smile began to make its way to his lips.

He eventually walked into the carnival and found it quite odd how there were too many people. He knew that the carnival had recently opened but he didn't think it would keep gathering so many people as if it was the first day.

Sena struggled to get out of the crowd. Until he eventually spotted the Thrift shop he and his friends had stopped by yesterday.

Sena pushed his way towards the shop and even tripped in front of the door.

"Ye alright, lad?" A man with a Scottish accent helps him up. He is the vendor of the fried peanuts stall beside the shop.

"Yeah. Thanks." Sena thanks him as he stands up and taps his clothes clean.

"Ye better be careful! Too many people at the carnival! One could easily get hurt!" The man said and patted his back before he went back to his stall.

Sena thanked him again before he walked into the shop. He heard the bell ring announcing his presence as a customer. And as soon as he closed the door, the loud noise of the crowd became muffled and it was suddenly quiet.

Sena took a deep breath as he stood in front of the glass window. Watching as the outside of the shop became more and more filled with people.

"What am I even doing here?" He sighed as he shook his head lightly. "What am I trying to-"