The bus smelled like old gym socks and anxiety, which was a pretty accurate summary of Hana's life right now. She slouched in her seat, the weird black coin heavy in her pocket, its cold burn seeping through her jeans. The whispers from it—Find the truth, or the debt consumes you—kept looping in her head, along with that creepy text: Look in her room. The truth is hidden where she prays. Her mom. Her mom. The lady who sang off-key to pop songs and forgot where she parked her car. How was she tied to some freaky supernatural book?
Lucas sat next to her, his knee bouncing like he was ready to sprint at any second. Mina was across the aisle, scrolling through her phone, muttering about her video hitting fifteen thousand views. Ethan was a few rows back, staring out the window like he was in a music video, all broody and mysterious.
Hana rubbed her hands together, trying to stop the tingling in her fingers. That warm buzz in her chest was back, faint but annoying, like her body was trying to tell her something she didn't want to hear. "This is fine," she muttered. "Totally fine. Just a normal day where I'm maybe a superhero and my mom's secretly a wizard or something."
Lucas glanced at her, his brown eyes worried. "You're talking to yourself again."
"Am not," she shot back, but her voice wobbled. "Just… thinking out loud. Big difference."
He leaned closer, his arm brushing hers. "Hana, seriously. You've been weird since class. And after that thing in the gym? You gotta tell me what's going on."
Hana opened her mouth to brush it off, but the weight of the coin in her pocket stopped her. She sighed. "Okay, fine. I got a text. Another one. It said to check my mom's room for… something. I don't know. It's all creepy and vague."
Lucas's eyes widened. "A text? From who?"
"No clue. It deleted itself, just like the last one." She pulled out her phone, showing him the blank screen. "See? Nothing. I'm not crazy, I swear."
Mina leaned over, eavesdropping. "Girl, you're not crazy, but you're definitely in some deep supernatural drama. This is, like, Netflix series-level stuff. You sure your mom's not hiding a magic wand or something?"
Hana snorted, despite herself. "Yeah, right. Her biggest secret is probably a stash of chocolate she doesn't share."
But the words felt hollow. That Shade in the gym said the mother's debt passes to the daughter. And the text mentioned her mom's room. Hana's stomach twisted. She had to find out.
"I'm going home," she said, standing as the bus slowed near her stop. "I need to check this out."
Lucas grabbed her arm, gentle but firm. "Whoa, hold up. You're not going alone. Not after those things attacked you."
Hana rolled her eyes, but her cheeks got warm. "What, you're my bodyguard now?"
He grinned, just a little. "Something like that."
Mina hopped up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm in too. No way I'm missing the part where we find a secret magic lair or whatever."
Hana glanced at Ethan, who was still staring out the window. "You coming, vampire boy? Or are you too cool to help?"
He turned, his pale eyes locking onto hers. "You're not getting rid of me that easy."
Lucas muttered something under his breath, but Hana ignored him. "Fine. Let's go. But if we get eaten by shadows, I'm blaming all of you."
Hana's house was too quiet when they got there. No mom, no car in the driveway. Just the hum of the fridge and the faint creak of the floorboards. Hana's nerves were on edge, the coin in her pocket feeling heavier with every step.
"Okay," she said, leading them upstairs. "Mom's room is this way. But if we find her secret yoga journal or something, you're all sworn to secrecy."
Mina grinned, already filming on her phone. "No promises. This is content gold."
Lucas shot her a look. "Mina, can you take this seriously for, like, five minutes?"
"Chill, bike boy," she said, mimicking Ethan's nickname. "I'm multitasking."
Ethan stayed quiet, his eyes scanning the hallway like he expected a Shade to pop out of the walls. Hana caught his gaze and frowned. "You know something you're not telling us, don't you?"
He shrugged. "I know enough to know you're in over your head."
"Wow, super helpful," Hana said, rolling her eyes. "Remind me to nominate you for friend of the year."
They reached her mom's room, and Hana hesitated at the door. It felt… wrong, like she was about to break some unspoken rule. But the text, the coin, the Shades—they were all screaming at her to do this. She pushed the door open.
The room was normal. Too normal. Bed made, yoga mat in the corner, a half-empty coffee mug on the nightstand. No glowing books or magic circles. Hana's shoulders sagged. "Okay, maybe this was a bust."
Mina poked around, lifting a pillow. "What's this 'where she prays' thing? Your mom's not, like, super religious, right?"
"No," Hana said, frowning. "She's not. She does yoga, but that's it."
Lucas pointed at the yoga mat. "Maybe it's a metaphor? Like, yoga's her prayer or whatever?"
Hana groaned. "That's so cheesy, Lucas."
But she knelt by the mat anyway, running her hands over it. Nothing. Just soft, slightly sweaty fabric. She was about to give up when her fingers brushed the floorboard underneath. It was loose.
"Whoa," she whispered, prying it up. The board popped free, revealing a small compartment. Inside was a leather-bound journal, old and worn, with the same glowing symbols as the coin etched into the cover.
Hana's heart skipped. "Guys, look at this."
Mina leaned over, filming. "Okay, that's creepy. Open it!"
Hana's hands shook as she flipped it open. The pages were filled with handwriting—her mom's handwriting. Words like "Ledger," "debt," and "binding" jumped out, along with sketches of symbols that matched the Shades' glowing marks. One page had a name circled in red: Hana.
"What the…" Hana's voice cracked. "Why's my name in here?"
Lucas peered over her shoulder, his hand brushing hers. "Hana, what does it say?"
She read aloud, her voice shaky. "'The debt passes to the next generation. I tried to protect her, but the Ledger always finds its mark.'"
Her mom. Her mom knew about this. Hana's chest burned, that warm buzz flaring again, stronger now. Her fingers tingled, and the journal's symbols glowed faintly, like they were responding to her.
Ethan's voice cut through. "Put it down. Now."
Hana glared at him. "Why? This is about me. My mom's hiding something, and I'm gonna find out what."
"You don't get it," Ethan said, stepping closer. "The Ledger's alive. It's watching. The more you mess with it, the more it pulls you in."
Lucas squared up, glaring. "Back off, man. She's got a right to know."
"Oh my God, you two," Hana snapped. "Can you not fight for, like, one second?"
Mina giggled. "They're fighting over you. It's kinda cute."
Hana's cheeks burned. "Not helping, Mina."
Before anyone could say more, the room got cold. Like, arctic-level cold. The lights flickered, and those creepy whispers started again, hissing from the walls. "Hana Park," they said. "The debt calls."
Hana's grip tightened on the journal. "Oh, come on. Not again."
A shadow moved in the corner, forming into a Shade—bigger than the others, its claws longer, its glowing words pulsing red. "The mother's debt is yours," it hissed.
Lucas grabbed a lamp like it was a weapon. "Stay back!"
Mina yelped, dropping her phone. "Okay, I'm officially not filming this one!"
Ethan's shadows coiled around his hands, but he looked tense. "This one's stronger. Hana, get out of here."
"No way," she said, her voice shaking but stubborn. "This is my house. My mom's secrets. I'm not running."
The Shade lunged, and Hana's chest burned hotter than ever. She threw out her hand, and that energy pulse shot out again, slamming into the creature. It staggered, but didn't dissolve.
"Whoa," Lucas breathed. "Hana, you're doing it again."
"I don't know how!" she yelled, her arm shaking. The buzz was overwhelming now, like her body was about to explode.
Ethan flung his shadows, pinning the Shade to the wall. It screeched, its voices echoing: "The Keeper comes for you."
"The Keeper?" Hana repeated, her heart racing. "Who's that?"
The Shade dissolved, but the whispers didn't stop. They grew louder, coming from the journal in her hands. Hana dropped it, and it fell open to a new page. A single sentence was written in red: The Keeper guards the Ledger. Find her, or lose everything.
Hana's phone buzzed. She grabbed it, hands trembling. Another unknown number: She's closer than you think.
The lights went out.