Chapter 1
The lights were low, the music was just loud enough to drown out any awkward silences, and the scent of popcorn, vanilla candles, and someone’s overly ambitious cologne filled Elora’s living room. Fairy lights twisted across the ceiling beams, casting a soft glow on the group gathered on blankets and beanbags spread across the hardwood floor.
Elora, in her usual artsy fashion, had set the scene like it was straight out of one of the fanfics she obsessed over. There were hand-lettered signs pointing to the “Snack Zone,” “Photo Booth,” and—because she was Elora—“Emotional Support Book Nook.” Kenzie was already curled up in that exact nook, munching on sour candy and showing Madilyn a screenshot of some new book she’d found on Goodreads.
Madilyn leaned over, her red hair brushing Kenzie’s shoulder. “Okay, this one actually looks good. But if it has a love triangle, I’m out.”
“You say that every time,” Kenzie said, grinning. “And yet…”
Ben flopped down dramatically next to them. “Did someone say love triangle? Because I volunteer as tribute.”
“Ben,” Madilyn warned with a laugh, nudging him with her foot, “if you flirt with one more person tonight—”
“Relax,” Ben said with a wink. “I’m an equal opportunity flirt. It’s a gift.”
Jesse appeared behind them, offering Madilyn a soda and raising a brow at Ben. “Should I be worried?”
Madilyn rolled her eyes, but smiled. “You should always be worried. He’s relentless.”
Across the room, Karlie was mid-laugh, her hand over her mouth as Chloe recounted some wild story about a horse throwing a fit during practice. Landon stood behind her, nodding along and clearly loving every second of being Chloe’s biggest fan.
Karlie leaned in, brushing her hair back. “This is actually so fun. Elora, you need to host stuff like this more often.”
Elora beamed, her cheeks pink. “Next time it’ll be a full-on theme night. Pajamas and plot twists.”
“Or horror night,” Kenzie chimed in from the corner. “Mom just made me listen to another true crime podcast while we cleaned. I’m basically a detective now.”
“Let’s not bring that energy here,” Karlie said, crossing herself with a laugh. “I’m here to have fun and not get murdered, thanks.”
“Oh come on,” Ben said, stretching. “What’s a party without at least one creepy moment? Someone says Bloody Mary in the mirror or something.”
“Do not jinx it,” Elora said, her tone playful but firm. “This house is old. It creaks. I refuse to summon anything.”
Madilyn laughed nervously. “Yeah, no thanks. This is not turning into a horror movie.”
But somewhere in the background, the wind rustled the trees just a little too hard against the windows.
Kenzie looked up. “Did anyone else hear that?”
