I rushed into the mansion with Masha close behind, my heart pounding as I searched for the source of the scream. It had been Sasha's voice, sharp and panicked, cutting through the silence like a knife. I called out her name as soon as we crossed the threshold, my voice echoing off the high ceilings.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsZyhYagbz
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"Sasha! SASHA!"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4actRzuXQ
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No response. Just as my anxiety began to spike, her voice came again, faint but steady. "I'm over here."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLDO7KfVMZ
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I followed the sound to the study, a room lined with towering bookshelves and heavy wooden furniture. The air felt heavier here, as if the walls themselves were pressing in. At first glance, the room seemed empty, but then Sasha's voice echoed from an unexpected direction. "Behind the bookshelf."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXBiCq9cCs
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I stepped closer, my pulse quickening as I peered behind the massive structure. Sasha stood on a narrow staircase that descended into darkness, her face pale in the dim light. A faint, cold draft wafted up from below, carrying with it a smell that made my stomach churn—mildew, yes, but something else too, something metallic and sharp.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhnsnrMAYP
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"Can you believe it?" Sasha whispered, her voice trembling despite her attempt at excitement. "This place has an underground room."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DavonrdzC
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I stared into the abyss, my heart pounding. The darkness seemed to pulse, as if alive, and for a moment, I thought I heard something—a faint, rhythmic sound, like footsteps echoing from deep below.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡow7PV2wKDe
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Before I could respond, the others filed into the study. Maya, Hendrick, and Martin must have noticed Masha standing by the bookshelf, or perhaps she had pointed them in our direction. Either way, they were suddenly crowding around me, their presence making the room feel even smaller.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4Q17n0dNc
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"Are you okay?" Maya asked, her voice tight with concern.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjBkz2IwRU
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"Is that an underground room? Sick!" Martin said, his eyes lighting up.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXtCaAapuk
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"I know, right?" Sasha replied, ignoring my glare. "I was checking out some of the books, and one of them triggered this mechanism. The shelf just slid open, and I freaked out."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoHJw7vkg3
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"Which book?" Hendrick asked, his tone curious.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFmKaYCnex
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"I think it was Catch-22," Sasha said.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYm6AK5DzWy
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"Where does it lead?" Martin pressed.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9QYcGZ9s7
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"I haven't looked yet."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajqAg6ZdRs
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"Can we explore?" Sasha asked, her eyes darting to Maya, who in turn looked to Hendrick. He exchanged a quick, almost imperceptible smile with Martin before nodding.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRhFl08rzq
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Before Maya could respond, I stepped in. "No! Absolutely not!" I said, my voice firm. "Are you guys insane? This isn't our house. We can't just go snooping around. How am I the voice of reason right now?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoGtHoj3lN
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"Are you saying you're not curious about what the Whites are hiding down there?" Martin challenged.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bpwho96Ww
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I was. Of course I was. But I had the decency to keep that to myself.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy26UEUAUCO
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"Not even a little," I lied. "And even if I were, it doesn't matter. We're here to clean, not play detective."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSxzoubMI4
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"Okay, spoilsport," Martin muttered.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzytlTwPwP
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"Very mature," I shot back. "Did you forget why we're here in the first place?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TZvpYqN9S
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I reached out to Sasha, helping her up from the staircase. Masha, ever the quiet observer, carefully replaced Catch-22 on the shelf. The mechanism whirred softly, the sound unnaturally smooth, as if the gears hadn't been used in years. The bookshelf slid back into place with a satisfying click that echoed through the room.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhrq9nwRnw
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Cool. But also terrifying.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUiMdWfTdt
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The group drifted back to the living room, but I stayed behind for a moment, my nerves still on edge. I stepped outside, pulling a cigarette from my pocket and lighting it with trembling hands. The cool evening air helped steady me, but my thoughts were still racing.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mmGcE4eXH
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Sasha joined me a moment later, her presence quiet but unmistakable. She held out her hand, and I passed her the cigarette without a word. She took a drag, exhaling slowly before handing it back.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkLiVH805x
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"Since when do you smoke?" she asked, her tone casual but probing.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNseSd9bRL
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"Since when do you smoke?" I countered, raising an eyebrow.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrW66wqO6E
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She laughed softly, the sound almost lost in the evening breeze. "You know, this is the longest conversation we've had since you got back from rehab."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHBzEN10KJ
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"Is it?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqtL6g6GEe
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"You've been distant," she said, her voice softening. "I miss having my best friend. And I know Maya misses her sister."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZoBgK76uK
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I didn't respond immediately, my gaze fixed on the horizon as the sun dipped lower in the sky.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxD5ytyfJ8e
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"Do you hate me?" Sasha asked suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXY71tyTxrb
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I turned to look at her, surprised. "Why would I hate you?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCU5IsDrcK9
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"Because I was the one who told Maya and the principal about your addiction."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6goqdLR00M
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I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't hate you for that."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOszgyEUwGX
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"So you do hate me," she said, her tone half-joking but with an undercurrent of seriousness.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYQPlPwda5
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"I don't hate you," I said firmly. "But I've been avoiding the clubhouse for a reason."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwp8G4pishn
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"Is it because of me and Martin?" she asked, her voice tentative.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jlPSELpQS
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"It's Hendrick," I said bluntly. "I can't stand his face."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsV3jlbWlF
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Sasha gave me a look, her eyes narrowing. "Why can't you be serious for once?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGT6cGEBjOL
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"I am serious," I said, though my tone was lighter than I intended. "But fine. The school counselor thinks I blame him."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDirj464OXe
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"Blame him for what?" Sasha asked, her brow furrowing. Then her eyes widened in realization. "He's the one who introduced you to drugs, isn't he?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbMrcGzoZH
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I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. "Isn't he?" she pressed, louder this time.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJnbf07KfJ
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"Yes," I admitted, the word heavy with unspoken resentment.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJbReetwFL
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Sasha's face darkened, and she turned on her heel, storming back toward the mansion. I grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2oiwa0HvY
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"Let me go!" she snapped, her voice sharp.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrvHEb9z5t
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"Why? So you can punch Hendrick? What good would that do?"121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HJJnAvOSg
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"You have no idea the things he's said about you," Sasha said, her voice trembling with anger. "He acts like it was all your fault, like he had nothing to do with it. If only I'd known the truth."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhc2tNsEc2
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I looked away, my chest tightening. "It doesn't matter what he says. I made my choices."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHUUiwAXdG
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"But he made them easier," she shot back, her voice breaking. "He knew what he was doing. And now he acts like he's better than you, like he's some kind of saint."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYOmsKFpJj
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I didn't respond, my gaze fixed on the horizon. The sun was sinking lower, casting long shadows across the lawn. "Maybe he is better than me," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. "But that doesn't change anything. I'm still here. And I'm still trying."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qWXyJXBR5
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Sasha stared at me for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. "Fine."121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8b3C7ELRLb
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"Thank you," I said, offering her a small smile. "Evelyn sure is taking her time with those groceries, huh?" I added, trying to lighten the mood.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCC9gK7tuAv
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"Yeah," Sasha said, though her tone was still distant.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4y0SkuVEWQ
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I sighed and sat down on the ground, the grass surprisingly soft beneath me. "Sit with me," I said, patting the spot beside me. Sasha hesitated before joining me, her shoulders still tense.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMSFsJXZzC
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The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. The air was cool, and for a moment, everything felt almost peaceful.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXajTUCil0
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