Chapter 18

Aurora and Elijah were still trying to process what had just happened with Scarlet. They had managed to escape from the dark entity, but they knew that they weren't out of danger yet.As they walked back to their dorm, Aurora suddenly stopped and looked at Elijah with a curious expression."What's wrong?" Elijah asked."I just remembered something," Aurora said. "When we were in the hidden room, I saw a piece of paper on the floor. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I'm wondering if it might be important." Elijah's eyes widened. "Do you think it might be a clue?" he asked. Aurora nodded. "It's possible. Let's go back and look for it."They quickly made their way back to the hidden room, and after a few minutes of searching, Aurora spotted the piece of paper on the floor.She picked it up and examined it. It appeared to be a cryptic message; written in a code neither could decipher.But as they looked closer, they noticed the message was written in a faint, shimmering ink."This is weird," Elijah said, his brow furrowed in confusion.Aurora nodded. "I know. But I think I might know what it is."She pulled out her phone and opened an app that she had downloaded earlier. It was a code-breaking app, and Aurora had a feeling that it might come in handy.She scanned the message into the app, and after a few seconds, the code was broken.The message read: "Meet me at the old oak tree at midnight. Come alone."Aurora's eyes widened as she looked at Elijah. "What do you think it means?" she asked.Elijah shrugged. "I don't know, but I think we should check it out."Aurora nodded. "I agree. But we need to be careful. We don't know who wrote this message or what their intentions are." Elijah nodded. "We'll be careful. But we need to know what's truly going on." Aurora nodded, her mind racing with possibilities. She knew that they were taking a risk by investigating further, but she also knew that they couldn't just ignore the message.As they walked back to their dorm, Aurora couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She glanced over her shoulder but saw nothing. Still, the feeling persisted. And Aurora knew that she and Elijah were in for a wild ride...As the night wore on, Aurora and Elijah found themselves growing more and more anxious. They had decided to investigate the mysterious message, and they were determined to get to the bottom of things.At midnight, they made their way to the old oak tree, their hearts pounding with anticipation. The tree loomed above them, its branches creaking ominously in the wind. As they approached the tree, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Scarlet, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous light."Well, well, well," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look what we have here. The dynamic duo, sneaking around in the dead of night." Aurora's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Scarlet?" she asked. Scarlet shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you two were brave enough to show up. And I have to say, I'm impressed."Elijah's eyes narrowed. "What's going on, Scarlet? What's the meaning of this message?"Scarlet smiled, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Oh, that's just a little something I cooked up. You see, I've been watching you two, and I have to say, I'm intrigued. You're not like the other students here. You're...different." Aurora's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" she asked.Scarlet shrugged. "I mean that you two have a certain...spark. A spark that could be fanned into a flame, with the right guidance."Elijah's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, Scarlet?" he asked.Scarlet smiled, a sly smile spreading across her face. "I'm talking about the true nature of this school," she said. "I'm talking about the secrets that lie beneath the surface. And I'm talking about the role that you two are destined to play in it all."Aurora's eyes widened, her mind racing with possibilities. She knew that Scarlet was hiding something, but she had no idea what."What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Scarlet smiled, a sly smile spreading across her face. "All will be revealed in time," she said. "But for now, let's just say that you two are in for a wild ride..."As Aurora and Elijah walked back to their dorm, they couldn't stop talking about their encounter with Scarlet."I don't trust her," Elijah said, his brow furrowed in concern. "She's hiding something." Aurora nodded. "I know. But I think she's trying to help us. In her way."Just then, they heard a voice behind them. "Hey, guys. What's going on?"They turned to see Bryson walking towards them, a concerned look on his face."Not much, Bryson," Aurora said. "Just dealing with some drama with Scarlet."Bryson's eyes narrowed. "What kind of drama?"Elijah filled him in on their encounter with Scarlet, and Bryson listened intently.When Elijah finished, Bryson nodded thoughtfully."I think I know what's going on," he said. "I've been doing some research, and I think I've found a connection between Scarlet and the mysterious symbol we found earlier." Aurora's eyes widened. "What kind of connection?"Bryson hesitated, looking around nervously."I don't want to say too much here," he said. "But let's just say that Scarlet might be more involved in this mystery than we thought."Aurora's mind was racing with possibilities. She knew that she had to talk to Bryson more about this, and she made a mental note to meet up with him later."Thanks for the info, Bryson," she said. "We'll talk more about this later, okay?"Bryson nodded, and the three of them parted ways, each lost in their thoughts about the mysterious symbol and Scarlet's true intentions.