"Hey! Wanna go out?"
Kate's voice hit me like a fire alarm for the soul, shrill, dramatic, and completely unnecessary before noon. She was half-buried in her closet, throwing clothes everywhere with the desperation of someone running from an emotional crisis or chasing one.
I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head like it was a expedition for peace.
"It's Saturday, Kate. I plan to sleep until at least next Tuesday."
"Get your sleepy ass up," she snapped, hair in a chaotic bun that screamed unhinged genius. "I'm taking you somewhere cool."
"Please no," I moaned into my pillow, voice muffled and tragic. "Let me die in peace. My soul hasn't recovered from last night's tequila shots and bad decisions."
Kate didn't even blink. "Nope. You're coming. You can nap in your next life."
I peeked out at her, the picture of chaotic determination. I sighed, dragging myself upright like a zombie who only feeds on iced coffee and bad choices.
"If this adventure of yours isn't as magical as Disneyland, I swear I'll haunt you till you beg for therapy."
She grinned. "Promise you, won't regret it."
Famous last words.
I threw on skinny jeans, a hoodie, and my worn-out blue Nikes, the "I hate fun" aesthetic. If outfits could protest, mine would've.
Kate gave me a once-over. "Is that seriously what you're wearing?"
"Yes," I said flatly. "Unless you want me to stay home."
Please say yes. Pleaseeeee.
"Hah! Even if you showed up in a Daddy T-shirt and Crocs, you're still coming."
"Wait, what's a Daddy T-shirt?"
Her smirk was evil. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Someone save me from my unhinged nerd of a best friend," I muttered dramatically.
"Proud nerd," she said. "Now move young lady."
One Hour Later
The cab ride was eternal like purgatory with traffic. I sighed loudly every thirty seconds just to keep my suffering theatrical. Kate ignored me like a seasoned single mom.
When we finally stopped, I peeked out the window.
"What in the actual hell is this?"
The building looked like it had beef with time and lost the fight. Rusted beams. Cracked windows. Vines crawling up its sides like it was auditioning for a ghost story.
"Is this a prank? Because I told Charlie you liked him that one time, and I feel like this is revenge."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Relax, drama queen. It's not haunted."
"It's giving haunted, Kate!"
She kept walking toward the entrance, ignoring me like a horror movie character who clearly didn't value her life.
"If a ghost shows up, I'm out," I warned. "I love you, but I'm not dying for science."
She laughed. "No ghosts. Just history."
We stepped inside, and immediately the air smelled like mildew, regret, and old secrets. Broken machines and faded posters hinted at a past that didn't end well.
"This used to be a skincare factory," Kate said, brushing off dust. "Ocean Breeze Caramel Soap, remember those?"
"Oh my God, yes! My aunt swore by them. Her skin glowed like Beyoncé's."
"Yeah, well, one day the CEO disappeared, and the place shut down overnight."
I stopped dead. "You're telling me the CEO vanished, and you brought me here? This is how people die in documentaries."
"It's just a building, Bella."
"It's always 'just a building' until the walls start whispering Latin. And people start floating, in the air Sharon"
But she laughed it off.
God. When did I become such a comedian?!
We walked deeper inside. Every creak sounded like a death threat.
"So why here, exactly?" I asked, stepping over a bird skeleton.
"Mark's uncle owns it. He was gonna sell it, but now it's our new science project HQ."
"Wait, HQ? As in for your science project. The science project? The one that fried the campus power grid and murdered my hair dryer?"
Kate grinned like a Bond villain. "Yep."
"That blackout cost the school a small fortune!"
"Which is why we needed somewhere private. Welcome to innovation, baby."
She looked thrilled. I looked like I needed life insurance.
"But what does this have to do with me?"
"You're my assistant," she said.
"I'm your hostage," I corrected.
The deeper we went, the grosser it got. Bird poop. Wet floors. The faint smell of something recently dead.
"For a tough girl, you sure complain a lot," Kate teased.
"I'm not complaining. I'm narrating the horror movie we're in."
We reached a crooked staircase that groaned under our weight.
"You're trying to kill me," I muttered, gripping the railing like a will was about to be written.
Behind a foggy glass door, faint machine noises hummed. My stomach dropped.
"What's behind the door? Demogorgons? Aliens? A cult?"
Before she could answer, a voice shouted from inside:
"Where the hell have you been?! We've been waiting two hours!"
"Two hours, forty-five minutes, and twenty seconds," another voice corrected — nasal and nerdy.
Perfect. I was surrounded by science geeks who once caused a citywide blackout.
Kate pushed open the door. "Boys, meet Bella. Bella, welcome to the lab."
I glanced around at the chaos of wires, screens, and beeping gadgets. My fight-or-flight instincts screamed both.
"If this place explodes," I said, "just tell my dad I died doing something stupid."
Kate grinned, flicking a switch. "Relax. We're about to make history."
More like history is about to make you.
I rolled my eyes, stepping back as sparks flared.
"Yeah, well, history's overrated."
I couldn't tell then, but the next five minutes would rewrite mine.