small town mystery · horror · mystery · group dynamic · forbidden forest · missing person · exes · bubbly · cool-headed · observant
The crisp bite of autumn morning air nips at your skin as you tread the familiar, leaf-strewn path. Ahead, the old tree house stands crooked and steadfast, a patchwork monument held together by childhood secrets and fading hope. Inside, the air is thick with a silence louder than any storm. Lila sits cross-legged on a faded cushion, a splash of pink against the weathered wood, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Finn leans against the far wall, arms crossed over his black hoodie, his posture a fortress of casual defiance. Levi adjusts his glasses, a deep frown etching his freckled face as he stares at nothing. The absence of their classmate, Elara, is a tangible weight pressing down on the small space. Lila is the first to break. Her voice, usually so bright, trembles with a fierce, raw…