PRIDE (Leona x Reader) [Twisted Wonderland]

Chapter 11

“So, that’s the shop?” You pulled your borrowed uniform tighter around yourself in the presence of a gentle breeze. “It looks… Odd.”

The building’s silhouette looked like a hut on the bottom, but the top was covered in mismatched signs and unintelligible shapes that made it look like some sort of geometric monstrosity. There were no lights on in or near the building, and you figured that was a good thing.

Leona breathed amusement out of his nose. “They call it advertising,” he mocked dryly. “Sam’s been doin’ it for months now. Startin’ to become a real eyesore.”

He hopped down and sauntered toward the collective, with the same gait and calmness that he walked to all of his classes with. He could have passed for unbothered if his eyes weren’t searching so warily at the surrounding area, primed to get a glance at anything daring to move. He looked like a hunting lion, but you couldn’t help the feeling that if it came down to it, you and he would be the prey.

Your apprehension grew with every step that you took after him, and your nerves made you feel like you were clambering more than walking, especially in comparison to Leona’s absolute silence. You followed the path past the idle tree and the neatly cut greenery, and stopped at the front door.

“How are we going to get in?” you whispered, hoping it wouldn’t be loud enough to alert anyone nearby.

“Magic,” Leona responded, not bothering to keep his voice down at all. Not that he was ever particularly loud. He took out his pen and tapped the doorknob. It sparked, clicked, and turned all on its own, and Leona pulled it open cautiously. When nothing happened, he took a step inside. “Watch your feet,” he murmured.

You eyed the red beam of light just behind the door frame, stepping over it gingerly. You closed the door behind you, so no one who passed by would think you suspicious. “This place isn’t going to be booby trapped, is it?” you worried.

“N-” Leona stopped with his mouth half open and considered with a furrowed brow. “Maybe. I don’t know what security measures that guy might’ve installed. Keep an eye out.”

You grimaced and decided not to touch anything. Suddenly the tile floor looked like a deathtrap. “Where do you think the key will be?”

“He can’t sell it, so it’s probably somewhere in the back.”

The pair of you tiptoed past the vials and baubles, which were lined up in neat little rows, and past the small counter on the far end of the room. For a school shop, the place was pretty big. You moved to run your hand on the leaves of the desk plant, and had to pull back quickly when several of the small pink flowers tried to snap at you. You made a sound of alarm, and Leona tilted his head back a bit to call out, “Careful.” Kind of a late warning, you thought warmly.

Leona opened the door to the back room, unlocking it the same way he had the front. You leaned over to look inside.

A series of stringy red lights blocked the way from head to toe, each identical to the one you’d stepped over before. The room beyond them was even bigger than the one you were in now. There was no conceivable way that this would fit into the building you’d seen from the outside. You gawked for a moment. “Whoa.” The lights fizzled and sparked like they were daring you to try and pass. “So, what do we do now?”

Leona seemed to be having this conundrum as well, glaring at the obstacle like a disappointed father. “They’re lasers,” he said, as if explaining them would do any good. “They sense light using magic. If they see us, they probably set off some kind of alarm.”

“Okay,” you squinted at the room beyond, trying not to let your heart sink. “So, there’s no way to get through?”

“I can’t disarm them with magic without access to their source. It’s probably on the inside.”