After the rooftop discussion, Jayce walked down the hallway, eyes scanning for the next candidate.
"Ryan!" he called.
A boy with messy hair and thick glasses looked up, grinning. "Hey, Jayce! Look what I bought!"
He held up a small box with a Pokémon figure inside, carefully showing it off.
"Cool stuff," Jayce said, nodding.
Ryan's eyes lit up with excitement. "Tonight. I'm gonna unbox this and finally get Arceus!"
Jayce smiled faintly. "Well… I support you, man. So, um… how about you follow me… I mean, after school?"
Ryan adjusted his glasses, curiosity piqued. "Where are we going?"
"To my hideout," Jayce said, keeping his tone casual but serious.
Ryan's grin widened. "Cool… that's cool, dude…"
(Okay… he's perfect. Believes in the weird stuff, enthusiastic… he'll buy it when I frame this right…) Jayce thought, feeling the plan start to come together.
After school, Jayce and Ryan walked down the sidewalk, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the school grounds.
Ryan adjusted his glasses nervously, glancing at the crowd around them. "Where are we going… and why are they here? Are they…?"
Jayce shot him a quick glance, keeping his voice low but firm. "They're coming with us."
Ryan's eyes widened. "And… where?"
Tiffany stepped forward, walking beside Lila, her expression serious but calm. "Not here. In the hideout—we'll explain everything there."
(Good… keep it controlled. Can't risk anyone hearing or seeing too much…) Jayce thought, glancing at Ryan.
Ryan swallowed hard, excitement and unease mixing on his face. "Okay… I guess… let's go then."
Lila hung back slightly, eyes darting around nervously. (Something's wrong… I can feel it…) she thought.
Jayce led the group down the quiet streets, every step bringing them closer to the hideout and closer to a truth none of them were fully ready for.
The group turned down a narrow alley, hidden from the main street. At the end stood a small, inconspicuous building, its paint chipped and windows dusty. Jayce pushed the door open, revealing the hideout inside.
The room smelled faintly of old books and faint pine cleaner. Shelves lined the walls, filled with stacks of notebooks, odd gadgets, and a few computer monitors humming quietly. A large map of Grayhaven was pinned to the far wall, pins and strings marking various locations across town.
Jayce gestured for everyone to step in. "This is it… our hideout."
Ryan's eyes widened, taking in every detail at once. "Whoa! Dude! You have like, maps and computers and oh my gosh, are those like traps or sensors? Wait, is that a night vision camera? And… and what is that board? Oh man, this is insane!"
Jayce tried to maintain a straight face. (Calm down, focus. He'll talk too much if I let him go on.)
Tiffany raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "You always talk this much?"
Ryan waved his hands, oblivious to her tone. "What? No! Okay maybe a little… but this is awesome! I mean, look at all this stuff! Do you guys… do you guys really plan to like… fight monsters here? Is that why you dragged me here?"
Jayce nodded slowly, keeping his expression serious. "Something like that."
Ryan's eyes widened. "What do you mean, something like that?"
Jayce glanced at Tiffany for backup. She met his gaze, calm and steady. "We are fighting a monster… just like you said," Tiffany confirmed.
Ryan's jaw dropped. "Monster?"
Jayce nodded again. "Not just a monster… a big monster."
Ryan went silent for a moment, processing the words. The air grew heavy. Lila shifted nervously, glancing at Jayce and Tiffany. "Look… guys, I think he…" she began, voice trembling slightly.
Then Ryan suddenly shouted, jumping in place. "I knew it! I knew it! Aliens and monsters are real!!"
The words echoed through the small hideout. Lila, Tiffany, and Jayce all stared at him, their expressions a mix of surprise, concern, and disbelief.
Lila swallowed hard, her stomach twisting. (Wait… he actually believes what we're saying?) she thought.
She took a cautious step forward. "… You believe what we say?"
Ryan's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Of course I do! I mean… this is exactly what I've been saying all along! Finally, someone gets it! Monsters, aliens, creepy stuff… I knew it wasn't just stories!"
Jayce rubbed the back of his neck, trying to suppress a small smile. (Perfect… he's exactly the kind of person we need, believes without question, ready to jump into the unknown.)
Tiffany crossed her arms, eyes narrowing slightly, but a hint of amusement flickered across her face. (Well… at least he's enthusiastic. That could be useful… or completely chaotic.)
Lila gulped again, feeling the energy in the room spike.
Jayce took a deep breath, motioning for everyone to settle down. Ryan bounced in place, barely able to keep still. Lila shifted nervously, and Tiffany leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Alright," Jayce began, voice steady. "I need to explain something very important. Something dangerous. And you need to take it seriously."
Ryan's eyes widened. "Dangerous? Dude… you've got my full attention!"
Jayce ignored the enthusiasm and continued. "There's a monster. Its name… is the Grinner."
Ryan blinked, glasses slipping down his nose. "The Grinner? Sounds like a comic villain…"
"It's real," Jayce said firmly. "And it's not just any monster. It feeds on fear. The more scared you are, the stronger it gets. It can manipulate what you see, what you hear, even your memories. It can make you doubt yourself… make you question what's real. And it's fast, unnaturally fast. Hard to kill. Hard to trap. Hard to even see sometimes."
Ryan's mouth fell open, but he didn't speak. He was processing.
"So… we can't just fight it with sticks or guns?" Ryan finally asked, voice trembling slightly with excitement and fear.
"No," Jayce said. "We can't. That's why we have the relic."
Ryan tilted his head. "The relic?"
"Yes," Jayce said, walking over to the large map pinned on the wall. He pointed at several marked locations. "This relic was created to seal the Grinner, to stop it. But sealing isn't enough anymore, we need five people to activate it at the same time to destroy it completely. Each of the five has to… be a certain type of person. Candidates. People who can face their fears, who can stand together."
Lila's eyes widened. (Five… candidates? That's… us.)
"Right now, Tiffany, Lila, and Noah are already confirmed," Jayce continued. "The fourth is someone we need to recruit carefully… and the fifth is critical. That person has to be willing to fight, to trust the others, and to stand up when fear hits."
Ryan's hands fidgeted nervously. "And I'm supposed to… do what exactly? Face this thing?"
Jayce nodded slowly. "Exactly. You're one of the five. You'll need to be ready, believe in what we're doing, and not let fear control you. Because the Grinner… it will try. It will see what scares you, and it will use it."
Ryan's grin returned, a mix of excitement and adrenaline. "Whoa… this is insane! I mean… I've always believed weird stuff was real… but this… this is next-level! Count me in, dude!"
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity. "Wait… if I am the fourth, then who is the fifth candidate? Isn't it… you?"
Jayce shook his head slowly. "It's not me… it should be someone else."
Ryan tilted his head, adjusting his glasses. "Who could it be…?"
Jayce glanced at Tiffany briefly, then back at Ryan. "You know… here… Samantha."
Ryan's eyes went wide, his voice rising in disbelief. "Samantha? H-Hedder… that Samantha?"
Jayce nodded, expression serious. "Yeah… that Samantha."
Ryan's jaw dropped. "Whoa… okay… she's… she's perfect for it though, right? Smart, brave… maybe a little stubborn…"
(Perfect… she fits the last slot, exactly the kind of person who can handle it…) Jayce thought, already planning how to approach her.
Tiffany crossed her arms, leaning against the wall, her sharp blue eyes narrowing. (Let's just hope this goes smoothly… we don't have time for mistakes.)
Lila fidgeted beside Ryan, whispering under her breath. (Samantha…)
Ryan bounced slightly in excitement, barely able to contain himself. "This is gonna be epic! Monsters, relics, candidates… we're like a real-life team of heroes or something!"
Jayce couldn't help but let a small smirk escape. (Exactly… but if we screw this up, none of us make it.)
To be continue