24/4/2004
The road to Ashwood felt colder than the girls remembered.
A thick gray fog covered the narrow highway, swallowing the trees and streetlights. The further Eva, Nora, and Zoe traveled, the quieter the world became.
Even the wind sounded different here.
Ashwood was close.
None of them spoke for a long time.
Finally Nora broke the silence.
"Do you feel that?"
Eva looked out the car window.
"Yeah… like the city is watching us."
Zoe gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"Ashwood never forgets the people who come here."
The Restaurant
When they finally entered the town, night had already fallen.
Old street lamps flickered dimly, and most buildings looked half abandoned.
The girls didn't have a place to stay yet, so they stopped at a small restaurant near the town square.
A wooden sign above the door read:
"Blackwood Diner"
Inside, warm yellow lights glowed softly. The smell of coffee and grilled food filled the room.
It felt strangely normal compared to the darkness outside.
They sat at a corner table.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Finally Zoe whispered,
"This was one of Lana's favorite places."
Eva looked around the room slowly.
"She came here a lot?"
Nora nodded.
"Three times last month."
The waitress brought their food, but none of them were really hungry.
Eva pushed her plate slightly away.
"Everything reminds me of her."
Zoe's eyes filled with tears.
"I keep expecting her to walk through that door and say we're being dramatic."
Nora laughed weakly.
"Yeah… she would definitely say that."
But the laugh quickly turned into silence.
After dinner, the girls walked to the small cemetery at the edge of Ashwood.
The moon hung low above the trees.
The cold wind moved slowly through the graves.
They stopped in front of Lana's grave.
For a moment no one moved.
Eva knelt down first.
Her hands trembled as she touched the cold stone.
"Hey… Lana…"
Her voice cracked.
"We came back."
Zoe wiped her tears.
"We're sorry… we know you told us not to return."
Nora stepped closer, her eyes red.
"But we need answers."
Eva closed her eyes.
"You're not here with us anymore… and we can't just pretend everything is normal."
Tears rolled down her face.
"We promise you… we will find out what happened that night."
Zoe whispered softly,
"Whoever did this… we'll find them."
The wind blew stronger for a moment, moving the trees.
Almost like the night itself was listening.
Later that night the girls returned to the Blackwood Diner to ask questions.
Eva approached the waitress carefully.
"Excuse me… our friend used to come here a lot."
The waitress nodded.
"You mean Lana?"
The girls froze.
"You remember her?" Zoe asked.
"Of course," the waitress said.
"She always sat at table three."
Nora turned slowly.
At the far corner of the diner stood Table 3.
A small candle burned at the center.
And a small sign rested beside it.
Reserved – Table for Two
Eva's heart started beating faster.
"She came here alone?"
The waitress shook her head.
"No."
She leaned closer.
"She came with someone."
The girls exchanged nervous glances.
Eva whispered,
"Who?"
The waitress spoke quietly.
"A man named Julien Kane."
The name felt heavy in the air.
The New Mission.
Outside the diner, the cold night surrounded them again.
Zoe looked shocked.
"Lana never told us she was meeting someone."
Nora crossed her arms.
"Why hide it?"
Eva's eyes were sharp now.
"Because maybe that person is connected to her death."
Zoe took a deep breath.
"So what do we do?"
Eva looked toward the dark streets of Ashwood.
Her voice became determined.
"We find Julien Kane."
The fog moved slowly through the empty road.
Somewhere in the distance…
A tall figure walked through the shadows.
And none of the girls knew yet that their search had already begun.