The following day, the group reconvened, all eager to dive deeper into the mystery that had been left untouched for so many years. Olivia, Jake, Maya, and Luke gathered in the school’s library once again, pouring over the journals they had discovered.

“‘The greatest mystery lies beneath us,’” Olivia read aloud, her voice filled with both wonder and a hint of nervousness. “What does that even mean? Beneath the school? Beneath the floorboards? Or something more… underground?”

Maya tapped her chin thoughtfully. “There’s a lot of weird stuff in this place. Could be literal—something hidden in the catacombs under the school. Or maybe it’s metaphorical, like, a hidden truth no one’s dared to uncover.”

“I don’t like the sound of catacombs,” Jake said, his face paling slightly. “The school’s been here for decades, and I bet there are things down there that should stay down there.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Ghosts?” He scoffed. “Come on, not everything is a ghost story.”

Olivia shook her head, more focused than ever. “We need to figure out where to start looking. The journals only talk about the mystery in vague terms. It’s clear the club knew something big was about to be uncovered, but they never finished it.”

Suddenly, Jake stood up and pointed toward the map. “Hey, look at this. There’s a weird circle drawn on the map, right underneath the gym and the old hallway. It’s like they were trying to mark something specific.”

“That’s the spot where the keyhole plaque was!” Maya exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “Maybe that’s the place we need to focus on.”

Olivia stood up, already feeling a sense of urgency. “We’ve got to check under the gym floor—there’s no way around it. Let’s meet after school and investigate.”

That afternoon, the group gathered in the gym, their hearts pounding with anticipation. Armed with flashlights and the map from the chest, they made their way toward the spot where the circle was drawn. The gym was quieter than usual, and the echoes of their footsteps seemed to linger longer than they should.

Olivia knelt down by the corner of the gym floor, where the map indicated something was hidden. She examined the floorboards carefully, looking for any signs of a hidden mechanism. After a few moments, her flashlight caught something glimmering in the dim light—a small, almost imperceptible crack in the wood.

“Here,” Olivia whispered, her voice filled with awe. “It’s here.”

Maya and Jake quickly joined her, and with a few careful pushes, the floorboard creaked and lifted. Beneath it was a narrow, stone stairway leading down into darkness.

“This is it,” Luke said, his voice full of both excitement and hesitation. “Are we really doing this?”

Olivia nodded, determination written across her face. “We’re solving this mystery, once and for all.”

With a final glance at each other, they took their first steps down into the unknown, ready to uncover the secrets that had been hidden beneath their school for decades.