I rushed into the mansion with Masha close behind, my heart pounding as I searched for the source of the scream. It had been Sasha's voice, sharp and panicked, cutting through the silence like a knife. I called out her name as soon as we crossed the threshold, my voice echoing off the high ceilings.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeEfMgiaXi
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"Sasha! SASHA!"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1nqq3cfrT
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No response. Just as my anxiety began to spike, her voice came again, faint but steady. "I'm over here."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglHqztLCch
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I followed the sound to the study, a room lined with towering bookshelves and heavy wooden furniture. The air felt heavier here, as if the walls themselves were pressing in. At first glance, the room seemed empty, but then Sasha's voice echoed from an unexpected direction. "Behind the bookshelf."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAsEr3FKj9
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I stepped closer, my pulse quickening as I peered behind the massive structure. Sasha stood on a narrow staircase that descended into darkness, her face pale in the dim light. A faint, cold draft wafted up from below, carrying with it a smell that made my stomach churn—mildew, yes, but something else too, something metallic and sharp.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREMJ5K3OIW
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"Can you believe it?" Sasha whispered, her voice trembling despite her attempt at excitement. "This place has an underground room."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXXWVRve6k
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I stared into the abyss, my heart pounding. The darkness seemed to pulse, as if alive, and for a moment, I thought I heard something—a faint, rhythmic sound, like footsteps echoing from deep below.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yXgSOWpDo
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Before I could respond, the others filed into the study. Maya, Hendrick, and Martin must have noticed Masha standing by the bookshelf, or perhaps she had pointed them in our direction. Either way, they were suddenly crowding around me, their presence making the room feel even smaller.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIya65VSov
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"Are you okay?" Maya asked, her voice tight with concern.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fyTI81yIO
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"Is that an underground room? Sick!" Martin said, his eyes lighting up.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MNGgHERwi
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"I know, right?" Sasha replied, ignoring my glare. "I was checking out some of the books, and one of them triggered this mechanism. The shelf just slid open, and I freaked out."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIK1n8TMPu
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"Which book?" Hendrick asked, his tone curious.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLp71inCNk
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"I think it was Catch-22," Sasha said.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLJxh45vds
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"Where does it lead?" Martin pressed.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXXHhzPnlN
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"I haven't looked yet."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGUYvzCJyS
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"Can we explore?" Sasha asked, her eyes darting to Maya, who in turn looked to Hendrick. He exchanged a quick, almost imperceptible smile with Martin before nodding.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwpEamELzL
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Before Maya could respond, I stepped in. "No! Absolutely not!" I said, my voice firm. "Are you guys insane? This isn't our house. We can't just go snooping around. How am I the voice of reason right now?"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pNp01VOQ1
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"Are you saying you're not curious about what the Whites are hiding down there?" Martin challenged.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrbprYqS4d
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I was. Of course I was. But I had the decency to keep that to myself.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRmbCA1bRu
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"Not even a little," I lied. "And even if I were, it doesn't matter. We're here to clean, not play detective."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZSEiJJFYP
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"Okay, spoilsport," Martin muttered.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rIKNFEOWt
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"Very mature," I shot back. "Did you forget why we're here in the first place?"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3SeFZWcdB
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I reached out to Sasha, helping her up from the staircase. Masha, ever the quiet observer, carefully replaced Catch-22 on the shelf. The mechanism whirred softly, the sound unnaturally smooth, as if the gears hadn't been used in years. The bookshelf slid back into place with a satisfying click that echoed through the room.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQhfAbmtgJ
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Cool. But also terrifying.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvMKwOj0kQ
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The group drifted back to the living room, but I stayed behind for a moment, my nerves still on edge. I stepped outside, pulling a cigarette from my pocket and lighting it with trembling hands. The cool evening air helped steady me, but my thoughts were still racing.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Qgotx1jqV
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Sasha joined me a moment later, her presence quiet but unmistakable. She held out her hand, and I passed her the cigarette without a word. She took a drag, exhaling slowly before handing it back.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtnc9ia6fb
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"Since when do you smoke?" she asked, her tone casual but probing.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡly1ZvykjlN
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"Since when do you smoke?" I countered, raising an eyebrow.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo64vrefTJ5
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She laughed softly, the sound almost lost in the evening breeze. "You know, this is the longest conversation we've had since you got back from rehab."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrBVJ0DLKg
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"Is it?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CFtcwFbpG
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"You've been distant," she said, her voice softening. "I miss having my best friend. And I know Maya misses her sister."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZhnAnNqOY
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I didn't respond immediately, my gaze fixed on the horizon as the sun dipped lower in the sky.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcjCKdt9It
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"Do you hate me?" Sasha asked suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkUF4w46da
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I turned to look at her, surprised. "Why would I hate you?"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4B9KVbZAp
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"Because I was the one who told Maya and the principal about your addiction."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljjhTinWV5
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I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't hate you for that."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6DAmkwLdF
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"So you do hate me," she said, her tone half-joking but with an undercurrent of seriousness.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrzSZcFinJ
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"I don't hate you," I said firmly. "But I've been avoiding the clubhouse for a reason."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbXRGaN9Gz
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"Is it because of me and Martin?" she asked, her voice tentative.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sIDv69LZV
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"It's Hendrick," I said bluntly. "I can't stand his face."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3gSqNUk1q
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Sasha gave me a look, her eyes narrowing. "Why can't you be serious for once?"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiujgTFH0xX
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"I am serious," I said, though my tone was lighter than I intended. "But fine. The school counselor thinks I blame him."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbsUC8Yppa
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"Blame him for what?" Sasha asked, her brow furrowing. Then her eyes widened in realization. "He's the one who introduced you to drugs, isn't he?"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvnbo6uzH5
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I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. "Isn't he?" she pressed, louder this time.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRZ3PdjfoH
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"Yes," I admitted, the word heavy with unspoken resentment.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqp7wyVQtut
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Sasha's face darkened, and she turned on her heel, storming back toward the mansion. I grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZAyUjyLFY
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"Let me go!" she snapped, her voice sharp.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCZmzWNYKH
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"Why? So you can punch Hendrick? What good would that do?"141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDvfDyEi7N
141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJ1IDyaYQD
"You have no idea the things he's said about you," Sasha said, her voice trembling with anger. "He acts like it was all your fault, like he had nothing to do with it. If only I'd known the truth."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2a6eg1HNmH
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I looked away, my chest tightening. "It doesn't matter what he says. I made my choices."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjkL9P7arB
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"But he made them easier," she shot back, her voice breaking. "He knew what he was doing. And now he acts like he's better than you, like he's some kind of saint."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqB6QcKz5jr
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I didn't respond, my gaze fixed on the horizon. The sun was sinking lower, casting long shadows across the lawn. "Maybe he is better than me," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. "But that doesn't change anything. I'm still here. And I'm still trying."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡup96fwK7GO
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Sasha stared at me for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. "Fine."141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRx0vfPop4P
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"Thank you," I said, offering her a small smile. "Evelyn sure is taking her time with those groceries, huh?" I added, trying to lighten the mood.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCaHP2Ljdc
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"Yeah," Sasha said, though her tone was still distant.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjZ8kJD9Nt
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I sighed and sat down on the ground, the grass surprisingly soft beneath me. "Sit with me," I said, patting the spot beside me. Sasha hesitated before joining me, her shoulders still tense.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8Hd8ws4zM
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The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. The air was cool, and for a moment, everything felt almost peaceful.141Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjXCVRWTzr
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