🕯️✨ Chapter Scene Box ✨🕯️
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[The Argument]
We started arguing about what to do next—safety, logic, responsibility.
"We can't just go in blindly again!" Lyric insisted.
"No kidding," Lyra added. "We nearly… nearly got trapped."
Draven crossed his arms. "If no one wants to go, I can go alone. I know I'll find some clues." He paused, glancing at me briefly, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Telling elders won't help—some parents will believe us, some won't. Either way, there's already danger. Honestly, it might be better if I go and check."
Why would I go with him? I'm not mindless like him… right? Right? Ughhh!
Lucas muttered, "I'm out. I'm going back to class."
Lyric and Lyra exchanged glances. "We should go too," they agreed.
"I'll wait here for a few minutes," I replied. Lyra nodded and headed back.
I sighed and started walking toward the classroom hallway. Step by step, closer to the door… and then, I stopped. Turned around.
More than him, I'm the real idiot, I muttered in my head, walking toward that room again.
When I reached the door, Draven was already there, leaning against it—like he knew I'd come. He waved casually.
"Huh! You didn't go inside?" I asked.
"Waiting for you, Topper," he said with that smug tone of his.
"Ughhh!" I groaned under my breath. He's seriously going to get himself killed… and drag me with him.
From behind, Lyra's voice came. "We're also here to die, apparently."
Lyric added dryly, "Count me in too."
Lucas sighed. "Yeah, I'm in this brilliant plan as well."
I threw my hands up. "Wow, great! Let's all celebrate our last day alive—yay!"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "You all go inside. I'll stay out here in case something happens again. Someone's gotta be ready to help."
Draven smirked. "Good choice, dude."
"Whatever you say," I replied. "Now what—are we waiting for some auspicious time to go in?"
[The Search]
We split up, searching for at least twenty minutes, but found nothing suspicious. My eyes wandered across the room until something caught my attention—a tall, dusty bookshelf in the corner.
What if there's something here? Something that could help with all this chaos?
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Lyric asked.
"Just… hoping to find something different. Something that might help with all we're suffering from," I muttered.
Lyric nodded. "Hmm… let me help. But what kind of book are you expecting? Everything here looks half-rotten."
"Yeah… but it's worth a shot," I said, a little chuckle escaping me. "Maybe a mystery book, like in the movies."
I stretched my hands toward the top shelf. My fingers brushed the edge of a thick book… covered entirely in dark leather. I grabbed it—but my footing slipped.
Thump!
I tumbled backward, and Lyric caught me just in time. Lyra rushed over. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"Yeah… just fell," I said, trying to sound casual, though my heart was hammering. Ugh, I'm falling upon people too much today. Why am I this clumsy?
Lyra smirked. "Oof, Elina, can't handle your own body weight now."
"Lyra! Don't joke!" I snapped, brushing myself off.
Draven peeked over, one eyebrow slightly raised, his eyes narrowed. Was he annoyed? Confused?
"Isn't she right?" he muttered in that half-teasing, half-serious tone. "You really should go on a diet… if you can't handle this, Topper, a ghost might get you first."
He offered his hand to help me up, but I shook my head. Leaning on Lyric instead, I pulled myself up. "Thanks for the catch. Let's go find something else."
I gripped the leather-bound book tightly, ignoring Draven's comment.
Lyric chuckled. "Of course she found something."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Already found something? You're literally a witch-type—finding things comes easily to you."
Lyric quickly cut in. "You shouldn't joke too much, Lyra. Jokes might actually hurt someone."
Draven shrugged. "She's joking… all in friendship. People who get hurt by that are too childish, probably still in kindergarten."
I clenched my hand behind my back, irritation bubbling. I'm not childish!
"Come on," Lyric urged. "Let's go find the box too. Maybe it has something helpful."
We searched carefully, finally locating the box. Nothing supernatural happened today in the room—thankfully.
Lucas let out a breath. "Nothing happened inside today."
"Are you hoping for that?" I said to Lucas in an irritated voice.
He went silent, glancing at Lyric and whispering, "What's with her? That anger…"
Lyric leaned closer and whispered back, "She just got triggered by someone. Don't mess with her now—she's not in the mood for drama."
Lyra sighed. "So… what now?" We had found the book and the box.
Lyric suggested, "Tomorrow's the weekend, and my parents are out. Let's meet at my place and figure out what to do, if you all agree."
I nodded. "Okay. I'll tell my mom it's a group project night over at Lyra's house."
Lyra smiled. "I'll say I'm at Elina's for the project. Draven, Lucas?"
"We'll say we're out for a boys' hangout," they chorused.
I leaned closer to Lyric. "Please… make sure you put some godly protections and holy water in the room. We don't know what might happen."
Draven smirked. "Done. At Lyric's house, we'll figure it out. Let me take the book—unless someone's too scared, like Lucas here, right Topper?"
I ignored his teasing and silently passed the book to Lyric. Lyric, in turn, handed it to Draven.
Lyra eagerly grabbed the box. "I'm excited to see the mystery inside!"
"Forgot the horror you experienced a week ago this easily?" I snapped.
Draven and Lyra both laughed, holding their items like proud adventurers. I rolled my eyes, muttering, "I'm going back to class. Let's just meet tomorrow."
Lyric paused. "Hey… I want your number. Just in case I need to tell you something directly."
I hesitated for a second, then took his phone and punched in my number.
Lyra whispered after I left, stretching her arms. "She usually doesn't take anyone's number on her own…"
I walked back to class, relieved the first part of the plan was set.
"Say I am going," Lyra announced to the boys. "What about you all?"
"You go," Lucas said. "We will round to the restroom then head back to class."
Lyric, Lucas, and Draven trailed behind for a moment, making a quick stop at the restroom before heading home, while I slipped quietly back into the school's routine, my mind already racing with what tomorrow might bring.
[The Haunted Heart]
I reached home and flopped onto my bed.
My sister yelled, "Hey! Do the dishes! I did them yesterday."
Ughh, I groaned. Already had a bad day, and now this! I yelled back, "I will do them after five minutes!"
Then my phone buzzed. A notification. I glanced at it—it read: Blocked by Ravean.
Ravean was one of my online friends, met recently using a friend app. He was nice, but I had blocked him because I didn't feel comfortable video calling yet, and I'd rejected it. I'd texted him that I would video call only when we were trusted friends, hoping he wouldn't mind. His last message was hmm with that irritating smile emoji.
Huh... Am I that bad? Tears fell down. Why? I just... ughh... I whimpered. What did I do wrong? I just asked for a true friend, right? Why do I never get one?
Should I look more beautiful... look slim? What should I do...?
I sniffled, sobbing quietly, trying to scratch my face, but my nails were too short.
I cried for so long that I eventually realized I had fallen asleep.
I mumbled in my sleep: "Why... everyone is that... lucky... I am not in anything... Please let me... just... die... Not have... friends... not have dad... not 1st topper of class... I... I'm not better at anything..."
The scar on her shoulder glowed in the dark night's shade where no one understood her. For just this time, instead of the entity's thoughts, her own thoughts haunted her today.
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