The First Secret
The next morning, Elena couldn't shake the words she had seen in the diary:
"At dawn, the first secret will be revealed… in blood."
She laughed nervously at herself while walking to school. It was just a creepy dream… right?
But as soon as she reached the campus, she noticed the crowd near the old library. Teachers were whispering, students were restless.
> "The janitor collapsed this morning," a girl said. "Blood everywhere. No one knows what happened."
Elena froze. The diary was right.
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At lunch, she gathered her closest friends at their usual corner table. She placed the old map and the seven rusted keys in front of them.
Elena: (whispering) "Last night, this chest appeared in the attic. And this… happened. The diary predicted the janitor's accident."
Liam: (grinning, leaning back) "So you're telling me we're in some horror story? Cool. Finally, something exciting in this boring town."
Ethan: (frowning) "Cool? A man almost died, Liam. This isn't a game."
Sophia: (serious, adjusting her glasses) "Let me see the map." (studies it) "These symbols… they're old, almost medieval. And look—this mark is the same as the emblem carved on the chest."
Liam: "Great. Medieval treasure hunt? Count me in."
Elena: (nervous) "It also came with a warning. 'Trust no one. Not even your friends.'"
Silence fell at the table. All three of them stared at her.
Ethan: (voice low) "So… we can't even trust each other?"
Liam: (smirking) "Relax, Ethan. I only steal fries, not lives."
They all chuckled nervously, except Sophia, who kept staring at the map.
Suddenly, Elena's backpack rustled. The diary inside flipped open by itself. The ink slowly spread across the blank page:
"Tonight, the first key must be used."
The four friends stared at each other.
Elena: (whispering) "I think… it wants us to start."
Sophia: (firmly) "Then we meet at midnight. At the library."
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⚡ End of Chapter 2 with a cliffhanger: midnight mission begins.
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