4

Chapter 4: The First of the Three

The next morning, nobody mentioned the message.

At least not around the adults.

Because if Valeria, Andrea, and Aubrey discovered that an unknown person was sending mysterious texts to their children, the adventure would end immediately.

Possibly forever.

So Alessia, Noah, and Sienna did the only logical thing.

They kept it secret.

Which was exactly the kind of decision their parents would have made at their age.

Unfortunately.

The three friends met after breakfast near the eastern gardens.

Noah had brought his laptop.

Sienna had brought snacks.

Alessia had brought determination.

"Any luck finding the sender?"

Sienna asked.

Noah shook his head.

"Nothing."

He turned the screen toward them.

"The number doesn't exist."

"That's impossible."

"Correct."

Alessia groaned.

She hated impossible things.

Mostly because Aeternum Island seemed full of them.

Noah continued typing.

"Whoever sent the message knew our private numbers."

Sienna stopped chewing.

That wasn't comforting.

At all.

Then another notification appeared.

All three phones vibrated simultaneously.

The same message.

Unknown Sender.

ROME

Silence.

Then another line appeared.

FIND THE GIRL WHO WATCHES THE STARS

The message vanished.

The three stared at each other.

"Rome."

Sienna blinked.

"That's oddly specific."

Alessia smiled.

"That's a clue."

Noah already knew that smile.

And he already regretted it.

Several hours later...

The teenagers found themselves inside the fortress library.

The largest library on the island.

A place filled with records collected by generations of Guardians.

Most visitors searched for history.

The three searched for clues.

"Rome."

Alessia said.

"There are millions of people in Rome."

"Helpful."

Noah replied.

Sienna sat cross-legged on the floor reading old travel records.

Then suddenly—

"Guys."

The others looked up.

Sienna pointed toward an old photograph.

A school astronomy competition.

Held in Rome.

The photo was recent.

Only a few months old.

The winner stood at the center.

A teenage girl.

Dark curly hair.

Golden-brown eyes.

A telescope trophy in her hands.

Below the photo was a caption.

LUNA MORETTI

National Youth Astronomy Champion

The three exchanged glances.

"The girl who watches the stars."

Alessia whispered.

It fit perfectly.

Too perfectly.

Noah immediately searched her name.

Information appeared.

Age: Sixteen.

Location: Rome, Italy.

Interests: Astronomy, mathematics, ancient maps.

Sienna frowned.

"Ancient maps?"

That seemed oddly specific.

Especially considering the hidden chamber.

The compass symbols.

The mysterious message.

Alessia leaned closer.

"What if she's one of the six?"

Nobody laughed.

Because everyone was thinking the same thing.

Then a voice spoke behind them.

"You know eavesdropping is easier when people don't say everything out loud."

The three nearly jumped out of their skin.

Matteo stood behind them.

Smiling.

Which was never a good sign.

"How long have you been standing there?"

Noah asked.

"Long enough."

Silence.

The teenagers exchanged worried looks.

Matteo crossed his arms.

"Want to tell me what you're doing?"

"No."

Alessia answered.

"Fair."

To their surprise, Matteo sat beside them.

Then lowered his voice.

"Good."

The three froze.

"What?"

Sienna asked.

Matteo smiled.

"Because I already know."

The room fell silent.

Noah blinked.

"You know about the messages?"

Matteo nodded.

"Found one on the security system this morning."

The teenagers stared.

"You didn't tell the others?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

Matteo's smile softened.

"Because twenty years ago, six very stubborn teenagers ignored good advice and went on an adventure."

A pause.

"And everything turned out okay."

The three looked at one another.

Then back at Matteo.

"You're helping us?"

Alessia asked.

"Officially?"

Matteo stood.

"No."

The teenagers groaned.

Then he winked.

"Unofficially, your flight leaves tomorrow."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Sienna's jaw dropped.

Noah nearly dropped his laptop.

Alessia stared.

"You booked us tickets?"

Matteo grinned.

"I might have."

The room exploded into excited whispers.

Rome.

The first clue.

The first mystery.

The first member of the six.

As the three friends rushed to make plans, none of them noticed the old photograph on the library table.

Or the tiny compass symbol hidden in the corner of Luna Moretti's trophy.

The same symbol found beneath Aeternum Island.

The same symbol that had waited decades to be discovered.

And far away in Rome...

A sixteen-year-old girl sat alone on a rooftop.

Watching the stars.

Completely unaware that her life was about to change forever.

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