We opened the door slowly.
The girl stepped inside without saying a word. Her boots were muddy, and her hoodie was soaked with light rain. She looked around the living room like she'd been here before—even though we had never seen her in our lives.
"I'm Mira," she said finally. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp. Watching us. Measuring us.
Felix frowned. "How do you know about this house?"
Mira pulled down her hood. Her face was tired, but strong. "My father used to come here. He was part of the Circle too. Before he disappeared."
James narrowed his eyes. "Disappeared?"
Mira nodded. "One day he left and never came back. No note. No goodbye. Just… gone. But he left me this," she held up her pendant, "and said, 'One day, you'll find the others. Help them—if they can be trusted.'"
That last part hit hard.
"If we can be trusted?" I repeated, crossing my arms.
"I'm not here to make friends," Mira said simply. "I'm here to stop what's coming. My father said this mission could destroy us all if it ends up in the wrong hands. So, before we work together... I need proof that you're not the wrong hands."
The room went quiet again.
Felix stood. "Then come with us. See it for yourself. The tunnel, the traps, the door."
Mira didn't move at first. Then she slowly nodded. "Alright. But I have one rule."
We all stared.
"No secrets. If we do this, we tell the truth. Even the parts that hurt."
Her eyes locked onto Felix.
And for just a second—just one—I saw him flinch.
We led Mira back to the attic.
The air was still thick with dust from the collapse. Pieces of wood were scattered across the floor, and the hidden tunnel entrance was cracked open just enough to see the damage below.
"Careful," I warned as I lifted the broken floorboard. "It's not stable anymore."
Mira stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she looked into the darkness. Then she crouched and ran her fingers along the edge of the broken stairs. Quiet. Focused.
Felix pointed to the edge of the hole. "We almost didn't make it out. The whole tunnel started falling apart once we got to the door."
Mira didn't say anything at first.
Then she whispered, "It was a timed collapse. Designed to erase the path behind you. Whoever built this… didn't want anyone turning back."
James blinked. "You can tell that just from looking?"
She nodded. "My dad taught me. He helped design escape tunnels and traps for the Circle during the last war. I used to study them with him... before he disappeared."
Mira reached into her bag and pulled out a small scanner. "This can detect energy signatures left by old tech—like sensors, traps, or hidden doors."
We watched as the scanner blinked green, then red, then green again.
"Here," she said, pointing to the right side of the tunnel wall. "There's another path. It's sealed, but it's still active. Whatever's down there… hasn't been touched yet."
Felix leaned in. "Can you open it?"
Mira gave a small smile. "Maybe. But I'll need tools, and time. This isn't something I can rush."
I looked at the scanner, then at the broken tunnel.
There was another way.
Another secret.
Another test.
And Mira wasn't just another lost kid with a pendant—she was trained, smart, and maybe… the only one who could unlock the next part of the mission.
We were still in the attic, gathered around the edge of the broken tunnel.
Mira was kneeling, working quietly with her scanner. James leaned against the wall, arms crossed, trying to stay calm. Felix scribbled notes from the journal, whispering to himself.
I couldn't take it anymore.
"Are we the only ones who don't know anything about this?" I snapped, louder than I meant to. "Because it feels like everyone else has a plan—except us."
James looked up at me, surprised.
But I wasn't done.
I turned fully toward him. "Seriously, James. Do you ever wonder if maybe… we're the outsiders in this? The ones left out while the rest of them play some secret game?"
He didn't answer right away.
Felix looked up, but stayed silent. Mira didn't even pause—just kept working.
James finally sighed. "I wonder that every day."
I blinked. I wasn't expecting him to admit it.
He looked at me, honest and tired. "Dad never told me anything. Not about the Circle, not about the Vault, not even why he disappeared. I'm just as lost as you are."
Mira glanced up then, her voice quiet but sharp. "You think you're lost? At least your house didn't explode after your dad vanished."
Everyone froze.
Mira looked back at her scanner. "We all have missing pieces. The point of this mission is to put them together."
I sat down on the attic floor, suddenly exhausted.
"Then let's start finding the pieces."
The attic went quiet again, just the soft beeping of Mira's scanner filling the air.
I leaned back against the wall, eyes closed.
And suddenly, it hit me.
A smell.
Burnt metal. Old wood. And... lavender?
Flash.
I was six.
I was in my father's study—the one he never let anyone enter. But that day, the door had been left open just a crack.
I slipped in.
The room was warm, lit by soft yellow lamps. Papers were scattered everywhere. Books stacked high. Maps on the walls—marked with red ink, strange symbols I couldn't read.
But one thing stood out.
A photo.
My dad, Felix's dad, and… a woman I didn't recognize. Standing in front of a strange round door—exactly like the one in the tunnel.
They looked serious. Tired. But strong. Like they had just come out of something big.
Then I heard footsteps behind me.
My dad's voice.
"Rosa," he said gently. "You can't be in here."
I turned, wide-eyed. "Why are you in that photo?"
He smiled—but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Because I had to protect something. And one day, you might have to, too."
He knelt down beside me and placed something in my hand. A small metal charm shaped like a circle within a triangle.
"This is your piece," he said. "Keep it safe. One day it will matter."
Flash.
I opened my eyes. Gasped.
"Wait," I whispered.
Everyone turned.
"I remember something. A photo. My dad was there—with yours, Felix. And someone else. They were standing in front of the Vault door."
Felix stepped closer. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. And he gave me something. A charm. A metal one. It's still in my jewelry box—back home."
Mira looked interested for the first time. "Bring it. That symbol might match the seal on the second tunnel."
I stood quickly. "Then let's go."
The past wasn't just chasing us anymore.
It was calling us back.
We didn't waste time.
As soon as we left the attic, the air in the house felt heavier—like something had changed. Like the mission had truly begun.
We walked quickly to my room. Mira stayed close, watching everything with sharp eyes. Felix was quiet, deep in thought. James looked nervous, but determined.
I opened my old jewelry box. Dust floated up in the sunlight.
At the very bottom—under tangled earrings and faded friendship bracelets—was the charm.
Small. Silver. Cold.
A circle inside a triangle.
Exactly as I remembered.
I held it in my palm and stared.
"How could I forget this?" I whispered. "It's been with me the whole time."
James stepped closer. "Maybe you weren't supposed to remember… until now."
Mira reached for it, but paused. "May I?"
I handed it to her.
She turned it over. On the back, something was engraved.
"To R.A. — The one who will open what we sealed."
Felix froze. "R.A… Rosa A— That's you."
I felt my breath catch.
They had planned for this.
All along.
I was part of it—just like them. I wasn't just here by accident.
I was meant to be here.
Mira slipped the charm into a small reader attached to her scanner. The screen lit up and buzzed once.
Beep. MATCH FOUND.
"This will unlock the second tunnel," Mira said. "Your dad left it as a key."
James smiled weakly. "Now we just need to find the fifth person."
Mira frowned. "There's only one pendant left unaccounted for. And only one name I know connected to the original Circle who hasn't shown up yet."
"Who?" I asked.
She looked up at us.
"Elias."
Felix's face went pale.
"Elias is… gone. He disappeared two years ago after a fire in the old archives."
Mira met his eyes. "Or he didn't want to be found."
"Who is Elias?" I asked, my voice firm.
Everyone turned to look at me.
Felix hesitated, then sat down on the edge of my bed, eyes heavy like he'd been holding this in for too long.
"He was one of us," Felix said finally. "Well... not exactly one of us. More like... a shadow. Someone who was always nearby but never really let us in."
James nodded. "He was the quiet one. Always reading, always watching. His dad worked with ours. He knew things—more than we ever did."
Mira added, "He's the son of Dr. Elias Harrow. One of the original five who built the Vault system. His father vanished after a mission went wrong. And then Elias just... disappeared too. Burned records. No goodbye. Just gone."
I looked at the charm in my hand, a chill running down my spine. "Why would he leave?"
Felix met my eyes. "Because he found something. Something that scared him."
Mira folded her arms. "Or maybe something that tempted him."
I shook my head. "So he could be working against us?"
"No one knows," Felix said. "That's the problem. Elias always walked the line between ally and enemy."
James stood. "And if he really is the last one with a pendant…"
"Then we need him," I said.
Mira gave a slow, careful nod. "We do. But if we go looking for him, we have to be ready—for anything."
Silence settled over the room again.
Who was Elias, really?
A friend we lost?
Or the storm waiting at the end of this mission?
I narrowed my eyes, something twisting in my chest. Something that didn't quite add up.
"Wait... wait... Felix," I said, stepping closer. "Do you know Mira from the beginning?"
Felix blinked. "What?"
"You didn't ask who she was when she showed up," I said slowly. "You didn't seem surprised. You didn't even act like she was a stranger."
Felix opened his mouth, but I didn't stop.
"And James knew who Elias was right away. But not Mira. That makes no sense. How does he remember one ghost from the past and not the girl standing in the room?"
James turned toward Felix too. "She's right. How do you know her?"
Mira looked between us, then fixed her eyes on Felix.
"Go ahead," she said. "Tell them."
Felix sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't trying to hide anything. I just… didn't know how to explain it."
"Try," I said firmly.
He looked straight at me. "I met Mira six months ago."
"What?"
"She found me," he continued. "She said she was looking for answers about her dad, and that she thought I had them. I didn't believe her at first, but... she knew things. About the Vault. About my father. About the Circle. Stuff I had never told anyone."
"And you didn't think to tell us?" James asked, his voice sharp now.
Felix shook his head. "I didn't want to put you in danger. Mira wasn't sure who she could trust. Neither was I."
I looked at Mira. "So you've been in this longer than any of us?"
Mira nodded. "I was trained for this. I just didn't know who would survive long enough to join me."
"Join you?" I repeated.
Mira stepped closer, serious. "This mission didn't start today. It started years ago. And only now are the pieces moving into place."
I stared at both of them, heart racing.
So much had happened.
And yet… I still didn't know who was really on my side.