We sat in the car outside my old house, the silence between us thick with tension. I rolled the pendant between my fingers, its cold surface grounding me despite the chaos in my head.
"This pendant..." I murmured, breaking the silence. "It's the key. But how do we find out when and where the next party is?"
Sebastian, who was driving, glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "The symbol has to mean something more. Maybe it's tied to a group or location."
Zaire, sitting in the passenger seat, tapped his phone. "Let me look up anything related to these 'Last Call' parties. It's all rumours online, but there's gotta be something."
I nodded, but my thoughts were elsewhere. The pendant was heavy in my palm, both physically and emotionally. My mom had kept this hidden for a reason. Was she trying to protect me? Or herself?
Zaire suddenly perked up, holding his phone out for Sebastian and me to see. "Check this out."
A blurry photo of the exact pendant in my hand was on the screen. It was on an obscure forum titled "The Gatekeepers of the Last Call." The post was vague, and filled with speculation, but one comment caught my eye:
"Next event is soon. Follow the snake to find the entrance."
"Follow the snake?" I echoed, frowning.
Sebastian pulled into the driveway of my foster parents' house and parked. "Maybe it's a location. A place named after a snake or something similar."
"It could also be literal," Zaire suggested. "Like a path or trail shaped like a snake."
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "Either way, we need more information. Whoever wrote that post might know something."
Later that evening, the three of us sat in Sebastian's room, the dim light from his desk lamp casting shadows on the walls. His space was neat and organized, starkly contrasting the chaos in my head.
Zaire was typing furiously on his laptop, trying to trace the forum post. Sebastian sat beside him, his arms crossed as he stared at the screen. I sat on the bed, the pendant still clutched in my hand.
"This forum's anonymous," Zaire muttered. "It's gonna take time to track the IP address."
"Do you think the person who posted that knows about the pendant?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Sebastian nodded. "If they know about the parties, they know about the tokens. It's all connected."
I leaned back against the wall, my mind racing. "If my mom had this, she must've known something about the parties. Maybe she even went to them."
Zaire looked over at me, his expression softening. "She might've been trying to expose them. Or maybe... she was in too deep."
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. My mom had always been a mystery to me, a puzzle with too many missing pieces. Now, it felt like I was finally starting to see the picture—but it wasn't what I wanted to see.
Suddenly, Zaire's laptop beeped. "Got it," he said, grinning triumphantly. "The post was made from a library downtown. If we're lucky, the person might've left more clues there."
Sebastian stood, grabbing his keys. "Then let's go."
The library was eerily quiet, the fluorescent lights casting a sterile glow over the rows of bookshelves. We split up, each of us searching for any sign of the person behind the post.
I wandered toward the computers, my heart pounding as I approached the terminal where the post had been made. The screen was blank, but something caught my eye—a crumpled piece of paper tucked beneath the keyboard.
I pulled it out, my hands trembling as I unfolded it. Scrawled in messy handwriting were the words:
"Serpent's Trail. Midnight. Don't come alone."
Sebastian appeared beside me, his eyes scanning the note. "What's Serpent's Trail?"
"It's an old hiking trail," Zaire said, joining us. "Near the edge of town. It's been closed off for years."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "That has to be it. The next party."
Sebastian's jaw tightened. "If we're going, we need to be prepared. This isn't just some high school party—we're walking straight into their world."
Zaire nodded, his usual bravado replaced with a rare seriousness. "Agreed. But if this is our only chance to find out who's behind all this, we have to take it."
I clenched the pendant in my hand, the sharp edges digging into my skin. "We don't have a choice. We're going."
Got it! Here's how the encounter with Officer Hallowe could play out, building tension and highlighting their cleverness while keeping the stakes high:
The three of us had barely stepped out of the library when we spotted the unmistakable figure of Officer Hallowe leaning casually against his car. The streetlight above him flickered, casting his shadow in long, jagged lines across the pavement.
My heart dropped. What was he doing here?
"Well, well," Hallowe called out, his voice calm but edged with steel. "Fancy seeing you here, Mia. And with your friends."
Sebastian stiffened beside me, his hand brushing against my arm as if to shield me. Zaire, however, kept walking, feigning nonchalance.
"Evening, Officer," Zaire said smoothly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Out for a stroll?"
Hallowe pushed off the car, his boots crunching against the gravel as he approached. His eyes flicked from me to the others, narrowing slightly. "Funny. I could ask you the same thing. But I doubt you're just here for the scenery."
I swallowed hard, clutching the pendant in my pocket. If he knew about it—or the note we'd found—things could go south fast.
"We were studying," I lied, my voice steadier than I expected. "For finals. The library's quiet at this hour."
Hallowe tilted his head, his sharp gaze boring into mine. "Studying, huh? Seems like you've got a lot on your plate lately, Mia. First Hannah, now this."
I froze.
"Now what?" Sebastian cut in, his tone laced with irritation.
Hallowe smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, nothing. Just seems like trouble has a way of following certain people. And when I see you three skulking around..." He trailed off, stepping closer. "Well, it makes me curious."
Zaire chuckled, his voice casual but with an edge. "Curiosity killed the cat, Officer. And last I checked, walking out of a library isn't a crime."
Hallowe's expression hardened. "You're right. It's not. But meddling in things you don't understand? That's dangerous." His gaze landed on me. "Especially for someone who's already under a lot of scrutiny."
My breath caught. He was baiting me, trying to rattle me. And it was working.
"Are we free to go?" Sebastian asked, stepping forward. His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable warning in it.
Hallowe studied him for a moment before stepping back. "Of course. You're not doing anything wrong... yet." He turned his attention back to me, his eyes narrowing. "But remember this, Mia: some questions are better left unanswered. Keep digging, and you might not like what you find."
I didn't reply, my throat tight.
"Have a good night," Hallowe said, his tone mocking as he walked back to his car.
Sebastian started the engine, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. None of us spoke until we were a few blocks away.
"That guy's a creep," Zaire muttered, slumping back in his seat.
"He knows something," Sebastian said, his voice low. "He's trying to scare us off."
"Well, it's working," I admitted, my voice shaking. "He's right—I don't know what I'm getting into. What if he's right about..." I trailed off, gripping the pendant tightly in my hand.
Sebastian reached over, his hand brushing mine briefly. "Don't let him get into your head. Whatever's going on, we'll figure it out."
I nodded, though the unease lingered. Zaire was quiet, staring out the window. I caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass—his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were darker than usual.
"Let's just get to the bottom of this," I said finally, breaking the silence. "We're going to that trail. And we're finding out what the hell is going on."
Sebastian nodded. "Agreed."
Zaire didn't say anything, but he finally glanced back at me, his expression unreadable.