The next morning, Graymont Academy buzzed as the squad stepped in.
Carl was practically glowing. "Mysteries, mysteries, more mysteries—I can smell an adventure coming," he said, walking ahead.
"You definitely had a good night's sleep," Carly noted, brushing the ends of her ponytail.
"Idiot snored the entire time," Jake deadpanned, his usual expression locked in behind glasses, hands stuffed in his pockets as he nodded greetings to passing students.
"I don't snore," Carl said with a pout. His eyes told a different story.
"If she does," Jane said, pointing at Carly with a thumb, "then I believe you do too."
"She?" Carly blinked, glancing behind her like someone else was being accused. "It's definitely not me. I don't snore."
Jane faked a sneeze.
"Bless you," Carl said cheerfully.
"She doesn't need your blessings," Carly shot back.
Jake kept walking. "Again, I wish I could escape you idiots."
"I could say the same," Jane said, matching his pace.
Carl and Carly paused at the entrance, just inside the school building. "That was your fault," they said in sync, pointing fingers at each other.
Before long, classes had run their course, and the bell rang for break. The four of them exited the classroom together.
"I'm heading to the café," Carl announced.
"Same here," Carly added. "What about you guys?"
"Lounge. Might grab a soda from the vending machine," Jake replied, stretching. "I hate that dumb café's coffee."
"Thank you," Jane muttered, backing him up. "I'm not hungry. Gonna walk through the gardens."
With that, the group split up—Jake went left, Jane exited out back, Carl and headed straight for Graymont's fancy café, The Cracked Cup.
In the student lounge...
The space had slim, towering windows along one side,soft daylight flooded through them. Leather chairs and small tables were scattered across the floor, and the usual crowd of students buzzed with chatter. Jake strolled in—glasses low on his nose, sleeves pushed halfway up his arms.
He walked to the vending machine and grabbed a soda. The moment he opened it, the lounge lit up with attention.
"Jake! There's a seat here if you want—"
"Yo, Jake, ditch those vultures and sit with us!"
"We got a free space here, Jake!"
"Don't let those girls trap you, bro!"
Jake glanced around, expression unchanged. The attention didn't faze him—it never did. He scanned the room and spotted Luis and his crew huddled at a large table near the back.
Shrugging, he headed over and pulled out a chair. "Mind if I sit here?" he asked, not really waiting for permission before sitting. "Thanks."
The table went silent. Luis looked like he was choking on something.
"Uh... I gotta hit the bathroom real quick," one of them muttered, standing abruptly.
"I think I left my—uh, math book upstairs," said another.
Within seconds, the entire group had made up ridiculous excuses and fled, leaving Jake alone at the table. He stared at the empty seats, sighed, then turned to gaze out the window.
But when he looked back, the table was occupied again—this time by a cluster of girls trying way too hard to look casual. Some flipped their hair. Some smiled too wide.
"Aw man," Jake muttered, taking another sip from his soda.
Out the corner of his eye, he noticed someone watching him from the lounge entrance. He didn't look. Didn't react. Just kept sipping and focused back on the window.
Meanwhile, out in the courtyard…
Jane walked in quiet peace along the path between the trimmed hedges and tall, flowering trees. A few students were scattered around on benches or leaning against tree trunks, but it was mostly still. The wind brushed gently against her face.
Jane Carter—One of the Academy's top students, second-most popular girl in Graymont, sharp-tongued and smarter than most of the teaching staff. Reserved by nature, but lethal when provoked. Unlike Jake, Jane didn't attract stalkers—thanks to her short temper and world-class ability to drop people straight into the friend zone.
She stopped at a marble bench and sat, taking out her usual pocket-sized novel. She wasn't reading it, though—not really. Her thoughts were elsewhere.
The messages. The hidden room. The strange letter.
And how everything about the world… felt off. Like a puzzle they hadn't fully unboxed yet.
She tapped her fingers on the book cover, eyes narrowing.
"D.M.T.R.C.A.T.W.T…" she muttered, flipping open another page of her pocket-size novel. Her fingers toyed with the pages, eyes occasionally darting up and scanning the area.
Something felt… off.
Then she felt it—eyes. A presence. Someone watching her.
She glanced up casually, checking the garden surroundings without making it obvious. Most of the students were either chatting in clusters or minding their business. But her instincts were rarely wrong. In the corner of her eye, she caught a shadow slip out through the trees—someone leaving the courtyard.
She couldn't catch the face. But someone had been there.
Then, a guy approached—one of the juniors. His friends lingered a short distance away, watching with hushed excitement.
"Um… hi, Jane," he began, already nervous. "I was wondering if… you were free this weeke—"
"Do you know what the 'P.R.E detonation' means?" Jane cut him off, like they'd been mid-conversation for hours.
"Uh… what?" The guy blinked, confused.
"Exactly," she said, rising to her feet. "Confused, right? So am I."
And just like that, she walked off, leaving him standing there.
"Wait—was that a yes?" he called out desperately.
Jane turned, confused. "What's a yes?"
"I—I asked if you'd be free this weeke—"
She tilted her head, already walking again. "No. Thank you."
Back by the bushes, his friends exploded into laughter.
"Brooo, she hit you with the confusion card," one said, wheezing.
"Man, she didn't even register your existence," another laughed.
"Screw you idiots," the guy muttered.
"But hey—credit where it's due," one of them said. "None of us could've held her in conversation that long."
They paused… then all nodded in agreement.
"But guess what?" The third grinned, raising his voice in perfect imitation.
"No. Thank you."
And they all lost it again.
Minutes Later – Back in Class…
As the break ended, the squad reassembled in their usual classroom.
Jake leaned against his desk, watching Jane walk in. "Calm and reserved," he muttered.
Jane passed by him. "Patient, too," she added.
Jake tilted his head slightly. "Not that tall."
Jane matched him, sitting down. "Not average either."
"Not that bad at stalking." Jake added
Carl raised a brow.
Carly narrowed her eyes. "Wait. What's going on?"
Jake and Jane exchanged a look. "Yup. Same person." They both said at the same time.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jake asked.
"That we're not the only ones tryna figure the world out?" Jane said. "Or worse… we might be getting ourselves bad company."
Jake exhaled slowly. "On point."
Carl blinked, still not caught up. "Wait, who? What person?"
"We don't know yet," Jane said, sitting at her desk, her tone low and sharp.
Jake adjusted his glasses. "But whoever it is… they're not just watching for fun."
Carly crossed her arms. "Okay, pause. If someone's watching us, why not confront them?"
"Because whoever this is… they don't want to be seen, duh. You think they wouldn't make the first approach if that was the problem?" Jane replied.
"The fact they're even here means something bigger's already moving." Jake said
Carl and Carly went silent.
Jake leaned forward. "Let's just say… it's about to get messy."
Jane nodded. "Time to buckle up. The real ride's just starting."
Elsewhere – Graymont Academy, Staff Room…
Steam rose from a ceramic mug as a man in a sharp but slightly wrinkled blazer stood by the corner window, coffee in one hand, phone in the other.
"Yes," he said calmly, eyes tracking something outside. "They're… quite a bunch to handle,…"
He sipped.
"But I think we can make this work."