Chapter Text
Alexander is a normal kid. He wears normal clothes, does normal activities, he tries his best to look normal too. Despite going to a very much not normal school and having a very not normal life, he insists that he is most definitely normal. And even if kids will point out that he's way too smart to even be considered normal he swears he is.
Everything about him is supposed to be normal, from his fluffy hair to his round glasses. So how in the world did he get convinced into this? Everything about this is definitely not normal.
"Eliza? Where are you even taking us again?" Steven asks, putting his hands into the pockets of his slightly oversized powder blue hoodie. Steven is usually the one who can tolerate Eliza's weird antics the easiest even if he says he hates talking to her. Alexander doesn’t know how he does it, especially with how volatile the youngest is emotionally. The two's dynamic had always seemed a bit off to Alexander but he never really paid it any mind.
"You'll see," Eliza smiles, happily skipping off to go look at a flower farther ahead of the trail in the woods. Her usual blue dress has been swapped out for dark blue jeans and a sky blue shirt. Alexander simply shakes his head at her enthusiastic behavior, speeding up slightly to catch up to her.
"You couldn't have picked anywhere better?" Elijah complains, slouching slightly to avoid the bugs. Bugs have always been a problem for the taller boy, and being one of Alexander's closest friends he had tried to help him with the fear to no avail. Eliza knows this, and well too, but she still decided to bring them. As much as she loves chaos she doesn’t like seeing her friends distressed so her bringing them here is odd.
"Just hurry!" Eliza huffs, plucking the flower, putting it in her hair, and moving along.
"I can't believe this," Steven grumbles, hurrying his steps so he can catch up to her similarly to Alex. Once the boy gets close enough behind her he smacks her behind the head, a small snort escaping past him as he sees her jump.
She glares at her friend, rubbing the spot where he hit. The girl stops moving and pushes Steven into a patch of grass as vengeance. She snickers at his pathetic attempt to stop himself from falling on his behind. He can only huff, standing back up and dusting the grass and dirt off his pants with a small complaint of grass stains.
Alexander sighs as he sees his friends, shaking his head. If this is how it’s going to be for the entirety of their adventure it’s definitely going to be a long ride.
After about thirty minutes of walking through the forest the amount of trees begin to dwindle, allowing the rays of sunlight to shine upon them. The group of kids is met with a large clearing in the forest, grass covered in brightly colored wildflowers. There are barely any signs of life besides the occasional scurry of a squirrel in the search of food. Large, rough stones rest in the middle of the clearing, a pedestal for the large wooden door that looms over them.
Alexander pushes his glasses up as he steps closer, analyzing the door with awe. It’s much taller than him, the shadow looming over him like an overbearing parent. He gingerly traces his fingertips over the delicate carvings in the wood, the designs worn down by years of standing alone in nature. The metal hinges are rusted, a few overtaken by moss. There’s a small voice coming from behind the door despite it being attached to nothing, it’s calling to him, begging for him to open it with its tantalizing whispers.
“…what is this…?” Alex mumbles, looking over at Eliza with a quizzical frown.
“I’m not too sure,” She responds, shrugging her shoulders, “I found it a while back and I couldn’t open it. I thought maybe you could open it for me.”
“Is that seriously why you brought us here?” Steven glares at Eliza with a small huff.
The girl sighs, waving her hand dismissively “Partially,” She admits, “But I also brought you here because I’m sure Alex hears it too.”
Elijah raises an eyebrow at her tone, looking between her and his best friend. Alexander doesn’t say anything to confirm or deny her statement. He turns back to the door, his hand hovering over the delicate silver handles.
“Why would you want to open the door?” Elijah asks, staring at the back of Alexander’s head. “There’s nothing it’s even connected to,”
“I know,” The girl nods, “There’s just something about it, something so…”
“Enticing,” Alexander cuts in, finishing her sentence without even thinking about it.
Elijah’s eyes widen just slightly at the simple word. It had slipped out of his friend’s mouth so easily like just a fact. He’s not even looking at them, completely enamored by the door in front of them. It’s clear there’s something happening inside Alexander’s head because of this strange door. The taller boy can feel his shoulders tense as Alexander’s fingers carefully wrap around the handle, gently pulling.
The door opens with no resistance, the loud creaking of its hinges causing Eliza to wince. Steven places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes as he walks closer to the door. He quickly follows the action by flicking her forehead so the younger could focus on the situation at hand. She grumbles but begrudgingly follows him closer to the door as well. Inside the door is dark, too dark to see anything inside.
“So uh….” Elijah hesitates, “What now?”
“We go in obviously,” Eliza rolls her eyes, grabbing Steven by the wrist and dragging him inside the dark area. Elijah looks at Alexander concerned, eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. Alexander doesn’t even seem to notice the look, continuing to stare at the door with awe as he slowly walks through the threshold.
Elijah stands alone in front of the door, watching everyone's backs as they enter the strange area. The boy is unsure of what to do as he stares at the darkness before him. Very obviously he shouldn't follow his friends as they have a strange way of getting themselves into danger but then again they're his friends. The friends he's been subconsciously trying to protect since they were little and still in middle school. He sighs, looking back up at the door looming over him with its large shadow. Elijah takes one step forward into the darkness of the room, disappearing into the shadows after his friends.
The door closes behind Elijah after he enters, leaving nothing but silence behind. Everything in the area comes to a halt after the doors close. The blades of grass stop their dancing and the animals stop their scurrying to watch as the door slowly begins to disappear. It silently fades back into the wind, leaving behind the silence of the surrounding forest and the dust as it settles.