CHAPTER ONE

It was a typical day at Sunhill High, and the students were all in class, working on their latest assignments. In Ms. Johnson's class, the students were getting ready to start a new science project. Alice sat at her desk, looking confident and self-assured as she waited for the class to begin. Next to her, Nora sat quietly, her eyes fixed on the teacher's desk. The tension in the room was palpable, and the students could feel it in the air.

Ms. Johnson stood up and began speaking, "Good morning, everyone! Today, we'll be starting a new science project…" she paused.

"I've divided you all into groups of four," all the students groaned, revealing their disinterest.

Ms. Johnson continued. "The groups will work together to complete the project. For this project, you'll be researching a local ecosystem. Each group will be assigned a different ecosystem, and you'll need to research its plants, animals, and other characteristics. You'll then write a report on your findings and present it to the class. Does everyone understand the assignment?"

Alice and Reggie exchanged a look. They both knew that they would be in the same group. They had always been paired together in each project since middle school.

As Ms. Johnson began to assign groups, the students waited with bated breath to hear who they would be working with. Finally, Ms. Johnson announced, "Group 1 will be Alice, Reginald…"

Reggie pulled his chair towards Alice.

"Same as always, partner." He said and Alice chuckled.

".. Nora and Fred."

"What?!" Nora yelled "why will you pair me up with her?" She continued in the same tone.

"Miss Jones, I'd really like for you to lower your voice. Whatever difference is between you and Miss Smith I urge you to sort it out and make the project work, because I would not be changing groups. Hope we're clear?" Ms Johnson said sternly.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Alice and Nora both groaned inwardly . They knew that working together would be a challenge, and they didn't know if they could put their differences aside for the sake of the project. But they had no choice. They would have to work together.

"Let's get started, everyone," Ms. Johnson said cheerfully.

As the class got to work, Alice, Nora, Reggie, and Fred sat at their desks, staring at each other awkwardly. No one knew what to say, and the tension was thick in the air.

Finally, Reggie spoke up, "So, um, I guess we should start by discussing the ecosystem we've been assigned?"

Alice nodded.

"I still don't understand why I have to work with her." Nora said with her arms crossed. Alice scoffed. She was about to reply her when Ms. Johnson's voice interrupted them.

"You'll need to gather your samples this afternoon, so you can analyze them in class tomorrow. I've made a list of locations where you can find your samples."

She handed out the lists, and Alice, Nora, Reggie, and Fred quickly scanned theirs. "It says we have to go to the forest near the edge of town," Alice said.

"The forest is called Raven's Wood," Nora said, reading from the list. "It's on the edge of town, near the old abandoned mill."

"That mill is creepy," Reggie said, shivering. "The stories about it are pretty spooky."

"It's just a bunch of silly stories," Alice said dismissively. "I'm not scared of any old mill."

"Well, I am," Nora said, crossing her arms. "I don't like going to spooky places."

"But we have to go to the forest to get our samples," Fred pointed out.

The group continued to argue back and forth, with Alice and Nora taking opposing sides and Reggie and Fred caught in the middle. Finally, the bell rang, and the group reluctantly agreed to meet after school to go to the forest.

As they gathered their things and left the classroom, the sky began to darken, and the wind picked up. The leaves rustled ominously in the trees, and the shadows lengthened across the school grounds. The old abandoned mill loomed on the horizon, its windows dark and empty.

The group hesitated, but they knew they had to go through with their plan.

As they approached the forest, the air grew colder, and the trees seemed to close in around them. They could hear the wind whispering through the branches, and the sound of their footsteps seemed to echo eerily in the silence.

They reached the edge of the forest and looked around, uncertain of where to start. The trees were dense and tangled, and it was difficult to see very far into the darkness.

"I don't like this," Nora said, her voice shaking. "Let's just go back to school."

But Alice shook her head. "We have to get our samples.

Reluctantly, the group entered the forest, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of leaves on the ground. As they walked deeper into the trees, they began to notice strange things. The wind seemed to whisper strange words, and they could hear the rustling of branches that they couldn't see. They started to feel as if they were being watched, and they felt a growing sense of unease.

"That's it, I'm going home, y'all can wait here and get killed," Nora said.

"Yeah, run away, scaredy little cat, but remember you're getting an F because no one here is going to cover for you." Alice yelled.

"What did you just call me?" Nora yelled, advancing towards her.

"A coward," Alice yelled in her face.

They broke into a fight. The boys tried to separate them. They all fell to the ground. Nora stumbled upon a something.

"Ouch! What is that?" She said.

The bag soon caught everyone's attention. They all moved towards the bag and surrounded it. It was getting dark so they couldn't make sense if what it is.

"Let's open it," Alice said.

"Why are you always so inquisitive?" Nora snarled.

"I can't help it," Alice replied.

The four curious teenagers surrounded the bag, unaware that they were about to make the biggest mistake of their life by letting their curiosity take over them. They had no idea that their lives was about to change drastically.