"Ethan's father."
The words echoed in my head.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Ethan looked like he couldn't breathe.
"That's impossible."
Lucas didn't argue.
Didn't shout.
Didn't defend himself.
He simply watched us.
The way someone watches people discover a truth they aren't ready for.
"I thought that too," Lucas said quietly.
"You expect us to believe this note?" Ethan snapped.
His voice was shaking.
Not from anger.
From fear.
Lucas nodded.
"No. I expect you to remember."
Silence.
The lake behind us seemed darker now.
As though it had been waiting years for this moment.
"What happened that night?" I asked.
Lucas looked at me.
For a second, his eyes softened.
Then he spoke.
"It started with a meeting."
"A meeting?"
He nodded.
"Our parents were invited here."
Vanessa frowned.
"Why would business people meet at a summer camp?"
"Because nobody would suspect it."
The answer made my stomach twist.
Lucas continued.
"There were contracts."
"Deals."
"Land."
"Money."
"A lot of money."
Ethan looked confused.
"What does that have to do with us?"
Lucas laughed bitterly.
"Everything."
Then he pointed toward the lake.
"The children weren't supposed to hear anything."
A memory flashed through my mind.
Three children hiding behind a cabin.
Listening.
Watching.
Not understanding.
My head suddenly hurt.
I grabbed my temple.
And then...
Another memory surfaced.
Clearer this time.
I saw Ethan.
I saw Lucas.
I saw myself.
And I heard a voice.
A man's voice.
Angry.
Threatening.
Shouting.
Then the memory disappeared.
My breathing became uneven.
"I remember someone yelling."
Lucas nodded.
"Good."
"What were they yelling about?"
Lucas looked away.
Toward the forest.
Toward a place he clearly didn't want to remember.
Then he answered.
"They were arguing about a witness."
The wind stopped.
Every nerve in my body tightened.
"Witness to what?"
Lucas looked directly at me.
And for the first time...
I saw genuine fear in his eyes.
"To a death."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody could.
Vanessa's face had turned pale.
Ethan looked sick.
A death.
Not an accident.
Not a business dispute.
A death.
And somehow...
Children had become involved.
Then Lucas reached into his pocket again.
This time he pulled out a small key.
Old.
Rusty.
Worn by time.
"I buried something before I disappeared."
My heart raced.
"What?"
"A box."
"Where?"
He pointed into the woods.
"Under the oak tree."
The same oak tree from our childhood games.
The same tree we'd carved our initials into.
The same tree I'd dreamed about for years without knowing why.
Lucas's voice dropped.
"The answers are inside."
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Ethan started walking.
Fast.
Toward the woods.
Toward the tree.
Toward twenty years of buried secrets.
The rest of us followed.
Branches scratched at our clothes.
Leaves crunched beneath our feet.
Until finally...
We reached it.
The oak tree.
Still standing.
Still enormous.
Still watching over the camp.
Lucas knelt beside its roots.
His hands trembled as he began digging.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
Then—
CLANG.
Metal.
Everyone froze.
Lucas uncovered a small steel box.
Covered in dirt.
Covered in time.
Covered in secrets.
He lifted it carefully.
Inserted the key.
And turned it.
CLICK.
The lock opened.
Slowly...
Lucas lifted the lid.
And immediately went pale.
Completely pale.
"No..."
"What?" Ethan asked.
Lucas stared into the box.
His hands shook violently.
"It's gone."
My heart dropped.
"What do you mean gone?"
"The evidence."
Silence.
Cold.
Terrifying silence.
Then we heard it.
A voice.
From behind us.
A familiar voice.
A dangerous voice.
A voice none of us expected to hear there.
"Looking for this?"
We turned.
Standing beneath the trees...
Holding a folder in one hand...
Was Ethan's father.

What do you think is in the folder?
A. Proof of murder
B. Fake evidence
C. The original letters
D. Something even worse