98. HAZE

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"If there's anything I could help you with," Alex said getting up, "I'm here."

"Let's do this!" Emily responded.

"Ok, so from what you have told me, only the third and the final piece is left but we don't have much time. We have to find the last piece fast."

Emily nodded. "But we don't know where it could be. It could be anywhere."

"What could be the last place you think the stone could probably be?"

"Well, it was Clyde who last saw the emerald stone."

"Where's Clyde?" Alex asked still looking around for the invisible ghost her eyes couldn't see.

"He's actually right beside you-" Before Emily could finish her sentence, Alex looked both sides and jumped forward quickly and turned around. With no idea where Clyde could be, she asked looking at space where she stood before, "So, um, Clyde? Where did you last see the stone?"

There was a moment of silence - an awkward silence - as Alex continued to stare in space.

"Clyde said that," The voice of Emily from behind Alex made her turn around to face Emily. "he and his best friend Nick took the stone from Nick's old home but the stone disappeared on the third night."

"Where?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "We don't know and that's why we are back to where we started."

"Maybe we could look inside the house?" Alex suggested.

"No use, Alex, that house is destroyed."

"Well, what about Nick's old house?"

"No use either. Hannah and John went to search there but the only thing they returned with was Diana's spirit in Hannah's body. But because Clyde and Nick took the stone, that was the reason why Hannah and John couldn't find the stone anywhere there."

Alex pouted her lips a bit as she scratched her chin. "Well, then tell me how did you guys come to know about Nick's old house or the possibility that the third stone could be there?"

"When Clyde led Hannah and John to Nick's house, there Hannah found Nick's diary. Hannah told me that in the diary they came to know about the presence of the third stone in the house. When I was in the hospital, Hannah came to me and asked me about a photograph which they found in Nick's diary. It was a photograph of the house. Last year when my family and I went on a vacation, we spotted a place to rest for a while and clicked photos and some part of this house happened to be in the background. That's how Hannah and John came to know where to go in order to find the house."

"Well, if the house where Nick used to stay got destroyed and Hannah and John found nothing in Nick's old house, then maybe there's only one thing in which we might sort of finding something." Alex took a short pause trying to connect everything Emily told her and said," Nick's diary. Maybe we could find something that can help us with it. Where's the diary now?"

"Maybe in the Jacksons house provided that nothing happened to it or the house."

"That's where we're going then,"

- - - - - - - -

"Ah, the feeling never gets old!" Clyde sounded excited just like every time when Helena teleport them. But it was all new to Alex.

After Helena teleported them all in front of Jackson's house, Alex fought hard to not fall from the dizziness.

"Don't worry," Emily supported Alex by holding her, "you'll get used to it,"

"What the hell happened here?" Alex asked looking at the almost destroyed door as they walked in. "Did a robber just broke in by breaking the door with an ax or something?"

Emily laughed, "You won't even believe me if I tell you who the 'robber' was." Emily's tone suddenly changed to a serious one, "But whatever happened in here," Emily said looking around, "Trust me, you don't wanna know. A horrendous death, memories, and images which you wish were never stored in your mind, which you wish you never would've seen." A shiver ran through Emily remembering the night Diana made the family play her game and how brutally Diana killed Aunt Petunia.

Looking at Emily's disturbed expression, Alex thought it'd be better not to push her for the answer. The look on her face gave her more than enough information.

They all split up into two groups to search for the diary.

Emily led Helena and Alex upstairs towards John's room while Ryan and Clyde searched the rest of the first floor.

As they were walking up the stairs, Emily thought that there could be a possibility of Nick's diary to be there considering the fact that John had previously hidden the first piece in his room which Hannah found and thought it to be her birthday present.

They all searched every nook and cranny of the room, every drawer, every cupboard, behind the bed, underneath the bed, the closet, and everywhere they could think of, but the diary was nowhere in their sight.

"What's this?" Helena was looking under the bed while Emily was going through John's desk when the two of them heard Alex's voice.

"Did she find it?" Helena asked Emily excited to which Emily shrugged and replied, "Hope so,"

"Did you find th- wait, this isn't a diary," Emily said looking over Alex's shoulder. There was an open drawer and a box in Alex's hand.

"So, she got me excited over nothing," Helena murmured expressionlessly. Emily held back a laugh looking at her still near the bed.

"This box is so beautiful and it's so antique! Look at the way it's carved. You cannot find a box like this in this time,"

"How can you be so sure?"

"My aunt used to collect all the antique stuff. Growing up, I've spent most of my time with her and she was the one who taught me all about antiques. Trust me, my aunt had an eye for anything vintage or antique. She loved them. There was something about it that captured her heart. Where did you find it?"

Hearing Alex all hyped up about an old manufactured box, piqued the interest of Helena as she went towards the two girls to see the box for herself.

Emily looked at the box carefully. It wasn't like she hadn't completely seen the box anywhere but at the same time, she felt like she had.

When Helena's eyes met the relic, it was like she froze. There was something about that box that made her brow furrow. She went towards the box to take a close look.

Emily was surprised by Helena's expressions but she focused on recollecting her memories about the box, it was like she had seen it somewhere but it was all blur but then she remembered.

The night John and Emily drove back from the Church after Hannah got possessed in Nick's old house, she remembered John showing her the same box.

Maybe he had kept it in this drawer after Mrs. Jackson got discharged from the hospital and they all had returned home. Emily thought.

"It's just something John picked up from Nick's old house," Emily replied nonchalantly. Her mind was focused on one thing only - to find the diary.

"Did you guys find it?" Emily asked the duo to enter the room as Alex placed the box back inside the drawer where she found it.

"No luck. What about you?" Clyde asked looking around.

Emily shook her head. "C'mon, there's one place where I'm sure we'd find it."

With no luck, all five of them walked towards Hannah's room which Emily suspected it to be the last place the diary could be.

"Emily, what does it look like?" Alex asked rumbling around Hannah's room.

"Ryan, I saw the box. It's the same box that -" Helena began to explain something about the box she saw in Alex's hands before, in John's room but both of their attention went towards Clyde's voice.

"Honestly, I don't know." Emily replied to Alex, "I haven't seen it myself and -"

"Bingo!" Came the triumph sound of Clyde. "I believe this is what you are looking for," Clyde said pointing to a rectangular-shaped book kept neatly inside the closet between Hannah's clothes.

Hearing Clyde's words, Emily, Ryan, and Helena rushed towards him with Alex following Emily.

There was no second-guessing about it being Nick's diary after Emily took the diary and opened it to see the text 'Nick's Diary' written on it with 'DO NOT EVEN DARE' in the center.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alex asked playfully as they all plopped onto Hannah's bed and began to read Nick's diary.

Pages were turned. The diary was scanned by five pairs of eyes. The last page was turned and the diary was closed.

"So?" Alex asked Emily.

Emily shook her head. "Nothing new which Hannah didn't tell me about. There's no clue or any link that says about the stone. I'm lost now. Is it something that we are missing?"

"Isn't there any place you think the stone could be?" Alex sounded hopeful but all that Emily could see were closed doors.

"C'mon Emily," Clyde cheered. "Don't hang your head in defeat."

"I appreciate it, Clyde. But I do not know anyway or an unexplored path or any links to tie. I'm totally lost. The final piece could be anywhere but we do not know where that could be." Emily's voice slowly began to die down as she rested her head in her palms.

There was silence. Everyone was looking at each other with Alex looking at Emily.

"Emily," Alex gently placed her hands on her shoulder. "You remind me a lot of my sister. She was brave and adventurous just like you. She was always there with me when I needed her. Even if she is not here and even if I didn't get a chance to help her when she was going through things, I won't leave you alone. I'm here and together we will find the last piece."

"She's right, Emily, we're in this together," Clyde said.

"And, we'll find the last piece, don't worry," Ryan said as all three of them smiled at Emily as Emily smiled back at them.

"You know," Alex began looking at Emily, "my sister always used to say to me, 'Don't give up even if all the doors you see are locked. Don't doubt your ability when the road gets hard.
What you are looking for is maybe just around the corner, you don't know how much close you are.' "

Emily looked at Helena, Clyde, Ryan, and Alex. Her eyes began to cloud up till her eyes couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "I couldn't ask for better friends than you. Thank you so much." Emily wiped off the tears as they hugged.

"Let's go to the Church," Emily suggested. "Father Murphy might have something that can help us,"

As Emily was about to leave the room, Alex stopped her, "Before leaving, can I please have the box, if you don't mind?"

"Sure," Emily smiled and went to get the box from John's room, and when she returned, Ryan and Helena exchanged surprised glances as they saw Emily handing over the box to Alex.

"Wait!" Ryan interrupted.

Emily turned around to face Ryan - confused.

"See, I told you, it's the same box!" Helena exclaimed.

"Ok, hold on," Emily said as she watched Ryan and Helena looking closely at the box. "Am I missing something here?"

After a brief moment of inspecting the box, Helena said, "It's George's."

Alex just stood there watching Emily talking and listening to the ghosts she could not see, waiting for Emily to tell her what is happening.

"How did you get this? I thought he kept it someplace safe," Ryan asked first looking at Emily and then to Helena.

"John found it in the house," Emily began, "But why would George wanted to keep it somewhere secure and hidden?"

"We don't know," Helena said, "George never told us that. But we do know that he never let anyone touch it."

"Maybe it contained a secret?" Alex jumped in. She figured out they were talking about the box and that a person called George wanted to keep it in a place where no one could find it.

"A secret like the final piece?" Clyde suggested excitedly. If it was true, they were just a box away to find the last piece.

"If this box contained the last piece," Emily began feeling all exhilarated, "then what we were looking for was right under our nose!"

"It's locked though," Alex looked at a lock-in front of the box.

"It's old as the box and rusty." Emily held the lock in her hand. "Maybe with few hits on it, it could break,"

"Let's try it!" Alex took the box near Hannah's table and began hitting and smashing the box against the hardwood.

It took several tries, but the lock was successfully broken as so were the expressions of hopelessness.

"Open it!" Clyde couldn't contain his excitement.

With a creaking sound that the rusty hinges made, Emily slowly opened the box.

"What's in it?" Ryan asked craning his neck over Emily's shoulder.

They all watched as Emily took out a piece of paper from inside the antique box and then placed the box on the table. "It's just a letter," Emily said as she opened the old and faded paper and read it out loud,

To whomsoever who got this box,

If you are reading this letter it probably means that you have broken down the lock. Sorry to disappoint you but you ain't getting any money here. So if your intention is to sell this box for money or just leave this where you have found it, go ahead but burn this letter after you had read it, or never reveal the secrets you'll find in it for if you did, you'll never see the daylight ever again. She'll come after you and have no mercy on you till she rips your soul apart from you.

You might probably be thinking of me like a maniac or lunatic, but trust me when I tell you the most important lesson, 'Sometimes, it's better to keep things untouched and no matter what, you will pay for your sins.'

With this letter, I take upon the responsibility of the death of George Miller i.e. myself. I am the one to blame for my death and no one else.

I'm extremely sorry for all those whom I've wronged.

Ryan and Helena, if you are reading this, thanks for being my friends even though we all regret what we did.

I'm sorry if I've been a mean dad to my son, Nick, but leaving the house was the only way I thought to protect you until you and your friend brought the reason for misery back.

There are many things that I wish I could tell you but some secrets are better left unsaid. I'm taking it with me for the sake of the people.

HAZE

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