The Prince of Lost (boyxboy)

Four: Cole

        Cole woke up by the sound of his alarm clock. But he didn't get up immediately. He let the sleepiness crawl out of his skin before he finally slid of the bed. He showered and dressed for school.
        In the dining room, the table was already filled with breakfast: ham, fried egg, bread, butter and cheese. Luisa was just setting the table when Cole walked in.
        He greeted her, "Morning, mom."
        Luisa gave a smile. "Good morning to you, too. Eat before you go to school."
        Cole sat down at his usual chair and began to place food in his plate. "Where's dad?" He hadn't seen him at dinner last night.
        "In the backyard, making calls," Luisa answered in a dismissive tone.
        Cole raised an eyebrow. His conversation with his mom the night before had been short. It had the atmosphere of a place where you didn't or shouldn't want to open your mouth to speak.
        She is no one, she had said. Don't mention her name with anyone else, understood?
        Cole only nodded then. Now he wondered if the same atmosphere lingered in the house. He ate in silence.
        Shortly, his dad, Brenton, came in from the backdoor. He was in a biege uniform that fitted him perfectly well. A badge in the shape of a star with tiny circles on its corners was pinned on his left chest. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles. And he looked tired.
        The handsome man who was his dad was now a man with hunched shoulders and exhausted eyes.
        "Dad, are you alright?" Cole asked, standing up from his chair.
        But Brenton waved a hand and sat in the table. He sighed and dropped his phone over the wood. His hazel eyes gently moved over Cole.
        "Listen, son," he said in a kind but weak voice. "I want you to stay out of the woods."
        "Is something wrong? Did something bad happen?"
        "The worst," Brenton said. "Ishmael and Elena Elstune had gone missing. They haven't returned for two days." The pain was visible in his eyes. Ishmael Elstune was his bestfriend. They grew up together. And had memories of a lifetime.
        Cole couldn't begin to imagine how his dad felt.
        "Rumors will spread soon. I just thought it better you hear it from me." Looking at him, Cole knew that he spent the whole night searching the woods for any sign of his bestfriend. And his failure was eating him like a snake.
        But Brenton wouldn't give up. Lincolns never gave up easily.
        Luisa placed a careful hand on her husband's shoulder. She had been close to Ishmael and Elana, too. In fact, almost half of the town was fond of them because of their kindness and hospitality toward their neighbors.

***

        When Cole arrived at the high school, rumors about Mr. and Mrs. Elstune was all over the place. His dad was right. Melissa Rovers was even reacting hysterically in the hallway, as if she had been close to them. She wasn't. Everyone else pretty much ignored her except her boyfriend and band of show girls.
        Cole only walked in silence to his classroom, ignoring everybody else's thoughts about missing people. His eyes landed on a ginger-haired boy whose hair was a mess and eyes were bloodshot. He sat alone, staring off into space.
        Cole wasn't particularly close to him, but they partook a fair share of childhood memories when their parents decided to go fishing by the lake or go camping in the woods.
        He found himself sitting beside the brooding boy. "Hey, Alex" he said.
        "Hey, yourself," the other boy replied. His voice was hoarse.
        "How you holding up?" Cole asked carefully.
        Alex curved his lips. "Quite well, I should say." His eyes were the color of the ocean. But today, the joyful color was replaced by dark circles.
        "I should sit here today, shouldn't I?" He offered.
        If Alex was trying to act fine, he was doing a really bad job. Unlike Brenton, who hid pretty much nothing, Alex was prideful and nothing mattered much more than his ego. But none of that mattered now. He was visibly worried sick. He didn't even bother to fix his hair or his uneven nails.

***

        When lunch came, Cole didn't realise he had to prepare for arbitration. The awkward situation continuously punched him in the gut as he forked a piece of meat into his mouth.
        "So." Nigel cleared his throat to break the silence. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents," he said in his usual friendly tone. Today, the sleeves of his shirt was pulled up to his elbows, revealing pale smooth skin.
        Alex, who sat quitely as he ate a bowl of vegetable salad and tofu, only nodded.
        "Me, too," Moir said, eyes moving sideways.
        Light blue green eyes darted to him. "Sure you are," Alex said between gritted teeth.
        "Hey, I'm being sincere here."
        Emerald met turqoise.
        "Yeah, like your sincerety when you told on the teacher a year ago." Alex stood up.
        "It was a mistake! I didn't know you'd get suspended. And I said I was sorry." Moir leveled with him. It was a mistake, too, that Cole let them sit across each other.
        Alex pulled the other boy's collar. "Being sorry doesn't mean you're forgiven."
        Cole and Nigel went on their feet right then, ready to grab the two boys apart. But Alex loosened his grip and rushed out of the cafeteria.
        Cole shook his head at Moir in disappointed. "You could've just said nothing." And ran off after Alex.
        But as he entered the hallway, there was no sign of the ginger-haired boy any longer. He looked to the right, and then to the left. It was a wonder how Alex covered half of the hallway in a matter of seconds.
        Cole decided to go left. He had a tiny bit of a hunch on where the other boy was headed. He was betting on an instinct he had almost ten years ago, but it was better than nothing.
        His old friend was technically parentless at the moment. And Cole doubted anyone would offer shelter to an outcast. Yes, Alexander Elstune was an outcast despite his father's and mother's unconditional kindness toward people. Cole couldn't remember how it happened. He couldn't even remember the day when Alex stopped going to the Lincolns to play.
        He sighed.
        He should start investigating soon.
        Cole turned around a corner. And there, the boy he was looking for was entering the music room. Cole jogged after him.
        But as he was about to step in, he heard voices. Immediately, he stepped back and leaned flat on the wall just beside the door. Out of sight but in of earshot.
        "Don't bother. I think it's about time we speak." It was a familiar voice. But Cole couldn't place to whom it belonged. There was faint music playing on the piano.
        "My parents fulfilled their promise. They fought to keep your secret. What more do you want?" It was Alex's voice.
        "Fool! The secret is not only of the Frostmounts, but of whole Goldenwood. Everyone who knows about it are bound to keep it, protect it with their lives. Now I ask you to do the same."
        There was a laugh. A bitter one. "You cannot ask me to keep something I have no knowledge of."
        The music stopped. And silence ensued.
        "Do not be a fool, Alexander. You know the Ice Prince exists."
        "And do not be overconfident. Your prince might as well be called the Lost Prince. The Courts would never believe that he lives."
        "And if they do? Will you fight alongside us?"
        Another chuckle. "I will not follow an untrained royalty. Our alliance is long broken when the Frostmounts were banished form the grounds of Goldenwood."
        "And if I tell you that the banishment is a hoax?"
        "Do not fool me with your words, Percival. This conversation is over."
        Footsteps echoed from the room.
        Cole took it as his cue to leave.
        The more time that passed, the more information he gained. And yet, the more confused he became.