Twilight

3 - Warnings Of The Cobb Estate

Long after Maya had drifted off to sleep, Lashanie lay in bed, staring up at the glowing stars painted on her ceiling. The events of the day replayed in her mind, the playful exploration of Eaton Canyon Park morphing into the chilling encounter in the overgrown thicket. The low growl that echoed through the trees seemed to reverberate in her ears.

Curiosity, a double-edged sword, gnawed at her. Had it just been a hungry animal, or was there something more sinister lurking within the shadows of the Cobb Estate? Local legends were one thing, but the primal fear that gripped them in the woods felt different, real.

Tossing restlessly, Lashanie reached for her phone, the screen light casting an eerie glow on her face. A quick internet search yielded nothing but a few scattered articles on the history of the Cobb family, their sprawling estate swallowed whole by Pasadena's urban sprawl. There was no mention of a haunted forest, no tales of missing people.

Frustration mingled with a prickle of unease. Did Maya make it all up? Or was there a truth to the whispers, a secret buried deep within the woods that remained hidden from the internet's prying eyes?

Unable to shake the feeling, Lashanie crept out of bed and padded over to her window. Moonlight painted the backyard in an ethereal glow, casting strange shadows that danced with the rustling leaves. Her gaze drifted towards the direction of Eaton Canyon Park, a dark silhouette against the silver moonlight.

Part of her craved sleep, the fatigue from the day pulling at her eyelids. But another part, a part that thrived on the thrill of the unknown, yearned to explore further, to uncover the secrets the woods held so close.

With a sigh, Lashanie climbed back into bed, the sheets cool against her skin. Sleep, however, remained elusive. The encounter in the thicket, the growl echoing in the silence, played on a loop in her mind.

As the first rays of dawn peeked through the window, casting golden light on her exhausted face, Lashanie made a decision. Fear was a powerful deterrent, but curiosity, in her case, was even stronger. She wouldn't go back alone, that much was certain. Maybe she could convince Maya to accompany her again, armed with research and a plan this time.

Maybe, just maybe, they could unravel the truth behind the legend of the Cobb Estate. But for now, she had to face a different kind of challenge – staying awake in her first-period English class fueled on nothing but an unhealthy dose of curiosity and a night devoid of sleep.

Lashanie's phone buzzed in her hand, the reply from Maya arriving almost instantly. A single emoji – a wide-eyed face with a bead of sweat – followed by a string of frantic texts shattered the remnants of doubt clinging to Lashanie.

"Of course not! Why would I make that up??" Maya wrote. "Ask anyone around here, especially the older kids. The Cobb Estate is seriously messed up. People have actually gone MISSING in those woods. Like, vanished without a trace."

Lashanie reread the message, a cold shiver running down her spine. Missing people? This wasn't some spooky campfire story anymore.

"And the worst part?" Maya continued in another text. "It's not just random disappearances. People who normally go hiking in Eaton Canyon, the ones who stick to the marked trails, they come out shaken, muttering about strange noises and shadows. But those who venture into the Cobb Estate... they never come out the same, if they come out at all. Especially after dark."

Lashanie felt a knot of apprehension tighten in her stomach. Had they been foolishly reckless, venturing into a place shrouded in such darkness and whispers of disappearances?

"Whoa," she typed back, a single word that barely conveyed the mix of fear and morbid fascination churning within her. "Maybe the Science Museum does sound good after all..."