SECRET OF RAVENSWOOD HIGH

THREE:INTO THE ABYSS

JADEN

It seems like he has no idea what he's getting himself into. If only I had known, maybe I wouldn't be in this mess. But then again, life rarely lets you dodge the hard truths. Sometimes, you just have to close your eyes and pretend things are okay, even when they aren't. You have to look at the positives, no matter how small they may be.

I'm Jaden Rock, a junior at Ravenswood High. My life hasn’t been the same since I lost my dad when I was nine. After that, it was just me and my mom. She’s a nurse, so she works long shifts, leaving me alone more often than not. At first, it was tough being on my own. But as time passed, I adapted. I learned to take whatever life threw my way. The saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" became my mantra.

But I didn’t stop at lemonade. I made lemon juice. I even made lemon pie. And trust me, it landed me in more trouble than I ever imagined.

Maybe if I had stuck to just making lemonade, I wouldn’t have seen what I saw. I wasn’t even supposed to be in the archive that day. Jordan probably thinks I was there for the same project he was working on. But the truth is, I was just as clueless as he was... until I saw something that I will never speak of, not to the living or the dead.

The sooner he realizes what he’s getting into — the better. But who am I to tell him what he's about to face?

---

Later that day...

The light in the room was dim, but enough to reveal the three figures standing beneath the swinging chandelier. Two girls and an older woman. They spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid to be overheard.

"He's a junior," one of the girls said. "We saw him clearly. He was heading that way."

"Yes, we saw him," the other girl replied nervously. "What if something goes wrong?"

The older woman’s voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the tension. "Quiet! Nothing will go wrong. And nothing must go wrong. You won’t be starting any rumors, understand?"

"But what about... the society?" the second girl asked hesitantly.

The older woman’s eyes flashed with warning. "The society? That doesn’t exist. It never existed, and it never will. Now, leave. All of you."

The two girls nodded quickly and made their way to the door, but not before one of them rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

"It’s back, and we can’t miss it," the older woman murmured to herself, her voice laced with an eerie determination.

---

JORDAN

The moment I stepped into the closet, I felt a strange shift. It was like stepping into another world — or maybe it was just the school. But why did this place feel so... different?

The closet wasn’t what I expected. It opened into a vast room, with a large hole in the center. I walked forward, shining my torch around, and that’s when I realized — this wasn’t just an abandoned space. It was a room full of dust-covered chairs and scattered tables.

I cautiously approached the hole in the floor, shining my light down into it. I couldn’t see the bottom. The stairs leading down seemed endless, and part of me wanted to turn back. But something inside urged me to go deeper, to follow the path.

I descended carefully, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the strange silence. As I reached the bottom, I noticed the chairs were arranged in a circle, with a furnace-like object in the center. It was unsettling.

I walked over to a shelf stacked with old books. One of them stood out — a blue-covered book with the word "Daisy" written on it. Curious, I pulled it off the shelf and dusted it off.

When I opened it, I saw it was a diary. The dates inside were from 2002.

My heart raced. Why would there be a diary here? And why was it so old?

I stuffed the diary into my bag, my mind already racing with questions. I needed to get out of there before anyone noticed I was missing — especially Heather.

As I turned to leave, I noticed something strange about the chairs. They were oddly clean compared to everything else in the room. And then I saw it: names written on them. It would take too long to look at all of them, but one name stood out — Ava.

I froze.

Why was her name here? What did this mean?

I rushed up the stairs, back into the closet, and out into the hallway. But as soon as I turned the corner, I nearly bumped into Julian Styles.

My heart skipped a beat. Julian Styles was a senior, notorious for being ruthless and cold. I had never seen her smile, and she always seemed to have this suspicious glare.

"What are you doing coming out of there?" she demanded, her expression stone cold.

I froze, not knowing how to respond. “I... I lost my way.”

Julian’s eyes narrowed. “Speak up!” she barked.

“I got lost in the halls...,” I said, my voice shaky, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough to convince her.

"I have a class now," I said quickly, trying to sidestep her.

I expected her to stop me, but surprisingly, she didn’t. I could feel her eyes on me as I walked away, my heart pounding in my chest.

Questions flooded my mind. Who was Ava? Why was this place hidden from the rest of the school? And what did the diary from 2002 mean?

I had to find out. There was no turning back now.

---

We were in biology class when Principal Victoria Taylor walked in. The room immediately fell silent. The air grew thick with tension.

Mrs. Taylor was strict — terrifyingly strict. No one dared to cross her. If you did, you were guaranteed misery.

"Students," she began, her voice cutting through the silence. "I received a complaint that something is missing from the janitor’s closet. One of the janitors claims they saw one of you leaving the area."

Everyone’s eyes shifted nervously, and I felt my stomach drop.

"Jordan Chen," she called, her eyes locking onto me.

My heart sank. It was too late. I was already in trouble.