lost island

gold

After dinner, the students were gathered outside in the cold, the crisp air making everyone more alert. Elsa, Ivy, Alex, and Ethan followed the crowd to the courtyard where a small gathering had been arranged. They were introduced to the maids who had been hired to help maintain the mansion during their stay, as well as two men who were the sponsors for the excursion.

The two men were dressed sharply, their expressions serious as they spoke with the teachers and staff. Elsa didn’t pay much attention to them, her mind wandering back to the food and the long day. Once the introductions were over, they were dismissed and instructed to return to their rooms for the night.

"I guess we won’t be meeting up with the boys tonight," Elsa muttered as she headed back toward her room.

As she got back to her bed, Elsa couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but the silence in the room was deafening. Suddenly, she heard her name, faint and distant.

"Elsa… Elsa… Elsa…" The voice was so soft, it felt like a whisper in the dark.

"WTF?" Elsa jolted up, heart racing. She quickly flicked on the light, only to find Ivy standing there, looking anxious.

"Ivy?" Elsa blinked, trying to clear the sleepiness from her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I really need to pee," Ivy whispered urgently, her legs pressed together. "Please, follow me."

"Go alone," Elsa muttered, half-laughing at her friend’s dramatic antics.

"I’m scared," Ivy replied, almost in a whisper, her eyes wide. "The bathroom’s not working, remember? We only have to use the one at the end of the hallway."

Elsa sighed, not wanting to deal with it, but finally gave in. "Fine, I’ll go with you."

They got up and stepped out into the dark hallway, the stillness only broken by the ticking of a distant clock. The house felt even quieter now, the air thick with silence. They walked down the long hallway, the only sound their footsteps on the old floorboards.

When they reached the bathroom, Ivy hurried inside, and Elsa waited by the door, glancing down the hallway. As Ivy was finishing up, Elsa's attention was drawn to the open door of the storeroom at the end of the hall. The door was wide open, and there was something odd about it—like someone had been in there recently. The faintest sound of movement caught Elsa’s ear.

"Did you see that?" Elsa whispered, pointing toward the open door.

"No way," Ivy whispered back, clearly uncomfortable. "We should just go back to the room."

But Elsa’s curiosity was piqued. "Let’s check. I think someone’s in there."

Ivy hesitated, clearly nervous, but after a few seconds, she reluctantly agreed. The two of them crept silently toward the storeroom, the old wooden floor creaking underfoot. They stood just outside the door, trying to listen.

Inside, there were voices, muffled but distinct. Elsa strained her ears to hear.

"It’s almost ready. The shipment should arrive soon."

"Make sure everything’s in place. We don’t want anyone catching on to this."

Elsa didn’t hear everything, but one thing was clear—they were talking about something important. "Gold?" she whispered to Ivy, the words barely escaping her lips.

"I don't know," Ivy replied, her voice shaking. "But we shouldn’t be here."

Elsa didn’t respond. She leaned in closer, trying to catch more of the conversation, but before she could, Ivy grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"We need to go, now," Ivy urged, her eyes wide with fear.

Reluctantly, Elsa agreed, and the two of them snuck back to their room, their hearts racing. Neither of them spoke much on the way back, both of them shaken by what they’d overheard.

Once they were safely inside their room, Elsa locked the door and slumped down on the bed. "Did we just hear what I think we heard?" she whispered, her mind spinning.

"I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good," Ivy replied, her voice trembling.

Elsa stared at the ceiling for a few moments, still shaken by the strange encounter in the hallway. She could hear the distant sounds of the other students chatting, but she just couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that lingered. Finally, her exhaustion took over, and she closed her eyes, trying to push it all to the back of her mind.

“Just sleep, Elsa, good night,” Ivy mumbled, already snuggling into her blankets.

Elsa didn’t respond. She let herself drift off, finally succumbing to the tiredness. The silence of the room wrapped around her like a blanket, and soon, she was asleep.

By morning, the sun had barely risen, but the air in the mansion felt colder than it had the night before. The soft voice of the intercom echoed through the rooms, waking up the students with its loud, cheerful tone.

“Good morning, students! It’s 7 a.m. already. Get ready, take your baths, and get dressed! We’ll be heading out to the museum soon!”

Elsa groggily opened her eyes, the sound of the announcement cutting through her drowsiness. She glanced over at Ivy, who was still half-asleep beside her.

“Ugh, it’s already time?” Elsa muttered, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so tired, but there was no time to rest now.

"Come on, let’s get ready," Ivy groaned, tossing the blankets off and getting out of bed.

The day ahead would be full of excitement, but Elsa couldn’t shake the strange feeling from the night before. She pushed it aside, reminding herself that they were here for an adventure—and she wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.