CHAPTER 14: THE FINAL CLUE🗝
624 Words
The flash drive lay on Ethan's study table all night.
None of the three friends knew what was on it, but one thing was certain, it was important enough for someone to threaten them over.
The next morning, Ethan arrived at Evercrest Academy earlier than usual. Sophie and Jemimah were already waiting under the old mango tree.
"Did you sleep at all?" Sophie asked.
Ethan smiled weakly.
"Not really."
Jemimah looked around to make sure no one was listening.
"My cousin has a laptop, I asked if we could borrow it after school."
"You didn't tell her why, did you?" Ethan asked.
She shook her head.
"I only said it was for a school project."
"Good," Sophie replied. "The fewer people who know about this, the better."The morning lessons felt longer than ever. Every few minutes, Ethan noticed someone staring in his direction. Whenever he looked up, the person quickly turned away.
By the end of the last lesson, the three friends quietly left the school through the back gate and went to Jemimah's cousin's house.
Jemimah connected the flash drive to the laptop.
For a few seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then a single folder appeared on the screen.
It was named:
ARCHIVE
Ethan clicked it.
Inside were scanned copies of old letters, newspaper articles and disciplinary reports from several years ago.
One document caught Sophie's attention.
Investigation Report - Confidential.
She opened it.
The report explained that a talented student hadbeen accused of spreading exam answers and cheating. Anonymous letters had convinced almost everyone the accusations were true.
But the investigation had found no evidence.
Instead, it ended with one sentence highlighted in red:
"The real source of the rumours could not be identified."
Jemimah leaned closer.
"So this has happened before."
Ethan nodded.
"And whoever is behind everything now knows about his case."
As they searched through the remaining files, another video file appeared at the bottom of the folder.
There was no title.
Only a date from several years earlier.
Sophie clicked it.
The screen flickered.
A shaky recording showed part of an old school assembly.Teachers stood on the stage while students filled the assembly ground.
The camera suddenly moved, focusing on a notice board.
Someone pinned an anonymous letter to it before quickly walking away.
Just before the recording ended, a voice could be heard saying:
"Don't let anyone see you."
The screen went black.
The room fell silent.
"We still can't see the person's face," Jemimah said.
"No," Ethan replied, "but now we know the rumours didn't begin with me."
As Ethan removed the flash drive, something else caught his eye.
There was one final document hidden inside the folder.
It was protected with a password.
"A password?" Sophie whispered.
"Can you open it?" Jemimah asked.Ethan tried several combinations.
Nothing worked.
He sighed.
"This must be the most important file."
Just then, Jemimah's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen, and the colour drained from her face.
"What is it?" Sophie asked.
Jemimah slowly handed over the phone.
The message came from an unknown number.
YOU HAVE THE LAST PIECE. COME TO EVERCREST ACADEMY TOMORROW MORNING IF YOU WANT THE WHOLE TRUTH.
There was no sender's name.
No number.
Only the message.
The three friends stared at one another.
"This has to be another trap," Sophie said.
"Maybe," Ethan replied quietly. "But if we don't go, we'll never know who started all this."Outside, thunder rumbled across the evening sky.
Rain began to fall.
As they packed away the laptop, none of them noticed a figure standing across the street beneath a black umbrella.
The figure remained completely still.
Watching.
Waiting.
The next day would decide everything.
Whatever awaited them at Evercrest Academy...
There would be no turning back...
- Writer
