Everyone looked like they'd seen a ghost once I finished reading Uncle Ben's letter. The room was cloaked in a heavy silence, each of us drowning in a whirlpool of thoughts.
"The book Uncle Ben gave you on your birthday... do you still have it?" Tom asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Of course," I nodded. I'd never let go of it. Never even thought about it that way... until now.
"What's it about?" Jared asked, brows furrowed.
I paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "It's a love story," I said slowly, "about two lovers. One of them was a king, and the other... his heart's only home. But when his kingdom was under siege by the 'God of All Evils', he discovered that to save his people, he'd have to sacrifice the one he loved most."
Jared blinked. Alan's jaw dropped slightly.
"What the actual hell?" Alan muttered.
"Okay, I'm officially lost," Aphrodite said, raising her hands in confusion.
"That doesn't sound even remotely connected to this curse book stuff," Jason chimed in, scratching his head.
I sighed. "Exactly my point. It seems... irrelevant. I mean, how are we supposed to find anything useful in that?"
Tom stepped forward, eyes sharp with determination. "Chill, everyone. Let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe if Serena walks us through it—page by page—we'll spot something. A symbol, a pattern... even a cryptic message. You never know."
"Tom's got a point," I agreed. "Let's head to my place."
"I'm in," Jared said quickly.
"Wait," I said hesitantly. "Guys, I don't want to drag you all into this madness. If something happens—"
"Serena, shut up," Jared cut in, smiling softly. "We're in this together, whether you like it or not."
That smile… it pulled at my heart. For a fleeting second, I was back in the golden days—him bringing me flowers when I was down, slipping books into my locker with sticky notes that read "Smile, sunshine."
"Let's go. I'll ride with you," Aphrodite said, snapping me back to the present.
"By the way," Jared called as we headed to the door, "what's the name of the book?"
"Everything and Anything for You," I said.
It was nearly 3 a.m. when Aphrodite and I hopped onto my bike. The streets were cloaked in silence, the city fast asleep beneath a velvet sky. The others followed behind—some with Tom, some in their own rides. Aphrodite was humming softly beside me, gazing up at the moon like it was whispering secrets only she could hear.
I, on the other hand, had Uncle Ben on my mind. His voice still echoed in my head. "May the Light guide your way..."
I pressed harder on the accelerator—there was something about the night air that made me want to outrun my thoughts. The road stretched out like a black ribbon beneath us, empty and endless.
Then—
A man.
A figure. Right in the middle of the road. Out of nowhere.
I slammed the brakes. The tires screeched. The bike jerked to a stop.
"What the hell, Serena?! What happened?" Aphrodite gasped, holding onto my shoulder.
My eyes were wide, my breath shallow. "There was... someone. A man. He was just standing there. Right there."
"What sort of man?" she asked, scanning the empty road.
I looked again. Nothing. Just shadows and silence.
"Never mind," I mumbled. "Maybe I'm just hallucinating. It's late."
"Yeah... could be," she said, though her voice wasn't completely convinced. "We've had one hell of a night."
I nodded and revved the engine again, but something inside me tightened. I couldn't shake the feeling.
We weren't alone out there.
Something—or someone—was watching us. And whatever it was, it didn't want to be seen.