Chapter Text
Everyone dreams of stardom and success. For many, it's nothing but a distant goal with vague possibilities. Something that requires more sacrifice than the rewards that are promised in the end. While for others, the opportunity of success is handed to few on a silver platter.
Oletus Academy is one of those links that promises success. It's a strange school indeed. Rumored that it's acceptance letters are sent out to special students. Students with promise.
Applications are practically unheard of. However, those who are lucky enough to receive these mysterious letters can't seem to decline.
It was a peaceful morning. The pale pink-and-blue sky stretched across the horizon at ease. There was no sign of rain. No foul weather. Only a gentle fog that rolled across the ground. Nothing but tranquility was promised.
It was Friday. It was always a Friday when something odd happened. Lucky knew that well. The brown-haired boy adjusted his glasses, his sparse freckles hardly visible under the dim light of day.
Lucky was waiting for the bus. A simple routine to many, but the odd feeling in the air put him off. There was something waiting for him.
He rocked back and forth on his feet, furrowing his brows. That odd feeling wouldn't go away. A feeling that was distant, yet right behind him at the same time. He could never tell whether it was a good or a bad one. He's never able to find out until it's too late.
The brunette, with a grunt of defeat, began picking at his gray shirt. To his displeasure, Lucky found a burr tangled into the fabric. Today was not a lucky Friday, he could say for sure.
Lucky lived in a fairly secluded area. A woodland surrounded to the brim with trees and foliage. With only a few neighbors, most of which are seniors and older people he couldn't be bothered to connect with, Lucky typically waited for the bus alone.
So, to say he was surprised by the shrill voice of a young girl that cried out as he chucked the burr with the mental force of a thousand underpaid middle school teachers, was a bit of an understatement.
Lucky guy drew his hand back, his eyes widened with obvious shock. "Hello? Who's there?" He stammered, peering into the fog. There was no response. Nothing but shocking, uncomfortable silence.
That odd feeling that bothered him the entire morning doubled with force. Here it is- the inciting incident. Whatever happens after this will change the course of the entire day.
Lucky knew it was stupid to leave the bus stop. He'd probably get an earful from his parents after this. He knew it was even stupider to follow ghostly voices alone into a foggy woods. He'd get an even bigger earful for that, assuming he makes it out alive.
As the cliche goes, the world around him seemed to get darker. Like a foggy labyrinth that promised nothing but misery and muddy shoes. Not his favorite combination. Lucky wandered aimlessly into the darkness, muttering silent curses under his breath for being so stupid.
Just as he was about to turn around and go back, another ghostly murmur cut through the air. It seemed to be coming from just further ahead.
The brunette closed his eyes and muttered a prayer. It was clear that there was no turning back, unless he wanted to be damned to hell by some creepy ghost lady. (Which he doesn't.)
Lucky slowly treaded forward, occasionally stumbling over the muddy forest floor. The silence was almost deafening.
No creaking branches, flapping wings, not even a bug or two. Just the sound of his own struggling, and the eerie ghost whispers. What he wouldn't give to have a mosquito buzzing in his ear right about now.
Then it happened. The ghostly murmurs died down almost instantly out of nowhere. Lucky blinked, and peered around.
His glasses were hardly useful in this fog. Great. The brunette removed them with a pitiful attempt to keep them clean. He didn't even notice the large lake that glistened in front of him.
Wait.. what?
Snapping his attention upwards, Lucky was taken aback by what was indeed a large lake. It had an unrealistically blue hue that shimmered eerily. It was surrounded by reeds, tall grass, cattails… almost anything you could imagine along a lake.
Lucky didn't dare utter a word. As if one misplaced breath could blow away the mysterious veil that shrouded the environment. However, something caught his eye.
There in a bundle of cattails, laid a white envelope that rustled gently in a seemingly nonexistent breeze. Upon further inspection, the envelope was adorned with a deep red seal of wax. It was spotless, despite having been wedged into muddy ground just before. How is that possible?
The brunette shakily turned the envelope around, to see if any information was written on the back. And there he saw it in bold letters. A word… a name he's been familiar with his entire life.
Lucky.
He heard the rumors. Every kid did, after all. Students are hand selected to attend some prestigious school. This couldn't be it… right?
Lucky didn't want to risk ripping open the envelope without a letter opener. Gazing up, Lucky noticed a path that was cleared from the fog.
A sign, maybe. Or that creepy ghost lady leading him to his inevitable death. Either way, the pressing feeling of unease ebbed away, and was promptly replaced with something more cheerful.
Today will be a good Friday, the brunette thought. Maybe he was a pretty lucky guy after all.