I didn't open the envelope yet. For one, I'm too scared. I don't want to blow up or something. Two, I wasn't about to open it without telling my friends first.

But as I started walking towards the cafeteria, I began to wonder if I should tell them. The envelope is scaring me to death, but I don't want to spread that fear to them as well. Plus, if it's something that's meant for me, I don't want them to be a part of anything bad. That's not what a good friend does.

But, good friends always tell you when there's something wrong. They don't hide it or keep it a secret from you. What am I thinking? If there is someone after me, I should tell them. I'm sure they can keep it a secret until we figure something out.

But what if they don't? What if one of them calls us out? What would happen then?

I found our table at the back of the room. People were staring at me, but I wasn't bothered by it too much. The weird envelope was attracting all of my attention.

"Hey Aurora?" Mason asked.

Well, most of it.

"Hey, what's up?"

"It's your turn," Mason said, gesturing to the deck of cards in the middle of the table.

"Oh! Right, sorry."

"It's cool," Aiden said.

"What's wrong? You seem upset," Mason said.

"N-Nothing. Just daydreaming," I told her. It was an obvious lie.

"Are you sure?" Mason pressed. She knows something's up. What's the point in keeping it a secret now?

"Yeah," I nodded. "Everything's cool."

"Your turn, Kels," Aiden said. Kelsea sighed.

"This game is boring," she said.

"No it's not. You're just mad because you're losing," Ethan said. Kelsea's face reddened a little.

"No I'm not," she said through gritted teeth. She does have a lot of cards in her hand, which puts her behind everyone else. But, I've seen my dad go from twenty cards to just three in one go.

"Maybe she'll catch up," I suggested. Woah, did I just encourage her?

"Yeah, maybe. If she plays them correctly," Mason agreed. Kelsea rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she puffed.

"Attention all students. Please return to your dorms now. I repeat. Please return to your dorms now."

There was a click, and the intercom turned off.

"Return to our dorms? But it's only five," I confusedly said.

Ethan sighed, "Yeah, ever since...well, you know. The incident. They always tell us to go to our dorms early, and lock the doors," Ethan said.

"But sometimes, the three of us will go into my room and have an awesome sleepover!" Aiden said.

"Yeah, he has all the games," Ethan said.

"But whenever we do, we have to be careful not to get caught. Or else, you'll get escorted to your dorm, and receive detention. If the person that gets caught doesn't rat the rest of us out. Then, we'll all be in trouble," Mason said.

"It's like our rule. Our only rule," Ethan said. "If you get caught, don't snitch."

I nodded, "Got it."

"But not tonight. I've got a bunch of homework to do," Kelsea said.

"Yeah, me too," said Ethan. "But definitely tomorrow."

We all agreed on that, and headed back to the dorms. The envelope was still where I put it. It's probably best to open it now.

I ripped the flap, and took out a small piece of parchment paper. The words were barely legible. It was the only thing inside the envelope. Why go through so much trouble to deliver something so small?

I put it on my desk, and turned on all the lights. The parchment was old and torn. It looked like it would crumble at any second. I tried to make out the words, but to no avail. The words are too tiny.

I felt the presence of someone else beside me.

"What's that?"

I jumped, "Jesus! You scared me Mason!"

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to," she said. "It's just...your door. It was open so I let myself in."

"Without knocking at least?" I asked, still calming down from my mini heart attack.

"I-I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have done that. I-I should go," she started to head for the door. But I stopped her.

"Wait, it's cool. I was just a little frightened," I said, trying not to hurt her feelings. "You can definitely stay if you want."

"Are you sure?" Mason asked. "Cause it looks like you are busy with something." She glanced at the small parchment. "What even is that?"

"It's some note I found in this envelope," I handed her the black envelope. "Look at the seal. It's unusual."

She nodded, "Yeah, it is. Who is it from?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out here. The words are too small, and I don't have a magnifying glass or anything at all to see it," I told her.

"Hmm," Mason though for a moment. "Here, try this," she said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a Swiss Army Knife. It looked way cooler than my knife. I couldn't help my enthusiasm.

"Woah! That's so cool!" I told her. "Where'd you get it?"

"My brother gave it to me," she said.

"You have a brother?" I asked her, astonished.

"Yes. He's in college."

"Is he younger or older?"

"Older. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be receiving a knife from a younger brother," she pointed out. I nearly facepalmed.

"Oh right! Duh," I said more to myself.

"Anyway, here," she handed the knife to me. "It has a magnifying glass inside of it. Please do not cut yourself when you open it?"

I took it from her, and carefully opened it. This thing had all sorts of cool little gadgets. I found the magnifying glass, and held it over the note. The words became clear.

Dear Aurora,

I regret to inform you that your parents, Catherine and Alexander Hale, have been detained for an unjustly crime. We aren't going to give you their whereabouts however, due to confidentiality. I understand that Agent Ripley has delivered you safely to Spy School. He is being detained as well. We have an ongoing investigation to find your grandpa, Cyrus Hale. The last time we heard from him was when he went to pick you up from your home. Unfortunately, that didn't go alright seeing that your parents had just committed the crime and was transported to the hospital, where we arrested them. For now, we can't tell you much. The only thing we can tell you is everything I just said, and this:

Your parents, Agent Ripley, and your grandpa are all under arrest for the murder of Erica Hale.

Hey everyone, here's another update. I hope everyone's doing alright and staying safe.

Also, I just finished reading SSR. It was awesome! I'm not gonna say anything though in case any of you haven't read it yet.

Thank you guys for reading my stories!

-MSORAR