I was petrified—my heart pounding like a drum in my chest, hands trembling with fear. Panic clouded my thoughts, but I did the first thing that popped into my head: I tried to call Tom's best friend, Jason. But in my blind rush, I ended up dialing Jared instead.
"Hello, Jason? Listen—I need help! Tom… he's stormed off to Alan's place, fuming with rage. He's locked me inside the house. Please, HELP!" I blurted out breathlessly.
"Serena? Are you okay?" came the voice on the other end—and just then, it hit me. It wasn't Jason. It was Jared.
My stomach sank. "Sorry… wrong number," I mumbled and ended the call in a heartbeat.
"Oh God," I whispered, pacing like a caged animal. I finally dialed the right number and told Jason everything. I even reached out to Maria and Aphrodite, asking them to come as fast as they could.
As my mind raced in circles, I suddenly remembered—the back door. Without wasting another second, I snatched the bike keys, bolted out the back, and leapt onto the bike.
"God, please… don't let this spiral out of control," I muttered, as I sped off like the wind was chasing me.
By the time I reached Professor Hernandez's bungalow—where Alan stayed—I could already hear voices rising like thunder from the backyard. Tom and Alan were going at each other, words flying like daggers. Jason and Jared were caught in the middle, trying to hold Tom back before he did something he'd regret.
I didn't think—I just ran. "TOM! STOP! PLEASE!" I screamed, throwing myself between them.
"Serena," Tom barked, his eyes wild. "I need to know how he got Uncle Benjamin's watch!"
"Can we all just sit down and talk like sane people?" Alan suggested, trying to keep his composure.
Tom shot him a glare that could cut glass. "Seriously, man? You think this is the time for tea and conversation?"
Aphrodite burst onto the scene, her voice slicing through the chaos. "Guys! Cool it!"
"You dragged half the school into this?" Alan asked, wide-eyed.
"Everyone just take a breath!" Jared bellowed. "Listen—Alan probably has a damn good reason. I say we hear him out."
"Agreed," Aphrodite chimed in, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.
Gradually, the storm calmed. Tom unclenched his fists, though the fire in his eyes still smoldered. We all sat down in a circle on the dewy grass, under the pale glow of the moon. You could hear a pin drop.
Alan looked up at the sky, almost as if gathering strength from the stars. "I know you have a thousand questions," he began slowly. "But the truth is—I have Uncle Benjamin's watch because he gave it to me himself."
Silence. Then—
"WHAT?!" I shrieked, my voice cracking with disbelief.
"HOW?" Jason echoed.
"WHEN?" Tom demanded, his jaw clenched tight.
Even Aphrodite and Jared were stunned, their expressions frozen in shock.
"When did you see him? Why didn't you tell us? Why did he give you the watch?" I fired questions like bullets, my heart thundering in my chest.
Alan's voice was low, but steady. "I met Uncle Benjamin… a month ago."
A collective gasp rippled through us.
"He's alive?" Tom's voice broke, eyes glistening. Mine mirrored the same tears.
Alan nodded. "Maybe i can't say anything. And he's entrusted me with something enormous. He also left something… for Serena." His voice hardened. "This isn't a joke. And if you're going to interrupt, then I'm not saying another word."
We all fell quiet, nodding like guilty kids caught red-handed.
Alan exhaled deeply. "It all began a month ago… in Portugal."