"So, basically...you're saying you found something?" Tyler asked, a frown weighing down his eyebrows.
Olivia nodded eagerly, the most excited you'd ever seen her. She was practically bouncing up and down the little room in the corner of the school you and the other Seekers had squared away so long ago. The small wooden chest in her hands bounced with her. She was a little bit on the skinny side, with unremarkable shoulder-length brown hair. But she was your friend. Your best friend. If she was happy, you were happy.
And you were very happy. You couldn't keep the goofy grin off your face as she set the chest down on the table. This was everything you and the other seekers had worked towards. Maybe. Fingers crossed. You had all been disappointed before.
"But how do you know it's real?" Rebecca asked the obvious question. She was an attractive blonde with...not unremarkable assets. She was really, really curvy. Not chubby, just... very gifted. She could've been a cheerleader, but she'd chosen to hang out with you guys instead. You couldn't fathom why.
"Well, I don't know. I mean, none of us will until we open this thing up. But the seller insisted that the stuff inside the chest was really valuable-- actual cursed items! I mean, he was so eager to get rid of it. I offered him twenty bucks and he took it! What reason would he have to do that unless they were actually cursed?"
Charlie leaned out from the dark corner he usually sat in, a smirk on his lips. "Maybe it's just junk?"
You shook your head. "I don't think so. Even if it is junk from a scammer, they usually try to jack up the price to a bit higher than twenty bucks. What was the guy like?"
Olivia shrugged. "He was just a normal guy. Well, actually, I think he was a monk. He had a shaved head and he was wearing this weird brown robe...but that just makes it more legit, right? It couldn't possibly be a prank!"
Well, it could, but then it would be a very elaborate one. No one here at Brock cared enough to put all the time and effort into hiring an actor and then into giving him a convincing looking containment chest.
"Well, if it isn't junk, then there is the thing about it being, y'know, cursed. I don't think any of us wants to get cursed," Rebecca said, eyeing the box warily. She was beginning to believe it was real, too. For some reason, that only made you happier.
"We'll be careful," you assured her, meeting Olivia's eyes as you did so. She smiled back. You felt your heart pick up a few paces. Not just in excitement, but in... something else. Something you couldn't quite put a finger on. "Everyone got their gloves?"
Everyone but Charlie nodded. Of course. Always the least prepared, but you loved him anyway. The Seekers were a home away from home for those who comprised their numbers. You'd all shared secrets and enjoyed things that no one else knew or cared about. Almost like family. Not that you disliked your own. They were okay. But this was pure enjoyment.
"Don't worry, bro. I'll spot you," Tyler assured the slacker. He offered him his box of latex gloves, which Charlie very quickly took and put on. There were no guarantees when it came to magic, especially considering none of you had actually encountered anything more powerful than a common fridge magnet, but it didn't hurt to come prepared. At the very least, you wouldn't get infected by any bacteria lurking around inside the old chest.
"You got the key?" You asked Olivia seriously. She nodded, pulling it out from a chain sticking out from her jean pocket. "Here you go, keymaster," she said with a wink as she shoved it into your hand. Your heart raced at the contact and you blushed slightly. "Thanks," you practically whispered in her ear.
"So...I guess I get to do the honors," you said to everyone present. The room was warmly lit and properly air-conditioned, if a little dusty, but you felt a chill run up your spine at the idea of opening up this thing. It had an odd energy about it, inviting and foreboding in the same instant.Something about the chest spoke of a point of no return. Once you opened it up, there was no going back. Were you really ready for this?
Hell yes.
With a deep breath shared by the entire room, you stepped forward, placing one hand atop the flat, rectangular wooden box sitting on top of your meeting table. You let out a shuddering sigh as you stuck the key into the lock, twisting it once, twice, three times until the chest sprang open, revealing...
A lot. Way more than you'd been expecting. There were multiple tiny metal shelves set into the box in a sort of staircase, each extending down into the side closest to you. Each shelf had three tiny objects on them, objects that were undoubtedly magical just from the way they sent the hairs on the back of your neck on end.
Your gaze focused immediately on the top center shelf, where wedged in between two other identical trays, there was a set of three you just couldn't tear your eyes away from. On the left, there was what looked like a shiny metal nose ring. In the center, a mysterious glowing purple orb. And on the right was what looked like some kind of vague stone shape that might've once been a statue of a woman.
Magic. Real, undeniable magic was right in front of you, calling to you. Transfixed, you stepped forward, ignoring the awed looks from the other seekers. You needed to touch one. It didn't matter which. You were as hungry for them as they were for you.
Which one did you touch?
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