Chapter 18: Haven

Noah barely slept that night. His father's journal sat on his nightstand, the word Haven burned into his mind.

By morning, he had a plan.

Avery.

If anyone could help him figure this out, it was her.

At school, he found her at their usual spot near the lockers. She was mid-sip of an iced coffee when he rushed up, slightly out of breath.

Avery raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you look rough."

"Didn't sleep," Noah admitted, pulling the journal from his backpack. "I found this last night. It's my dad's."

Her eyes widened. "Okay… and?"

He flipped to the page with the last entry and pointed to the underlined word. "Haven. I think it's a clue."

Avery squinted at the page, then pulled out her phone. "Let's see… there's a Haven Street downtown. Also a Haven Community Center near the old part of town."

Noah's heart skipped. "The community center… do you know anything about it?"

She tapped her screen a few times. "It used to be a church, like, forever ago. Now it's just an old building people rent out sometimes."

A former church? His dad had been searching for a hidden truth… could it be there?

Avery smirked. "I know that look. You wanna go check it out, don't you?"

"Yeah," Noah admitted. "After school?"

She grinned, tossing her coffee into a nearby trash bin. "Adventure time. I'm in."

That evening, the two of them stood outside the Haven Community Center. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the abandoned building.

"Okay," Avery whispered. "This is giving major horror movie vibes."

Noah swallowed. "Yeah. But we're already here."

The doors were locked, but Avery, being Avery, found an open window. "Ladies first," she teased.

He rolled his eyes and climbed through.

Inside, dust covered the wooden floors. The place smelled of age and forgotten history. Faintly, in the dim light, Noah could see the remnants of what had once been a sanctuary—old pews stacked in a corner, a broken cross leaning against the wall.

Then, something caught his eye.

Near the front, beneath layers of dust and cobwebs, was an old altar. And carved into the wood—barely visible—was a single word.

"Seek."

Noah's breath hitched.

This was it. His father had been here.

And now, it was his turn to find out what it all meant.