GISELLE GONZALEZ728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKThj5OR21K
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWZdiyLMNt
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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmlVySrJNl
It was huge.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvZkHauZ2l
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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tLvWjBAI4
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqS8g49yFy
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kTfuSNsdl
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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRfJgNzcZW
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61mkNP8eMw
Then—728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DviqnP3uL
Tap. Tap. TAP.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC0dOfNceh
Brielle.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8lnaRpUk1
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ppNuZLOKy
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaEhylxJeE
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxDWJuO7ts
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IA40sXH3b
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMBMxphtt1
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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffbnWXtOAG
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaY7ra3Q1v
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpESF1uLqCk
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWN8XeHeoQ
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUFKe1Ofgx
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdcauJa3s1
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJl1R8meq8
Time froze.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YjK8CawI0
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcc0VvqbuN
And then—it dissolved.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9bKiY0xeD
The cat vanished into thin air.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicBRtG9idn
I blinked. The jar was empty.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGKhuPtGFZ
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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfivX3hoPCP
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcbKHHZKKl
BRIELLE GONZALEZ728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruzOnmZoOU
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD1tUCX5WJ
A necklace.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKdyzKF5cA
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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP5iP9RyHv
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBe1Ono6E6
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7ugkCnt2O
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77g34jjlD1
He wasn’t looking at me.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lhr9Vfkr9
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECoF58Znje
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdeZ6UwzPH
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOXeIQlZuV
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9YrLwUV6L
728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXsqOdEQ5d
and then Add to home screen.