They were all discussing what to do next when Damian suddenly said,
“Blake is not safe alone with them.”
The realization hit instantly.
They left him alone.
The boys rushed upstairs without another word. The girls immediately began packing their things — toothbrush, toothpaste, sweaters, trousers — anything they had taken out. Sienna quickly took pictures of the documents they found.
“Keep our stuff beside the bed,” Sienna said. “Make sure we don’t leave anything. Pack only what we need to take with us.”
They nodded.
Lily felt slightly better packing with them. At least they were doing something. At least they had a plan.
A few minutes later, footsteps approached.
Knock.
“I’ll open,” Raven said calmly.
She opened the door.
The boys stepped inside.
“Thanks,” Blake said.
“What happened?” Sienna asked immediately.
“When we went up, the old man was in the washroom,” Theodore replied. “We greeted the lady, told her to rest, and took Blake with us.”
“Yeah… Raven left me alone,” Blake muttered, giving her a look.
“Sorry,” she said, forcing a nervous smile.
“Let’s leave tonight,” Damian said firmly.
No one disagreed.
They decided to stay inside the room. It felt safer. None of them wanted to risk crossing paths with the couple again.
They sat on the floor in a circle, whispering.
“So,” Raven said, keeping her tone steady, “what happened when you guys were cutting the trees?”
Damian let out a breath.
“We were ready to run at any second after Blake left us with him. Not even joking. I mean… obviously we would’ve come back for you guys,” he added quickly as he read the girls’ expressions.
Theo smirked slightly.
“He asked if we knew how to cut trees. We said no. He was strangely nice about it.”
Damian shivered. “But the sound of the chainsaw…”
Theo nodded. “He did all the chopping. We just carried the logs.”
“It sounds like you had nothing to worry about,” Sienna said.
Raven didn’t respond something that was unsettling in her head. She exhaled and leaned forward slightly.
“There’s something I need to say.”
Everyone looked at her.
“I think this has something to do with me.”
Silence as she continued.
“Remember, when Mr. Charles greeted us, he paused and looked directly at me. And said, ‘You.’ I ignored it at first. Thought I imagined it. But after everything that’s happened… it wasn’t my imagination.”
The word hovered unspoken.
Revenge.
Lily covered her face.
Blake said abruptly. “Thank you Raven, Thank you so much. So this is because of you? We’re ALL dragged into some revenge story because of you? WE ARE LEAVING YOU BEHIND AND ESCAPING!” letting all his frustration out.
"Blake,” Damian hissed.
“Thank yourself for shouting out the plan" she shot back.
Lily stepped forward "Please don't fight. We are not leaving Raven behind.. please. ”
“If they need me, I’ll stay he—”
“No!” Theo snapped.
“We are all leaving tonight,” Damian said, final and firm. “And we are not leaving anything behind. You too, RAVEN.”
That ended it.
Lily was too drained to continue. She slowly lay down on the bed.
“I need to rest…”
They lowered their voices.
They kept whispering while Lily lay there.
She wasn’t fully asleep.
Her mind drifted.
Her mother’s voice echoed.
“Sweetie, please come home before it’s too late. Bring Theo for dinner.”
Her father’s laugh.
“High five!”
“Let’s go to the bookstore next.”
Lily and Theodore laughter.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2saOzgc1yH
“The manager is staring at us,” she had whispered to Theo.
Theo laughing.
The memory blurred.
“He never came back… just like the others.”
Mrs. Patricia’s voice? What? Who?
“You girls always cause trouble.”
Lily shot up from the bed, gasping.
Everyone looked worried.
“Water,” Sienna told Blake.
He passed it. Lily drank.
Then—
“Theodore.”
They froze.
She never used his full name until now.
“Back in the bookstore… he was already on a call before the blackout. When we looked at him, he was staring. Then he pretended to talk to security.”
Theodore was completely silent.
Everyone was unaware of who they were talking about. Processing...7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxb03CTi39y
“Now now, Lily,” Theo said carefully, “let’s not assume the manager is their son too soon.”
Blake’s eyes widened.
“You mean…?”
No one answered clearly.
“And also…” Lily turned to Sienna and Raven. “Mrs. Patricia said, ‘He never came back… just like the others,’ when we were talking about her son. Right?”
They nodded slowly.
“She slipped. She said something she wasn’t supposed to say. Like, I can't remember. Urgh... what was it?" she muttered7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCsev1aVmA
Lily squeezed her eyes shut trying to remember. “You girls... always cause trouble. THAT.”
Sienna stepped back, Raven’s expression hardened. Raven nodded once. “She did.” And now it wasn’t just random.
“Why didn’t you remember that earlier? That’s the main thing!” Blake exclaimed.
“Sienna,” Raven suddenly asked, “you had an interview, right?”
“Interview and shooting,” Sienna corrected automatically.
“Did you meet him?”
Theo looked at Raven, understanding her point.
“Yes… I did. We talked about my family. My personal life. If I had siblings. Where I lived. Why I moved. Why I left my family.”
Her voice realizing that everything they talked about was about Sienna and her personal life. Right.. “But when I asked about his business, he ignored me.”7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRi0aXkEM4g
“And when the blackout happened… he was the one leading us. I ignored him.”
This wasn’t about Raven anymore.
This involved all three girls.
“Blake,” Raven turned, “did you use the mall’s internet?”
“Yeah? But what does that have to do with—”
Damian slowly looked at Raven.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZgc1bt1me
“Someone could have hacked your chat,” Damian responded. “Sent you the wrong location. Your original plan was to meet somewhere else, right?”
Blake’s eyes widened.
“RIGHT! Oh my God… that makes sense!”
They stared at Raven.
“You’re smart,” Damian said. For the first time, they realized they had underestimated her. Knock Knock!
They all jumped.
A shadow moved under the door.
“Children… dinner is ready. Come out now.”
Mrs. Patricia’s soft, sweet voice floated through the air.
Another knock.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbPEJEvsjn
The handle moved with a faint click, and still, her shadow remained outside.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZZ7PgdzUt
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvS7aWERM3
and then Add to home screen.