The Bookstore

(7) Tyler, Who's That?

Sophie

We all stayed hidden in the dark alcove, barely daring to breathe as we listened to the approaching voices. The unknown people seemed to eventually pass by, their footsteps achoing and fading away. We remained still until we were certain the coast was clear. 

The tension in the air dissipated as we realized we've avoided a confrontation. We cautiously continued through the tunnels, our flashlights cutting through the darkness. The tunnels are  eerie and damp, there's a musty smell and the sense of history is embedded in the old stone walls. 

We came across a room filled with old documents and equipment, suggesting it was used for secret meetings or experiments. We took some of the documents to analyze later, feeling we were getting closer to uncovering the truth. 

While we were making our way out of here, we heard some rat noises, but before we could react, three big rats ran in circles arround us, surrounding our space. We all turned to Lily when she let out a sharp scream before shouting again.

"AH, I HATE RATS!" We looked at Jack and Lily like kids watching a film in the cinema. One of the rats was approaching her feet, and Jack approached her quickly, extending his arms to we all know what.

"Don't you dare pick me up! AHH!" She said, but it was too late, she was already lifted off of the ground. She started kicking her legs in the air while squealing. It was such a scene to watch.

We exited the tunnels and made our way back to the library's basement, and then, we walked to the streets, hoping to do something useful now. But instead, something weird happened with our little guy here Tyler.

There was a girl we don't know, standing almost in front of us and looking slightly anxious for some reason. I raised my eyebrows, well, everyone did, when Tyler rushed over her, and she immediately threw her arms around him.

We all watched in surprise and pure shock when they shared a passionate kiss, revealing their relationship. What the fuck, he told me literally days ago that she talked to him, not that they became A COUPLE.

"Wait, you two are together?!" I said out loudly for him to hear me through his probably fuzzy mind right now.

"Looks like we've been missing out on some gossip." Jack spoke up with a smirk, leaving all of us nodding in agreement and looking at Tyler, expecting an explanation while our eyes were wide open. We all laughed a bit, the tension of the tunnels exploration definitely easing slightly. 

Tyler just chuckled. Ty, that's definitely not an explanation. I NEED TO KNOW THE GOSSIP.

***

We gathered at the café to discuss our findings and plan our next steps.

"We need to go through these documents carefully. There might be something we missed." Anna spoke up, making me remember I want to have a little chat with her when we can.

We decided to split up tasks, with some of us focusing on the documents and others looking for more clues around town. I took advantage to take Anna out of the café for a moment for ourselves. The evening air was cool and quiet.

"I'm glad we're doing this together. It feels like we're uncovering something important." She said, glancing at me and waiting for my answer.

"I couldn't do this without you, you know that, right?"

She doesn't answer, but instead, she smiled softly and got closer to me, placing her hand on my waist and the other one in my cheek. She rubbed her thumb along my soft skin, looking at me with love and determination before she plants a soft kiss on my lips, making my cheeks flushed slightly. She has that effect on me even if we've been together for such a long time.

We held hands for a while, just enjoying each other's company and the cool breeze in our faces. Remembering she has to leave the town breaks my heart in pieces every time I think about it, because I know she's going to follow her dream and get that job, and I can't stop her. But it hurts.

Anna went with Tyler to search for more clues in the town, and i stayed with Lily and Jack at the café. I sat in the table with them and we started analyzing the documents. The documents reveal more about the secret society and its influence on the town's history.

We found some interesting things. We found references to a hidden treasure, we didn't know anything about it, but it seems to be a powerful artifact and a betrayal among the founding families. This sounds like some useful information.

"We need to find out where this artifact is hidden. It might be the key to everything." Lily said.

"Agreed. Let's focus on the clues we have and figure out our next move." Jack agrees. We resolve to investigate further, feeling the weight  out of the mistery pressing down on us.

As we prepared to leave the café, we noticed a suspicious figure watching us from across the street, making my blood freeze.

The figure quickly disappears into the shadows, leaving us on edge.

We realize we're being watched.