GISELLE GONZALEZ786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftGaKiUDsr
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XQ24pYiHf
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.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O2mEZstaP
It was huge.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9hJAlO6p7
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.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymZTUD3QsJ
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYioGRUxhS
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKLb3VrqrR
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.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uZenRZm7H
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJr3IQZjck8
Then—786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX8SxeDKv2
Tap. Tap. TAP.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ahLssNYqN
Brielle.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9Y804Mmk9
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpp4hi3hWz
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHtH3ktee0
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UXliddqcF
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeOTZhs0gq
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSkFIVO7em
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.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4P0yXJh5e
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncHmL7qpQ6
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjfmAyyh5O
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkeNosiHUe
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKi8q1y9wZ
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCJ9mkX4yr
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT9QzCQjIr
Time froze.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUaYzskfui
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxm270vhpW
And then—it dissolved.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyD6gtWQuJB
The cat vanished into thin air.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbv60AwMH4L
I blinked. The jar was empty.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqGM82Yu1T
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.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOm1OsfbM6W
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsITx4X0FmD
BRIELLE GONZALEZ786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqWV28Imdk
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1MxUN5ZPL
A necklace.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcitUcl0DM
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.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNb3ZTllk3V
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnes4q7WI6
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesHv678rSY
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdD3JFNxsbD
He wasn’t looking at me.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOzfiPeOVe
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9FU85CFXz
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncPrGf3pEy
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXas9g54plL
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSWV9u3M6F
786Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVuU6KcfRj
and then Add to home screen.