Chapter 13 - A Letter

As they closed the dusty book, a heavy silence settled over the room. Tristan felt the weight of the discovery pressing on his chest. The missing pages, the vague accounts, the sudden shifts in power — it all pointed to something far bigger than he had ever imagined. The secrets his family had buried seemed to run deep, and his grandfather's sudden return wasn't a coincidence.

Derek broke the silence, his voice low. "You know, Tristan, this isn't just a normal family feud. There's something darker going on here. People don't just erase history for no reason."

"Yeah," Matthew agreed, glancing around as if expecting someone to be watching them. "Who knows how far back this goes. Whatever your family was involved in, it feels like someone went through a lot of trouble to make sure the truth stayed hidden."

Tristan clenched his jaw. "Which means it's on us to find out what it is. I can't sit around pretending like everything's normal anymore. Especially not after what happened with my dad and grandfather."

Derek leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. "The real question is, why now? Why did your grandfather come back after all these years? What does he want?"

"I don't know," Tristan admitted.

"But whatever it is, my dad isn't happy about it. He acts like he wants to keep me out of it, but I can't help feeling like this whole thing is tied to me somehow. My mom keeps dropping hints that there's more to this than I realize."

Matthew's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Your dad said something about a family legacy, right? What if that's connected to everything?"

"Could be," Tristan said, his mind racing. "He's been so secretive about it. But if my dad's worried about me getting involved, then maybe this legacy is more dangerous than I thought."

Derek nodded thoughtfully.

"And that's why we need to be careful. If there's something bigger going on, we don't know who might be watching. This is more than just a family drama. Whatever your grandfather's return means, it's serious."

Tristan looked between his two friends, grateful that they had his back. They were in this together, and there was no turning back now.

"Tomorrow," Tristan said, determination sharpening his voice, "we go back to the library and dig deeper. And Derek, you said you'd check your dad's files, right?"

Derek nodded.

"Yeah. I'll sneak into his office tonight when he's out. I'll be careful, but I'll get us something."

Matthew smirked, his usual lightheartedness returning.

"Looks like we're going full detective mode now. I always knew this town was hiding something."

"Just don't get caught," Tristan said with a grin. "Last thing we need is Derek locked up because he was snooping around."

Derek waved it off with a cocky smile. "Please. I'll be in and out before anyone knows I was there."

As the boys wrapped up their plans, Tristan felt a strange sense of purpose settle over him. It was almost a relief to have something to focus on, even if it was uncovering dark secrets. Whatever was happening with his family, he needed to know the truth, no matter how ugly it might be.

Later that night, as the town settled into its usual quiet, Derek sat in his dad's home office, carefully sorting through old case files. His heart pounded in his chest, but his hands were steady as he rifled through the dusty folders. Most of it was boring—petty crimes, traffic violations, nothing out of the ordinary. But then, tucked near the back of the cabinet, Derek found a file marked with the name "Woods."

His breath caught. This was it. He opened the file, his eyes scanning the pages quickly. It contained reports from years ago, back when Tristan's grandfather had mysteriously disappeared from the public eye. There were vague mentions of business deals, a few cryptic notes about family disputes—but no concrete information. Then, something odd caught his eye. A single sheet of paper, tucked at the very back of the file, half hidden under a stack of reports. It looked like a letter, but it was incomplete. The handwriting was rough, hurried, like someone had written it in a rush.

"Derek?" a voice called from downstairs, and his heart jumped into his throat. His dad was home.

Quickly, Derek stuffed the letter into his pocket and slammed the file drawer shut. He grabbed his phone, trying to act casual as he left the office.

"Yeah, Dad?" Derek called as he reached the stairs.

"Everything good?" his dad asked, his tone light, but there was a trace of suspicion in his eyes as Derek came into the living room.

"Yep, just watching some TV," Derek lied smoothly.

His dad nodded, seemingly satisfied, but Derek could feel the tension lingering in the air. He couldn't shake the feeling that his dad knew something was up.

After a tense few minutes, Derek slipped away to his room, pulling out the letter as soon as he closed the door behind him. He sat on his bed, unfolding the paper, and read the hurried scribble:

"...I've kept this secret for too long. The others will come for what's ours, and I fear what will happen if they succeed. The family can't know. Not yet. It's safer this way..."

The letter cut off abruptly, the rest of it missing. Derek stared at the incomplete note, his mind racing. Who wrote this? And what was the secret they were talking about?

Whatever it was, it was clear now more than ever that Tristan's family was in the middle of something far bigger than any of them had realized. And they were about to get dragged right into the heart of it.

The next day, Tristan, Derek, and Matthew met back up at the library, their minds buzzing with the events of the previous night. Derek had filled them in on the letter, and Tristan had a growing sense of dread that whatever his family was hiding was about to explode into the open.

As they pored over more old records, Tristan found his thoughts drifting back to his grandfather. What did his return mean? And why now?

"Guys," Matthew said suddenly, his voice tense, "I think I found something."

Tristan leaned over to see what Matthew was looking at. There, in the old record, was a reference to a feud between the founding families of the town, much like the one they had seen earlier. But this one was different. This one involved Tristan's great-great-grandfather—and a mysterious deal that had never been completed.

"What's that about?" Derek asked, frowning.

"I don't know," Tristan said quietly, "but I have a feeling we're going to find out soon."

The mystery was growing, and the boys were deeper in it than ever. But now, with the strange letter and the cryptic records, they were closer than ever to uncovering the truth. And with every step, the danger seemed to grow.