The Interrogation That Went Wrong (Very Wrong)
562 Words
Morning at Crescent High was usually loud. Today?
It was chaos.
Students whispered in clusters. Teachers looked stressed. And Principal Rowan kept walking around with a clipboard like he was about to fire everyone, including the walls.
Liora, Arin, Nova, and Jace were summoned to the Disciplinary Room, which sounded scary but actually just had one broken fan and three chairs missing legs.
“Why are we here?” Jace whispered. “I didn’t even do anything today. Yet.”
Nova facepalmed. “We’re suspects, genius.”
Before they could argue, Officer Maren walked in — crisp uniform, stern jawline, and eyes that could detect guilt from a mile away.
“Sit,” she commanded.
They sat immediately, except Jace, who tripped on a chair leg and saluted like a confused penguin.
Maren placed a file on the desk. “There was a break-in at the Archive Room last night.”
Everyone froze.
Liora’s heartbeat picked up. The Archive Room… The Shadows were there. And we were there too.
“Security footage shows four students near the hallway at the time.”
She slid the photo forward.
Blurry shadows. But definitely four suspicious shapes.
Arin leaned in. “That picture could literally be anyone. Or four mannequins. Or potatoes stacked on top—”
“Arin, please stop talking,” Liora whispered.
Officer Maren narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to ask simple questions. Answer honestly.”
She pointed at Arin.
“Where were you between 7 PM and 9 PM?”
“Studying,” Arin said confidently.
Nova coughed loudly. “You were teaching Liora how to ride a hover-board. She almost died.”
“It was an educational moment,” Arin muttered.
Maren turned to Nova. “You?”
“Fixing a drone,” Nova replied.
Jace raised a hand. “She blew up that drone.”
“It was ONE SMALL EXPLOSION.”
“And it almost took off my eyebrows!”
“Gentlemen,” Maren snapped.
Everyone shut up.
She turned to Liora last. “And you? What were you doing?”
Liora panicked.
Option A: Tell the truth and sound suspicious.
Option B: Lie and sound even MORE suspicious.
Option C: Pretend to faint.
She chose Option D:
“Um… eating noodles?”
Maren blinked. “Noodles.”
“Spicy ones,” Liora added helpfully.
Jace whispered, “Wow. Amazing. Truly bulletproof.”
Maren stood, pacing slowly. “Whether you admit it or not, something is happening in Crescent High. Students disappearing. Break-ins. Codes. Symbols. And every time, somehow, your group is nearby.”
Arin sat straighter, voice calm. “Are we under arrest?”
“No.”
Her expression darkened.
“But someone wants you four out of the way. And they’re escalating.”
Boom.
The door suddenly burst open.
Principal Rowan rushed in, flushed, sweating, and panicking.
“Officer! There’s something you need to see—now! It was left on the school gate!”
He handed her a paper.
A familiar symbol was drawn on it:
Crescent moon.
Slash through the center.
Below it was a message:
WE WARNED YOU.
NEXT TIME, WE WON’T.
Maren’s jaw tightened.
The room’s temperature seemed to drop.
Then she looked at the four teenagers.
“You’re all going home early today,” she said.
“Why?” Nova asked.
“Because someone out there just declared war.”
- Writer
