"Ughhhh," Toma released a heavy breath as he sunk into a chair in the lounge area on the fourth floor of Resident Building G. The six had just finished dinner and were relaxing in the comfortable lounge.
"This was one of the longest weeks of my life," Stryke commented as he leaned his head back to rest against the rim of his cushioned chair.
"I honestly can't believe it went by so quickly," Toma returned.
"Eh??" Stryke lifted his head to look at Toma with a raised brow. "In what way did it go by quickly? Maybe it's because you're further away from the sun, so you aren't as in tune with its cycles."
Toma fell silent as he tried to process what Sryke had just said while Liyam stifled a laugh. "Hey!!" Toma's eyes widened when he finally realized it was a jab at his height. Extending his leg, Toma reached for Stryke to kick him, but unfortunately, his limb was not as long as he needed it to be to hit its mark.
Stryke smirked at Toma's failed attempt to kick his shin and laid his head back down before closing his eyes. The other four had remained quiet and were thankful for the peace and quiet they finally had. The six were completely exhausted after finishing their final training session for the week. Practicing the basic stances in martial arts was harder than they had cut it out to be.
Although they were exhausted and worn from their first week at Azari, they were having the time of their lives. The instructors were understanding and patient, the food was amazing, and their classmates all got along with each other...well, except for Wen and Kean.
Tensions remained high between the two boys. They had yet to speak to each other and avoided eye contact as best they could. The other four had quickly picked up on the hostility between the two and had decided to not test the waters. So, they did not force interactions between Wen and Kean and let the two be.
Although he hated being with Kean when not in class or training, Wen could not bring himself to leave the group; this was because Lay would undoubtedly follow him, and Wen did not want to hinder Lay from making friends with others. Toma and Lay hit it off pretty well and were becoming good friends.
And wherever Toma went, Stryke went. And Kean's friendship with Stryke was much like Wen's friendship with Lay, so with Stryke came Kean. And Liyam...well, Wen was not too sure why Liyam stuck with the group. Maybe because he was Lay's roommate...?
Wen let out a breath as he leaned his head back. The momentary silence that hung over the group of students nearly lulled Wen to sleep, however, the sound of sniffles kept him from completely falling asleep. Lazily opening his eyes, Wen lifted his head and looked around. Who is crying?
Swiveling his head from left to right, Wen spotted a distraught boy slowly shuffling down the dimmed hallway. Since it was now after-hours, the lighting in all the residential buildings had automatically dimmed, so Wen could not determine who was nearing them until the figure reached the lounge.
"Brix?" Wen called out the boy's name, catching his attention.
Hearing his name, Brix slowly turned toward the one who had called him. His eyes were glimmering, and his cheeks were stained by tear streams. He had been crying for quite some time. His hair, which was usually styled up, was all disheveled and hung before his wet eyes.
"You okay, bro?" Stryke, who had also lifted his head at the sound of Brix's sniffles, inquired as he watched the disheartened boy come to a stop just before the sofas and chairs the group was lounging on.
Silence followed Stryke's question, and then sniffles sounded from Brix as he hung his head before eventually answering, "My...my girlfriend broke up with me."
By now, the other four had woken from their light sleep and were looking at the saddened boy. Hearing Brix's response, Stryke stood to his feet and walked over to Brix. Setting his hand on Brix's shoulder, Stryke said, "Well, then there's only one thing we can do now."
Brix looked up at Stryke through moist eyes. "Wh...what's that?"
"Go dancing!" Styke responded with a smile. "The best remedy for a broken heart is to go dancing." Turning back to the other five, Stryke said, "Come on, everyone. We now have a mission: to have a long, fun night and comfort Brix's poor, broken heart."
"Great! Where are we going?" Toma was quick to jump to his feet and join Stryke in his attempt to cheer Brix.
Liyam was the next to stand to his feet. "Sounds fun. Let's do it."
Soon, everyone was on their feet...well, everyone except Lay. Being a heavy sleeper, Lay had slept through the entire interaction and was completely unaware of the newly made plans. Knowing that this week had been the hardest on Lay, Wen turned to the others and said, "I'll stay back with Lay. He's exhausted and should probably rest tonight."
Lay had never been one for physical activities much less any type of training or martial arts, so he was particularly drained from the long week. Aware of this, Wen could not leave Lay asleep on his own, so he decided to remain behind and care for his friend.
"Aww, Wennnn! You gotta come, though!" Toma protested. "It's going to be so much fun! I'd hate for you to miss it."
Looking at Toma's eagerness for him to join the group, Wen suddenly remembered how Gabbi and Mel had often encouraged Wen to go out and have fun with friends. He had never had the time due to studies and work, but now that he was in Azari and did not have to worry about tuition, he did not have the excuse of having to work anymore.
Deciding that it might not be a bad idea to go out at least once, Wen replied, "I'll put Lay to bed and catch up with you guys later."
Satisfied with Wen's response, Toma nodded. "Okay, but promise to come once you get Lay tucked in."
Wen nodded in agreement as Stryke slung his arm over Brix's shoulders. Happy with Wen's promise to eventually catch up to them, Toma turned and joined Stryke and Brix in walking out of the lounge area.
"I'll send you the address," Stryke told Wen as he and Brix walked past.
Wen watched the five leave the lounge before turning to his friend dead asleep on one of the sofas. Carefully lifting Lay, Wen scooped his friend in his arms and began walking down the long hallway. Reaching Room 406, Wen hung Lay's holowatch in front of the door's access panel to unlock it.
Hearing the door chirp, Wen then pushed the door inward and walked into his friend's dorm room. Seeing Lay's belongings on the left side of the dorm, Wen carefully set Lay on the left bed. Pulling back the sheet and blanket, Wen gently laid them over his friend before standing back up straight.
Lay, who had remained fast asleep throughout this, then released a small moan before turning over on his side and hugging one of the blanket's corners. Seeing Lay unconsciously make himself comfortable in the bed, Wen smiled to himself before turning to exit the dorm.
However, as he took a step to leave, something caught Wen's eye. Turning back around, Wen walked up to the nightstand stationed beside the bed and bent down to pick up a small, framed picture. Physical pictures were quite rare and outdated, so Wen was surprised Lay had gone to the lengths to get a picture printed and placed in a frame.
Bringing the frame to his chest, Wen smiled softly when he saw the contents of the picture. It had been taken that very summer when Lay and Wen's family had gone to one of the city parks and had a small picnic. Emmi and Hanna sat on Wen and Lay's laps while Lisa knelt behind her four children. The five of them were smiling and happy. It had been a beautiful, warm day, and it had clearly meant a lot to Lay.
Carefully setting the picture frame back on the nightstand, Wen turned and smiled at his sleeping friend once more before switching off the motion-sensor lights and exiting the dorm room. Wen's holophone vibrated in his pocket as he quietly closed the door to Lay's dorm. Extracting the thin, clear rectangle from his pant pocket, Wen read Stryke's message.
We're going to Manik. Let us know when
you get there. See ya
Thanks, on my way
Having replied to Stryke, Wen slipped his holophone back into his pant pocket before making his way back down the hallway. As he made his way down to the ground floor, Wen thought over his decision to go out that night. He was honestly pretty tired from the long week and did not know how long he would be able to stay out before passing out due to exhaustion. Nonetheless, he had promised Toma he would go, so go he would.
Manik...I wonder what kind of place it is. Wen had never been dancing and hardly hung out with anyone except Lay. And their version of "hanging out" seemed to be much different than Stryke and Toma's.
As Azari was located toward the outskirts of the large city of Daeshin, shuttles were provided to transport students into the city on weekends. And, since it was Friday night, there should not be any problem catching one of the shuttles into the city. However, much to Wen's surprise, the shuttle stop located just outside the campus was bustling with students.
It was the end of the first full week at Azari, so students were eager to get out and explore. And, since they currently did not have any exams coming up, this was the perfect weekend to go out and sightsee. There was currently not a shuttle at the stop, so Wen joined the several other students who had gathered to wait for the next one.
A quick look around the stop informed Wen that the other five had caught the shuttle before it had left and were already on their way into the city. The shuttles came in half-hour increments, so Wen waited for another fifteen minutes before the next shuttle arrived. After letting a group of female students board the shuttle before him, Wen then boarded and sat next to one of the windows as other students continued to pile on.
Once it had filled up with students, the shuttle zoomed away from the stop and began heading toward the city. The ride lasted about twenty minutes before it neared the stop Wen needed. Tapping the screen on the side of the shuttle, Wen alerted the automated driving assistance that he needed to get off at the upcoming stop.
Sensing the alert from one of its passengers, the shuttle stopped at the next drop-off point and opened its doors to allow Wen to deboard. Wen was immediately met with loud music and vibrant colors as he stepped off the shuttle which did not surprise him. Manik was located in the heart of the party district, so Wen chose the shuttle stop that was closest to the bustling party scene.
It did not take Wen long to find Manik. It was housed in a skyscraper with ever-changing, vibrant colors running up and down all four sides of the tall building, and the giant letters of "M A N I K" that ran down the front were a dead giveaway.
Wen released a long breath as he saw the line that trailed from the dance club's entrance and wrapped around the corner of the street. It's going to be dawn before I even get into the building. Not excited by the thought of waiting hours in line but not wanting to break his promise to Toma, Wen quietly joined the end of the line and prepared to be on his feet for the next hour or so.
However, he had been standing in line for too long before a man dressed in a black suit approached him. "Wen Kaihan?"
The mention of his name surprised Wen. How does he know my name? Wen looked at the man suspiciously as the man in black extended his arm and gestured to the main entrance.
"Your friends are waiting for you," the man said as he bowed his head slightly.
"Excuse me, but, how do you know my name?" Wen inquired cautiously.
"Mr. Fauhn sent me to escort you inside," the man answered.
Mr. Fauhn...who is Mr. Fauhn... Wait, is it...? Wen scrunched his brows as he asked, "By Mr. Fauhn...do you mean Stryke Fauhn?"
"Indeed," the man answered.
Woah... I had no idea Stryke had this kind of influence. Class C sure has some crazy students. Wen was reminded of his social status when it occurred to him that Stryke would be capable of much more than Wen ever could do. He was in Class C after all, and Wen was only in Class V because he had good grades.
"Follow me please." The man's voice brought Wen from his thoughts as he gestured to the club's entrance once more. "I shall escort you inside."
Wen nodded silently before following the man in the black suit past the hundreds of people waiting in line to enter Manik. Several people who were stuck in line pointed at Wen and wondered who he was as he walked past them with his personal escort. Gaining so much attention from strangers made Wen feel incredibly uncomfortable, and he hurried after the man in hopes of getting into the building and away from the gawking people as quickly as he could.
Once he had entered through the main entrance of the club, Wen was quickly rushed through the security process where he was scanned for any weapons and then stamped with a symbol detailing he was underage and thus was only given access to the dance floor. From there, he was brought past another line of people waiting to enter the club after having passed the screening process.
After being escorted into the main dance hall, the man in the black suit disappeared, leaving Wen at the entrance where he was provided a black mask. "It's custom to wear this at all times," the female manning the entrance explained as she handed Wen the mask.
Accepting the mask, Wen turned it over in his hand before slipping it over his head and resting it on his nose. It covered the upper portion of his face much like a masquerade mask, concealing much of his identity.
"We have a lot of VIPs here, so be sure to keep it on," the girl added as she gestured to the mask.
"Thanks." Wen dipped his head in short thanks before leaving the entrance and slowly making his way toward the crowd of dancers.
What a strange place. Everyone was wearing the same black mask, and it appeared that there were no specific partners when it came to dancing. Everyone was dancing with everyone. There was also no discrimination when it came to levels of intimacy when dancing.
Staying at the outer edge of the dance grounds, Wen slowly made his way around the dance hall in search of the other five. Where are they? Having no luck when searching the perimeter, Wen carefully inched his way into the crowd of dancers. Maybe they're already dancing.
The moment he entered the group of dancers, Wen was caught in the wave of energy and swept away. He had never been so close to people, and it was almost suffocating. Immediately repulsed by the close contact with so many strangers, Wen instantly looked for ways to get out of the thick of the dance floor.
I'll just wait for them to get done dancing. Ready to leave and wait for his friends outside the group of dancers, Wen eagerly searched for a way out. Spotting a narrow opening, Wen pushed toward it. However, he rushed too much and ended up tripping over someone's foot.
"Ah!" Wen released a short sound of fright as he began falling toward the ground. Expecting to fall into someone, Wen braced for the incoming impact, however, a hand around his wrist pulled him away from the oncoming crash.
The force from the pull twirled Wen around and caused him to fall against someone's chest. The moment he landed against the person, the hustle of the frenzied dancing all around slowed to a lazy blur. A pounding in Wen's chest caused him to hold his breath as he felt the muscular form in front of him. What is this? Why is my heart racing?
A subtle scent of cool mint wafted from the man as he caught Wen, his free arm wrapping around Wen's waist to stabilize him. The hand around Wen's wrist did not disappear as Wen slowly lifted his head to lock eyes with dark eyes that gazed at him through a black mask.