The loud ringing of the old alarm clock on the nightstand made Cyprus' eyes shoot open. This time, they jumped out of bed as soon as possible and started getting dressed. Today was exploration day.

After getting ready in the bathroom, they put on some solid black jeans, a purple tee, and their best hiking sneakers. The bag they wanted to take was already filled with a water bottle, a flashlight, and an extra shirt.

Every month, Cyprus and Chelsea would pick a new building in the abandoned sector to explore. Since there were about 200 acres of land, there were plenty of empty, dilapidated buildings to discover. So it was a tradition to write down what the building might've been used for, and then explore inside; no matter how it looked outside.

The sound of Chelsea's car speakers made Cyprus' windows shake, letting them know she was here. He picked up his bag and opened the bedroom door, only to be met with Hazel and Mahogany immediately at the door frame. It was all he could do to stop himself before nearly running into them.

"Hey, bro," Mahogany said while staring him in the face.

Hazel was looking around. "There was some news about some robbers maybe hiding in the empty district. We're scared."

Cyprus knelt down to the girls' eye level. "I'm sure the police have searched all through there. Chelsea and I will be fine. Plus..."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a large ring made of multi-colored beads. "I still have that lucky bracelet you guys made me."

Mahogany glared at him once more. "Don't do any stupid stuff."

"I promise I won't."

"Pinky promise?" Hazel held out her right pinky.

Cyprus copied the gesture and smiled at her. "Pinky promise."

Hazel returned his smile; Mahogany gave him more of a subtle smirk. Cyprus patted both of their heads, then went downstairs and out of the front door to meet Chelsea.

Chelsea rolled down the passenger window, donned in a light blue tee and her eyes covered with silver shades. She reached up and slowly turned the volume dial down. Cyprus facepalmed.

"So, are you ready for today's great aventure?" she said with a suave French accent.

"Please open the door." Cyprus tried adamantly to avoid his laughter. He heard the door unlock, then opened it and sat inside.

Chelsea took the shades off. "Okay, what part of the place are we visiting this time?"

"I think we should visit the big house," Cyprus noted as she started to pull out of the driveway and turned the music up a bit.

"You think we're ready for that?"

He nodded. "It'll be fun. It's been a few months, it's finally time."

Chelsea turned left hard, making Cyprus swing into the door. "Yeah, but last time we looked, wasn't the floor a little uh...caved in?"

"That was just the second floor, the first and third were fine." He rubbed his nearly bruised shoulder.

"I guess two's our unlucky number today, huh?"

Cyprus furrowed their brow. "What's your usual unlucky number?"

She turned right hard this time, causing him to nearly lean into her. "I'll get back to you on that."

He laughed while he picked himself and brushed himself off. The rest of the ride was mostly silent. Occasionally, Chelsea would ask Cyprus for a music suggestion, but that was all.

It left Cyprus alone with his thoughts. First, it was empty. Then his mind started to swirl. It was mostly school, but one thought kept popping up in his mind.

Paradox.

They felt their breath catch in their chest. Their attempt at exhaling sounded sharp.

"Hey ami," Chelsea sounded concerned. "We're almost there. You alright?"

"Yep," he squeezed out. "I'll get air when we arrive."

She sped up, even with Cyprus' protests to be careful. He didn't focus much on that, though. Something about the idea of paradox made Cyprus completely lose all sense of self. As the car ride continued, he couldn't shake the thought that something terrible was going to happen. Or already happened. It was too early to tell.

Eventually, he stopped focusing on it and grounded himself again, which seemed to make Chelsea feel better. And soon enough, after passing some of the smaller ruined buildings, the mini-mansion was in sight.

The remains of a few crumbling white concrete columns littered the front lawn, which made the two think it was maybe a courthouse when they first saw it. However, when they went inside to check if there were any old flags, they discovered it was actually a house on the inside.

As Chelsea pulled into the driveway, Cyprus noted that moonseed vines, which he'd just learned about, were starting to spread on the column remains. They'd be covered in pretty white flowers within a few months. He peered at it for a little while, considering taking a sample.

The car engine went silent and Chelsea said, "Let's get to house hunting."

Cyprus felt some pep enter his step as he exited the car with flashlight in hand. There were cracked and dull bricks on the front of the house, but the feature that stood out the most was the lion made of solid marble that sat firmly on the left side of the entrance. It was covered in graffiti from years of abandon, but it still stood.

Chelsea immediately ran up to it and tried fitting her head in its jaws. "You think this'll work, Cy?"

Cyprus pulled out their phone and snapped a picture. "Maybe it'll come to life and bite your head off."

She pulled her head out and frowned at him. "You're a funny guy, aren't you?"

He chuckled to himself as he walked up to the door and tried pulling it open. It didn't budge. He tried pulling it harder, feeling his forearms strain. Still nothing.

"Let me help," Chelsea walked up beside him and grabbed the door as well. "Just needs a little...je ne sais quoi."

Both of them pulled hard on the large handle, causing the double doors to fly open and Cyprus to be off balance.

Before he could fall, Chelsea caught him by his shirt. "You've gotta stop falling, dude."

After she pulled him up, he dusted off his shirt and stepped inside. "I promise I won't slip again, my knight in shining armor."

"Sure, Cy-borg" she followed him inside.

The foyer floor was covered in a faded red carpet. Remnants of an old chandelier frame sat firmly in the middle, with wood fragments from the second floor littered all over the place. Both of them made it a point to avoid stepping on any of the larger pieces, lest they end up with a hole in their shoes.

The light that came from the open front-door started to run thin, so Cyprus turned their flashlight on. The new light revealed a stairway in the back of the foyer, which was also covered in the red carpet.

"These people must've been rich," Chelsea observed.

"Not rich enough to keep the house," Cyprus said as he swung the flashlight to the left.

There was an empty frame on the wall, likely for an old painting that was stolen or taken with the owners. Next to the frame was a doorway leading somewhere. Cyprus motioned for Chelsea to follow them as they ventured into the next room.

The ruins of a black stone fireplace were strewn across the floor, with the base still embedded in the left wall. The carpet in this room was a dark orange hue.

"Orange," Chelsea eyed the carpet. "That's orange, right?"

"Yes, it's orange this time, unlike the stop signs you swear are," Cyprus chuckled to himself.

Cyprus heard Chelsea exhale. "We said we'd drop that."

"Sorry, sorry, oh my..." Cyprus replied, moving the flashlight to the right side of the room. There was a giant hole in the wall. The planks were chipped erratically and warped; signs of water damage.

"Woah..." Chelsea inched closer to the opening. There was old furniture stockpiled in the back. "That stuff looks decades old."

Cyprus followed Chelsea to the giant hole. There were old sofas, loveseats, desks, even a typewriter.

"I guess this is where all the furniture went," Cyprus noted. "Which means they definitely moved out on purpose."

"I wonder whose house this was."

Cyprus stuck the flashlight further in the hole. The stockpile room appeared to be made of the same brick as the fireplace, save for the wall that had the hole in it. There was a word spray-painted on the back wall, but he couldn't make it out.

He pulled the flashlight back. "Odd."

Just then, two thuds came from above them. Chelsea and Cyprus both looked at each other, eyes widened. He began to feel his heartbeat.

"We should get out," he whispered. "Now."

Chelsea nodded and grabbed onto Cyprus' arm. The gesture made his arm tingle a bit, but he ignored it and started towards the front door.

The thudding started becoming consistent, sounding more like footsteps than just random noises. Cyprus matched their rhythm, attempting to mask themselves under their sound. Chelsea didn't seem to get the memo, because the footsteps on the second floor stopped and started traveling towards the stairway.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod," Chelsea whispered as she let go of Cyprus and ran through the front door as fast as she could.

"Not again..." Cyprus tailed after Chelsea, looking down and being careful to not fall through the floor this time.

Once he made it outside, he saw Chelsea swing open the car door and start the engine. He heard the footsteps inside echoing louder as he ran to the passenger side of the car and closed the door as quickly as possible.

"Go, go, go, go," Cyprus repeated. Chelsea put the car in reverse and slammed on the gas, making the vehicle shoot backwards.

As Chelsea turned back onto the road swiftly, Cyprus caught sight of two people dressed in black. Their faces were covered with some kind of mask. Shaped like kitsune masks, but they were gray. The two figures' heads turned to watch the car as it drove off, driving ice into Cyprus' heart.

"I saw them," he huffed. "I saw them outside. In masks."

Chelsea still had her foot almost fully on the gas. "We're going home."

"Agreed."

"No more big houses."

"Agreed."