The sun was rising behind the rooftops, casting golden light across the quiet streets. Leo, Jace, and Whiskers moved fast, ducking behind fences and alleyways, guided by the pulsing glow of the paper in Leo's hoodie pocket.
WHISKERS "The agents' hideout is under the old laundromat. Your parents used it. But these agents don't know you. They don't know me. And they definitely don't know Starwood Hollow exists."
JACE "So we're just gonna walk in and be like, 'Hey, we're ten, and we know more than you'?"
WHISKERS "Pretty much."
They slipped inside the laundromat. It looked abandoned—dusty windows, flickering sign, crooked door.
Whiskers tapped a hidden panel behind a dryer. The floor shifted with a mechanical groan, revealing a staircase spiraling into shadows.
The underground hideout was cold and metallic. Screens flickered. Maps covered the walls. A few agents paced the room, dressed in black coats and tactical gear.
Leo stepped forward, heart pounding.
LEO "We need to talk."
The agents turned, startled.
AGENT 3 "Who are you!?"
AGENT 1 "Identify yourselves. No one enters unlogged."
JACE "We're the ones who know what's really going on."
AGENT 5 "This isn't a playground. Whatever game you're playing, it ends now."
WHISKERS (leaping onto a table) "The Timekeepers have the flash drive. And if you don't stop them, everything will burn."
AGENT 1 "Kids don't survive against Timekeepers. You're bluffing."
AGENT 2 (rubbing eyes) "That squirrel's talking. Either I'm hallucinating… or we're in trouble."
WHISKERS "Yes. And I'm not here to entertain you."
AGENT 3 "You're just kids. What do you know about the Timekeepers?"
LEO "They killed my parents."
Silence.
Leo pulled out the glowing paper. It pulsed in the dim light, then shifted—symbols began to appear across its surface.
LEO "That's why I'm here. And why you need us."
Symbols flared across the paper—strange numbers and letters glowing in a language no human had ever seen
AGENT 4 "What is that?"
WHISKERS (squinting) "It's Hollow script. Coordinates. But not for us—for your system."
JACE "Wait, you can read that?"
WHISKERS "Naturally. I carry Starwood Hollow in my veins. That paper is speaking my tongue."
He hopped down and began typing the numbers into the nearest computer terminal. The agents watched, stunned, as the screen flickered—then locked onto a signal.
AGENT 2 "They're heading straight for the abandoned warehouse."
Suddenly a guy who looked in his 40's with a scar across his eye stepped forward.
AGENT SPECTOR (stepping forward) "How did you do that?"
WHISKERS "The Hollow speaks. You just don't listen."
AGENT SPECTOR "You're lucky that worked. But don't think we trust you."
LEO "We don't need trust. We need time."
AGENT SPECTOR "Fine. You stay here. We'll monitor the signal. When it's close enough, you go in."
JACE "Wait—we go in?"
AGENT SPECTOR "You're the only ones who've seen the Hollow. You're the only ones who might understand what's on that drive."
WHISKERS "Finally. Someone's catching up."
AGENT SPECTOR (low, dangerous) "But if you're lying, Hollow won't be the only thing burning."
The trio stayed in the hideout, watching the glowing paper shift and pulse. The agents worked around them, still skeptical—but no longer ignoring them.
Leo stared at the screen. The signal spiked, red lines racing across the screen. The flash drive was moving—straight toward something.
LEO "We're gonna catch them."
JACE "And save the Hollow."
WHISKERS "Before it's too late."
And somewhere, far away, the Timekeepers moved through the shadows—unaware that the forest had chosen its defenders.