SECRET OF RAVENSWOOD HIGH

SIX:THE ORDER OF THE VEILED

:

Jordan

Suddenly, Heather stood up with her eyes fixed on me. She nodded her head, her expression grim. "We need to figure out what's going on. Daisy's diary, the rituals, the disappearances... it's all connected, Dan."

I pulled out the diary from my pocket and flipped through the pages. "We need to find out what happened between November 2 and December 10. There's a gap in her entries, and I think it's crucial."

Heather's eyes lit up. "I think I can help with that." "How?" I asked. "Ravenswood High's annual yearbooks. I found them in the school storage room last year. Maybe there's a clue hidden in here."

"Where are they now?" "They're in the school storage, of course." "I think we should go there tomorrow." She nodded, and I lay back on the chair. Just then, Mom called us for dinner.

Since Heather slept over last night, we came to school together. We tried to be ourselves, but it's tough. I couldn't just see the school as the same anymore.

"We have chemistry class this morning; Mr. James won't tolerate lateness," Heather said, brushing through my thoughts. I nodded, and we both set off for class.

As I was about to enter the class, I saw Julian at a distance, saying something, but I couldn't hear her properly. I read her lips: "Be careful!" Before I could ask what she meant, Heather pulled me into the chemistry lab.

Many thoughts ran through my head. Why would the Almighty Julian be telling me to be careful? Definitely, she knows something. I will tell her about it after class.

"Today... titration is our cause of practical..." I watched Mr. James talk about the titration of acid and base; he practicalized it, and we were told to do the same.

Heather and I arranged all the equipment to use when Mr. James' voice echoed through the lab again. "Ava! Did you learn about this in your previous school?"

At the mention of Ava, Heather gave me a surprised glance before we both turned our heads to look at the mysterious Ava. She's just an innocent-looking girl - blonde hair and pale skin.

"Yes, but we were taught only the theory," even her voice was thin. Why would such a girl belong to such a society?

Heather and I stared at each other, asking ourselves a lot of questions. The chemistry class seemed longer than usual, maybe because I was anticipating its conclusion.

As soon as we exited the class, I dragged Heather's hand to a corner. "How come Ava is in our class all this while, and we didn't know?" I asked Heather.

"I think it's explainable. For students like us who don't relate with others, it's difficult to know everyone in Ravenswood. Probably, she's a transfer student; you hear Mr. James talk about her previous school."

"Yeah, that's plausible, but do you think such a pale person can belong to a notorious cult like that? Plus, she just came to our school; how come she's part of the cult already?" I asked, and Heather smacked my head with her ruler.

"You don't trust anyone with their looks, Dan. As ferocious as Julian looks, she might be innocent, but as pale as that girl, she can be really dangerous," Heather explained.

At the mention of Julian, when we were walking to class, Julian whispered to me that I should be careful.

"What!! And you're just telling me??" "We were in class," I answered, and she rolled her eyes.

"What will I do with you, Dan? Let's go get the old yearbooks," Heather said, but then I saw Ms. Rachel coming, and I couldn't help but smile.

Heather turned to look at the person I was smiling at. "Good morning, ma'am," we both chorused, and she responded warmly before passing by.

I like Ms. Rachel for a lot of things. She's beautiful, charismatic, nice, and brilliant.

"Get out of your fantasy world, bot, and let's go on time," Heather snapped.

The school storage was located in the school's oldest wing, a section rarely visited by students. Dusty files and forgotten records lined the shelves, holding secrets of Ravenswood High.

As we dug through the storage, Heather couldn't find the yearbooks, but we found a thin folder labeled "Malcolm Taylor." The folder was thin, but its contents made our hearts race.

"Look at this," Heather whispered, holding up a newspaper clipping. "Local teacher dies in mysterious fire," the headline read.

The article described a fire that ravaged Malcolm Taylor's office, claiming his life. The investigation concluded it was an accident, but the circumstances seemed suspicious.

"What if it wasn't an accident?" I asked, my mind racing.

Heather's eyes met mine. "What if it was connected to the rituals?"

We continued searching, uncovering more clues. A cryptic letter, seemingly written by Malcolm, mentioned "the Order" and "the price of knowledge."

"The Order?" Heather repeated. "Sounds like a cult."

I nodded. "And what price of knowledge could be worth killing for?"

As we delved deeper, the shadows of Ravenswood High seemed to grow longer, casting a dark veil over our investigation.

Suddenly, the lights in the storage flickered and died. We were plunged into darkness.

"Heather?" I whispered, my heart pounding.

"I'm here," she replied, her voice trembling.

We waited, frozen, as the darkness seemed to pulse around us.

Then, the lights flickered back to life.

"We need to get out of here," Heather whispered urgently.

As we gathered our things, a piece of paper slipped from the file. It was a note, scribbled in haste:

"They're watching. Trust no one."

#################################

Ava

I don't know who they are or what they seem - really strange - but I can't just question them, or else my bones will be made to ignite the furnace.