"Wren, come on, let's go!" Nora's urgent whisper pierced through the dimly lit hallway.

"No, not yet," I replied, my voice barely above a murmur. "I want to see what's down there."

"Seriously, Wren, let's go!" Her whisper was tinged with frustration, but I could tell she was nervous.

I chose to ignore her and continued toward the end of the hallway. The door at the far end loomed, and the faint sound of whispered voices and shuffling footsteps reached my ears.

"Wait, wait, guys, be quiet," a voice from the other side pleaded.

My heart raced. I quickly retreated, gesturing for Nora to follow. She darted down the stairs while I made my way up. I climbed to the roof, my breath coming in quick, uneven bursts. I crouched behind a rooftop structure, trying to steady my breathing.

"Excuse me?" A voice broke the silence, causing me to leap in surprise. I nearly lost my balance, but a strong hand shot out, grabbing my arm and pulling me back from the edge.

"Hey, I'm so sorry!" a boy said apologetically, his eyes wide with concern.

"It's alright," I managed to chuckle, trying to regain my composure. "I thought you were the cops."

"Me too," he laughed with a smile, his tension easing. "I'm Jake."

"Wren," I introduced myself, returning his smile.

"So, what brings you up here?" Jake asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I was exploring with my friend Nora for her YouTube channel," I explained.

"No way! Us too!" Jake exclaimed. "When we heard you two wandering around, we thought we were busted."

"Same here," I said, shaking my head in relief. "I was right by that door when I heard you guys. It almost gave me a heart attack." I placed my hand over my chest, exaggerating for effect.

"Yeah, we were on edge," Jake said with a laugh. "We thought someone was sneaking up on us."

Just then, a shout echoed from below.

"Jake!" A voice yelled

"Jake! Where are you?" A deeper one called

"Up here!" Jake called back.

Two figures appeared at the top of the stairs. One was blonde, and the other brunette. They looked around, their faces lighting up when they saw Jake.

"Who's this?" the blonde asked, his gaze shifting to me.

"I'm Wren," I said, offering a friendly smile.

"Sam," the blonde responded with a nod.

"Colby," added the brunette.

I was about to say something when I spotted Nora wandering outside looking for me. Nora, up here!" I called out.

Nora glanced up, her eyes widening with recognition. She hurried back to the entrance, and a few moments later, she joined us on the roof.

"This is Nora," I introduced, "Nora, this is Sam, Colby, and Jake."

Everyone exchanged smiles and nods.

"So, what brings you two here?" Colby asked.

"We're filming for Nora's YouTube channel," I explained.

"That's awesome! We're doing the same for ours," Sam said enthusiastically.

"Instagram?" I asked holding out my phone for them to put in

They shared their Instagram handles, and I was taken aback by their numbers—millions of followers, whereas my own account had only a few thousand.

"We should hang out sometime," Jake suggested with a friendly grin.

"Yeah, that'd be great," I agreed, smiling back.

Jake and I exchanged phone numbers so we could stay in touch. As the conversation flowed, I felt a sense of excitement. Meeting these new friends marked the beginning of something I hadn't anticipated—an adventure that would lead to new experiences and opportunities.