It was midnight. The silver glow of the moon cast eerie shadows over the dense woods, its faint light barely illuminating the clearing where a group of teenagers stood huddled together, waiting.

Zayn had said he would be there in a moment. But how long had it been now? Ten minutes? Twenty? The air was thick with anticipation, a nervous energy pulsing through the group.

Cara, restless, lit a torch and began moving in circles, making odd noises.

"Cara, stop it! What if someone hears us?" Devin hissed, glancing around warily.

"Don’t worry, no one—" she started but abruptly cut herself off. Her body went rigid, and her face drained of color. Her eyes widened in fear, her mouth slightly agape like she had just seen a ghost.

"Cara, are you okay?" Katherine asked cautiously.

"Someone's there," Cara whispered, her voice trembling. "Behind the woods."

"Please don’t joke about this. There’s no one except us," Devin said, though his voice wavered slightly.

"I am NOT joking."

"What a coward," David scoffed.

"Who are you calling a coward?!" Cara snapped, spinning toward him.

"You!"

"If you’re so brave, why don’t you go and check?" she challenged.

"Fine!" David yelled back, puffing up his chest, though his steps faltered slightly.

Their bickering was cut short when Jack’s deep voice sliced through the tension. "What the hell are you two doing?"

Everyone immediately shut up. Jack had that effect.

"Cara says someone is watching us from the woods," Katherine explained, handing him the torch and pointing toward the dark treeline.

Jack narrowed his eyes, then moved the torch’s beam from side to side. He exhaled sharply before turning the torch off and calling out, "Come out, Jim. Zayn."

Two figures hesitantly stepped out of the shadows.

"It was Jim’s idea, not mine," Zayn admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You’re not kids. Grow up."

Cara let out a shaky breath, calming down, while Katherine suddenly burst into unexpected laughter. "Sorry," she said, covering her mouth. "I didn’t mean to."

"Zayn, were you trying to scare Cara into running away? Like you did with Rick?" David teased.

Zayn chuckled awkwardly. "Oops. Guess I got caught."

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Cara narrowed her eyes at him. "You’re the one who’s supposed to attempt the ritual, right?"

Zayn nodded reluctantly. "Yeah… that’s why Jack got all these people together—to make sure I don’t get snatched by a ghost or something."

Katherine, still fixated on Jack, chattered excitedly, "It’s a good thing we have a big group!"

"Alright, enough talking," Jack commanded. "Let’s get to what we came here for."

"Right. Let’s do it."

Everyone froze at the sudden, unfamiliar voice.

Jim, panicked, snatched up the torch and pointed it toward the sound.

There, leaning casually against a tree, stood a girl. She effortlessly ate an apple with one hand, the other stuffed into the pocket of her jeans. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail that hung to her shoulder, and the dim blue of her eyes caught the flickering torchlight. She wore a loose T-shirt and had an expression of faint amusement.

"Damn. Don’t tell me ghosts can be this beautiful," David muttered under his breath.

"Eva?!" Zayn’s voice carried more surprise than he intended. He quickly scanned her, searching for any hint of why she was here. She looked calm—too calm.

Why was she here?

"You know her?" David asked curiously.

"Yeah, she’s Zayn’s neighbor," Jim whispered into David’s ear.

Eva finished her apple and tossed the core aside. "Didn’t really want to follow you, but Lateen insisted."

Zayn stiffened. "Wait. Lateen sent you?!" His heartbeat quickened.

"Yep." She faintly smiled. "What, are you leaving?"

Katherine scowled. "Zayn, you said you’d do the ritual. You can’t just back out now!"

"What can I do?" Zayn sighed, already knowing Lateen would kill him if she found out.

"Zayn is afraid of his sister," Jim snickered.

"That’s not an excuse! We lied to our parents just to be here, and now you’re ditching us because you’re scared of getting caught? Jack, say something!"

Eva watched their squabble with mild amusement, then sighed. "Ugh, listen—"

No one paid her any attention. She clenched her fists, irritation flashing in her eyes. "Would you all stop arguing like monkeys?!"

Katherine spun on her. "Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!"

Eva’s expression didn’t change, but her voice turned cold. "Right. It has nothing to do with me." Then she looked directly at Zayn, her blue eyes sharp. "So, will you come, or should I go alone?" She added with a smirk, "Your friends are really annoying."

Zayn swallowed hard. He didn’t want her doing anything reckless.

"Wait!" Jack cut in. "You can go, but only after you complete the ritual."

Eva raised an eyebrow. "What ritual?"

Katherine, eager to explain, launched into the details. "The Curse of Burial. You have to stab a knife into a grave, make a cross sign, call out the name of the cemetery, and say, ‘You look better off dead.’ Supposedly, the ghost will curse you, and you’ll get into accidents every day until you die."

The tension in the group grew thick.

Eva was silent for a moment before she grinned. "Sounds fun. I’ll do it."

"Wait, what?!" Zayn exclaimed. "No way. I don’t want you dying for some dumb curse."

Eva smirked. "You think I’d actually die? You worried about me, Zayn?"

Zayn turned his head away, pretending not to hear her. The others, confused but intrigued, agreed to let her go instead. Katherine clipped a small camera to Eva’s collar while Jim handed her a torch.

Eva walked alone toward the graveyard, the only sounds being the rustling leaves and the occasional chirp of insects. When she arrived, she chose a random grave. She followed each step of the ritual, and her every move was monitored by the group.

She froze when she leaned in to read the name on the grave.

"What is she doing?" Cara whispered, her nerves on edge.

Katherine gasped as she read the name. Her eyes darted around the group before settling on Zayn, who, thankfully, wasn’t watching the screen.

When Eva returned, Katherine asked, "Did you say the name?"

Eva nodded. "I did."

Later, as Eva and Zayn walked home, he glanced at her. "Whose grave was that?"

Eva smirked. "Curious, are we?"

"Just wanted to know. I mean, someone just cursed you."

She looked at him, her eyes gleaming mischievously. "I forgot."

Zayn stopped dead in his tracks. "You what?!"

Eva shrugged. "I have a poor memory."

Before Zayn could press further, Lateen’s voice cut through the early morning air. "Zayn, where have you been?!"

Zayn turned to Eva for help, but she raised her hands in surrender. "You’re on your own."

Zayn groaned. "I’m so dead."