What They Never Told Me

𝟰: 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀

Aurelia closed her notebook. It was 9:30 AM the next morning; Aurelia's mind still on the man from the pizza place. She walked out of her room, wiping away a bit of sleep crust on her eyes that had formed overnight. 

"Wait," Aurelia said, appearing from down the hallway; glancing between Magnus and Axel. "Before we get into anything else, what about my dad? I need to know what happened to him." she suddenly exclaimed. 

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted to focus on finding out who was quote-on-quote 'watching' us." Magnus chuckled as he made air quotes with his fingers. 

"I do," Aurelia insisted, her voice firm but delicate. "But if we can find out what happened to Dad, it might lead us to answers. He's been missing for a while, ya know."

Aurelia's eyes darted toward the window, where the fading light casted dark shadows on the pavement outside. It looked almost-- ominous and creepy. "Let's check the city archives," Magnus suggested quietly. 

"Right," Aurelia replied, her heart thudding in her chest. "But we have to be careful. That guy at the pizza place... I think he was watching us."

Magnus playfully rolled his eyes, trying not to worry Aurelia. As they stepped outside, the sun hung low in the sky. Everything seemed more haunting to Aurelia than it really was. 

They made their way to the archives, the air growing colder with each step. As they approached the old building, Aurelia hesitated at the entrance, a sense of dread creeping up her spine.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked, noticing her pause.

"I don't know," Aurelia admitted, shaking her head as she pushed the door open. The musty smell of old paper wafted around them, and the flickering lights cast shadows that seemed to twist around the room. Rows of shelves filled with dusty boxes and files stretched like darkened corridors. 

"Let's just find what we need and get out of here," Magnus said, his voice steady but his eyes forming an unease like Aurelia's.

"Okay," Aurelia replied, trying to shake off the sense of dread. They made their way to the designated area filled with old newspaper clippings.

Aurelia settled down by one of the machines. "If we can find anything related to Dad or stuff about of his disappearance, it might give us a lead," she murmured. 

Hours slipped by as the three searched through the archives, the atmosphere thick with tension. Aurelia's hands trembled as she sorted through the articles, the chill in the room seeping into her bones. Just when she thought she'd found something, the lights flickered. 

Finally, Aurelia stumbled upon an article that caught her eye. The headline read: Local Man Missing: Community Searches for Answers.

Her heart pounded as she opened the article. It detailed how her father had gone missing shortly after her mother's death, describing how he had been seen near Westside Park. The article hinted at a connection to a small group rumored to be involved in suspicious activities.

"Hey guys, come look at this!" Aurelia called, her voice trembling with a mix of excitement and dread.

Magnus and Axel rushed over, peering at the screen. Magnus read aloud, his voice steady but strained. "...last seen on a Tuesday evening inside of Westside Park, speaking with someone about illegal trades in the area..."

 A chill ran down Aurelia's spine. "That's not far from here," Axel said, glancing between them. "If he was meeting someone, it might have been related to something dangerous."