Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure (Part 1)

(6) WttVW: Various Guests in the Room

It was old, sure, but it was certainly not tasteful.

"Is this the place?" Jonah asked, looking at the principal with a raised eyebrow.

The building, resting on a tiny hill, was on the verge of falling apart, with cracks on the wall and a stoned path between it and the rusty gate. All of the windows were shut, not a single light shone from inside. There weren't any single green plants around the yard. Well, there were some bushes, but they seemed to be dry and dying, sticking out there like a graveyard tombstone in the night. Not to mention the leafless tree just added the horror aspects.

"Yes, it is," Crowley nodded. "In the past, it was used as a dormitory, so with a little cleaning it should be livable." Crowley opened the gate. It made a creaking sound that hurt Jonah's ears. "Well then, come inside." Crowley guided the boy inside. A cold wind blew against them, making Jonah shivered and pulled his robe closer.

The building looked even miserable closed up. Crowley took out up a key from his pocket and opened the front door, spider web appeared between the cracks. Jonah covered his mouth when he coughed. Near the door, there was a light switch, so Crowley pressed it down, and the room was lit up. The room was dusty, spider webs in nearly every corner, ripped wallpapers, and some furniture was broken or being covered by white sheets.

Overall, it was disgusting.

Crowley patted his shoulder. "Apologize. It's not much, but at least it can shield you from the rain and wind," he said in a sincere voice, "I'm going to grab some things, so pass time as you like."

Jonah took a step further inside, spun his body around so he could look at everything he could. It was not much, but a place to sleep nonetheless. "Alright," he said when he stopped spinning and stood up straight at the headmaster. "Thank you again."

Crowley laughed proudly. "It's not a problem~ And remember. Don't loiter around the academy!"

He tipped his head again and Jonah answered him with a nod of his own before he left, closing the door behind him. Jonah sighed. He turned around to look at the dusty lounge. Maybe he could do some cleaning? Yeah. That sounded like a great idea.

"Alright then," he muttered under his breath. He walked up toward one of the long pieces of furniture covered in a sheet and pulled it away, sneezing when the dust flew to his nose. He was right. It was a sofa. He could sleep here. Mostly he didn't dare to go upstairs yet since the stairs looked dangerous with those holes on the steps.

Taking off his robe and put it on the arm of the sofa, revealing his simple white shirt and black trousers (which again, how did he get these clothes?), Jonah started to walk around. He didn't go far in the hallway, the light from the lounge didn't reach there. Stopping in front of a door and opening it, he was relieved that it was a closet. It was filled with various dusty cleaning equipment, but he didn't want to protest too much. He picked a broom and was about to close the door when he spotted a small chest at the corner of the closet.

"Wonder what's inside?" he muttered. Kneeling, he pulled the chest to the hallway. It wasn't heavy as he thought it would. It felt empty. Trying the lid, surprised that it was unlocked, Jonah pulled the lid off.

There was only one thing inside the chest. A ball-shaped object, covered with a rag. He picked the object up, feeling solid in the hand. Jonah frowned, unwrapping it completely, only to find a strange, bronze, orb with futuristic lines and circles engraved on it. He turned the object around, inspecting it, only to have himself not finding any name or signature on it. It looked like an ordinary heavy ball. What the thing exactly is though, he had no idea.

A booming noise sounded, making Jonah duck down the ground. It was soon followed by a rapid sound of *pitter-patter*. Jonah lifted himself again. Oh, it was just the rain? He sighed. That was a relief. He closed the chest again and pushed it back into the closet. He was still holding the orb, thinking whether he should keep this interesting strange thing or not. He closed the door and picked up the broom next to the door and was about to turn around when he heard the creaking sound of the front door. Was it the headmaster again? That was a quick trip.