The Stone Curse Unveiled

Even though Hailey was confused, she decided to call Gabriel. Her mind raced with questions and uncertainties, but she knew she had to stay focused. As the phone rang, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

Gabriel answered on the third ring. "Hey, Hailey. What's up?"

"Hi, Gabriel," Hailey said, her voice a bit shaky. "Did you and the others find any traces of the Gorgon?"

There was a brief pause on the other end. "Yeah, we did," Gabriel replied, his tone serious. "But it's not looking good. We need to regroup and come up with a plan."

The group quickly regrouped in the main hall of Wood Smith High. Tension hung in the air as they shared the news of the Gorgon traces. Just as they were about to discuss their next steps, Hailey noticed something was off.

"Where's Yodha?" she asked, looking around frantically.

Everyone exchanged worried glances. It became clear that Yodha was missing. Without wasting any time, they decided to split up and search the school in pairs.

"Alright," Gabriel said, taking charge. "Hailey and Viola, you check the west wing. Ethan and Aiden, cover the east wing. Adam and Jack, the north wing. Joe and I will handle the south wing. Let's move!"

The group quickly regrouped in the main hall of Wood Smith High. Tension hung in the air as they shared the news of the Gorgon traces. Just as they were about to discuss their next steps, Hailey noticed something was off.

"Where's Yodha?" she asked, looking around frantically.

Everyone exchanged worried glances. It became clear that Yodha was missing. Without wasting any time, they decided to split up and search the school in pairs.

"Alright," Gabriel said, taking charge. "Hailey and Viola, you check the west wing. Ethan and Aiden, cover the east wing. Adam and Jack, the north wing. Joe and I will handle the south wing. Let's move!"

As the pairs hurried off in different directions, Mia followed Hailey and Viola. Meanwhile, Drake remained seated in the library. He seemed unbothered, almost detached from the urgency of the situation. Hailey noticed him sitting there, a calm expression on his face, and couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration.

"Drake, aren't you going to help us look for Yodha?" she called out.

Drake looked up, his eyes glinting with an enigmatic calm. "Sometimes, answers are found in silence and stillness," he said cryptically. "I'll stay here and see if anything comes to me."

Hailey frowned but didn't have time to argue. She hurried off with Viola and Mia, determined to find Yodha and make sense of Drake's puzzling behavior later.

In the northeast wing, Gabriel stumbled upon a door that was stuck. He tried using his Puca powers to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, he called for Adam and Jack.

"Hey, I need your help over here!" Gabriel shouted.

Adam and Jack quickly joined him. Together, they combined their powers, focusing all their energy on the door. With a surge of strength, the door finally gave way and swung open.

The three boys stepped inside and were met with a horrifying sight: numerous people turned into stone statues. Gabriel, Adam, and Jack stared in shock and disbelief.

"This is... unbelievable," Gabriel whispered.

Adam nodded, his face pale. "Someone in the school must be a Gorgon. We have to save them all."

By hearing the news from Adam, everyone rushed to regroup in the library. As they gathered, Mia, who had been trailing behind Hailey, heard a strange sound coming from a room to her right. Curiosity piqued, she cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.

To her horror, she saw Ms. Mary, the English teacher, transforming from a Gorgon back into her human form. Mia gasped and turned to run, but it was too late. Ms. Mary noticed her and with a swift motion, Mia was turned to stone.

"You are doing wrong, little one," Ms. Mary said, her voice cold and menacing. "You should not help the forbidden hybrids. I will take care of you."

Ms. Mary lifted Mia's stone body and carried it to a dark, hidden room within the school. She placed Mia's petrified form in a corner and quickly left, hurrying back to the library to blend in with the others.

As everyone regrouped in the library, Adam and Drake noticed Mia's absence.

"Hailey, where is Mia?" Adam asked, concern evident in his voice.

Hailey turned around, puzzled. "She was right behind me."

Tension rose as everyone realized Mia was missing. Drake's expression grew serious. "If we can't turn them back into humans within 36 hours of turning into stone, they will remain that way forever."

Now, the group had three urgent tasks ahead of them:

1. Identify the Gorgon.

2. Locate Yodha and Mia.

3. Save everyone who had been turned to stone.

Determined and anxious, they began planning their next steps. The clock was ticking, and they knew they had no time to waste.