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Chapter 3 – The Forest Lead
The dorm room was tense. Maya, Kaden, and Aria sat in worried silence, trying to figure out where Lila could be.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. A fellow student, Liam, peeked in, looking nervous.
"I… I saw Lila earlier," he said quietly. "She ran out of the school… straight into the forest."
Maya's eyes widened. "The forest? Are you sure?"
Liam nodded. "Yeah. I was walking back from the cafeteria and saw her crying. She didn't notice me… she just kept running."
Kaden leaned forward. "Then that's where we need to go. Now."
Aria swallowed hard. "It's dangerous… but we can't just stay here."
The three friends grabbed flashlights and jackets, their hearts pounding. With Liam's information guiding them, they stepped outside, the dark forest stretching ahead like a shadowy maze.
Somewhere inside, Lila was already deep in the hospital, unaware that every step she took was leading her further into danger.
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