Celia’s Secret
656 Words
Celia’s voice trembled as she spoke, every word soaked in fear.
“You don’t understand… Crescent High is not just a school.”
Arin raised his hand. “YES. WE KNEW IT. I SAID IT. I CALLED IT. I WANT A TROPHY.”
Nova smacked him again. “Shut up and let her talk.”
Celia took a shaky breath.
“They’re covering something… something underground.”
Liora frowned. “Underground? Like tunnels?”
Celia shook her head quickly.
“No. Bigger. Deeper. Older than the school.”
Jace leaned in. “What exactly is down there?”
Celia hesitated—like saying it out loud might make something horrible happen.
Then she whispered:
“A chamber.”
The Chamber
“Okay…” Nova said slowly. “Define chamber. Because that could mean a tiny hidden room… or a giant secret science lab… or a monster nest.”
Celia hugged herself.
“It’s like… a vault. A sealed place under the east wing. Nobody is supposed to know. Not teachers. Not students. Not even the principal.”
Xaden stiffened.
“That matches what my brother hinted at.”
Liora’s eyes widened. “Your brother knew about this chamber?”
“He said it’s what started everything. The disappearances. The Shadows. The messages.”
Arin gulped loudly. “I’m suddenly missing being a normal student with normal problems, like failing math.”
Celia’s Escape
Jace spoke softly. “How did you find out, Celia?”
Celia’s hands shook.
“I… I heard them.”
“Them?” Liora asked.
“The Shadows. They were talking. They said the chamber was weakening. And if it breaks—”
She stopped.
Her entire body tensed.
Nova placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re safe with us.”
Celia shook her head violently.
“No one is safe! They said… they said something is waking up.”
Everyone went silent.
Even Arin stopped breathing.
“What’s waking up?” Liora whispered.
Celia bit her lip.
“I don’t know… they called it The Origin. And they said it’s connected to the crescent symbol.”
Liora felt a chill crawl up her spine.
The same crescent symbol that had followed them for weeks.
A Dark Realization
Xaden spoke quietly.
“That means the Shadows aren’t just a group of masked people. They’re guarding something. Or trying to release it.”
“Release it?!” Arin whispered. “WHY WOULD ANYONE RELEASE A MYSTERIOUS HORROR THING CALLED ‘THE ORIGIN’? WHAT KIND OF EVIL HOBBY IS THAT?!”
Nova sighed. “Arin, calm down.”
“I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! MY LIFE IS A CRIME DRAMA WITH SUPERNATURAL UPGRADES!”
Celia’s Warning for Liora
Celia suddenly grabbed Liora’s wrist.
Her grip was cold.
Desperate.
“You. They want you,” Celia whispered.
Liora’s heartbeat faltered. “Why?”
Celia shook her head.
“I don’t know. I only heard them say your name. They said—”
Her voice cracked.
“They said you’re the key.”
Liora pulled back a little. “The key to what?”
Celia’s eyes filled with tears.
“To opening the chamber.”
Silence.
Almost unbearable.
Xaden stepped between Liora and Celia. “No one is using Liora for anything.”
But Liora barely heard him.
Her mind raced.
Her name.
The chamber.
The symbol.
The Shadows.
Why her?
A Sudden Noise
CRACK.
The group jumped.
A branch snapped somewhere behind the shed.
Celia clung to Liora, terrified.
Xaden’s voice lowered. “Everyone stay quiet.”
They listened.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Approaching.
Arin whispered, “Please be a squirrel. Please be a squirrel. PLEASE be a squirrel—”
The steps moved closer.
Nova tightened her grip on her flashlight.
Jace reached for a broken pipe on the ground like it was a sword.
Liora’s breath trembled.
The footsteps stopped…
just around the corner of the shed.
Something waited there.
Silent.
Watching.
- Writer
