Chapter 2 The Whisper of Secrets

The box sat on Ethan's desk, taunting him. He'd tried prying it open with a screwdriver, but the lock held firm. The symbol on the lid seemed to pulse in the dim light of his room, though he told himself it was just his imagination. By morning, he was obsessed. He stuffed the box into his backpack and headed to school, determined to figure it out.Marcus caught up with him at the bike racks. "You look like you saw a ghost, man."Ethan hesitated, then showed Marcus the box during lunch, hidden behind the bleachers. Marcus traced the symbol with his finger. "This is weird.

Looks old, like some Indiana Jones crap.""Think it's worth anything?" Ethan asked."Only one way to find out. Let's hit the library after school. Mrs. Kessler knows everything about this town."The library was a dusty relic, its shelves packed with books no one read. Mrs. Kessler, the librarian, peered over her glasses when Ethan showed her the symbol. "Hmm. Looks like something from the old mill days. Willow Creek used to be a hub for odd folks-trappers, prospectors, even some cult types. Never seen this exact mark, though."Ethan's stomach twisted. Cult types? That wasn't the answer he expected. Mrs. Kessler handed him a book on local history, but it was a dead end-no mention of the symbol. Still, Ethan felt like he was onto something.That evening, he biked to the abandoned mill on the edge of town, a crumbling skeleton of brick and steel. The box felt heavier in his bag, like it knew where they were going. Inside the mill, the air was thick with mildew. Ethan's flashlight beam caught something on the wall-a faint carving of the same symbol. Below it, scratched into the brick, were the words: Find the key where shadows meet."Shadows meet?" Ethan muttered. He scanned the room, his heart racing. A rusty staircase led to a basement. Against his better judgment, he descended.The basement was a maze of crates and old machinery. In the corner, half-buried in dirt, was a small iron key. Ethan's hands shook as he picked it up. It fit the box perfectly.