The car ride back from the Serpent's Trail was quiet, the kind of silence that wasn't comfortable but suffocating. Zaire was at the wheel, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might shatter. Sebastian sat in the back with me, his hand resting on the edge of the seat, close enough to offer comfort but not enough to intrude.
The information Gordon gave us sat heavy in my chest. The Oakmans, the parties, Lexie's murder—all of it felt too big, too dark, and too dangerous.
"So," Zaire finally broke the silence as he pulled into a side street near my house. "Blackthorn Estate. Midnight. Two nights from now."
I nodded, my eyes fixed on the window. The thought of sneaking into one of those parties, the kind I'd only ever heard whispers about, made my skin crawl. But there was no turning back now.
"We'll need a plan," Sebastian said, his voice calm and measured. "And masks."
Zaire snorted. "Of course, masks. These freaks and their theatrics."
I glanced at Sebastian. "Do you think we can really pull this off?"
"We don't have a choice," he replied. "If we don't go, we'll never find out the truth."
The truth. That's all that kept me going—uncovering the lies that had buried my mother's death and everything tied to it.
The day started off like any other, which is to say, awful.
I walked down the hall, my backpack slung over one shoulder, my head down to avoid the prying eyes of my classmates. Even though it had been months since the rumors first started, the whispers still followed me everywhere.
Then, like clockwork, Chad appeared.
"Well, if it isn't the queen of drama," he sneered, stepping in front of me and blocking my path. His voice was loud, intentionally so, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
I tried to sidestep him, but he moved to block me again, smirking like he'd just won some game I wasn't playing.
"Hey, Mia," he said, his tone dripping with mockery. "What's the latest? You ruin anyone else's life today, or are you taking a break?"
I didn't respond. I never did.
"Oh, come on," he continued, his voice rising. "Don't be shy now. Everyone knows you love the attention. Isn't that right, everyone?"
Laughter rippled through the hallway. My stomach twisted, but I kept my face blank, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
Chad stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear. "You know, if you'd just admit you're a liar, maybe people would stop hating you so much. Or maybe not."
The anger bubbling in my chest was nearly impossible to contain. "Get out of my way," I said, my voice low but steady.
He grinned, taking another step forward. "Or what? You'll cry about it?"
I didn't cry. I didn't flinch. I just shoved past him, forcing him to step back.
The hallway erupted in whispers as I walked away, my heart pounding. No one helped. No one ever did.
I was still fuming by the time I met Sebastian and Zaire at the cafe after school. The sight of their concerned faces as I slid into the booth only made the emotions I'd been holding back bubble to the surface.
"What happened?" Zaire asked immediately.
"Chad," I said, my voice tight. "He cornered me in the hallway again. Made sure everyone saw."
Sebastian's jaw tightened. "What did he say?"
"The usual," I muttered. "That I'm a liar. That it's all my fault."
Zaire leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "That guy is a walking trash can. He needs to be taught a lesson."
Before I could respond, the door to the cafe slammed open, and speak of the devil—Chad walked in, flanked by his usual group of sycophants.
He spotted me immediately, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he sauntered over to our table.
"Well, look who it is," he drawled. "The tragedy trio."
Zaire shot up from his seat, his eyes blazing. "You've got three seconds to walk away, Chad."
Chad laughed, unfazed. "Relax, man. I'm just saying hi. No need to get violent."
Sebastian stood as well, his fists clenched. "Leave. Now."
Chad's smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, turning his attention back to me. "You know, Mia, it's funny. No matter how much you try to play the victim, everyone knows the truth. You're just—"
"That's enough!" I snapped, standing up so quickly my chair scraped against the floor.
The cafe had gone silent, all eyes on us.
Chad looked at me, genuinely surprised.
"Leave," I said, my voice firm.
He held my gaze for a moment before shrugging. "Whatever. Not worth my time anyway."
As he walked away, I reached for my phone, my hands shaking with anger. Without thinking, I opened his profile and hit block.
When I looked up, Zaire and Sebastian were staring at me.
"Did you just..." Sebastian trailed off.
I nodded. "I blocked him."
Zaire frowned. "Why?"
"Because every time I've blocked someone tied to this... mess, something has happened," I explained. "Andrew. Hannah. I don't know if it's connected, but we'll find out soon enough."
Sebastian exchanged a worried glance with Zaire.
"So," I continued, taking a deep breath. "Tonight, we go to Chad's house."
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I kept to myself, avoiding everyone, including Chad, who seemed unusually quiet after the scene in the cafe.
By the time night fell, I was more than ready to leave. I packed a small bag—flashlight, notebook, snacks—then slipped out of the house, meeting Zaire and Sebastian at the corner.
"You sure about this?" Zaire asked as we climbed into his car.
I nodded. "We need answers."
Sebastian gave me a small, reassuring smile as we pulled away from the curb.
Tonight, we'd be one step closer to the truth. Or so I hoped.
The night was still, except for the occasional chirping of crickets. We crouched in the garden near Chad's bedroom window, the glow from inside casting faint shadows across the lawn. My heart was racing, partly because of the danger of sneaking around like this and partly because of the suffocating tension hanging in the air.
"This way," Zaire whispered, motioning toward the back portion of the house.
We followed him, moving as quietly as we could. The back area was shrouded in darkness, the faint outline of a shed barely visible under the dim moonlight.
"This is the best spot to keep an eye on him," Zaire murmured. "If someone comes to grab Chad, this'll give us the best vantage point."
Sebastian nodded. "And if something goes south?"
Zaire smirked, pointing at a tree nearby. "I'll stay up there. If I see something, I'll make an owl noise. You two stay by the shed, stay hidden, and keep an eye on the window."
I nodded, swallowing hard. The idea of us using bird sounds to communicate felt almost laughable, but it was all we had.
As Zaire climbed up the tree like a shadow, Sebastian and I crouched near the shed. The cool night air bit at my skin, and I pulled my jacket tighter around me, trying to shake off the unease clawing at my chest.
The silence between Sebastian and me stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. He finally broke it, his voice soft but steady.
"How are you holding up?"
I glanced at him, surprised by the question. "I'm fine," I lied.
He raised an eyebrow, his face barely visible in the darkness. "You don't have to say that, you know."
I hesitated, staring at the faint light coming from Chad's room. "I don't even know how I'm holding up, to be honest. It's like... everything's unraveling, and no matter how much I try to piece it together, it just gets worse."
Sebastian leaned back against the shed, his voice calm. "You've been strong through all of this, Mia. Stronger than most people would be."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Strong? I don't feel strong. I feel like I'm barely holding it together."
"You're still here," he said simply. "Still fighting. That's strength."
His words hung in the air, and for a moment, I let myself believe them.
Before I could respond, a loud thud echoed through the garden, shattering the stillness of the night.
Sebastian and I froze, our eyes darting toward the source of the sound. The darkness made it impossible to tell where it had come from.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice tense.
Before we could move, an eerie owl noise broke through the silence. Zaire.
Sebastian grabbed my arm. "He's signaling us. Something's wrong."
We crept forward, trying to follow the sound. The night seemed to grow darker, the rustling of leaves amplifying every step we took. The thud was followed by more rustling noises, sharp and sudden, as if someone—or something—was moving through the garden.
"Zaire?" I called out softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
The rustling stopped.
And then we heard it—a car engine roaring to life.
"Someone's here!" Sebastian hissed.
Without thinking, we bolted toward the front of the house, our feet pounding against the ground. A sleek, dark SUV was already speeding down the driveway, its taillights glowing like red eyes in the darkness.
"Go!" I shouted, grabbing Sebastian's hand and pulling him toward Zaire's car parked down the street.
"We can't wait for Zaire!" Sebastian said, yanking open the driver's side door. "Get in!"
I scrambled into the passenger seat as Sebastian started the engine, the car roaring to life. The SUV was already at the end of the street, but Sebastian wasn't letting it get away.
The tires screeched as we sped after it, the adrenaline pumping through my veins making my hands shake.
"Can you see the plate?" Sebastian asked, his eyes locked on the SUV.
I squinted, but the distance and the darkness made it impossible. "No, it's too far."
Sebastian cursed under his breath, pushing the car faster. The SUV took a sharp turn onto a narrow road, and Sebastian followed, the headlights bouncing wildly as the car raced over uneven terrain.
The chase felt like it lasted forever, the distance between us and the SUV closing and widening in bursts.
"Come on," Sebastian muttered, his grip on the wheel tightening.
The SUV took another sharp turn, its tires skidding slightly on the gravel road. But when we turned the corner after it, the road was empty.
Sebastian slammed on the brakes, his knuckles white.
"Where the hell did it go?" he growled, frustration lacing his voice.
I leaned forward, scanning the area. The road was lined with thick trees, their shadows making it nearly impossible to tell if the SUV had veered off somewhere.
"They must've turned off," I said, my voice shaking.
Sebastian slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the sound echoing in the empty car. "Damn it!"
Defeated, we turned back, driving in silence. By the time we reached Chad's house, Zaire was pacing near the shed, his face illuminated by the dim glow of his phone.
"What the hell happened?" he demanded as we got out of the car.
"There was an SUV," Sebastian explained, running a hand through his hair. "We tried to follow it, but it got away."
Zaire looked between us, his expression dark. "And you didn't wait for me?"
"There wasn't time," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
Zaire sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. Did you at least see who was in the car?"
"No," Sebastian admitted. "But it was definitely someone trying to stay out of sight."
"And now we're back to square one," Zaire muttered, his frustration evident.
I glanced toward Chad's house, my stomach sinking. We'd come so close, only to lose our lead. But one thing was clear: whoever was in that SUV didn't want us getting too close to the truth.
"Next time," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling in my mind, "we'll be ready."