one of us is lying

episode 8 : unraveling the threads

**Location: Ava's House – Morning****Time: 7:00 AM**---**Ava (🌟):** (Sitting at her kitchen table, staring at the crumpled note from last night. She hasn't told anyone about it yet, unsure if she should. Her mom walks in, noticing Ava's distracted look.)**Ava's Mom:** (Concerned) Sweetie, are you okay? You've been quiet all morning.**Ava (🌟):** (Forcing a smile) I'm fine, just a lot on my mind. School stuff.**Ava's Mom:** (Smiling softly) You always push yourself too hard. Just remember to take care of yourself, okay?**Ava (🌟):** (Nods) I will, Mom. Thanks.(Ava watches her mom leave, then quickly grabs her phone, texting the group.)**Group Chat: "The Secrets We Keep"**- **Ava (🌟):** "Got another note last night. We need to meet ASAP. This is getting serious."- **Liam (🔥):** "What did it say?"- **Ava (🌟):** "Something about being closer to the truth but far from it at the same time. It's like they're toying with us."- **Mason (🎯):** "Meet at the park during lunch. We'll talk there."- **Sophia (💎):** "Be careful, Ava. We're all targets now."- **Ella (🌙):** "See you at lunch."---**Location: School Grounds – During Lunch****Time: 12:15 PM**---**The group gathers at the park, sitting in a secluded area under a large tree. The tension is palpable as they exchange wary glances.****Ava (🌟):** (Showing them the note) I found this last night. It was just lying on the ground, like someone wanted me to find it.**Mason (🎯):** (Taking the note, reading it carefully) "You're closer than you think, but so far from the truth. Keep searching, and you'll find your answer... if you survive long enough." This is definitely a threat.**Liam (🔥):** (Frustrated) So what now? They're practically daring us to keep looking, but they're also warning us off. It's a mind game.**Sophia (💎):** (Thoughtful) Maybe they're trying to make us paranoid, make us second-guess everything.**Ella (🌙):** (Quietly) Or maybe they're getting desperate, trying to scare us into backing off.**Ava (🌟):** (Resolutely) Well, it's not working. We can't stop now, not when we're this close. Did anyone find anything?**Mason (🎯):** (Nodding) I talked to a couple of old classmates who were at the lake that night. They didn't seem to know anything, but one of them mentioned someone else who was there—someone who moved away right after. It could be nothing, but it's worth looking into.**Sophia (💎):** (Adding) I've been checking out some of the people we didn't think twice about. There's this one guy, Leo, who used to be in our class. He's been acting weird lately, and he was always kind of an outsider. He could be a suspect.**Ella (🌙):** (Hesitant) My hunches didn't lead to anything concrete, but I did notice that one of the teachers, Mr. Evans, seems overly interested in our group. He's been asking questions about what we're up to. It's probably nothing, but still...**Liam (🔥):** (Frowning) Mr. Evans? That's random. Why would a teacher be involved in this?**Ava (🌟):** (Sighing) We can't rule anything out. But we need more information before we can make any accusations. Let's keep digging into these leads and see if they connect somehow.**Mason (🎯):** (Agreeing) We should also start being more careful. Whoever's behind this is watching us closely, and they're getting bolder.**Sophia (💎):** (Firmly) Agreed. We'll meet again tomorrow. Until then, stay alert and keep an eye on each other.---**Location: Leo's House – Afternoon****Time: 4:00 PM**---**Sophia (💎)** arrives at Leo's house, having decided to check out the lead herself. She's cautious, unsure of what to expect. She rings the doorbell, and after a few moments, Leo answers, looking surprised to see her.**Leo:** (Nervous) Sophia? What are you doing here?**Sophia (💎):** (Smiling politely) Hey, Leo. I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by. We haven't talked in a while.**Leo:** (Awkwardly) Yeah, it's been a while. Come in, I guess.(Sophia steps inside, glancing around the modest living room. She notices a few strange items—old newspaper clippings, a stack of letters—things that seem out of place.)**Sophia (💎):** (Casually) So, what have you been up to? I heard you've been keeping a low profile lately.**Leo:** (Shrugging) Just busy with school stuff. Nothing exciting.**Sophia (💎):** (Gently) You know, some of us from the group have been getting weird messages lately. It's been kind of creepy. Have you heard anything about that?**Leo:** (Eyes widening slightly) Messages? No, I haven't heard anything like that.**Sophia (💎):** (Watching his reaction closely) Really? Because I heard you were at the lake that night last summer. Just wondering if you might've seen something, or someone.**Leo:** (Getting defensive) I don't know what you're talking about. That was a long time ago, and I didn't see anything.**Sophia (💎):** (Pressing) Come on, Leo. If you know something, you need to tell me. This is serious.**Leo:** (Panicking) I don't know anything, okay? Just leave me out of it!(Sophia watches as Leo gets more agitated, clearly hiding something. She decides not to push him further, realizing he's not ready to talk.)**Sophia (💎):** (Softly) Okay, Leo. I'm sorry if I upset you. But if you remember anything, please let me know. We're just trying to figure out what's going on.**Leo:** (Nods slightly) Yeah... sure.(Sophia leaves, more convinced than ever that Leo knows something. She pulls out her phone and texts the group.)**Group Chat: "The Secrets We Keep"**- **Sophia (💎):** "Just talked to Leo. He's definitely hiding something. We need to keep an eye on him."---**Location: The Park – Evening****Time: 6:00 PM**---**The group gathers again, this time more wary. Sophia recounts her conversation with Leo, and the group discusses their next steps.****Liam (🔥):** (Annoyed) So he's hiding something, but won't talk. Great. What do we do now?**Mason (🎯):** (Calmly) We keep an eye on him. Maybe he'll slip up, or maybe we can find something in his past that links him to all this.**Ava (🌟):** (Nods) And what about Mr. Evans? We should look into why he's so interested in us.**Ella (🌙):** (Quietly) I'll try to find out more about him. Maybe there's something we don't know.**Sophia (💎):** (Agreeing) Let's divide and conquer. We'll check out Leo and Mr. Evans, and keep digging into our other leads.**Liam (🔥):** (Sighs) Just be careful. We're walking on thin ice here.---**Location: School Grounds – After School****Time: 3:30 PM**---**The next day, the group goes their separate ways, each focusing on their assigned tasks. As Ava, she's seen heading to the library, determined to find out more about Mr. Evans. But just as she's about to enter, she notices a figure lurking in the distance, watching her. She turns quickly, but the figure disappears behind a building.****Ava (🌟):** (To herself) Who was that? Are they following me?(She decides to go after the figure, but when she rounds the corner, no one is there. She's left feeling more uneasy than ever.)**Ava (🌟):** (Pulling out her phone, texting the group) "I think I'm being followed. Be on guard."(She glances around once more, then hurries inside the library, determined to uncover the truth.)---**Location: Unknown – Evening****Time: 7:00 PM**---* a shadowy figure is seen watching surveillance footage of the group's latest meeting. The figure chuckles softly, then types a message on an untraceable phone.***Message Sent:** "You're playing right into my hands. Keep searching, little pawns. The game has only just begun."---**End of Episode 8***To be continued...*