Jake's house was the kind of place where everything felt warmer than it really was. Walls covered in old posters, shelves full of books and strange figurines, and a coffee table cluttered with tarot cards mixed in with pieces from an unfinished board game. In the air, the scent of cinnamon and something toasted.

  Everyone was barefoot—or almost. Jake had made them take off their shoes at the door, claiming that negative vibes didn't know how to enter without rubber soles.

  "House rule," he said while handing out mugs. "If you've got more anxiety than coffee, I'll splash in a bit of whiskey."

  "Just a splash, huh?" Vero laughed, curled up under a blanket.

  "A big splash," Jake corrected, and the group laughed, grateful for a rare bubble of lightness.

  Kali was sitting on the floor, back against the couch, a mug between her hands. Nicco nearby—close enough for their fingers to brush now and then. Dahlia had taken the big bean bag, next to Tobias. They shared a bowl of ginger cookies, not saying much, but exchanging soft, knowing glances from time to time.

  "So, what now? Shall we guess the future?" Jake asked, lifting a random tarot card. "Or something more classic?"

  "Dark Pictionary," Vero suggested. "You can only draw tragic stuff. Like 'my ex left me' or 'recurring dream of death.'"

  "Very on-trend lately," Tobias added dryly.

  Between laughter and makeshift games, Vero pulled out her camera with an excited smile.

  "Photos for the shared trauma archive! Come on, pretty faces," she said, turning on the camera as the others leaned in for snapshots.

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  But just as she took it out, something slipped from her bag. A small piece of metal tinkled softly as it hit the floor—almost unnoticed amid the laughter and movement.

  Dahlia and Nicco saw it. Almost at the same time. Their gazes dropped, subtle. And they both landed on the object lying there.

  An earring. But not just any earring. It was the one Viki wore the night of the party. The same one that caught the light with its lilac stones and asymmetrical shape. Unmistakable.

  They looked at each other briefly. No change in their expressions. No words. But they both knew what they had seen.

  Vero didn't notice. She was too focused on getting her shot.

  During the rest of the games, Nicco managed to move naturally around the room. At one point, when the lights were dimmed slightly for a flashlight shadow game, he picked up the earring using a folded napkin. Slipped it into his jacket pocket. Only Dahlia noticed.

  She said nothing. But her eyes followed him for a few seconds.

  They wouldn't talk about it yet. But they would. Later. With Kali. When they were alone.

  Almost an hour passed without anyone mentioning the word they were all avoiding. Until someone inevitably did.

  "What if Viki is...?" Vero started, then stopped. No one wanted to be the one to say what everyone feared.

  Kali lowered her gaze to her cup.

  "She's not. She can't be. I know her. Viki doesn't leave without saying goodbye."

  "But it's been days," Jake said, serious for the first time that night. "And no one knows anything."

  Silence dropped like a heavy blanket. Even the quiet music playing from Jake's phone suddenly felt sadder.

  "What if someone... made her go?" Dahlia murmured, her voice barely trembling. "What if it wasn't her choice?"

  Tobias leaned closer to her, as if he could shield her from the thought itself.

  "Whatever it is, we'll find her," he said. "We're not alone. There's a lot of us. And we want her back."

  "Alive," Nicco added, as if saying it more to himself than the others.

  The conversation didn't last much longer. They returned to the games, forced a few more laughs. But something in the atmosphere had shifted. A shadow—subtle, but present—that wouldn't go away.

  That night, no one said it aloud. But they all knew:

  The calm was temporary.

  And the fear... enduring.