SECRETS AT GOLDLAKE HIGH

|| CHAPTER 2 ||

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[GOLDLAKE HIGH SCHOOL; GOLD AVENUE]

... Wednesday, 26th of April, 2023

First class for my last term in senior year was History; The history of Stallion City. Mr. Jarell, the teacher assigned to the subject was an obsessed historian who always claimed to know every single thing that had ever happened in Stallion City.

17 minutes into the class and a folded note was slid to my desk. My lips tugged into a smile as I turned to the window. Mark stood wide eyed and seemed to be giving me signals to take a look at the note. I nodded and unfolded the note but was presented with two words. LUNCH and BREAK. Great!

Immediately after the class I shoved my books into my backpack and moved to the next class. All I could think of was what Mark wanted to say, my curiosity kept on swelling throughout the other classes and just when I was scared it would blow up the bell rang through the intercoms signalling lunch break.

With quick strides I got to the dining hall and headed straight for our favorite table where Mark was already waiting with an extra tray of food beside him.

"You're late!" He stated as I pulled out a chair to have a seat.

"Two minutes?" I gave a no big deal tone as he slid the second tray to me. "Thank you." I offered a smile as I stared at my favorite. Chicken and chips!

"I didn't ask you to meet me here just for the food. There's something important you need to know but you have to promise me you won't scream no matter how dumbfounded you get."

I nodded and dipped a chip into ketchup. "So what's it about?"

"Here..." He fumbled with his pocket and pulled out a paper that looked quite familiar. He placed it before me and waited as I read it's content.

... I'm alive but in danger. Meet me at the shed behind the basketball court tomorrow by 8pm.

"Oh my goodness!" I gasped. "- I mean, I received a note like this one yesterday saying something like this."

"That's the point. It could only be from one person." Mark emphasized.

"No." I shook my head. "It can't be him. He's dead!"

"It has to be Raymond." Mark folded the paper and tucked it back into his pocket. "We've got to check it out."

"We can't just walk into anyone's trap. You're very aware on how students here love playing pranks. It could be one of them, besides how extra sure are you that Raymond wrote this?" I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to say something, anything. I wanted to know if I could believe this whole thing and tap into the part of me that I had kept in the dark for so long; the part that thought Raymond was dead.

"I know this sounds crazy but I have Raymond's backpack." Mark whispered.

"You can't be serious." I gave a mock laugh and slapped the table.

"Well I am. The note came with his backpack. This could be a way of him telling us that he's really the one. No one can pull a prank with his backpack because he was with it that day we met at the maze. Remember? So wherever he left to he must've gone with it.  It has got to be him."

We held eye contact for what seemed like hours until I finally looked away. "And you're sure it's not a copy?" I questioned.

"Raymond had his backpack customized and he had it with him the entire time we saw him last. If he had left it someone could have found it all these years. Those detectives and the police would have found it. That is a good reason to believe ."