After finals and the last day of school, it was time for summer break. We got into the car and started our journey to the city.

"What's the name of the city, by the way?"

"Trealoop."

"Weird name."

"It was supposed to be named by the original landowner, but he could never spell his name right, so no one knew. And when they realized it, it was already too iconic to change."

"If I ever become famous, they better get my name right."

"I’m sure they will. Let’s just hope you can spell it right!"

It took about three hours, but we finally got there. And she was right; this place was beautiful, especially since the sun had set two hours prior. There were buildings far and wide lighting up the night sky with all types of colors. Next to them was an ocean glistening with the reflections of stars and waves crashing. There were two fountains on each side of the entrance with an arching front door in the middle of it. Most of the rooms are light up and look alive. People are walking in and out. Three of them look like they're coming back from a cosplay convention. One is dressed up in a knight's outfit, another one is wearing elf ears and a robe, and the third one looks like a hooded mage. I overhear a bit of their conversation.

"Let's not let Harold find a mission for us next time. I don't need any more dramatic events like that."

"Hey! I was just trying to do what's best for the team!"

"Were you really? Or were you just trying to get rich quick?"

"Cut me some slack, the pay was just too high to skip out on!"

The three laugh and continue with their path. I sigh and look ahead, starting to walk and not looking at the amazing city.

I open the door to a beautiful lobby filled with people. It's a golden light tint that caked the entire room from the lights. All types of carts were being pushed full of luggage. Looking around some more made me realize what type of people were there. Most of them either looked straight out of a fantasy book or are ready to make some music. And there I was in my plain old hoodie. I decided to take it off to at least feel like I didn't just drive from some town in the middle of nowhere.

"This place is so... pretty."

"Yup! So, are you going to stand there, or are we actually gonna go to sleep?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess we have a long road ahead."

We grab our room key-

"Wait, why is there only one room key?"

"Oh, that. Don't worry, there are two rooms in one."

"Wow... Even the rooms have rooms."

"That's money for you."

We head up to our room, and it's way up on the 12th floor, one of the higher rooms. Walking past, we see one girl in sunglasses and lots of luggage that she's dragging, while another person seems glued to their Vita. The girl cries out to the guy.

"Hey... Don't you think you should help me out here?"

"Sorry, I have to complete this dungeon."

"This was such a stupid idea..."

We walk past and act like that didn't just happen. We found our room, and the view was amazing. There was a big window that showed right to the front of the resort. It went from the start of Elis' room to the end of my room. The view from here was even more stunning. It was for sure a sight to behold. I took a shower, got into some fresh PJs, and went to bed. The next morning, I woke up to the sound of fierce typing. It was coming from Elis in the other room. I brush my teeth and make up my hair just a little bit because of how messy it was. I go into her room, and she has tied her hair up into a bun, a Gibson bun. Her PJs were a purplish color with white notes scattered across it. After staring at her for a couple of seconds, she calls out to me.

"Good morning, Pierre. If you want something to do other than stare at me typing, which I bet is boring, then can you go grab me some coffee and maybe some breakfast from the lobby?"

"What... the actual heck. Am I in an alternate universe or something? This has got to be a joke."

"The only joke here is that I'm doing this work that you're supposed to be filling out right now."

"Oh- Sorry, I'm still pretty new to all of this."

"Hence why I'm asking you to do the simple things."

She stops typing for a bit and turns the chair towards me.

"Unless that's too hard for you too? If so, I apologize, it's all I need right about now, or I'll be stuck in this sloppy state of pain."

"Ye- Yeah! That's not hard at all, thanks! I'll get to it! But hey, at least you don't have to come into my window to ask me for anything!"

Elis seems a bit confused and unamused. She turns back around.

I start to rush out of the door and shut it behind me. If it wasn't obvious enough by now, her complete state of calm was a big surprise, especially after all that happened during the school year. And on top of that, I've never seen her in PJs before; it's such an odd thing for me. I stopped walking for a moment and said aloud.

"Am I the weird one?"

"... Nah, I couldn't be."

And I keep hurrying up down to the dining hall to grab what she asked for. Looking back on it now, she never really told me what she liked to eat for breakfast. I tried to guess and go with something that most people like, cereal. Looking around again, everyone else looked like they were ready to go to work or, once again, conventions. It was an interesting sight, but once again, I felt out of place in my cat pajamas. I try to act natural and go back up with her food. On the way, I hear the two from last night again.

"What in the world! Why are you asking me to go to a convention? We didn't come here for that!"

"Pretty please, they just announced a meetup with one of my favorite writers!"

The more I thought about it, the more the guy sounded like Forres. Of course, that was a coincidence, though; he wouldn't be all the way out here. Especially with a girl. I finally made it back to the room and give her what she asked for. She doesn't seem to be paying attention to the food, just the laptop she's working on.

"Thanks, and next time I'll make sure to ask for eggs and waffles."

"I see."

Is this how she is every day before we meet? I'm not sure what I was more scared of, her acting so calm and focused or that she could tell what was around without looking at it.

"Give me about an hour; we can go look around the city."

"Understood."

I decided to walk out of the room because I hated how quiet it was. I sat outside of the door. After 20 minutes, my eyelids started to get heavy. I heard a voice calling out to me.

"She's hiding it from you. Just know

you're too comfortable."

The voice fades off into the distance as I pass out in the middle of the floor.

When I come to, I'm still outside the door, but now there's a small crowd gathered around me, whispering and nudging each other. My head is throbbing, and I can feel the rough carpet against my cheek.

Elis stands in the middle of the group, looking down at me with concern. She reaches down and helps me to my feet, her expression shifting from worry to annoyance.

"Are you okay? Why were you sleeping out here?"

"I... I don't know. I heard a voice, and then everything just went black."

Elis raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying my explanation. She glances around at the spectators, who have lost interest and are dispersing, and then she ushers me back into our room.

Once we're alone, she closes the door and crosses her arms over her chest, fixing me with a stern look.

"Okay, spill it. What's really going on?"

I hesitate for a moment, then decide to tell her the truth. After all, she's been nothing but honest with me, and we've been through a lot together.

"I think someone might be messing with my head. I keep hearing this voice, and it's telling me things that I don't want to believe."

Elis's expression softens, and she steps closer, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Pierre. We'll figure this out together. But first, let's get you cleaned up and fed. You look like you could use some nourishment."

We spend the rest of the day exploring the city and trying to take my mind off the voice and the strange feeling that I'm being watched. Despite the unsettling events, I can't help but enjoy the time with Elis, who is as enthusiastic and curious as ever.

As the sun sets, we find ourselves sitting on the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore. Elis leans her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her, feeling a sense of peace and contentment that I haven't felt in a long time.

"Thank you, Pierre," Elis says softly. "For being here with me and for being my friend."

I smile and squeeze her shoulder gently.

"Anytime, Elis. You know I'll always have your back."

We sit there for a while longer, listening to the sound of the ocean and the distant hum of the city. In that moment, everything feels right, and I know that no matter what happens, Elis and I will face it together.

And as the sun dips below the horizon, casting the beach in a warm golden glow, I feel a sense of hope and optimism that I haven't felt in a long time.