CHAPTER 2: The Excursion

‘’I demand to know why final year students with only a few months left until graduation, are behaving like a bunch of teenage rascals?’’

‘’ I can't believe it! This is unacceptable," Alice scowled.

Dr. Alice Harper, a Professor of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Studies, was also the Dean of the Arts and Humanities faculty.

‘’Sorry Dr Harper,’’ Diego apologized, dropping the bat.

‘’He, he caused it,’’ he stammered, pointing at Alex.

‘’Silence young man. Wait in my office. I’ll be having a word with your father about this, today.’’

‘’Now will the rest of you get into the class for my revision lectures!’’

Alex picked up his spectacles. He also grabbed the amulet, rubbed it against his yellow shirt to remove the dirt, and put it back in his pocket.

Diego headed in the other direction. He dreaded his father and knew he would be in trouble if this incident was ever mentioned to the El Capo.

There were suppressed giggles from the other students in the hall, as Alex, Tyler and Ryan marched to their seats; tails between their legs.

"What happened to your shirt? Looks rough and dirty," Serena whispered, her eyes fixed on Alex as he sat in a space she usually reserved for him, next to her.

"Don’t tell me it’s those bullies again," she added.

"I'll be fine, Serena," Alex muttered, attempting to mend the slender torn ropes that held the amulet.

"Let me help you. Bend over" she offered, taking the amulet from his hands and moving to secure it around his neck.

Alex could feel her perfume and the warmth and softness of her body against his.

The first time his eyes beheld Serena Davis in freshman year, her presence was breathtaking.

With parents of mixed race – her father black and her mother white – she possessed a golden-toned complexion that exudes warmth, along with natural, invitingly curly black hair and sensuous lips.

‘’Mr Rodriguez. Miss Davis. Are both of you with us in this class?’’ Alice interrupted, as all eyes turned on them.

‘’Emm, yes Ma’am,’’ Alex stammered, raising his head from Serena’s lap.

The other students couldn't contain their giggles at the awkward situation as bouts of laughter erupted in the room.

‘’Okay. Now we have come to the end of this lecture,’’ she continued

‘’Pay attention ladies and gentlemen because I’m gonna make an important announcement’’

‘’All arrangements have now been concluded for our excursion trip to an ancient historic site in Mexico.’’

An uproar erupted with the students cheering and banging on their desks in excitement.

"Quiet, class!" Alice ordered.

"As I announced last month, the cost for this trip will be covered by you students."

"However, there’s one all-expenses-paid ticket that will be awarded to the student with the highest mark in my last assignment."

"The lucky winner is Mr. Alex Rodriguez!"

There were mixed reactions from the class, with some booing and others cheering.

The news hit Alex with mixed feelings. He had never been to his native country before. His mother once told him horrible stories about the place, and the thought of it made him anxious.

Despite that, he was glad to have been chosen to travel with the others because he couldn't afford the expense in the first place.

‘’I need to go pick some stuff from my mum’s place before going,’’ he whispered to Selena, who looked at him and nodded in approval

‘’We’ll all meet at the airport in three days. Don’t be late okay?’’ she replied.

After school hours, Alex left the campus and boarded a bus headed for San Antonio.

*****

‘’Remember all I told you Alejandro,’’ Isabella said, her face gloomy and almost in tears.

‘’I’ll be fine mama. Don’t worry.’’ Alex replied, trying to pry himself from her warm embrace

‘’Your father was killed in that country. I hope-.’’

‘’Mama, there you go again. We’ve been through this before.’’

‘’I’ll be careful, okay? Moreover, the field trip group will always stay together.’’

‘’Mummy’s boy,’’ Serena called out as she approached them from the airport departure section.

‘’Oh hi Serena,’’ Alex grinned, his face blushing

‘’Take care of him for me, Serena.’’ This is his first time on a flight’’

‘’I will Mrs Rodriguez. Your baby is in safe hands. Aren’t you Alex?’’ she laughed as she gave him a friendly push on the shoulder.

‘’Alright I better be going now so that I can catch up with the bus’’

‘’Don’t worry Mrs Rodriguez, our driver will take you home,’’ Selena interjected, signalling to the black Mercedes sedan in the parking lot.

As the car departed, Alex and Selena headed back to the terminal building with their luggage.

"Your seat is 3B, sir, window side," the tall air hostess directed Alex.

He sat next to Selena, eagerly looking out the window in excitement.

"I wonder what it will be like when this machine takes off," he thought.

‘’Thump!’’ he felt a bang on his seat headrest.

He turned to see who it was, frowning as it was a familiar face.

"Look, Ryan," said Diego with a smirk, "the poor mouse wants to fly with us in business class."

"Hahaha..." Ryan and Tyler joined in laughter from the aisle beside Alex's.

"I bet his wretched mother carried him on her rusty old bicycle to the airport."

"Poor Indie," added Tyler

"I wonder if he packed his faded clothes in that ancient sack."

"Hahaha..." the three burst into another round of laughter.

‘’I’m going to make this trip so miserable for you. That’s a promise,’’ Diego threatened, returning to his seat.

"Pay no attention to them," Serena cautioned, casting a warning glance in Diego's direction

"Here, have my earpods and listen to something."

*****

"Attention, everyone. We've arrived at Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Mexico," Dr. Alice announced, as the plane landed on the runway, taxiing to the ramp.

They were greeted at the arrival section by two tour guides. After discussing briefly with them, Alice said:

"Our knowledgeable guides will escort us to the hotel. We'll freshen up there before embarking on a bus journey to Chichen Itza." 

"At Chichen Itza, we'll have the privilege of exploring the renowned El Castillo, home to the revered Kukulkan Temple," she continued.

After about half an hour in the hotel, the students happily chatted away as they emerged from the reception, boarding the tour bus to commence their journey. Dr Alice was seated at the front alongside the tour guides.

"I've heard tales of how the Mayans revered Kukulkan as a deity," Alex said to Selena, offering her a handful of sweets.

"Thank you."

"Yes, the Mayan mythology says Kukulkan is a wind and storm deity. I hear he also bestows knowledge, wisdom, and prosperity upon humanity," Selena elaborated.

"What an interesting deity he is," Alex thought

Within ninety minutes, the excursionists arrived at the ancient site. Exiting the bus, all thirty students proceeded toward the impressive structure.

"Wow, it's just like a colossal pyramid," Alex exclaimed in amazement.

"Indeed," remarked one of the students.

"Notice the pyramid's four sections, each adorned with a path leading to the temple atop," Dr. Alice pointed out.

‘’This grand structure, rising like a stairway to the heavens, is a testament to the ingenuity and spiritual depth of the Mayan people.’’

She gestured towards the carvings adorning the temple's walls, each telling a story of gods and heroes, of creation and sacrifice. "These symbols," she continued, "are windows into a world long gone, yet preserved in stone for us to decipher."

Eager to explore further, Alex veered away from the group. As the others ascended the pyramid, he wandered toward the adjacent ancient ruins, with a serpent-like statue at its entrance.

Sensing a peculiar vibration from his amulet as he approached, Alex grew more curious.

"I feel something. Like someone calling me," he thought.

Unknown to him, three shadowy figures trailed behind as he ventured deeper into the outer temple's ruins..

"We've got you now," a voice sneered from behind.

Startled, Alex turned to confront the intruders, recognizing them immediately.

"Not again, Alvarez. I'm not in the mood for your antics," Alex retorted, his eyes narrowing.

Diego, Tyler, and Ryan encircled him menacingly.

"You're cornered now, Alex," Diego taunted.

"We're going to teach you a lesson," Ryan added.

"Get him!" Diego commanded.

As they closed in, Alex managed to evade their grasp, bolting away into the dim interior.

As he moved further inwards, his eyes caught a caution sign ahead. But unaware of the danger, he continued to run towards it.

Suddenly, he reached a dead end and froze. Without warning, the wooden floor gave way beneath him with a resounding crack, sending half of his body below the ground level. He managed to grab a rope which kept him from completely going under.

"Help me!"

The rest of the excursion group had moved on to inspect another nearby structure, unaware of Alex's plight.

"There's no escape now, Indie," Diego said, approaching cautiously, 

"You'll pay for what you've done."

With his heart racing, Alex clung tightly to the rope, his life hanging by a thread.

Below him was total darkness like the pit of hell.

Spotting an old machete nearby, Tyler seized the opportunity, grabbed it and approached Alex.

‘’Do it!’’ Diego barked

‘’With pleasure.’’ ‘’Wham!’’

The rope snapped under Tyler's brutal blow, propelling Alex into the depths of the abyss.