GISELLE GONZALEZ373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakXx3uiRLS
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruLrQqRrZM
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLXposGEVC
It was huge.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1ebWTpQRP
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmWvsDmn5q
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKL8d48Td4R
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1OKSp9A8H
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0ynLE7p1u
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPaglWJahZ
Then—373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNmJq38P9I
Tap. Tap. TAP.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xqBIvRYVb
Brielle.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBMi7k4GN1
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFMxURv8bj
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4OmVVdUqR
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ntMZCRdQC
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizRgLK7TPp
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NZKLsrZeg
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsJT1D5Mf0
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrVfTmmbrD
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIf4xlChXu
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHTtT3oDz0
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJEzmtu0An
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsKkV1aiIR
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9R7HEmYscf
Time froze.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAb0v1y91yP
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSWiEgr1WZ
And then—it dissolved.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZ5MVozgZ4
The cat vanished into thin air.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeN6ZDweqIq
I blinked. The jar was empty.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2aUOlG77n
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSoHnWccjd
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRb1UjmzyEQ
BRIELLE GONZALEZ373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGYBB1c5HY
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOCPS6UOJA
A necklace.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP77mNDzsxd
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.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jTx8YO4Ex
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7n2zUXfrOX
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vUAhmjNsy
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz75trWuXad
He wasn’t looking at me.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFEmEgwzbE
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrXoxA3EQH
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFFySvMqd6
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2f28S7W99s
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWZm9ZHqJh
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