The Academy.

Chapter 2: Tunneling Deep.

"Ow!" The person yelled out. "Watch where you're going." 

"Well, sorry about that then." Noella bit back as she looked at the person, and to her surprise, it was another student. "Aren't you Raymond? As in Raymond Villamar? What are you doing in here?"

As far as students are concerned, Raymond Villamar was that he's a bit of a strange case in the fact that he is a man that is considered to be a school heartthrob for his dashing looks and charisma, but the strangest thing was this: He is a man that lovingly enjoyed his long locks of hair. 

Long locks to the point that some men tend to be deceived by it, some even flat out believing he is a woman until it's too late. For the girls? They love him because he tends to act like them. 

Who knew a guy in touch with his femininity would be so popular with girls?

"Well........" Raymond began. "I'm here to see if the rumors are true." 

"Rumors...? Rumors about what?" She asked. 

"About the school being cursed." He said nonchalantly. "Kinda wanna see what people are talking about in this place." 

Oh, oh of course, why isn't she surprised? If there's one thing that Noella should've remembered was that Raymond loved challenging things. Because in regards to the strange, effeminate man with long flowing hair, he wants to be remembered as the guy that did crazy things. The man that's brave enough to face things head on, no matter how dangerous it is. Some proposed that he would willingly piss off a lion and fight back just to say that he fought against a lion, maybe a bear too if he's in the mood.

Sometimes she wonders if it's because he wants to prove that despite looking rather girly, he's tough as any man, because he is one. Or maybe because he's bored. One thing for sure however is this: If he wants something done, then he'll get it done.

Of course she doesn't believe in most of them, but she knows it's somewhat grounded in reality. 

Regardless, all that matters is that he's in the school with her, and unlike her, he wants to stay to see if it's all true, or if it's just hogwash.

And she doesn't want to leave him here. Foolish or not, she can't let a guy like him stay here all because he wants to prove/debunk some kind of superstition.

"So what brings you here?" He ends up asking. 

"I came back to get my notebook. I forgot to take it with me, and I was happy that I realized before I got home."  

"Nice!" Raymond praised with a smile before patting her on the shoulder. "Nice to know that you're responsible for that." 

With that, he began to leave her be, ready to explore the place. However, Noella quickly grabbed him by the hand and with a surprisingly strong grip, pretty much held him in place. 

"Okay, okay...." He began with a dopey smile. "I know that you're worried about me, but relax, I'll be fine." 

"But do you really want to stay here for hours on end? What if you get locked in, looking for something that doesn't even exist?" She says with utmost sincerity, hoping that it would be enough to convince him that it's not worth it. 

Unfortunately, he didn't pay heed to it. More than anything, he just gave her a confused look and ripped his hand away. He even held it to, massaging it lightly as he looks at her again. Smiling a little bit.

"You have a strong grip for a girl...." He muttered. "Quite a surprise, not gonna lie." 

"It still doesn't change the fact the fact that what you're doing is stupid...."