GISELLE GONZALEZ374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHwLx2aasz
After Davis finally caved and let us into the basement, we were basically vibrating with curiosity.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡza5owucRba
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.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHRTBF2exZ
It was huge.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KjyFDfRnF
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.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdcd4Q0Iqr
“Wow! Look at all the stuff!” Brielle gasped, poking a tiny glass tube filled with neon-blue goo.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zjZ1UktRM
Davis appeared behind her like a ghost and slapped her hand away. “Don’t,” he warned, voice flat.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SHF6blAlE
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.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx42ynUkR3k
I stared at the scorpion a little too long.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9kmiQcIZY
Then—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtq2wcrfkP
Tap. Tap. TAP.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHObFnFx0K
Brielle.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN7UGlXIrE
I turned, my patience burned out. “WHAT?!”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEnqcZkYld
She blinked. “...Great. I forgot what I was gonna say.”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNR5tuRwms
I sighed and moved away, walking toward Adan, ready to fake-punch him again. Only I accidentally punched his actual eyeball.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedeZKi8uyR
“Adan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—!”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAslTN63RM3
“Eyo! What the frick, man?” Adan rubbed his eye. “I care about my vision, thank you very much.”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSagfHWwsw
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.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iAwxzQjav
“No,” Davis replied quickly, trying to ignore him.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CdDl1iMJZ
I wandered off again. That’s when I saw it.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqdqXG4Nib
A glass container. Smaller. A faint black mist swirling inside it, like ink in water.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePRsE8HvmA
I checked to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. Julian was still teasing Davis. Brielle was asking about random stuff.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPKMEnQxtD
I whispered to myself, “No one’s watching…” and carefully cracked the lid open.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHyC1t97JZ
The black mist pooled, then shifted. A small, black cat emerged. Its fur shimmered like oil. We locked eyes.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBsjWai4Hv
Time froze.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcmiMAre5F
Its glowing pupils flickered with unnatural light—like stardust trapped in darkness. I imagined rainbow patterns swirling in my eyes. It was so beautiful...374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HsdJIBlEL
And then—it dissolved.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtz2RktptHl
The cat vanished into thin air.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3j3VU7tWL3
I blinked. The jar was empty.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYccc8KuGA1
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.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnim36tWV3
“Soooo…” I said, sliding away, trying to act natural. “Anything cool you wanna show us?”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKikwHNAme3
BRIELLE GONZALEZ374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIEcTlbdX1
While everyone got caught up in robots and mist and glass tubes, I wandered toward something simple.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08DJ4fYLb2
A necklace.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Dp3eyE7y9
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.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgK7UG7IaJH
“Oooh! What a pretty necklace!” I said, reaching for it, then hesitating.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1WgYE28fj
Davis was across the room, shouting at Julian, who was about to poke a scorpion tank.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTSm95inLm
“You know what I said,” Davis growled. “Don’t touch anything.”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMDrxNDYeZ
He wasn’t looking at me.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4KaVAeItZ
So… I took the necklace. Slipped it in my pocket. I’d wear it later when no one was looking.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq05Qsaoke3
I turned just in time to see Adan sprinting at Julian.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6skqtd7Oww
“Eyeyey! Don’t touch it!” he yelled.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTYukEcecZ
Then—like some kind of curse had been triggered—everything came crashing down.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhS7Dp7oZIS
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYJbpCn8VU
