34 - The search party

Lilly stumbled out of the fraternity house, her head throbbing with pain and her mind reeling with confusion. She looked around, disoriented, trying to remember what had happened. As she scanned the deserted streets, she spotted Aiden and Ethan standing by their car, parked a few blocks away.

"Lilly!" Aiden called out, rushing towards her.

Ethan followed close behind, his face etched with concern. "Lilly, what happened?" he asked, helping her into the passenger seat of their car.

Lilly's eyes darted between them, trying to process what was going on. "I...I don't know," she stammered. "I was in the hidden room with you guys, and then everything went black."

Aiden's eyes narrowed. "We were in the room together, Lilly. We all left together."

Ethan's brow furrowed. "Wait, you're saying you were separated from us?"

Lilly's mind raced as she tried to piece together the events. "Yes! I think we were separated when we were leaving the room. I don't know what happened after that."

Aiden's expression turned serious. "We have to find Sarah," he said urgently.

Ethan nodded in agreement. "And we have to find out what happened to you."

As they drove away from the fraternity house, Lilly noticed that the streets were eerily quiet. The only sound was the hum of their car's engine and the distant wail of sirens.

"I think we should go back home," Ethan said, turning onto Main Street. "We can try to figure out what happened and come up with a plan to find Sarah."

Aiden nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's get out of this creepy atmosphere."

As they pulled into their driveway, Lilly spotted a piece of paper on the front porch. It was a note from Sarah:

"Hey guys, I think I found something big. Meet me at the old clock tower at midnight. -S"

Lilly's heart skipped a beat as she looked up at her friends. "Let’s go!” She shouted, running back to the car.

Aiden's eyes locked onto hers grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back to him. "What if this is a trap?"

Lilly hadn’t thought about that. What if it was a trap? She wanted to save Sarah but she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger.

“I think we need to go inside and tell Jason about everything. Maybe he will know what to do.” Ethan said, motioning them to go inside.

As they walked into the house, Lilly spotted Jason, Ethan's older brother, sitting at his desk to the side of the living room.

"Jason," Ethan said, dropping onto the couch beside him. "We need to talk."

Jason looked up from his books and notes that scattered the desk, his eyes narrowing. "What's going on?"

Aiden filled him in on what had happened at the party and their search for Sarah. Jason listened intently, his expression growing more serious with each passing minute.

"So, you're saying Sarah left a note saying she found something big?" Jason asked when Aiden finished.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. And we think it might be connected to what happened at the party."

Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think I know what might be going on. I've been digging into some old family history, and I think I might have found something that could explain what's happening."

Lilly leaned forward, her heart racing with excitement. "What is it?"

Jason sat at his desk, surrounded by dusty old books and papers, his eyes scanning the pages with intensity. He had been researching his family's history for hours, trying to find any connection to the mysterious locket that had been passed down through generations.

As he flipped through a particularly old book, a page caught his eye. It was a family tree, dating back to the 18th century. Jason's eyes scanned the page, and suddenly, a name jumped out at him: Tiffany Wellesley.

Tiffany Wellesley was a woman who had been involved in some shady dealings with Jason's ancestors, and it seemed that she had been particularly interested in their family's wealth and power. Jason's heart began to race as he realized the connection.

Jason's eyes were still fixed on the page. "Tiffany Wellesley. She was a woman who was involved with our ancestors, and it seems she was after something specific."

Aiden's brow furrowed. "What did she want?"

Jason's eyes met his brothers'. "I think it was both of the lockets," he said, holding up the small piece of jewelry that was their mothers. They had kept Tiffany’s locked away where no one could find it. Jason continued, “The craziest part of the story is that Tiffany Wellesley was our Tiffany now great grandmother.”

Ethan's eyes widened. "Woah, so these lockets have been an issue in our family and in Tiffany’s for years. Do you think Tiffany took Sarah because of the locket?"

Jason nodded. "It makes sense. She's been trying to get her hands mom’s for about a couple years now, and now she's using Sarah as leverage to get hers back so she can steal ours."

Lilly's eyes went wide with fear. "Oh no, we have to get her back."

Jason nodded grimly. "We'll need a plan. We can't just go barging in and expect everything to go smoothly."

Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We need to know what kind of people we're dealing with. Are they dangerous?"

Jason nodded. "I think so. The Wellesley family wasn't exactly known for their moral fiber."

Aiden's jaw clenched. "We'll need to be careful then."

“So how do we get into the clock tower?” Lilly asked.

Aiden rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think I can help with that. I've been studying the clock tower's blueprints online while you guys have been talking. There's a ventilation shaft on the roof that might give us access to the inside."

Lilly's eyes widened. "That sounds like a great idea. But what about Sarah? How do we get her out of there?"

Jason's jaw clenched. "We'll have to come up with a distraction. Maybe Aiden can create a diversion while Ethan and I sneak inside."

Ethan nodded. "I'm in. What's the plan for once we're inside?"

Jason pulled out a small device from his pocket. "I found this device online. I knew one day it might come in handy. It's a lock-picking tool that should help us get past any locks we encounter."

Aiden's eyes lit up. "Nice work, bro."

The four of them set off towards the clock tower, moving quietly through the night air. They reached the roof, where Aiden expertly climbed up and opened the ventilation shaft.

They crawled through the cramped space, their hearts pounding in unison as they made their way deeper into the tower.

As they descended into the darkness, they stumbled upon a series of cryptic symbols etched into the walls. Jason's eyes widened as he recognized them.

"Guys, these are ancient symbols from my family's history book," he whispered. "I think we're getting close."

Suddenly, they heard footsteps echoing through the corridors below.

"Time to get moving," Ethan whispered urgently.

The four of them crept down the stairs, trying to stay quiet as they made their way deeper into the tower.

As they turned a corner, they spotted Tiffany standing in front of a large stone door, a cruel smile spreading across her face.

"Ah, perfect timing," she purred. "You're just in time for the main event."

Behind her, Sarah was tied to a chair, her eyes wide with fear.

"Let her go," Jason demanded, his voice firm.

Tiffany laughed. "Oh no, dear Jason. You see, Sarah here is going to help me get my very valuable... locket back."

Sarah struggled against her restraints, “I don’t even know where it is, you crazy bitch!” Sarah spat at Tiffany. Tiffany slapped Sarah across the face sending a streak of anger through Lilly.

"You're not getting it back," Jason growled.

Tiffany smiled sweetly. "Oh, but I think I will." Then Tiffany lifted a large knife to Sarah’s throat threatening to slash it open.

The four of them were trapped in a tense standoff, unsure what would happen next...