GISELLE GONZALEZ381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywq1oqOqT4
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EuybWjxXY
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.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hi1TrW0Ly
It was huge.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrlFJTJO0k
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.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mEDalvFv8
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO2BVyZzIg
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtSXCergMT
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.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbxj6in2FF
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIu5JTUQBJF
Then—381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesNpAGHyAz
Tap. Tap. TAP.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6xUnuzAd2
Brielle.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VRmtjUodA
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHT76BUdha
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFNSJMZrnt
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7DsDwvkax
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmb1XjqpxSh
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GItA47Hk2
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.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKFSsUf7Dv
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3gubF3l6g
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZgw3LAoKn
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmR0pYjl4JA
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafElPx81aM
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtq2deJmSIj
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibXz7gWx9a
Time froze.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OUe2hcMf8
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMX2PVGJiuy
And then—it dissolved.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvhblPYXqf
The cat vanished into thin air.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe2uq0vZPK
I blinked. The jar was empty.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVI1NOAh4c
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.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFahb7giXvj
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay1DqoKIil
BRIELLE GONZALEZ381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFJ8p445fT
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDGXrmfCsS
A necklace.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fRMgWbULx
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.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiQ90Smqdx
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRyz3DAQR0
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7GWs4slxq
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6sXjcKuGg
He wasn’t looking at me.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lFKAfpBDl
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXyRyMv1EC
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcod01J4FDi
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZr590P9vQ
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzedXlMqqk
381Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlsTNPaZDM
