The War Of Hearts
Chap 5 - The Mysterious Figure of Melvin.

“You? Why are you here?!” Ethan immediately charged, he had already advanced to approach Melvin by putting on a dislike expression.

“What's the reason?” Melvin responded like he didn't feel anything was wrong.

Melvin who is always suddenly present and shows his existence unexpectedly, is indeed very mysterious. He could come and go without making people around him aware, as if he were a real ghost.

Ugh, I got goosebumps!

“You were not invited, you better go! Don't interfere, you can never get into our friendship!” whistle Ethan, he was so polishing while Melvin was still loyal with his cold expression.

Lyman took a step forward, holding Ethan's shoulder to calm down, but his gaze was straight on Melvin. “Again how did you know we were coming to school tonight? Even if you eavesdrop, don't you come to school? Who told you about this and how far do you know about our plan?”

Searched many questions by Lyman, Melvin seems to be relaxed. So relaxed he just stared as if he did not intend to answer.

“I suspect he has a spy in school to monitor us,” accuses Magani while raising her cynical gaze.

“Not. I'm not like that.” Melvin can only deny without giving a definite answer, of course it makes us upset.

Both of my hands were folded over my chest, and then commented on Melvin's suspicious actions, “Listen, what we're going to do tonight is none of your business. And it's also not what you think. We're not having camp events or testing our guts. Didn't I say it before? Stay away, you are terrible!”

Okay, I'm so emotional that it's hard to control what I say. But honestly, this really makes me sick. Melvin with strange and unclear behavior always managed to make me confused, lazy to guess what exactly the purpose of it.

“Leave him alone. Don't mind that idiot,” circus Ethan, I didn't expect him to be that brave. Before, I felt like he was a victim because he couldn't fight back.

Walking first, Ethan hits Melvin's shoulder blocking the road. Ethan immediately climbed up the branches of the tree as a foothold to reach the high wall that was ready to climb.

“Why are you daydreaming? Come follow me!” Ethan called impatiently, he was so uncomfortable with Melvin.

One by one we started following Ethan's steps, when I thought he didn't have any climbing skills. Lyman in the back row, he was the last one to make it through the wall, leaving the Melvin I believed was still frozen expressionless.

We started walking around with Lyman who was the guide, passing through the quiet alleys with flickering lights like in a horror movie. Everything went well until Magani suddenly complained that she started feeling strange air to make her afraid for no reason.

Upset because it was being carried on by Magani, I pushed him because it began to rattle. “Aish! Why are you so cowardly? It was just the sound of an old door opening from the wind, it was. Don't overdo it!”

“Ta-but..” Magani kept trying to get her body closer to me, asking for protection.

Lyman who was walking in front of it immediately turned his head. “Why are you a coward? We haven't even met the cloaked man we're looking for. This is just a school, which distinguishes only dark and minimal people.”

Ethan stuck his index finger to his lips, telling us not to be noisy. “Sst! School guards must be on patrol, rather than storm we better speed up our steps. But first, we must sneak into the teacher's room to find the key to the abandoned garden gate that we are coming to.”

And a few minutes after Ethan warned, we who had to enter the area of the teacher room was immediately detected by the security guard because the flashlight was pointing at us. Because of the shock of the crime, we even scattered.

Lyman and Magani turn to the right corridor, while Ethan and I climb the stairs to the second floor. So panicked, I was confused as to what and how.

Luckily Ethan pulled my arm straight into one of the unlocked classes. Ethan did not ask me to hide under the table, but he immediately pushed me into an empty old closet that smelled damp and dusty, he came in and hurriedly closed the door.

“Basic naughty kids!” gerutu Pak guardam accompanied by his hasty footsteps, his voice was getting closer.

Whether because of the feeling or premonition of the security guard is strong, the room where we hide also he came to. When the creaking of the classroom door sign someone came in, I was worried about being discovered.

From the gap of the door that was only one inch away with my nose, my gaze caught the bright light from the flashlight that had been directed at the old cupboard we inhabited, I'm sure my face is pale and resigned if such should be caught.

“Where are you hiding? Get out there and don't play around! School should not be entered by students at night, it is a mandatory rule that you should obey!” nag him while starting to check the tables one by one.

“Don't panic, Jan,” whispered Ethan, I reflexively rolled my tails to look at him.

“How about we get caught?” my reply is getting hotter cold.

The thing that made me feel a little sidetracked was when Ethan unexpectedly grabbed my hand. “I will take you away, your job is only to push the security guard. I heard your strength is quite strong,” kekehnya at the end of the speech.

I just nodded and started thinking about staying calm and doing what Ethan said if he had to get caught. But suddenly...

“Hey, Sir! Two other children have been secured.” I heard someone else talking. “We better take care of them and urge them to call his other friends. We can also start interrogating them to find out what their arrival at school meant

Dark, the flashlight that shone towards the closet has moved. Looks like the security guard who was chasing us earlier has approached his partner and started leaving us here.

“It looks like it's safe, come out,” invite Ethan, he so carefully opens the closet door. Picking his face up little by little to see the surroundings.

“We go back to the basement first, make sure they're both caught. If it is, then our time must be wasted to save them first. Or if you want, we can go without them.”

I was quite surprised and unexpected by Ethan's last suggested choice. Where could I possibly leave them both, because doing all this could not be separated to realize their wishes as well.

“Just kidding.” Ethan grinned while raising both of his fingers. Then starting to guide the way, I followed him.

When we went down the stairs and wanted to find where Lyman and Magani were, our steps stopped when we caught the noise calling us. My head turned and my eyes glared when I found my two friends who were said to have been arrested were hiding behind the wall, Magani's hands waving.

I pulled Ethan's collar to stop him from moving, then without babibu he immediately brought him closer to them both. Lyman showed me a key with a face, sure enough it was the key we needed to open the back gate.

“Aren't you guys captured by the security guard?” many confusions.

Lyman and Magani stared at each other, simultaneously shrugging their shoulders. It seems like their circumstances are not what they are, because if they were captured they would not be here.

“No, we're safe. When the teacher room was not being guarded by security guards, we hurriedly sneaked in. Precisely I think you are the ones who have been caught, because some security guards previously chatted that there were two people who were caught,” said Lyman explained, Magani nods her head.

Ethan got straight into the conversation. “Already, no need to think about. We better hurry to the back garden before the guards find us back.”

Right, rather than wasting time just thinking about this, we better focus on the initial goal. Walking the group, this time Lyman again became a guide. Walk slowly, trying as much as possible so as not to be found out.

At the back garden of the school, we were greeted by strong winds. Flying the dry foliage, I reflexively closed my eyes so as not to flicker.

“Even though and the atmosphere is very different. I can feel that here the flow of magic is so felt,” said Lyman, he closed his eyes while breathing deep air.

Magani. “True. What are we going to do now?”

“What I know, don't we need to do the summoning ritual? Because we can't possibly wait for the cloaked man to take the initiative to come alone right?” ethan asked, I was curious.

Lyman moved her backpack forward, her hands reaching for something. He pulled out an old book whose sheets had been torn and yellowed, whether it was a book.

“True. We're going to do a summoning ritual. I don't know what we'll bear later after the summoning ritual has been successfully performed, but.” Lyman hung up his words, his mouth was about to read the pages of the book in his hand.

Magani whispered to me, “That's the book Lyman got in the teacher's room, a book of some sort of guide to do the robe-calling man we're looking for.”

I just nodded in response, my eyes focused on observing Lyman with the book.

A moment later, Lyman raised his head to look at all of us in turn. The change in his expression was obvious, making me instantly feel curious as to what was happening.

“Why?” my question is to represent two of my friends who must also be curious.

“Number less,” Lyman replied lethargic.

“What amount?” Ethan asked this time.

“Total for performing rituals. We need one more person.” Lyman picked up the book, showed us. Showing a page with a picture of a star with an explanation that I can't read because the writing is so small.

“You see?” Lyman's finger shows a picture of the stars in the book. “The angle of this star is five. The number of people needed must be five. While we are here only four.”

“Do not worry!”

The baritone who suddenly burst into the chat, managed to withdraw our entire attention. Our heads turned to the source of the voice because of reflexes.

“Melvin?!” And we all simultaneously mentioned the name of a person who again always appears and disappears all of a sudden.

“I can help you guys. I will be the complement and we can all carry out this ritual soon. No need to hesitate, anyway before I have helped you guys,” explained Melvin so confident.

I frowned. “Help us?”

Melvin nodded steadily. “Soal guard earlier.”

My mind went round and round, but still I didn't understand how Melvin did it. Everything about him has always been mysterious and beyond reason.

“So how?” Melvin's waiting for an answer. “You have no choice to refuse, right?”

***