A DISAPPEARANCE SCHEME

The persistent beeping of an alarm clock shattered the tranquil atmosphere of the room. Stare swiftly rolled over, silencing the insistent sound by pressing a button on the cube-shaped clock on his bedside table. The room once again fell into peaceful silence.

He rose from his bed and made his way to the adjacent bathroom, attending to his morning routine of brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower. Dressed in a black hoodie and matching sweatpants, he stepped out of his room and into the living room.

In the kitchen, his mother was busy fulfilling orders for pastries, her attention consumed by the task at hand. Stare seized the opportunity to snatch a couple of pancakes from the dining table before quietly leaving the house.

Undoubtedly, his father had already headed to work, likely dropping Aila off at school as well.

He took out a portable media player from the pocket of his hoodie and plugged both earpieces into his ear.

It had cost him quite a lot from his allowance to get this relic of a device. 

Devices like this that used wires could be said to have gone almost extinct at this point. Technology had gone completely wireless, hence when he plugged the wired earpieces in his ears, he got a couple of odd stares from passersby but he didn't mind any of them, he preferred using this device for listening to music as it always seemed to take him back to that era.

Those happy times he spent with 'her' and the rest of his friends.

As the classic 'shut up my mum is calling' by Hotel Ugly played on, he walked on the pavement and stopped at a shop by the side. 

It had an old barely holding-together signboard that read 'Just John's Classic Relic's shop'

The shop's faded signboard bore the weight of time, hinting at an era long gone. 

Stare glanced at the door for a while before removing his earpieces and entering the shop.

Immediately he walked into the shop the picture of a dim and dusty relic shop frozen in time came into sight, as if untouched by modernity for years. 

Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the antique windows, casting an ethereal glow on the particles suspended in the air. The wooden shelves sagged under the weight of forgotten treasures, draped in cobwebs, and coated in a layer of dust that told tales of neglect. 

The shop's worn-out rugs and faded tapestries whispered stories of their own, absorbing decades of history. 

The lingering scent of weed mingled with the musty aroma, adding an unmistakable note to the air.

Amongst the forgotten relics, a tall man with a caramel complexion stood with a wide smile and blood-red eyes. He was dressed in loose clothing which had a mixed color of red, gold, and green, on his head was a knitted beanie with dreadlocks peeking out from beneath.

"What's good John?" Stare first started a conversation and was  replied with a wider smile.

"All same, all same brother…I see you still have the player with you. In case you need another, I just got a restock." The man said with a calm and welcoming tone.

"Aight, I'll keep that in mind." Stare nodded and then found a chair to sit on.

The man didn't bother with him anymore and just walked to a corner with a wrapped lit weed and Rubik's cube in his hand.

Stare moved his gaze from his phone to the shop's entrance door from time to time, obviously waiting for Doush.

Thirty minutes had passed but there wasn't any sign of Doush and then thirty minutes became an hour yet no sign from Doush, soon an hour became two hours yet no sign still.

At 11:30, a slightly chubby boy entered the shop with sluggish movements and sleepy eyes…the boy was obviously Doush.

Stare saw the condition at which his friend came in and was lost on what reaction to have.

"Such amazing timing skills you've got." Stare commended with a sarcastic tone but his target didn't seem to mind him at first and just let out a long yawn.

"You don't know how much willpower it took to get off that bed, I was literally conflicted to choose from two paths, one path was a friend I grew up with and the other was my comfort…"

"I obviously chose my comfort but for some odd reason I kept seeing an angry bird version of your face in my dreams…so what's up with you, what do you want this time?"

Stare, who has been lost for words since Doush began talking, became serious once more.

"It's about our discussion yesterday."

Doush seemed lost for some while, but after some thought his eyes shone brightly from shock.

"You don't mean…you're actually trying to…"

He suddenly placed his palm on his friend's forehead.

"Oh you don't have a fever, so you really want to avoid the public testing?"

Stare nodded lightly.

"I don't know why amazing things happen to the wrong people, you literally got a chance to take the test this year while I got to wait another stupid year…"

"...So where do you plan on crashing in the meantime until the testing is over."

Stare remained silent for a while and then replied.

"I could always crash here at the Relic shop…right John?"

"The more, the merrier." John briefly gave a reply with a smile before returning his concentration to the unsolved Rubik's cube in his hand.

"...I just need you to keep my parents in check, I don't want them over-exerting themselves and if possible sway them from coming to this area at all costs."

Doush who had been listening intently suddenly had an odd expression.

"Wait…hold up, you're making me an accomplice in your disappearance scheme? What if the plan fails and my mum hears about my involvement from your parents, she'll definitely lengthen my one-month curfew. If I'm gonna do this, then at least I'll need some sort of compensation.

A sly smile formed on Stare's face as he suddenly feigned an ignorant expression.

"What's this?… I just suddenly remembered you still haven't given me a certain Arcana Battle card."

Doush's shoulders immediately slumped down in defeat.

"You know you're becoming more and more hard to communicate with."

"...How about the street CCTV cameras placed outside? Since you will be hiding somewhere not too far away from home, there's a high tendency you could get traced back here from captured footage."

Stare just smiled slightly and then replied with assurance.

"I can handle the cameras, don't worry, just do your part. I will be leaving later tonight, The testing is most likely to end tomorrow by 6:00 pm so I should be back home by 7."

With an understanding nod, both friends agreed on the plan.