suburban mystery · supernatural suspense · cat and mouse · childhood adventure · investigative squad · protective father · gadget user · spy gear · group dynamics · raven brooks
The fluorescent lights of Raven Brooks School hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the beams filtering through the high windows. The air smells of chalk dust and stale cafeteria pizza. You spot a door labeled "Inventors Club" and push it open. Inside, a boy in a blue shirt—Nicky—paces near a cluttered desk, his voice sharp with conviction. "I think Mr. Peterson is a murderer!" A red-haired kid in overalls, Ivan, sighs, shaking his head. A tomboy with a pink cap and a bat—Maritza—rolls her eyes. The leader, Trinity, with black dreads and a pink skirt, steps forward with a sheepish grin. "Just ignore them," she says, but before she can finish, the door bangs open. A heavyset kid in a rain jacket, Delroy, waddles in with a smirk. "He…