Secrets of Veil High: The Awakening (BOOK 2)

Chapter 3: The Symbol of the Founders

Ava’s dreams were vivid and restless, haunted by flashes of ancient symbols, dark figures in cloaks, and the whispers of unfamiliar voices echoing through Veil High’s hallways. She woke up feeling the weight of those images pressing down on her, as if they were trying to reach her from some distant past. Her curiosity was relentless. She knew that if she wanted to unravel the mysteries of Veil High, she needed to understand more about "The Symbol of the Founders."

That morning, she met Ethan and Lila at their usual spot by the courtyard. They looked as if they hadn’t slept either, their eyes shadowed and wary.

“Ava, are you sure about this?” Lila asked, glancing around as if someone might be listening. “If Kael warned you about the ritual, then maybe we should just leave it alone.”

Ava shook her head. “It’s more than the ritual, Lila. It’s the symbol. It keeps showing up, and I feel like it’s calling to me. I need to know why. Maybe if we find out what it really means, we can stop whatever it is that’s happening here.”

Ethan let out a sigh, nodding in reluctant agreement. “So where do we start? The library? Or maybe there’s something hidden around the school?”

Ava bit her lip, thinking. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that room we found last year—the hidden room in the basement. It had a lot of old artifacts and photographs. I bet if we search it again, we might find something about the symbol.”

Lila shivered. “The basement? Again? That place gives me the creeps.”

But after a moment, she nodded. They all knew they couldn’t turn back now.

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Sneaking down to the basement was easier than Ava had expected. Most students were in class, and the few that they passed in the hall barely paid attention to them. It seemed like the new students, the ones wearing the strange rings with the symbol, were absent from the hallways altogether. Ava couldn’t help but wonder if that was connected to their mysterious arrival.

The basement of Veil High was cold and dimly lit, the musty scent of age-old dust hanging in the air. As they walked, Ava traced her fingers along the rough, stone walls, her pulse quickening with every step. The further they went, the darker it became, and eventually, the only light came from Ethan’s flashlight, casting long, eerie shadows that seemed to shift and dance around them.

Finally, they reached the heavy, wooden door leading to the hidden room. Ava pushed it open, the hinges creaking ominously. Inside, the room was just as they had left it—a cluttered collection of old books, worn furniture, and photographs faded with time. And in the middle of the floor, almost as if it were waiting for them, lay a dusty, ancient book bound in cracked leather.

Ava picked up the book, her hands trembling. On the cover was the same symbol she had seen before—the eye-like emblem with the strange, intertwining lines. She brushed the dust off and opened the book to the first page. Written in elaborate, looping handwriting were the words:

"The Symbol of the Founders: A Legacy of Power and Sacrifice."

“This is it,” Ava whispered, her heart pounding. She read on, her friends leaning over her shoulder as she carefully turned each fragile page.

The book described the founders of Veil High, a small, secretive group of people who had once practiced strange rituals in pursuit of knowledge and power. According to the text, they had created the symbol as a way to bind their secrets and their powers to the school. Those who bore the symbol’s mark were said to be able to access the supernatural abilities of the founders—but only if they were willing to make a sacrifice.

“It says here that each founder took part in a ritual to bind their powers to the school, a ritual that’s somehow still active,” Ava said, her voice barely above a whisper.