Atlas found himself standing at the entrance to the forested trails. He had a break between classes, and went for a walk through the town. But, he couldn’t help but move towards the trees. It was an oddly quiet day. A wind rustled up behind him, blowing strongly into the trees. It was chilly against his forearms, but he made no move to pull his sleeves down. He knew he’d have to head back to class soon, but a quick walk on the trails couldn’t hurt anything.
As soon as he stepped onto the worn dirt paths, all sense of time or responsibility simply melted away. His classes weren’t even all that important, were they? He stepped off at a quick pace, eager to get out away from the town. The wind rushed along beside him, rustling the leaves on the trees, and occasionally a stray leaf would float across his path. At some point in his journey, the dirt path had shifted to a thin track between the trees and the thick underbrush. It reminded him of an animal trail. But he was sure this was still a public trail, one that people probably just didn’t go on as much. Even though he could no longer hear the bustle of the town, or any signs of other human life, he was certain he hadn’t gone far, and at any point he could safely turn back and still make it to class.
His steps slowed when he looked up to see the trail carve its way up into the bluffs. It seemed steep. Steeper than was safe to climb. The ground had turned to rocks, and Atlas wasn’t the sort of hiker who would risk going on a trail where the rocks might slip right out from under his feet. He turned around to head back, but he froze. The trail he had walked along was no longer visible. There didn’t even seem to be a clear way to get back. He turned a full circle, wondering how he had gotten lost when he noticed the steep path was gone as well. In its place was a gentler looking trail that sloped and curved it’s way higher.
Seeing no other way to go, Atlas glanced back one more time before setting off again. The smarter thing would probably be to stop and figure out what was going on, but Atlas didn’t like second guessing himself. So he kept on going. Occasionally he’d glance back, to see once again the trail vanishing as soon as he left it. It felt like the forest itself was corralling him to the very center.
As soon as he had this thought, the land flattened off, and Atlas now found himself staring right into an impossibly dark, deep cave. Just looking at it, gave him the sense of falling into its depths for eternity. He stood there, staring at in awe for awhile until he woke himself from his trance and moved forward to inspect the stone.

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Delwyn paused at the entrance to the woods. He was supposed to be in class, but the classroom was way too warm, so he decided to slip out. They wouldn't notice anyways, right? He glanced backwards, towards civilian life, questioning whether or not he should go in. The birds were quiet today; not one had made a sound since he stopped at the entrance to the woods. A slight ringing in his ears made him turn towards the forest; the silence. The silence was so loud. He took a hesitant step into the forest, the leaves and twigs crunching underneath his sneakers. Del took a few more steps, before he was fully pulled into the forest by... what? He continued down the trail, heading deeper in.to the woods. His baggy leggings brushed against ferns and bushes alike, disturbing the silence with a quick whoosh. His eyes flicked around as his feet led him off of the trail, down a not-so-well-worn path. 'Maybe an animal trail?' he thought as he continued.. up? His brow furrowed as he looked around. Trees and grass began to slowly melt into rock and flatter, more even ground. He continued forward and was met with a dark, dark cave. He stared into it for some time before he blinked, looking up and realizing someone else was there, too. He blinked and inspected the boy, the sun beginning to warm him quite uncomfortably. He looked back at the cave entrance. The darkness seemed to consume his mind, but he shook his head quickly.

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Clayton was walking along his normal trail he walked every morning like he always did before he made his way down the hill to his school for his senior year of high school. He was happy and excited but he was also nervous because he had just moved to this city over the summer so he was the new kid and was going to be the laughingstock for all of the students and the kids in his classes. The wind rushed along beside him, rustling the leaves on the trees, and occasionally a stray leaf would fall across his path making him look up and admire nature around him. At that point in his journey, the dirt path had changed to a thin animal track between the trees and the thick underbrush. But he was sure this was still a public trail, just one that only experienced hikers walked on he considered himself to be experienced but in the back of his mind worried that something would happen to him and no one would know. Even though he could no longer hear the commotion of the town or any signs of other human life, he was certain he had only gone a couple of hundred meters into the forest, and at any point, he could safely turn back and still make it to class. He continued up the trail until he stumbled upon a huge cave and noticed that there were already two other highschool aged kids there but he kept quiet just in case they weren't friendly to him

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Cassandra (Cassie)

What an awful day it had been to Cassie, who absolutely hated orienteering at school and had been chosen to do just that. Her only source of happiness in this whole thing were her friends Julia and Hanna who were just as bad at getting their way somewhere with a map as she herself was too.
Mumbling something to no one in particular, Cassandra had let herself fall behind as the two other girls were heavily debating whether or not they should have turned left at the last two paths. It was getting on Cassie's nerves that she couldn't seem to focus on anything else, except for the bickering. Desperate for any type of distraction she let her brain turn off the voices but it could not find any other noise. Why was it so still? She looked behind herself, where she had been walking just seconds before, but neither an indicated way nor her footsteps could be seen.
Confused, she turned back around but her friends... they weren't there either? Worry began to set in. At first Cassandra thought it was a bad joke, that her friends had run around and hid when she had turned back. In a shaking voice she yelled out for them. No answer.

Cassie couldn't be alone. Never ever could she be alone. She hated AND feared being alone. Being somewhere without anyone meant she was either dead or close to it, as she always made sure to have someone or something around. But now it was dead quiet. The wind seemed to have stopped blowing and the birds had gone quiet too. She tried her best to remember if she had seen anyone else in this forest or any animal since they had started but she doubted that they had passed any. The fear that began boiling in her stomach threatened to make its way up to her head and if it reached that... let's just say she wouldn't stay very sane. So the girl prepared herself to use the logical part of her brain; she was lost, alright, but this forest couldn't be too big, right? She would FOR SURE find a way home and a way back to the idyllic school that she had left behind.
Cassandra took a couple deep breaths like her swimming coach had told her to do before diving; that way it was way easier to relax and concentrate, before making her way up the hill that lay infront of her. Quicker and quicker the way became steep and she debated to turn around, but the determination had set in and she was sure that she would be able to see what way she would have to take if she looked from further up. The rocks that she held on to climb up were dirty and with the moss on them she feared she would loose grip and break her skull at any given moment.
Still, she made her way up onto the slight plateau that lay infront of a dark cave. It would have scared her even more if it wasn't for the three boys gaping at it like it was holy. She would have laughed if her situation had been different, but now she somewhat understood why they stood so still and looked into the depth of the cave; it was scary, terrible but it also brought sweet silence and seemed peaceful. Almost too good to be true.
Carefully Cassandra made her way to the oldest looking boy, she assumed that he would be the most respectful and peaceful. Although of whom she thought was the oldest, he definitely wasn't the tallest. This boy was shorter than her. This could give her an advantage just in case he wasn't nice. Carefully, she tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Hopefully, this wasn't a great mistake. (Talking about atlas <3)

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Stelph, deep in his thoughts, strolled up the hill, which quickly turned into a quite erect path. When Dani zoomed back to reality, he quickly looked around and thought to himself, where was he? He then proceeded to walk until he noticed the quietness. He glanced at the nearest tree top, where he spotted a little robin, but nothing else though.
Dan then proceeded to go more cautiously.
He sighed and took out his phone, which showed 10.38 AM. He stared at it for some time and inspected this place again. This wasn't right.. he was gone just for 4 minutes? For sure he was walking much slower, right? As if he knew the right path where he should go... now that he looks at it, where is he going anyway? He did skip an irritating English class because their teacher was a piece of shit. He was sure somebody should've noticed his absence... why no one was calling, or texting him?
He then, again, proceeded to go cautiously.
As he reached some flatter space, he quickly, out of the blue, noticed a dark cave. Dan noticed 4 people, standing there. He crouched down and recognized some faces from his school. Well, he saw them in the cafeteria, or just in the hallway, nothing much. He waited for at least one of them to talk. He didn't feel safe.
His mind shouted, screamed, that he should go back, but his own body was as if paralyzed. He tried to stand up, but with that, ending .. unfortunately, Stelph fell on his back, making some dry leaves to crunch Underhill back, and some sticks to crack, which made some noise. He paused in his place, listening closely, not trying to stand up to make more racket.

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Eden didn’t have classes most mornings and so she would always go for a walk before going and attending to her precious little babies(her plants). She simply enjoyed being out here. She followed her normal old trail until she noticed footsteps going off the path. ‘Oh dear, someone has probably gotten themselves lost.’ She immediately followed the foot trails until they disappeared. She stopped and looked back and saw that she had now gotten lost. ‘Welp, ain’t this just the best situation..’ She rolled her eyes and sighed. ‘Let’s think for a moment, if I truly get lost, my family should know to look for me out here at some point.’ She smiled and nodded. ‘Yes I won’t be lost forever.’ So she decided to go deeper into the woodland and fully enjoy her surroundings. Eventually a sudden ringing started in her ears and she finally noticed how quiet it was. Extremely quiet. Too quiet. She looked up into the trees and couldn’t see the trees moving nor could she see any birds. Then a crack sounded nearby and she froze. ‘What was that?!’ She was truly spooked now but she moved towards the sound and saw a someone sitting on their butt. It looked like he had fallen. He hadn’t noticed her yet as he was staring at something in the distance. She quietly moved a little bit closer and saw four others out in the small clearing, all staring up at a cave. She was suddenly mesmerized by the cave. She hadn’t explored it yet and she so couldn’t wait to. She shook her head suddenly and the trance was gone. She looked at the guy still on the ground she walked over and offered him a hand up. She had a friendly smile and her hair which had been pulled back into a braid was starting to loosen around her face.

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After a while, Atlas became aware of another human in his presence. He turned to see another boy standing near. He wondered if that boy had witnessed the same weird sort of stuff that he had. But he didn’t ask yet, and turned back to the cave entrance. There seemed to be strange tiny markings on the stone. He became so immersed in the little tiny markings, they appeared to dance and move, that he didn’t even notice the next boy, or the girl afterward. But he flinched when someone tapped his shoulder. He stepped back and quickly turned, surprised to see a girl standing there.
“Hello, um can I help you?” Just then, he noticed yet another guy climbing up the slope who slipped. Not long after another girl appeared to help him up. “Oh, do you… guys have some sort of club meeting here? Sorry, I hadn’t realized. I… I can leave you to it. I didn’t mean to intrude.” He spoke to the girl who had tapped his shoulder and shoved his hands into his pockets, shifting his feet.
He really didn’t know why there would be a club meeting at this time of day out in the middle of the forest, but that was the only explanation he could come up with right now. Especially with the strange markings on the stone, and the overall silence. He hoped they wouldn't be angry. He really was in no hurry to leave though, he had no idea what was the way back. He turned back to look at the cave. There was definitely something strange going on here. The situation could turn bad quickly if this turned out to be the meeting place of some dark-ritual cult stuff. He hadn't realized there would be any of those people in town, and classmates of his especially, but nothing was ever impossible.
But... at the same time, why had it almost felt like he was being pulled here? Some part of him didn't want to leave. Despite the rather unnerving feel of the cave, Atlas really wanted to walk into it. He wanted to explore it, no matter what could be hiding inside it's impossible depth and darkness. He had no idea what other explanation it could be, but he hoped that maybe all these people were just lost, like him. Maybe some strange pull of fate, maybe just dumb coincidences. Whatever it was, Atlas was intrigued by what the others might say.

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He quickly looked at the person behind him and glared at her for a second. He smiled a bit and stood up with a bit of help from the girl. Dan then looked back at where the cave was and noticed the guy nearest the entrance looking at him, at least for a brief second. Stelph turned his head back at the person near him.
"Er, thanks." He smirked and tried looking at the back of his pants, to check if it was not dirty. "So I'm pretty sure I should go. I'm gonna be late! Again..." he shrugged. As he was about to turn around and walk away, he heard something...

(Sorry for the short answer! Dont know what to write)

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After the shorter boy made him aware that others were there, Del backed away slightly, eyes flicking between all of the other teenagers. One teen, he could deal with. But four others? He frowned to himself. Del felt his body get more and more uncomfortable, and whether it was the sun or the people that were causing it, he didn't know. His somewhat long hair fluttered slightly in the wind, the coolness of which gave him a little comfort. He inspected each teenager carefully, wondering which was the most dangerous. Maybe the tall one..? he thought as his hands curled into fists at his side. His mind immediately flashed to what the original boy said. Maybe it IS a meeting.. oh crap. he mentally hit himself, backing away a bit further.

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Snapping out of his trance Clayton looked around the cliff side at the other teens some he recognized from his school and a few he had no clue who they were or why all of them were called to this mysterious cave at the same time on the same date. In the back of his mind his whole body was saying "RUN! GET OUT OF THERE ITS A TRAP!" But he refused to listen and stayed there watching to see what the other kids would do and how they would react to each other's presence. it was nothing he wasn't used to being the outcast of his old school and was just waiting in silence seeing what everyone would do. He slowly stepped back onto the edge of the cliff almost falling off but he was wanting to disappear so that no one called him out

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Cassandra (Cassie)

The boy had turned around and noticed him. Cassandra saw him look behind her and only then registered that there were more people joining them ontop this hill. Confused she turned back around and spoke, first quiet, not sure if it was alright to speak when all others were so close by, then louder as she gained confidence in her right to be there.

"What are you talking about? Do you think we are some kind of cult? Really? I'm just as confused as you! It's almost like the forest wanted me to end up here if that wasn't impossible. And why of all things is everyone staring at this cave? I've gotten lost and I want to get back to school. I assume you're from the same school? I've seen you around so... would you be able to help me?"

With a hopeful gleem in her eyes she looked back at the boy. It could have been a mistake to tell him that she was lost, however he might help her out of politeness and simple human decency. His first thought had almost made her laugh if the situation hadn't been so bizzar. If only there would be more and more people showing up. The others made her uncomfortable with being so silent, the only sound having been a fall and a "do you need help?" and a "er, thanks". She took a step closer to the dark haired dude infront of her as to put more meaning into her words. If she didn't get out of this soon she wasn't sure how calm she could stay. The nameless boy seemed confused aswell but he could be pretending... if only he would answer her and not question her even more.

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Dani turned around to the conversation. Well, not really a conversation, more, a girl talking to the dark haired boy. now hes REALLY confused. What the hell is going on??
He then looked back at the girl who helped him out, and started, nervously of course, walking towards the cave. theres gotta be an explanation, right?
As he approached the boy and the girl near the entrance, his heart throbbed a few times, giving him thought that he'd have a panic attack or something. he took a big breath in, and out, and then spoke.
"hello. uh, so, I, err, whe-- I mean, How- no.." he stuttered while thinking for the right words. it looked like he was ordering at McDonalds, hehe. he took another deep breath and opened his mouth to say something again.
"what the hell is going on here?" he asked quickly, taking a look to their faces. a thought crossed his mind and he grinned like a Cheshire cat. "is this some kind of a surprise party for someone here?" Dan said before realizing how stupid his idea sounds. "scratch that.." he mumbled.

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She helped the guy up and then turned to look at the others. They all seemed to be wary of each other and using logic she figured this meet up was purely accidental. She strolled forward until she stood nearer to the cave.
“I have a feeling that we all were meant to find this place,” She said aloud and to any of the others who would bother listening. “How is it that we all decided to explore the forest, all got lost, and all found this cave that no one has ever found?” She turned to look at them. “Anyone else get a sense of foreboding?” She realized that her words were getting off track and that they would probably not understand her train of thought. She again turned and moved until she was at the cave entrance. Her soul seemed drawn to this place yet her body screamed at her to run. It was a strange feeling and it gave her a slight headache.

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Atlas hesitated, listening to the girl talk.

“I- I can’t help you, I’m sorry. I’m lost as well…” He trailed off, noticing yet another boy approaching. He blinked at him while he stuttered over his words. At the mention if a surprise party he nearly laughed. At least that was a better idea that some dark cult group… which now seemed like a stupid idea in itself. He was about to say something else when another girl stood up to take the lead. He was pretty relieved someone else was standing up to take charge. But… if they were meant to find this place, why? What could there possibly be here that they were supposed to do?

He reached out to touch the stone structure of the cave, thinking maybe it would have all their answers. A stronger wind picked up, blowing seemingly from all edges of the little clearing. Leaves fluttered down from the trees around them. A strange sort of whispering echo fluttered through Atlas’ mind, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.

He pulled his hand back again, considering whether or not he should join the girl in addressing the group. He didn’t really want all eyes on him, but there were enough people already looking at him. And he had told himself he was going to do better, and not let other people scare him from doing something. So, in response to the girl he cleared his throat and stepped closer, speaking louder.

“I- I think we should explore the cave. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about it. Like it’s trying to draw me in. I guess that sounds a little foreboding… but… um…” He trailed off for a second, then came up with another idea. “We’d might as well introduce ourselves… there’s got to be some reason we’re here, right? Uh.. I’m Atlas.” He volunteered.

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Del frowned and, seeming to think he was safe enough to step closer, took a few steps towards the cave mouth. He listened to the shorter boy talk, looking into the cave and crossing his arms. His ears picked up whispers in the wind, words nearly undescernable against the whistle of the wind. He stood tall, back straight, as he let his eyes be drawn into the cave. Before he knew it, a bit of time had passed, and he snapped back to reality as the shorter boy started talking about introducing themselves. He turned towards the slowly forming group and frowned again, eyes flicking over the teens again. 'Atlas, huh?' he thought with a silent hum. He tightened his crossed arms over his thin frame, loose hair whipping over his face. He let out a soft, audible sigh as he realized he should introduce himself.

"Well, I'm Delwyn. You can call me Del. Or just don't talk to me." he grumbled sort of loudly, eyes narrowed as he stood somewhat away from the boy, Atlas.

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