That evening,Ivy arrived at the old greenhouse,it stood on the edge of the woods, its glass panes cracked and overgrown with vines.Ivy stepped inside,her heart pounding.Logan was already there,his silhouette framed by the dim light of a lantern.


    "About time,"he said.


    "Start talking,"Ivy demanded,crossing her arms.


    Logan took a deep breath, "Five years ago,the fire that destroyed my family''s house didn''t start by accident. It was deliberate.And whoever started it.... they''re still out there."


    Ivy’s stomach dropped."What does that have to do with me?"


    "I''m not sure yet",Logan admitted."But the Festival of Lights seems to be yhe8r next target.And if you''re competing, that puts you right in the middle of it."


    Ivy starred at Logan, her pulse racing."What do you mean,''the Festival of Lights is their next target?'',Who''s they?"she asked,her voice sharper than she intended.


    Logan hesitated,his eyes scanning the greenhouse as if checking for unseen watchers."I don''t know exactly who they ate but I''ve seen their work before.The fire that destroyed my house was just one of their acts.They us chaos to cover their real goals and the Festival would be a perfect stage for that."


    "I still don''t understand how I''m involved "Ivy frowned.


    "OH my God,your project for the festival-tue kinetic sculpture-it''s drawn their attention.They don''t like anything they can''t control and your work is ......unique."You are saying they might come after me?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Logan nodded,"That''s exactly what I''m saying."


    Ivy felt a chill run down her spine.


    The next morning, sleep didn''t come easy for Ivy that night,her mind racing with Logan''s revelations. By the time her alarm blared,she was already awake,staring at the ceiling.


    At school,Emily immediately noticed her friend''s exhaustion."You look like you''ve been hit by a truck,"she said,falling into step beside Ivy.


    "Thanks"ivy muttered rolling her eyes.


    Emily leaned in,whispering ,"Dis something happen with Logan?You didn''t text me back last night."


    Ivy hesitated.She trusted Emily,but the weight of Logan''s warnings made her cautious. "It''s.....complicated. I''ll tell you when I figure it out."


    Emily pouted but didn''t press further. "Fine .But you owe me details-all the details.


    As they reached their lockers,a folded of paper slipped out of Ivy’s books.She unfolded it,her brows burrowing as she read the scrawled message:


    "Stop digging.Some secrets are meant to say buried.


    Ivys stomach dropped.Shw glance around the hallway,her eyes darting over the faces of her classmates.None of them seemed out of the ordinary, but the warning sent shiver down her spine.


    During robotics class,Ivy couldn’t focus,Her hands trembled as she worked on her sculpture, the warning note tucked safely in her pocket.Across the room,Logan watched her carefully.


    At the end of class,he approached her,"You got one of their notes,didn''t you?"


    Ivy froze."How did you know."


    "They''re predictable,"Logan said,his voice low."They use fear to keep people from looking too closely. But if you''re getting notes ,it means they''re watching you."


    "Great",Ivy muttered."Just what I needed "


    Logan''s expression softened."You''re not alone in this,Ivy . I''ll help you.He assured her by putting his hand on her shoulder and for a moment Ivy felt safe.


    "Why?"she asked,her voice barely above a whisper.


    Logan hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor."Because I couldn''t save my family. But maybe I can stop them this time ......with you."