CHAPTER 13 – Part 2
AUTUMN POV
The paper felt heavier than paper should feel.
It sat in the middle of our club room table — crinkled edges, black ink slightly smudged. Like whoever left it had been holding it too tight, for too long.
> "Not all rumors are lies.
> Avoid the east wing at night.
> Some things should stay buried."
The words pulsed in my head.
Liam leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Okay. So either someone is trying to scare us…"
"Or warn us," Rhea finished, voice low.
"No," Quinn corrected dramatically, raising a finger like a professor explaining a life–changing theorem. "There is a third, superior option: we are being drafted into a secret ghost war. We must choose our weapons — faith or garlic."
Theo snorted. "Garlic is for vampires."
"And ghosts don't like the smell of confidence," she shot back.
That earned her a slow blink from everyone.
She cleared her throat, shrugged, and stuffed a donut in her mouth.
I exhaled, finally pulling a chair and sitting. My heartbeat was still louder than I liked. "Okay. Before we joke our way into convincing ourselves we're fearless warriors of light — which we're not — let's think."
Dorielle lowered her notebook and nodded quietly. "Step one… understanding what we're dealing with."
Rhea pulled her laptop closer. "Right. Research first."
Quinn gasped. "We're doing… homework? On a weekend? Who am I?"
"You," I said, patting her shoulder, "are someone who values academic integrity and ghost–proof safety."
She clutched her chest. "Growth is painful."
Liam cracked his knuckles. "Alright. We need information. If there's a real incident behind this rumor, campus history should have something."
Theo leaned forward. "And we should talk to students who hang around the east wing. Someone must've seen something."
There it was — a plan forming without forcing it.
And beneath our jokes, beneath our fear, I felt it again — that quiet warmth.
Belonging.
This club wasn't just a 'club' anymore.
It felt like a place where I didn't have to pretend bravery… or hide fear.
Quinn slammed her palms on the table suddenly. "Operation Ghost Unmasking — Phase 1: Gather intel!"
"Please don't name operations ever again," Liam begged.
"No," she whispered, eyes shining, "I must."
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Alright team — here's the structure."
She wrote in neat handwriting across her tablet:
---
Investigation Plan — Phase 1
*1. Campus archives / digital files* — Rhea, Dorielle
Search:
* Reports about east wing
* Disciplinary logs
* Faculty chatter
* Missing student rumors
* Old building blueprints if possible
*2. Night patrol plan* — Theo, Liam (with Quinn's chaos moral support)
Check:
* Classrooms in east wing
* Open windows / lights
* Security patterns
* Blind spots
*3. Student interviews* — Autumn + Quinn
Focus on:
* Students who study there at night
* Cleaning staff?
* Club officers in academic orgs near east wing
---
It felt… professional.
Organized.
Real.
Dorielle chewed her pen's cap thoughtfully. "It's like the start of a case file."
Theo grinned. "UIC Case No. 5 — Phantom of the East Wing."
Quinn threw confetti she magically pulled from who–knows–where. "I KNEW IT! We are the Ghostbusters of Academia!"
Rhea sighed. Liam rubbed his face.
Welcome to the University Investigation Club. We solve crime and ghost stories.
---
Phase 1: The Records Hunt
We split.
Rhea and Dorielle took the desk by the window, both already typing with intense concentration, glasses fogging slightly from steam of Quinn's coffee cup.
Theo and Liam were whisper–strategizing about night patrol like they were planning to rob a bank without committing crime.
Quinn and I grabbed our bags, preparing to head out for interviews.
"Hey," Rhea called quietly before we left. "Be respectful to whoever you ask. Not everyone likes scary topics."
"And don't end up on campus rumors too," Dorielle mumbled, pushing her hair behind her ear.
I saluted dramatically. "No promises."
Quinn winked. "We'll be sweet. Terrifyingly charming."
"Mostly terrifying," Liam muttered.
Quinn pointed at him. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you."
---
We stepped into the hallway, and the chill air immediately brushed my arms. The leaves outside tapped lightly against the windows, like someone knocking gently, persistently.
For a second, my reflection in the glass seemed off — maybe the lighting, maybe my imagination — but it looked like someone stood behind me.
I blinked, and it vanished.
Great. Ghost case and paranoia combo pack. Very healthy.
--
We made our way to the campus café, the hub of caffeine and secrets.
Steam fogged the windows, chatter filled the air, and the smell of espresso was both comforting and energizing. Students sat hunched over laptops, group projects scattered, someone crying quietly over accounting problems in the corner — normal college things.
Quinn nudged me. "Alright, detective buddy. Who do we hunt first?"
There was a cluster of architecture students near the back — the ones always doing late projects. Perfect.
I approached with a smile. "Hi! Sorry to interrupt — can I ask you guys something weird?"
The one with round glasses looked up. "If it's about love advice, we charge snacks."
I blinked. "I… respect that."
"But no," Quinn grinned, leaning forward on the table dramatically. "We are seeking ghost tea."
Silence.
Then one girl shivered. "You mean the east wing rumor?"
Bingo.
Round–glasses guy frowned. "We study there a lot. Why? Something happen?"
Quinn inhaled theatrically. "We are but humble investigators–"
I covered her mouth. "We're just curious. We heard someone saw a woman in Victorian clothing there."
They exchanged glances.
The girl leaned closer, voice low. "We didn't see a woman. But we heard something."
"What kind?" I asked.
She swallowed. "Footsteps. Dragging. Like someone limping."
Round–glasses nodded. "And humming. Very faint. Like an old lullaby."
I felt my pulse in my throat.
Quinn whispered, "Oh I hate that. Like I deeply hate that."
I breathed slowly. Don't show fear. Just note it.
"Anyone actually *see* anything?" I asked.
The boy shook his head. "Never. But every time we hear it, lights flicker."
"So you stopped studying there?" Quinn asked hopefully.
"Uh, no?" he blinked. "We have deadlines."
College priorities. Fair.
Another girl, sketching quietly, suddenly spoke without looking up.
"There used to be a wing extension plan. The administration cancelled it overnight a few years ago. No announcement. Just… gone."
"Why?" I asked, leaning forward.
She shrugged. "Rumor says they found something underground when they dug."
Found… something.
Quinn mouthed "plot twist" at me.
But then the soft–spoken girl added, quieter,
"My cousin graduated here. She said a student went missing from that area long ago but the school buried it."
Silence dropped heavy like dust.
Round–glasses sighed. "Look — maybe it's nothing. But don't go there alone, okay?"
I nodded. "We won't."
We thanked them and stepped out.
Quinn exhaled once we were out of earshot. "Okay, so I'm officially concerned."
I rubbed my arms. "Same."
We returned to find Dorielle and Rhea surrounded by printed papers, tabs open everywhere, a digital archive pulled up like they hacked a small government (they didn't… probably).
Liam saw us walk in and pointed. "Ah, the social butterflies have returned! Did you collect ghost gossip?"
Quinn poked his forehead. "You will address us as intelligence operatives."
He swatted her hand gently.
I leaned beside Dorielle. "Find anything?"
She slid a paper toward me.
> *Campus Record — Term: 3 years ago*
> *Incident: Student disappearance (unconfirmed)*
> Name redacted due to privacy request
> Last reported location: East academic wing
> Internal review requested — denied
And below, Rhea's handwriting:
*Campus expansion halted same year. Excavation logs missing.*
I stared. "This… looks serious."
Rhea nodded, expression stern. "Whatever happened wasn't just a rumor. The school suppressed it."
Theo whistled low. "Okay. Now this is giving… corruption thriller vibes."
Liam drummed his fingers. "So what's next? We watch the area tonight, right?"
Quinn saluted. "Night patrol squad assemble!"
I sat slowly, letting the weight of everything settle.
A missing student.
A cancelled expansion.
Whispers. Notes. Fear in students' eyes.
"Questions," I murmured, half to myself:
* What did they find under the east wing?
* Why hide a disappearance?
* Who left us the warning note?
And then another quieter one:
* Why do I feel like we're being led into this?
Dorielle closed her notebook gently. "We go tonight. But we stay together."
Rhea nodded. "We follow rules. No one separates."
Theo snorted. "Please. I glue myself to groups in haunted vibes."
Quinn leaned back dramatically. "I'll bring salt. For vibes and fries."
Liam rolled his shoulders. "Flashlights, power banks, walkie app. Standard ghost–hunting protocol."
We all stared at him.
He shrugged. "What? I watch paranormal YouTubers."
I smiled despite myself.
Fear was here — but so was excitement.
Nervous curiosity.
A strange thrill.
"You know," I whispered, "I used to think rumors were just noise."
Quinn nudged me. "And now?"
"Now they feel like… warnings. Like echoes someone hopes we hear."
Silence wrapped around us.
Not scary — thoughtful.
Then Rhea whispered, almost like a promise:
"We'll find the truth. No matter what it is."
Everyone nodded.
And I felt it again — stronger this time.
Tonight we prepared the plan sheet. Checked our bags. Set alarms. Group chat pinged every two minutes because Quinn kept sending ghost memes.
And as the sun dipped outside, painting the campus orange and purple…
Something inside me shifted.
Not fear.
Not dread.
Anticipation.
The kind that comes before answers reveal themselves.
Or before danger steps out of the dark.
Tonight we enter the east wing.
Not as students chasing rumors —
but as a team chasing truth.
Whether haunted by ghosts or secrets…
We were going to find it out.
Together.