Jess was shocked by Angie's revelation. "Wait, you've been helping us this whole time?"

  Angie nodded. "Yeah, I've been keeping Jess away from certain individuals and trying to protect you, in my own way. That being said, I don't want yall to think I'm suddenly your best friends. Also, two of you here have a bill with me."

  Michigo and Roselle exchanged glances momentarily before small smiles came to their face. Roselle spoke up first, "We understand that, but you helped us, Angie. We appreciate it, even if you're not doing it out of the kindness of your heart."

  Michigo chimed in, "Yeah, we'll honor our debt to you, Angie… “

  "Alright, here's the plan," Angie began. "We know they want to merge Roselle and Risebelle into one entity, right? But they also need to capture Risebelle to make it work. We're going to use that against them."

  Angie continued, "We'll set a trap for Shadowcroft, making it seem like Risebelle is an easy target. We'll use Roselle as bait, and Michigo, you'll act as her protector.”

  Roselle nodded, understanding the plan. "And when they come for Risebelle, we'll be ready to catch them by surprise. But how do we ensure our safety in all of this?"

  Angie smirked, "That's where I come in. I'll be monitoring everything from a distance, ready to step in if things get too dangerous. You can count on me to have your backs."

  Michigo raised an eyebrow, "And what about Jess? She's been getting closer to Risebelle. Won't she be in danger?"

  Angie’s face darkened. "Jess may be more involved in this than we think. I'll keep an eye on her too, but you two need to be careful around her until we figure out her true allegiance."

  Jess’s eyes narrowed. “Shittalker Angie… you’ve always been trying to make me look like the bad guy. You’re just trying to turn everyone against me, aren’t you?”

  Angie’s face remained calm, almost smug. “Oh, I beg to differ, Jess. Jess, I'm not trying to make you look bad. But your clothes speak for themselves. They scream 'I'm up to no good.' And let's be honest, we all know what kind of places those dark clubs lead to.”

  Jess crossed her arms defiantly. “Proof? Show it. Show everyone how I’m doing something that would hurt them.”

  Angie smirked. “There’s no need to provide proof. Your attire speaks for itself. Where else would you go dressed like that? Dark clubs, hanging out with bad guys, using your body.”

  Jess growled. “You think just because I wear these revealing clothing that I'm a slut? Well, guess what? It takes more than just a pretty face and a tight dress to get me into bed.”

  Risebelle stepped forward and place a hand on Jess’ arm and then turned to face Angie. “Angie, you can’t just accuse her based on her clothes. We need facts, not assumptions.”

  Jess's anger flared. She pushed Risebelle’s arm away and stepped up into Angie’s face. “You’re not fooling anyone with your calm act, you little bitch. I know you've got something against me. You’re using this situation to take it out on me! Don’t even try to deny it!"

  Angie remained stoic. "Jess, this isn’t personal. I've got my reasons for being cautious. We're dealing with a dangerous organization here, not kids from next door, you know."

  Jess’s anger flared even more. “Isn’t personal my Ass! You judged me just by how I looked a while ago! Do you really think I’m gonna believe that shit!?”

  Angie, unfazed, popped a lollipop into her mouth and leaned back casually. “You know what, Jess? You need to chill out.”

  Jess shouted, “Stop being so smug, Angie! You’re always acting like you know everything!”

  Angie took another leisurely lick of her lollipop. “Here’s what you need,” she said, and before Jess could react, she shoved the same lollipop into Jess’s mouth.

  Roselle's eyes widened in horror as Angie shoved the lollipop into Jess’s mouth. She quickly got up and put herself between them. “Jess, calm down! Angie, you really shouldn’t be doing things like this. We’re trying to work together, not escalate tensions!”

  But Jess, already at her breaking point. Her eyes blazed with fury, and she growled, “That’s it. I’ve had enough of your bullshit!”

  Without another word, Jess lunged at Angie. Angie barely flinched and kept a smirk on her face. Michigo sprang into action, trying to intervene, but the two were already in motion.

  Jess’s fury intensified when she noticed Angie’s calm demeanor. With unrestrained aggression, Jess reached for the game device Angie's pocket. She squeezed the game until it shattered into pieces that would then fall the floor.

  Angie's eyes flared with sudden, intense fury “Oh, you bitch!” she shouted loudly.

  The two began exchanging blows.

  Risebelle, witnessing the escalating chaos, stood up with her eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, she stepped forward. In one swift and powerful motion, Risebelle grabbed both Jess and Angie. With a forceful push, she sent Jess and Angie to opposite corners of the room.

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  Risebelle folded her arms. “Enough!” she declared. "This isn't getting us anywhere. We have a bigger issue to deal with, and bickering among ourselves won't help! Angie, if you're here to help, fine, but don't accuse Jess without evidence!”

  Roselle quickly moved to hold Jess back. Michigo did the same with Angie. Despite Risebelle's words, the tension between Jess and Angie remained.

  Roselle shouted, “Stop it! This isn’t helping anyone!”

  Angie pointed at Jess with a trembling finger. “Do you know how much that game cost me? $256! And you just ruined it!”

  Roselle shook her head. “I’ll buy you a new one, Angie. Just calm down.”

  Angie’s fury began to fade while processing Roselle’s offer. Risebelle stepped forward and said, “Roselle, I’ll handle buying the game back for Angie.” She then walked over to Jess and placed her hands on her sides. “Jess, I’m very disappointed in you.”

  Jess’s anger seemed to evaporate the moment Risebelle stood infront of her. Her shoulders slumped, and she turned away, frowning deeply.

  Risebelle looked between Angie and Jess with her arms folded. “Alright, now both of you need to apologize to each other. This nonsense has to stop.”

  Angie took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. “Fine. I apologize for singling you out, Jess. It was a mistake to judge you based on appearances and not the facts.”

  Jess responded reluctantly. “And I’m sorry for lashing out at you, Angie. It wasn’t right to destroy your stuff, even if I was mad.” She turned to Risebelle and took on a more sincere tone. “I caused trouble for everyone here. Risebelle, I’m sorry. You’ve been so lovely trying to keep us all together. Can you forgive me, darling?”

  Risebelle nodded.

  “You may continue, Angie,” Harty said.

  Angie nodded. She took a deep breathe and then said, "Back to the plan. We've got some advantages on our side. Risebelle has already seen a doppelganger of herself, so we can assume Roselle might have a similar experience soon. This could be our chance to find out more about these doppelgangers and maybe even Shadowcroft's operations."

  She paused for a moment to let her words sink in before continuing, "I've already contacted some of my gamer friends who specialize in hacking and gathering information. They'll help us keep tabs on any digital traces Shadowcroft might leave behind."

  Angie glanced around the room at her audience and concluded, "Our mission is to stay vigilant, gather information, and, most importantly, protect Roselle and Risebelle from becoming the next victims of this shadowy organization.”

  Angie took a deep breath and then handed out slips of paper to the group, each containing a web address and a chatroom password.

  "Here's how we'll stay in touch during this operation," Angie explained. "Use the web address to access our encrypted chatroom. It's a secure platform, and only those with the password will be able to join our discussions. This way, we can share information, coordinate our efforts, and stay one step ahead of Shadowcroft."

  She looked around at the group, making sure they all understood the importance of this communication channel. "Remember, this is crucial for our safety and success. Don't share this information with anyone outside of this group. We can't afford to have any leaks."

  The group nodded in agreement. Angie then spoke, "Now, let's all enter the chatroom with your assigned usernames when you get home."

  Roselle, Michigo, and Hashta remained behind, along with Harty and Angie.

  "None of what we discussed today had anything to do with Tina," Michigo remarked with slight frustration in tone.

  Angie, now casually chewing on a lollipop, eyed Roselle with a knowing look. “Tina is a sensitive subject, I know. I wasn’t sure if Roselle would want that brought up, given what she’s been through.”

  Roselle looked away. The memories of Tina and the photos she had received were still troubling her.

  Harty stepped in. “I heard Roselle received some photos from a player named Alex. Angie managed to beat him in a game of Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows, and those photos might contain valuable clues about Tina’s whereabouts.”

  Roselle’s gaze flickered with hesitation. “I’m not sure if I want to give them up just yet. It’s...um…”

  Harty’s tone softened. “Roselle, I understand this is difficult. But those photos could be crucial in finding Tina. Please, trust me. We need every piece of information we can get.”

  Roselle’s fingers brushed against something in her pockets. She pulled out the photos of Tina. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait a minute. How did these get here?”

  Harty leaned forward. “What’s wrong, Roselle?”

  Roselle replied. “I have the photos on me, but I don’t remember putting them in my pockets when I was getting ready today. It’s like they just appeared.”

  Michigo's face became flushed. She stepped forward and spoke. “I’m so sorry, Roselle. When I was helping you with your outfit earlier, I kind of slipped those photos into your pocket. I thought they might be useful for the investigation, and I didn’t want to bring them up because I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened. Her face showed a slight hint of anger. “You... put them in my pocket without telling me...?”

  Michigo placed her hands together. “Please don’t be mad. I just wanted to help! I thought it might be better if you had them with you in case they turned out to be important.”

  Roselle stared at the photos and a few memories of Tina surfaced. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. “Finding Tina is more important than worrying about how these photos ended up in my pocket.”

  She turned to Harty and handed him the pictures. “Here, take the photos. I’m handing them over to you. But I need to warn you—some of these are quite graphic. I just want to make sure you’re prepared for what you might see.”

  Harty accepted them with a solemn nod. “Thank you, Roselle. “

  Harty glanced at Roselle before turning his attention to the photos. Roselle gave him a nod of encouragement, and Harty began flipping through them His face darkened more and more. There was anger which became visible on his face.

  Angie leaned over casually. “I’ve seen worse,” she commented nonchalantly. Her eyes flickered over the images. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she reached out to take one of the photos from Harty’s hand. “Is Tina taking—”

  Before she could finish, Harty's hand shot out, snatching the photo away. “Not one word, Angie,” he snapped.

  Angie’s eyes widened slightly. She raised her hands in the air. “Hey, hey, don’t get mad at me. ”

  Harty's mind was racing with the information from the photos. The disturbing images had triggered a new perspective. With confidence, he spoke up. "I think I have a lead, something that might sound a bit off, but it's all we have. Alex, the guy who sent these photos, his actions don't add up. He's been seen with Sarah, Roselle's friend, and Jess's ex-boyfriend recently disappeared. We need to consider that it could be the same person under a different name or alias."

  Harty's analysis continued, "I checked with the school records, and there's no one named Alex or Rosebelle. This guy looks nothing like Jess's ex, but that might be part of the disguise. If he's trying to get close to Jess, he could be tracking her, which means Jess could be in danger right now. Alex might know something about Tina, especially if he's been seen with Sarah."

  "I should've squeezed more information out of Alex when I had the chance," Angie muttered with a hint of annoyance. Angie swiftly set to work, tracing the background of the images using her mini-laptop. After a few moments of intense focus, she came back with fast results. “I’ve located the place where these photos were taken. It seems to be a warehouse on the outskirts of town," Angie announced.

  Harty considered the options. "All right, we'll split up. One of us needs to go to Jess' house and make sure she's safe. The rest of us will check out the warehouse and look for any signs of Tina."

  Roselle, Michigo, Harty, and Angie nodded. They were all on the same page.