TW // knife, suicide mention

( ARIA'S POV )

"ARIA..." THE WIND whispered. Tonight continues the saga of my newfound ability of hearing voices in the dead of night, in my sleep. Except, this one sounded distant. Old and new. It was a man's voice. Neither Issac's nor Mateo's. Not even Giovani's or Peter's.

Suddenly―I remembered. The tone as deep as the Pacific Ocean goes. The hoarseness for his thirst of adventure. A voice I haven't heard in a decade, yet I couldn't mistake it for anyone else's.

"You don't have enough time. You have to move quicker," he tells me. If I were awake, tears would've been streaming down my cheeks, partnered with unbearable pain in my chest. Was it from familiarity or foreignness?

Where are you? I wanted to ask. Where do I find you?

"I've been with you since the day you set foot on the garden," he says, almost as if he read my mind. "Don't let the beauty deceive you―pretty places don't have pretty endings, mi vida."

Mi vida. Was it possible I was merely delusional? Maybe my head injury had done more than a physical wound. But I couldn't quite fathom the idea of that. I needed this to be real. I needed to know he left my life thinking we'd meet again in the future. That moment was now.

My mind swarmed with questions. "Did you miss me? Thought of me? Loved me? Why would you leave us? What was more important than us?" I couldn't utter a word. It felt restraining. He was both there and not there, for I could only hear his voice, but not feel his presence.

"You may rest for a while, but know that time is never a luxury in paradise. The faster you and your friends get out of here, the safer you'll all be. Do not listen to the pixies." I heard a vwoop sound―had he disappeared into thin air? I tried to wake myself up, hoping I could get even a glimpse of him. Yet, there I was, my arms pressed onto my chest as my exterior peacefully slept like a baby.

Papa―I'll find you. I won't leave until I do.

( ARIA'S POV )

I WAS CERTAIN that only an hour had passed, because my mind was certainly awake and counting the seconds till my body shook itself, marking the end of my slumber. My eyes snapped open—not even bothering to take a second to rub the gound off of it. I must've resembled a deer caught in headlights, because Issac stared at me in horror. Giovani, Mateo, and Haven were nowhere to be found, which provided me with comfort knowing only four people had to witness me waking up in the most peculiar way possible.

"What. The fuck. You're scary when you wake up. Do you always do that? Is that normal?" Issac bombarded me with his amusing comments.

"No, just don't mind it. Had a nightmare," I half-lied, pointing to my head.

"I will not be sleeping beside you until further notice," he says, placing his backpack over his shoulder, walking towards an empty spot next to Peter.

I chuckled, finger-combing strands of my hair. Apparently, Miren had been listening in, and decided to pack up and move to Issac's previous spot.

"I'll take my chances, then," she says, beaming an early morning smile towards me.

Issac smirked. "Ofcourse you would," he announced, winking. Miren brushed him off, but was slow to hide her flustered cheeks. Probably an inside joke from yesterday.

I snatched a few mushrooms and berries from the middle of our grounds. Over the past few days, I grew to love the combination despite it being an odd one. It's either this or the fish in the river—which no one was willing to cook. Even Mateo, surprisingly. They seemed too slippery and slimy, anyway. Miren proceeded to fold her pant cuffs up, just below her knees.

"What time is it?" Nayari asked, her voice low from exhaustion. I fumbled for my phone in my bag, only to be beat by Peter, evidently looking like a bed head. "8:41 am," he groaned.

The two let out a sigh, tiredness written in every corner of their bodies.

"I was hoping I'd wake up from this nightmare," Nayari commented.

"You read my mind," Peter answers.

Miren stands up, tucking food into the large leaves we've been using as plates, gracefully passing them out to everyone else. I'm not quite sure why she seemed so lonely last night— earbuds plugged in, muting the world. I surely didn't pin her as that kind of person, but difficult situations seem to always reveal a person's true colors. I only ever started believing that when my father left.

Speaking of which...

"Did you lovebirds sleep peacefully last night?" Issac jokingly asks. I look up to see Haven and Mateo walking out of the woods.

They looked everything but peaceful.

Sleeping on the ground and against tree barks meant waking up to twigs and fallen leaves on your hair. Haven and Mateo? They look like they'd slept through a hurricane. I thought I saw a bird poking out of Haven's messy up-do.

I had enough observation to know that none of us slept resembling a beast. I was sure we barely moved a finger while in slumber.

That could only mean..... oh.

"I guess you were right, about that thing..." Mateo says, almost innocently. He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes unable to be anywhere but on Haven's.

Miren gently removed the pieces of twigs and leaves off a half-asleep Nayari, whilst managing to stay in the loop of the situation. "I cannot believe you are a living and breathing psychic, yet you waste it on matchmaking."

Issac loudly chewed on his food, "Are there dead, still functioning psychics?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer, waving his hands in the air. "You know what I think? You're bitter about it because I was right about you, too."

He beamed this bright smirk that normally threw off the timid girls in our homeroom. I wonder if he was ever aware that people actually liked liked him.

Miren didn't bother answering, tending to Nayari like a child. At one point, the latter tried swatting her off. The former said no, as expected.

"We're gonna wash off at the river," Haven announces, receiving a few mischievous grins from the rest of our group. Soon enough, they're gone.

I didn't have to think or look twice— they were dating. And it started last night.

Despite my unspoken feelings for Haven, I saw the two coming from miles away. Everyone did. And, to my surprise (maybe even dismay), I was happy for them. No ounce of jealousy dripped into my heart.

     "Where's Gio?" I remembered.

     I glanced at our remaining group of five, everybody either shrugging or only noticing we were missing a person—except Nayari.

     Nayari, who looked like she was about to have a seizure right then and there. Could it be panic? All of a sudden realizing that the person she spent hours talking to lately had gone quiet?

     I wish it was—but it didn't seem like the case.

     "Looking for clues, maybe? Have we found the one connected to blade yet?" Peter asks, him and I sharing one thing in common: cluelessness.

Miren stands up, dusting a few twigs off her tank top. "Mateo, Issac, and I have something to show you, actually. Let's wait for everyone to get back."

( HAVEN'S POV )

"OH HEY, GIO," Mateo greeted the dripping wet boy before us.

Giovani waved in a dismissing manner, continuing his morning swim. He was doing a backstroke, wearing only his trunks.

     "Why are you in such a bad mood, Russo?" I ask him, removing fallen leaves and twigs from my hair, one by one. Mateo removes his polo shirt, sleeveless shirt, and pants, before jumping into the rushing water.

Giovani swims farther, his voice low from the distance and secrecy, "Nayari hates me. I guess I thought we had something, you know?"

Mateo sinks into the water, washing his hair out. Giovani stopped at some point, before swimming back to our direction. "Any reason for her to be mad at you?" The latino boy asked.

"Yeah, but I can't tell you," Giovani replies.

I pressed my back against the flat rocks, my legs touching the grass. It tickled my feet, causing me to release a delighted laugh. I let my hair flow in the water, washing of remains of last night's romantic incident. "How come?"

"Well, for one, I don't owe you an explanation," Giovani says, driving his fingers through his hair. He was quite muscular for a junior in high school, but it was a good look on him. Doesn't surprise me why his locker's stuffed with love letters and chocolates on Valentines day. "And two, Nayari doesn't owe you an explanation. I overstepped on something she wanted to keep private—don't you fucking dare make that sound weird."

"Respect, but my mind can't not make it weird. Still, respect," Mateo says, upside down from my vision. If I tilted my head back a few inches, I'd be able to see his—ohmygodhavenstopit.

I shook my head, my long, raven locks of hair gliding through the water gracefully. "I—uh, I guess that's understandable. I'm sure she'll forgive you soon, pretty sure she's incapable of holding grudges, especially against you."

"I don't know about this one. I guess I thought she'd let me into her life a little more," He replied, perching his elbows on the rocks opposing me.

Mateo scoffs, "Gio—that girl's never talked her mouth off like that before. You're something special, Russo. Get out of your head." He, in a swift motion, sends a small wave of river water towards Giovani, who flinched. Out of spite, he sends me a wave of river water in return, which gets into my mouth.

I cough the liquid out, turning over to lay on my stomach from my previous laying-down position. I clutch my chest, which was aching ever so slightly.

"This water is unsanitary," I say, my face disgusted.

"Since when have you cared about hygiene?" Giovani asks, jokingly, so I took no offense. I knew he was pertaining to my love life, as everybody in our school seems to think I'm a slut—which, technically, isn't true.

"Very funny of you to assume I hook up with every person I meet," I retorted, slipping my legs into the water to join them. My skirt remained floating, but Mateo was quick to help me push it down. I could tell Giovani wanted to be courteous as well, but thought he was stepping over a boundary.

"Sorry, didn't mean it like that. I know you're not that kind of person—it was a joke. Sorry. Can you rip my mouth off my face?" Giovani blurts out, trying to mask his panic with sarcasm.

"I know, we're not strangers. We met like, four years ago in PE," I say.

Mateo watches us intently, and I knew that look—he was thinking of an intelligent, verbal insult.

"Man, no wonder Nayari's mad at you," Mateo says, leaning back.

I raise my eyebrows, looking away as if that would make me disappear from this conversation. Instead, I stared at Mateo's nails—not fingers, ofcourse not—with chipped nail polish. He was a girly kind of boy, and I adore everything about him. He was better than those fuckboys who've tried to kiss me in the halls. Mateo was self-aware—when he started messing up, or when he was overstepping a boundary (although this doesn't apply in arguments, whoops).

He was better than everyone I've tried to get with, which is ironic, because he always helped me score those dates.

"Cheers to being lovesick teenagers," I announce, making a fist to replace a glass of champagne.

Mateo looked at me, his eyes so deep and meaningful that I'd want them to be the last thing I see before I die. Was it just me, or did he swim closer? Did I?

"Cheers," the boys said in unison.

( ARIA'S POV )

    "FINALLY, YOU'RE BACK!" Miren sighs, walking with berries in her palm. She then proceeds to shove it into Giovani's mouth, which got a laugh out of me.

"Gee Mihrwhn—I diwndt know you miushed me so much," Giovani attempts so say, his voice severely muffled.

Haven and Mateo take a seat in their usual spot, drying out their hair.

Nayari, seemingly desperate to move the conversation elsewhere, looks toward Mateo and Issac. "So—Miren said you found the clue?"

The two boys nod, with Mateo reaching in his pocket to retrieve an item. The knife. He opened the handle, which turned out to be a secret compartment, to reveal a folded piece of paper inked with lines and dots. Or blobs.

"Found it yesterday. Looks like morse code, but it's all over the place," Mateo laughs lightly.

This piqued my interest, that I hadn't even noticed my body lift off the ground and onto Mateo's spot. My hands lazily took the knife and piece of paper, so I could properly examine it. I looked back, and he seemed grateful for the knife to be taken off his hands.

"This is too messy for it to be morse code," I say, moving to the middle of our grounds, as the rest of the group swarms around me. Nayari and Giovani sat on opposing sides, evidently avoiding contact with each other.

     Issac chimed in, "Could it be a map?"

     I tried turning the paper around, and around, but every other variation of the ink notes made no sense either. "It can't be a map—there's no river. Or trees. But these definitely aren't words."

     I passed it to Haven, hoping she'd figure something out. We shared a passion for literature and art, and that must count for something. Mystery novels aren't a rare thing in the world. After all, Haven's more than just a pretty face.

"Maybe it could be a trail to somewhere?" Peter offered, trying to help.

     Haven stared at me, and I stared back, because we both had a thought and it was the same one. Outside of this garden, we would be an unlikely duo, but inside... we were perfect. Because, when you put her famous, hot girl image aside, we knew and loved the exact same things. There's no doubt that that's why I was attracted to her in the beginning.

     "Footsteps," we said in unison.

     Giovani glanced at us back and forth, "What?"

     Haven placed the piece of paper on the ground. "Footsteps," she repeated. "This blob of ink looks more or less like a triangle, acting as an arrow or starting point. If we start from the river, we move to the right, which leads us here, in the forest. We just have to count the number of steps, or dots here on the paper."

"Okay," Issac comments. "But the steps go down and then to the right, and we would've reached the cobblestone wall by then."

He was right. If there was a wall blocking our path, then this wouldn't work.

But, by some miracle, Giovani and Nayari regarded each other for the first time since last night. The way they look at each other with such familiarity and softness—they know something we don't.

"Guess we can't keep that place to ourselves anymore, huh, Nightengale?" Giovani says, his tone kind but almost prideful to have shared something meaningful with Nayari.

"What is he talking about?" Miren asks.

Nayari's expression was almost close to a smile. It was so, so close. I could see Giovani wanting to tug the corners of her lips upwards, returning the gentle, warm Nayari we grew to know these past few days. I saw the desperation, and the desire. But his efforts had failed. She was not smiling.

"Yesterday, while searching for the next clue, we found a thin slit in the wall," she said, keeping her tone calm and collected. "We went through, and found a small area, with a gazebo. That must be where the next clue is."

     My eyes grew wide. I loved gazebos. My aunt had one in her backyard and I would always escape to it, along with my cousins, during reunions—usually when the adults were having their liquor.

"Aww, that's cute," Mateo commented, surprisingly, or at least mostly, genuinely. Nayari didn't see this as genuine, and scoffed. I don't understand what's going on with her. I don't think she dealt with negative emotions much.

Giovani cleared his throat. "Uhm, anyway. Should we go check it out?"

Peter squints his eyes, "Wait," he says, keenly staring at Mateo. "If you had this since yesterday, why didn't you tell us sooner? You really let everyone sit around and mope all night?"

     All sense of enthusiasm escaped Mateo's body. "You don't think I want to escape this beautiful fucking garden as much as you do?"

     "I think you do," Peter answers. "So why keep all this to yourself last night?"

     Miren gives a selected few (Me, Issac, Nayari, and Giovani) a look, warning us to back up, because knowing Mateo, this could get messy. We moved back with both eagerness and hesitation.

     Mateo scoffs. He takes the knife from Haven, standing up. The remaining 3 in our once complete circle got up as well. "You see this knife?" Mateo then proceeds to throw this onto the ground, it's blade fully submerged into the grass and dirt, being 2 inches away from Peter's foot.

     I saw Issac pull Peter back in fear. Haven stepped up in front of him, "Stop scaring him, Mateo! You're being irrational."

     Mateo laughs, a scary full laugh that is fully sarcastic. I've never seen this side of him. I saw my dad in him. Short-tempered. Threatening. I clutched Issac's arm, which he moved around my shoulders when he saw my watering eyes. I couldn't catch a breath. I couldn't move. I didn't want to witness this anymore.

     "I knew it. There was always something between you two," Mateo smiles like a devil.

     Haven gave a reassuring look to Peter before confronting the Latino boy in front of her. "You're angry. You're spewing out things that aren't relevant."

     Miren removes herself from the group, and looks back at me. She did a double take, because now I had a single teardrop on my cheek—nevermind my chest was moving rapidly for air. She takes my left hand, rubbing it gently to ease me.

     The way Mateo was acting? It was the same way my father talked to my mother the morning after my birthday—14 hours before he left. I had been awake without their knowledge, clutching my stuffed bunny by the door. My parents saw me, looking up to the open hallway from the kitchen downstairs. His face changed. Replaced it quickly with happiness.

     Mateo ignores Haven's comments, and looks back to Peter. "That knife right there—my dad used that to murder my mom. To, quite literally, backstab her. Do you know how mind-fucking it is to see that here?"

     He took a glance at everyone, but instead of us reacting to his speech, we were reacting to the tone of his voice. The closed fists. The knife thrown onto the ground. He saw the horror in our eyes.

     Like father, like son.

     I tried not to get it into my head.

     I almost heard him mutter, what have I done? But maybe that was my mind filling in his words, not him, because the atmosphere was quiet.

     By now, the tear on my cheek had dried up. I unwrapped Issac's arm, and removed my hand from Miren's touch. I would have to take the initiative.

     "Let's get back to the river, then trace the steps from there."

     Everyone agreed, and we walked in silence.

( MATEO'S POV )

     THERE WAS ONLY QUIET.

     We had reached the slit mentioned by Giovani earlier. The journey was silent, with the white noise of swaying trees and thumping shoes filling the atmosphere.

     "I don't think I'll fit through there," Aria mentioned, breaking the silence, her face unreadable. I bet Miren could see right through her. She's been a little more protective of her since earlier.

     "I'm sorry," I blurted out. For how I acted.

     They don't even look surprised—which says a lot, considering I'm not one to apologize or own up to their mistakes first. I've never been great at that, but the burden of having everyone against me was to heavy for my heart to bear.

     "It's okay," Aria says.

     Now—now they're surprised. So was I.

     "What do you mean it's okay?" That came from Issac. "You had a mini panic attack because of him."

     The way he said him sounded like he was saying a forbidden word. A profanity. I don't blame him.

     "How could you forgive him that easily?" Miren asked, fortunately with more sympathy toward Aria rather than shade toward me.

     "It's okay," Aria repeated.

     "Peter—do you forgive him?" Haven asked, looking intently towards the Asian boy.

     He plainly nods. The snark in his eyes were gone. He meant it. He nods again, in case anybody missed it. Issac mouthed the words are you sure?—to which he nodded to once more.

     Haven inches closer to him. "If he forgives you, then I forgive you, too," she tells me, but her eyes tell a different story. It had been less than 24 hours since last night—the night we were both sure we wanted each other—but I can see hesitation in her eyes now. She's doubting us.

     "You're forgiven by me, too. Grief sucks, I can't even imagine knowing someone I look up to killed someone I love," Nayari says.

     Giovani points to her direction, "I'm with her. I mean, I agree with her—not that we're together together like dating or—"

     "They get it, Gio," Nayari whispers to him, a smile appearing on her face. It only lasted for a second, but the effect it had on Giovani was truly something.

     Out of everyone, Giovani and Nayari have spoken the least, so it caught me off-guard to hear their sentiments.

     "You're in the clear, Mateo," Miren says, wholeheartedly. "Your feelings are valid. Just don't use violence as a mode to express them." Everyone nodded along. She was so kind. That's the most meaningful thing I could say about her, because it's true. Her and Aria. They both had goodness in their hearts. Made them look so fucking powerful.

     "I agree," Issac slides into the conversation. "Don't even attempt what you did again, but I forgive you. Fuck dads."

     "Yeah!" Aria screamed, before covering her mouth right afterwards. For somebody who longed for her dad to come home, she sure had strong opinions on him, too. She was fun like that.

     Everyone laughed a little, sharing their own sentiments on the subject matter. I shared mine, too, and they were all willing to listen—well maybe most of them. I'd still have to fix things with Haven, but for now, this will do.

( MIREN'S POV )

     "WE NEED TO FOCUS!" I expressed, after having shared a moment with our group. "So—who fits through that opening?"

     "I certainly don't," Aria repeats from earlier.

     Haven observes her physical appearance. "Nice goods, though," she winks, making me wince. Aria's cheeks turn rosy, which she tries to hide by putting her head down.

     Mateo stares at her in mild shock. He, most likely, didn't think she'd continue to flirt with other people despite being in a relationship. Kind of relationship. I have no idea what their label is, especially at this moment.

"Gio and I both fit, but we're not really sure what to look for," Nayari mentions, which brings another unsolicited smile on Giovani's face. The two, with what I can deduce from their body language, definitely had a little falling out last night, but it was slowly being repaired. Nayari was a fighter, but she was shy. Giovani was open, but courteous towards the girl, letting her make the first moves out of respect.

Issac raises his hand, "I'm pretty sure I fit."

     I regard this by nodding. "Okay, I'll come with. Everyone else good with staying behind?"

     My question was useless in my case, because I could just read their faces to search for an answer. Aria genuinely didn't think she'd fit through, Mateo wanted to stay back (I think he doesn't want another piece of the puzzle possibly reminding him of his trauma), Peter seemed exhausted (he was chugging down a bottle of water), and Haven was hesitant at first, but decided to stay back, most likely for Peter. I've seen them talk before in school, on a project. I think Haven seemed offended with Mateo's words earlier, and how he treated Peter.

     The four shared a nod, leaving the rest of us to budge through the opening. Issac easily slid right through, his body not necessarily pencil-like, but flat enough to go through the thin slit without a problem.

     Giovani was claustrophobic, but considering he's done this before, he seemed a lot more ready and still. I heard a quiet laugh from Nayari, which Gio had noticed, confusion written on his face. The girl looked down at the zipper of her pants, with Gio doing the same with his shorts, and in a moment of realization, the two laughed and shared more intimacy than they had the past few hours. Their love for each other bloomed like flowers in spring.

     Once Giovani was through, he reached his hand out to Nayari, who politely declined his offer. They were getting there, but they aren't there yet. They progressed fairly quickly though, which surprised me. Then again, an hour here feels like an eternity. There's something about the gentle swaying of the trees, the whistling of the river waters, and the silent hums of your loved ones that, though you're unable to hear them, you know they're there with you. This place makes you feel serene, but it also manages to bring out the worst in you.

     We needed to get out of here—fast.

     Once Nayari and I were through, we examined the gazebo in front of us. Aria would've loved this. I took my phone from my pocket, snapping a quick picture. The light-blowing wind was enough to cause the chimes to ring, producing sounds from bamboo and glass pieces. I had no idea how this garden—if you could even call it just that—was capable of being so serene amidst the chaos.

     It was beautiful here. That is the very reason why we needed to fight to escape.

     "I need this for my future house," Issac comments, his eyes in awe of what's presented in front of him.

     Giovani smirks. "Pretty, huh?" He pats Issac on the back. "Too bad everyone knows about this now," he says, looking over his shoulder to Nayari, who shrugged in response.

     I stepped inside the gazebo, watching the chimes sway side to side. I took another photo, before beginning to record a video of the music-producing objects in motion.

     "We're here to find the next clue, Miren, not to go sightseeing," Giovani comments.

     "I know, I know," I say, but my actions say otherwise as I continue to shoot the instruments from different angles.

     Nayari smiles, having finally felt a sense of tranquillity, "I could die in here."

     Issac points to her direction. "Don't jinx it!"

     My video managed to catch every bit of their conversation, because I felt the need to capture every moment of this or else it's gone forever. That is, until I hit the stop button, because look. "Butterfly!" I shouted.

     Giovani walks up to me, and the two others follow. "Where?"

I point to a particular glass chime, tinted with purples and blues, but rimmed with gold. The butterfly was singular—having none of its kind on any other wind chime, let alone the one it's connected to. It was tied together with 4 delicate glass flowers by an invisible string.

     "Could there be a note somewhere?" Nayari asked, her head balanced on my left shoulder.

     Issac walked closer, tiptoe-ing to reach the butterfly—but he was a few inches short. I tried doing the same, ultimately failing as well. Nayari was significantly shorter than the both of us, which leaves Giovani.

     "Can't believe I'm surrounded by short people," Giovani commented, in a joking manner. He had no need to get on his toes, for the butterfly was already within his reach. "Should I remove the butterfly from the thing?"

     "Yeah," I suggested. "So we can take a better look at it."

     Giovani took it with one force, his fingers wrapped around the object. He brought it in front of us, letting us examine the object. I couldn't see any sort of glass etching, so I asked him to turn the butterfly around.

     And there it was. Painted on the gold rim.

     Two words: look down.

    "Look down?" Giovani asks, stepping back from the middle of the gazebo floor. The rest of us did the same. It was made of cobblestone, with flowering vines slithering from every direction.

It was a horrible time for me to wear my heeled boots, because my body immediately fell back, my footing lost. If it weren't for Issac, I would've broken my back into two.

"You okay?" Issac asks, any sense of his humorous personality dissipated from his face. He held on an extra few seconds, grasping my arms as if I was still falling.

     "Yeah. All good," I let go, but Issac's hands lingered for a moment. For the first time since I met him—I couldn't read him. He bit his lower lip, messing with his hair as he looked away from my direction.

     Giovani pat my head, almost teasingly. Nayari kneeled down, trying to untangle the vines from each other, but ultimately failing. Giovani and I caught on, with him helping the girl out. I made a beeline and returned to the slit which we entered from. "Who has the knife?"

     "I do," Haven replies, taking the item from her pocket. She passes it to me through the slit. After receiving the weapon, I stay for a few seconds to examine the remaining half of our group outside.

     I could see Aria braiding Mateo's hair, having short conversations in between. I smiled at their genuine friendship. He kept making mistakes, especially today, but she was the type to easily forgive. When Aria's not stuck in her head, she manages to form wholesome friendships with the people around, as I've observed the past few days.

     Peter had a violin now. He was playing a tune off the top of his head, with such grace and precision. I couldn't recognize the music, but it was beautiful. He was humming to the melody.

     Haven had been reading a poetry book, one I recognized from Aria's collection. Home body by Rupi Kaur. I remember skimming through the pages of it in a bookstore. I admired the poet's skill to turn complex emotions into works of art.

     "Miren, do you have the knife?" Nayari asked, her and Giovani's hands trailed with a few pricks from thorns on the vines. I ran the short distance up to them, leaving the quiet half of our group.

     I passed the item to her, watching her cut through the vines with ease.

     "Damn, Nayari," Giovani says, impressed.

     The aforementioned girl smiles, pushing the flowering vines away from the cobblestone. Issac lends her a hand, dusting off any torn-off leaves and petals from the floor. Giovani and I help as well, ripping the vines with our hands.

     "Damn yourself, Russo," Nayari says, trying to keep her blushing face contained, but ultimately failing. Giovani looked even worse.

     Oh, to be young and in love.

     I'm (sadly) just young.

     "You too, Miren," Issac slides in. His expression wasn't sly or mischievous. It was genuine, and honestly, it scares me a little. I gave him a soft smile, before returning back to work.

     A few moments after, the cobblestone floor was clear. The four of us observed it intently, until we found...

     Nothing.

     Absolutely nothing.

     But if there's something we learned from yesterday, it's that there's never nothing in here. Everything had meaning, purpose. That knife wasn't just a secret compartment. Similarly, the butterfly wasn't just randomly engraved with the words look down. And this gazebo definitely didn't exist for the sole purpose of being a beautiful getaway in an already-beautiful, but mindfucking garden.

     I see Issac standing up, poking his head into the small entrance, "Hey, Aria, what do hidden compartments look like?"

     "Hidden?" Aria answers, sincerely and not sarcastically.

     "Okay, yeah obviously, but let's say you needed to find a hidden compartment in a cobblestone floor, where would it most likely be?"

     Aria stays silent for a second, thinking of her answer. "Usually, cobblestone walls are revealed as secret doors when you press on one of the stones. You could try that, maybe something pops up? You could check for any thin gaps, too, possibly outlining the space between the compartment and the rest of the floor."

     She really knew her shit.

     I wish I read more of those mystery books before I focused my life on psychology.

     Issac came speeding back towards us, kneeling down and letting his eyes be 2 inches away from the floor. Giovani and Nayari moved back, giving the boy some space. "I can't find any lines, maybe they're too thin. Miren—could you try pressing on the stones?"

     If I hadn't known Issac better, I would've mistaken his tone for a teacher singling me out in class for doing something wrong, but no, that's just Issac in his calmest state, which I admittedly don't see often. He's usually playing it cool, or laughing with his friends from school.

     I inched closer towards him, pressing down on a few stones. At first, none of them would budge, revealing that they aren't a secret button, but then one pushed down, ever so slightly, and we heard a click. Issac and I stood up next to Nayari and Giovani, letting the compartment reveal itself. The shape of it was odd—which is most likely the reason why Issac couldn't find any gaps, because we were looking for perfect, straight lines. I realized what the shape was—a small butterfly, with four stones sitting on top.

     The compartment raised about 5 inches, on the far left of the gazebo, giving us room to observe it from a good distance. There was a cut piece of a wooden plank, with rough carvings of a sentence. I took it, and the compartment was gone.

     "What does it say?" Nayari asks.

     It's all been for you.

     I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. It came out as a heave, my throat closing in to the point that I am unable to breathe. The wood piece I'd been holding clanked lightly on the floor, but with the silence in the atmosphere, it became the only sound—a sound of panic.

     Fuck this garden. I called it. It would be me next. If trauma was a gift, then this place certainly keeps on giving.

     For a moment, their voices were muffled. All I could hear was the sound of his flesh being torn apart, a medium of violence twisting its way into his heart. His shaky, last breath.

     The way he said those words. It's all been for you. It's all been for you. It's all been for you. His voice, being played in a loop.

     His eyes were bloodshot that night. His hands cold. His lips trembling, but there was little regret in what he did—only that his little sister had to witness it. That wasn't intentional. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Hurt me.

     It's all been for you. Was killing yourself done for me, too?

CHAPTER SUMMARY———
aria hears her dad in her sleep. mateo, issac, and miren show everyone else the blade clue—which leads to the gazebo nayari & giovani visited in chapter 6. the group falls out for a quick moment, but makes up for the sole purpose of escaping the garden quicker. miren, giovani, nayari, and issac find the butterfly clue, it's all been for you—miren's brother's last words to her before he died. yikes.

AMELIE SPEAKS !
i am so sorry for not updating for so long !!
sooooo i hope this was somewhat worth the wait?? in total, this chapter consisted of 6041 words—HOLY FUCK that is a lot. what do we think? —>

also, fun fact, in one of the drafts for this chapter, i planned for a character to die :)

anywho! i've actually made a storyboard now (which i don't really do, but the plot of this story is too complex for me tbh), so i'm trying my best to write more often, given that i wouldn't have to think of what happens next on the spot anymore (amelie exposed for not having a plan AT ALL)

i also took a look at the opinions again and. holy shit IM SLEEPING ON SO MANY GOOD DYNAMICS. i wanna change some of the love interests HELP ME. we need a little more experimentation and flirty action going on :)

(i know i keep saying this but) thank you to everyone reading !! this book, compared to my others, takes up more of my energy and time since i try to do 3000-6000 words each chapter, so even if i do have fun writing for these amazing characters, i'd appreciate if more people are able to read this as that will motivate me to continue this story! not forcing anybody, but it would be nice to have a wider audience :)

sorry for the long author's note. love you <3