GISELLE GONZALEZ363Please respect copyright.PENANAFgXznFkjMx
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.363Please respect copyright.PENANAowk8cmTHLk
Brielle skipped ahead like it was a candy store. Adan nearly swung a fist at me as a joke. Julian almost punched Adan for real. Chaos, as usual. But then… we stepped inside.363Please respect copyright.PENANAfhrpSemQ6k
It was huge.363Please respect copyright.PENANAOOrw4zzq5u
Cold air hit my face first—sterile, recycled, and buzzing with quiet electricity. The lights above flickered once, then steadied. Rows of high-tech junk stretched forever. Giant robot arms. Camera drones shaped like bugs. Holograms. Wires coiled like snakes.363Please respect copyright.PENANAJeJ1uxzbGW
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.363Please respect copyright.PENANA5gWgx8NWip
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.363Please respect copyright.PENANA37vijmphW0
We passed hulking robots that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. Painted metal frames, glowing cores, jointed fingers twitching like they were dreaming. Farther in, we found a wall of animals in glass tubes—mice, birds, even a scorpion. Creepy.363Please respect copyright.PENANA6CYBULsKJ9
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.363Please respect copyright.PENANAsu2FEPtq3z
Then—363Please respect copyright.PENANAgjsLx6iWOk
Tap. Tap. TAP.363Please respect copyright.PENANAHKpd0CGQ8V
Brielle.363Please respect copyright.PENANAArEzIYuBIn
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”363Please respect copyright.PENANA5OiIRF124k
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”363Please respect copyright.PENANARwOAtqEWKa
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.363Please respect copyright.PENANAoUt2plCttT
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”363Please respect copyright.PENANARosvGOjfvy
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”363Please respect copyright.PENANAXY7lzITeQC
This caught Julian’s attention. Julian wandered over to the scorpion tank I had been staring at earlier. “You a bug collector or something?” he asked Davis with a smirk.363Please respect copyright.PENANAcb5KlDzCVA
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.363Please respect copyright.PENANA4xL3rJJqx9
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.363Please respect copyright.PENANAoAR7mwnFiX
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.363Please respect copyright.PENANASFAgi0B5uq
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.363Please respect copyright.PENANAJ66v7EULmh
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.363Please respect copyright.PENANAMRkBV67WIR
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.363Please respect copyright.PENANAl0oddaTfbo
Time froze.363Please respect copyright.PENANAXH5mvopPNE
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...363Please respect copyright.PENANAnLPJ9Xs6HZ
And then—it dissolved.363Please respect copyright.PENANAThDo33AYtE
The cat vanished into thin air.363Please respect copyright.PENANAK8hKKYr4B3
I blinked. The jar was empty.363Please respect copyright.PENANAtWYPweDHoD
Panic flooded my body. I looked around. No alarms. No one noticed. I grabbed a decorative plastic cat I found nearby and shoved it into the jar. Slammed the lid closed.363Please respect copyright.PENANAjiUklH8ZrW
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”363Please respect copyright.PENANAQajHb7iHtU
BRIELLE GONZALEZ363Please respect copyright.PENANAlGIZVmEMgO
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.363Please respect copyright.PENANAdkFa9tFl5c
A necklace.363Please respect copyright.PENANAGpLPydrk2c
It was lying on a table by itself. Silver, shaped like a heart—like the kind little kids draw. It shimmered slightly under the lights.363Please respect copyright.PENANAju3GXfEJGm
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.363Please respect copyright.PENANAaK2aAZSftB
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.363Please respect copyright.PENANAbJqzAK4gn2
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”363Please respect copyright.PENANAiCFeBEuFQX
He wasn’t looking at me.363Please respect copyright.PENANA69pvMotbja
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.363Please respect copyright.PENANA8bXUHDYooZ
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.363Please respect copyright.PENANA7MiooNvCCv
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.363Please respect copyright.PENANAxHKO5d87rZ
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.363Please respect copyright.PENANAZ9BeFg0KEM
363Please respect copyright.PENANANHMOzygyHd