GISELLE GONZALEZ383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3rH5qyrml
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWqIW4bLwW
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaHywoC6VD
It was huge.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D0GI3dFT1
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AOuyADTn4
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDHlxGg1Kw
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki5tHa0Q7W
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFLnifYnFy
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zHQv64gi5
Then—383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHduJcCGDTd
Tap. Tap. TAP.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNce8k3oy6
Brielle.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHLQa4Nfw8
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9szH9ZWBnw
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQGM2uzZY3
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2Dve6q0fd
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc7hs5T2Qn
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKwU3ylIEP
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEVzw3DAPz
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfDFWDfG1R
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JlRyZSQZV
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCWwkgPDzP
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7fRZVjjMb
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXxbrKLksB
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VUmuZiMEo
Time froze.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CJpFq4v2l
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C0ta6tsIg
And then—it dissolved.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZ4jxmCYF2
The cat vanished into thin air.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyc5feSZuqd
I blinked. The jar was empty.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncRl1afgGo
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdneSYdrXZ
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu92YBehXv
BRIELLE GONZALEZ383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvqGxfto3K
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8ROooJMDc
A necklace.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5tDD2Cmfz
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD7WRsEmWT
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89zYxDposI
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QKVbdk3kK
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtjsnqOsuF
He wasn’t looking at me.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHg42PPVNc
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2TtJ8x8AR
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYIfHy7kAY
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsN6hk1omls
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ch8nCsn9g
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