Mia's eyes widened as she flipped through the pages, her heart racing with fear. "This is it," she whispered to Alex. "This is the ritual I overheard them talking about. We have to stop it."
Alex nodded, his face set with determination. "We'll figure out a way to stop it. But first, let's see if we can find any more information about what's going on."
As they continued to search the cabin, they heard a noise coming from outside. It sounded like footsteps, getting closer.
Mia and Alex quickly hid behind some crates and furniture, holding their breath as the footsteps got closer. The door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside.
It was Jake. Mia's eyes narrowed, wondering what he was doing there. Jake looked around cautiously, his eyes scanning the room.
Mia and Alex remained perfectly still, hoping not to be seen. Jake seemed to sense something, his eyes lingering on their hiding spot for a moment.
But then he moved on, seemingly unaware of their presence. Mia let out a silent sigh of relief as Jake began to search the cabin.
Mia and Alex continued to hide, watching as Jake searched the cabin. He seemed to be looking for something specific, his eyes scanning the shelves and drawers.
As they observed, they noticed that Jake's search was becoming more frantic. He was muttering to himself, and his movements were becoming more agitated.
Suddenly, Jake stopped searching and looked up, as if he had heard something. Mia and Alex held their breath, wondering if they had been discovered.
But Jake's gaze was directed towards the door. He seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. Mia and Alex exchanged a curious glance, wondering what was going on.
The tension in the cabin was palpable, and Mia and Alex remained frozen, waiting to see what would happen next.
Mia and Alex continued to wait, their eyes fixed on Jake as he stood frozen, waiting for something or someone. The silence in the cabin was oppressive, and Mia could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside. Mia's eyes widened as she saw her mother standing in the doorway, a look of determination on her face.
"Mia's right on schedule," her mother said, her voice low and mysterious. "The ritual can proceed as planned."
Jake nodded, his expression serious. "I'll make sure everything is ready."
Mia's mother stepped further into the cabin, her eyes scanning the room. Mia and Alex held their breath, hoping not to be seen.
Mia and Alex continued to hide, watching as Mia's mother and Jake began to prepare for the ritual. They seemed to be moving with a sense of purpose, their movements swift and efficient.
As they observed, Mia and Alex learned more about the ritual and what it entailed. They saw symbols being drawn on the walls, and strange artifacts being placed in specific locations.
Mia's mother seemed to be leading the preparations, and Jake was following her instructions. Mia's eyes narrowed, wondering what her mother's true intentions were.
As the preparations continued, Mia and Alex knew they had to act soon. The ritual was getting closer, and they needed to come up with a plan to stop it.
Mia and Alex decided to try to sabotage the ritual, hoping to disrupt it and prevent it from happening. They carefully emerged from their hiding spot, trying to move stealthily.
But as they approached the ritual setup, they were suddenly hit with a cloud of dust. Mia felt herself becoming disoriented, and Alex grabbed her arm, trying to hold her up.
The dust seemed to be some kind of sedative, and Mia felt herself becoming weaker. She tried to struggle, but it was too late.
Everything went black, and Mia lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was lying on the forest floor, Alex by her side. They both looked disoriented and confused.
Mia's memories of the night were hazy, and she couldn't remember what had happened after they tried to sabotage the ritual.
"What...what happened?" Mia asked Alex, trying to sit up.
Alex shook his head. "I don't know. I don't remember anything after we saw your mom and Jake preparing for the ritual."
Mia's eyes widened as she realized they had been drugged and had no memory of the rest of the night. She looked around, but the cabin was nowhere to be seen.
Mia and Alex tried to piece together what had happened during the night, hoping to fill in the gaps in their memory. They sat down on a nearby log, trying to recall every detail.
As they thought back, they remembered seeing Mia's mother and Jake preparing for the ritual. They remembered trying to sabotage it, and then being hit with the cloud of dust.
But everything after that was a blank. Mia and Alex looked at each other, frustrated and confused.
Suddenly, Mia noticed something on her hand. It was a small symbol, drawn in red ink. She showed it to Alex, who frowned.
"What's this?" Alex asked, his voice low.
Mia shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't notice it before."
As they examined the symbol, Mia felt a strange sensation. It was as if she was remembering something, but it was just out of reach.
A news report about a missing child catches Mia and Alex's attention, and they decide to help find the child. They quickly gather information about the child's disappearance, including the location and any potential leads.
Mia and Alex's eyes met, and they shared a concerned glance. "Do you think this could be connected to the ritual and our memory loss?" Mia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Alex nodded. "It's possible. We know our mom and Jake were involved in something big, and now there's a missing child? It can't be a coincidence."
Mia's mind was racing. "Let's investigate further. Maybe there's a connection between the ritual and the missing child."
They started searching for any potential links between the symbol on Mia's hand and the missing child cases. As they scrolled through the online resources, they noticed a peculiar detail - some of the missing children had similar symbols near their last known locations.
Mia's eyes widened. "This can't be a coincidence. We need to dig deeper."