Lynn woke the next morning with a sense of unease still clinging to her. The strange occurrences at school had left her restless, and her curiosity had only fueled her desire to investigate. With a determined resolve, she set out for Sweet Amoris, eager to uncover what was behind the unsettling phenomena.

At school, she immediately noticed the atmosphere was different. The students, while still chattering and moving about, seemed to be more subdued, as if they were all waiting for something to happen. She noticed Amber and her posse looking unusually nervous. The brunette took note but kept her focus on her own mission.  Ever since that strange morning in the cafeteria, these odd events had continued to unfold around Sweet Amoris High: utensils floating midair, books tumbling off shelves without warning, windows rattling despite the calm weather outside. Each time, Mattie was nearby. She didn’t want to believe it. This was reality, not some sci-fi show on a random Wednesday night. But the pattern was becoming harder to ignore.

In the days that followed, Lynn's curiosity grew into a quiet obsession. She noticed more and more that the strange phenomena seemed to occur whenever Mattie was close by. At first, she dismissed it as a coincidence. But as the incidents became more frequent, she couldn’t help but feel that there was something more to it... something that demanded an explanation.

However, investigating Mattie directly felt risky. He was quiet, a bit odd, but also... unpredictable. She needed to gather more information without raising suspicions, and there was only one place she could think of that might hold some answers: the teacher’s lounge. If there was any place in the school where staff might discuss unusual occurrences, it would be there. But gaining access was another matter entirely.

Nathaniel, the studious and by-the-book student body president, had a key to the lounge. Normally, Lynn would have asked him for help, but he’d been swamped with school council duties lately, and she didn’t want to burden him with her half-baked theories. Plus, she knew Nathaniel well enough to realize that he wouldn’t entertain the idea without hard evidence.

That left her with one unappealing option: Peggy.

Peggy was the school's resident journalist: a bulldog when it came to sniffing out stories, and someone Lynn preferred to avoid if possible. But Peggy had ways of getting into places she wasn’t supposed to, and if Lynn was going to find anything, she needed access to the teacher’s lounge. Resigning herself to the inevitable, she approached Peggy during lunch.

"What do you want, Lynn?" Peggy asked, her tone tinged with suspicion as she stuffed a notebook into her bag.

Lynn shifted uncomfortably. "I need a favor."

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "A favor? From me?"

Lynn grimaced. "I know, I know. But this is important. I need to get into the teacher’s lounge."

Peggy’s eyes lit up with interest. "And why would you need to do that? It’s not like you’re the type to go snooping around without a good reason."

Lynn hesitated. She couldn’t tell Peggy the truth – not without risking her sticking her nose in even deeper.
"I just… heard some teachers talking about weird stuff, and I want to check if there’s anything to it."

Peggy looked at her skeptically. "Weird stuff, huh? That’s vague, even for you."

Lynn scrambled for something plausible. "I overheard Mr. Faraize mention some kind of report about upcoming activities at school. I thought it might be worth looking into."

Peggy narrowed her eyes, but then she shrugged. "Fine, but I want to see whatever you find. Deal?"

Lynn nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt for the half-truth. "Deal."

True to her reputation, Peggy managed to get them both into the teacher’s lounge that afternoon. Lynn’s heart raced as she slipped inside, scanning the room for anything that might give her a lead. It was an ordinary staff room at first glance; coffee cups, newspapers, and the usual clutter. But then she spotted a folder on a side table, partially hidden under a stack of papers. The label on the folder read: "Supernatural Activity Report."

Lynn’s pulse quickened as she reached for it, careful not to disturb the surrounding mess. She opened the folder, skimming the contents rapidly. It was a collection of notes and observations, written in hurried, almost frantic handwriting. Mentions of unexplained phenomena, strange programs, and, just for a moment, Lynn saw a name: "Vought International."

Before she could delve deeper, she heard footsteps approaching. Panicking, she hastily shoved the folder back into place and motioned for Peggy, who was busy rifling through some other documents. They barely managed to slip out of the lounge just as a teacher entered, none the wiser.

Lynn had only gotten a glimpse, but that was enough. Outside, she tried to calm her racing heart... not noticing they almost collided with Mattie, who was idly strolling through the hallway. He gave them both a friendly wave, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Lynn! Peggy." he greeted casually, as if nothing was amiss.

Lynn forced a smile back, her mind still reeling from what she had just uncovered. "Hey, Mattie."

Mattie's expression remained as placid as ever, but as she and Peggy walked away, Lynn couldn't help but feel that his gaze lingered on them a bit too long. She turned back, but by then, Mattie was already walking away.

Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed where he was heading: straight toward Kentin. The two of them exchanged a few quiet words, standing close enough that their conversation was clearly familiar, maybe even intimate. Lynn paused, watching them from a distance, trying to piece together what she was seeing. Mattie and Kentin? She couldn’t remember them being friends before.

Kentin’s posture was stiff, his expression serious in a way that didn’t match Kentin. It was like a mask had slipped for just a moment, revealing something darker, more troubled underneath. But whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Kentin nodded at something Mattie said, his usual carefree grin returning, but Lynn didn’t miss the tension that lingered in his shoulders.

As Mattie walked away, Lynn's eyes bore into Kentin's from across the hall. He smiled at her, but there was something off about it, something that made her stomach knot. Before she could think to approach him, he turned and walked off in the opposite direction, leaving her with more questions than answers.

Gym class was the last place Lynn expected to gather more clues, but with everything that had been happening lately, she kept her guard up. Today, the lesson was gymnastics, and the gym was alive with the sounds of sneakers squeaking on polished floors, the rhythmic thud of bodies hitting mats, and Mr. Boris’s booming voice guiding the students through their routines.

Lynn found herself partnered with Castiel and Lysander, an unusual but welcome change. Castiel was typically too cool for group activities, but today, he seemed more engaged, offering Lynn a hand as she practiced a balance beam routine.

"Try not to fall, Sherlock." Castiel teased, his trademark smirk in place.

Lynn rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help a small smile. "I’ll do my best, Watson."

Nearby, Lysander was stretching. He caught Lynn’s eye and gave her an encouraging nod. There was something about Lysander that always put her at ease, a steadying presence in contrast to Castiel’s fiery energy.

As she mounted the beam, trying to focus on her balance, her mind wandered back to the events of the past few days. The strange phenomena, the Supernatural Activity Report, the mention of Vought International... pieces of a puzzle that she couldn’t quite fit together. What the heck was Vought International? And then there was Mattie, whose presence seemed to coincide with every strange occurrence. And Kentin… something was going on with him, something that Lynn couldn’t shake.

Just as she was about to attempt a turn, a loud crash echoed through the gym, followed by a strangled gasp. Lynn wobbled, nearly losing her balance, as she turned toward the source of the noise. Across the gym, Kentin was on the floor, clutching his head, his expression twisted in agony.

"Kentin!" Lynn called out, jumping off the beam and rushing toward him, but before she could get close, Mattie was already there, kneeling beside him.

"It’s okay! I’ve got him!" Mattie's voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp, focused. "He just needs some air."

Mr. Boris hurried over, concern etched on his face. "What happened? Is he hurt?"

Eric glanced up, his expression unreadable. "He’s having a panic attack. It came out of nowhere. I’ll take him to the nurse."

The gym was silent as everyone watched Mattie help Kentin to his feet. Kentin’s face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead, and he was breathing heavily, his eyes darting around as if searching for something, someone. But when his gaze met Lynn’s, there was a flash of recognition, followed by something like shame, before he quickly looked away.

Lynn’s stomach twisted in knots. This wasn’t right. Kentin didn’t get panic attacks... at least, not the Kentin she knew. There was more to this, she was certain of it. But before she could move, Castiel’s hand landed on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Let them go." he said quietly, his tone uncharacteristically serious.

Lynn wanted to argue, but something in Castiel’s eyes told her not to push it – especially when Castiel usually didn't get along with the military boy. She watched helplessly as Mattie led Kentin out of the gym, their figures disappearing through the door. The room buzzed with murmurs, students exchanging concerned looks, but Boris quickly regained control, instructing everyone to continue their exercises.

But Lynn’s mind was far from gymnastics now. All she could think about was Kentin’s face, the way he had looked at her, like he was scared, not of what was happening to him, but of something, or someone else. And the way Mattie had so calmly taken charge, as if this was something he had dealt with before.

As she returned to her spot, her mind raced. Whatever had just happened, it was no ordinary panic attack. She didn’t believe Mattie's explanation for a second. There was something darker at play, something connected to the strange events she had been investigating.

"Lynn, you good?" Castiel’s voice broke through her thoughts.

She looked up at him, nodding absently. "Yeah, I’m fine."

But she wasn’t fine. None of this was fine. And as much as she hated to admit it, she needed to get to the bottom of it before something even worse happened. She would have to be more careful, more methodical. But first, she needed to talk to Kentin... alone, without Mattie hovering around.

For now, though, all she could do was watch and wait, her mind already spinning with the possibilities. Something was wrong with Kentin, and if she was going to help him, she needed to figure out what it was...