Chapter 32 Unexpected ckout

Jean squinted, her head spinning with chaotic thoughts.

That was when Lacey and the others somehow made their way over to her side.

“Sterford Academy students, group together–we’re about to take the group photo!”

The teacher with the camera waved them over enthusiastically.

Jean blinked.

So it was time for the group picture…

But-

Weren’t they pushing in a little too aggressively?

Finished

Jean stood in the “center” spotb–/bright in the lens’s focus. But the students kept inching closer, pressing in around her, trying to squeeze her out of the spotlight.

Then, out of nowhere-

Lacey reached out from behind and gave her shoulder a subtle shove

Jean lost her bnce.

She stumbled forward, tumbling out of her ce–bwhile /bLacey swiftly slipped into the spot she had just vacated.

With ba /bloud thud, jean fell hard to the ground.

Landing squarely on the metal switch beneath her.

Before she could blink, the entire theater was plunged intoplete darkness.

All the lights went out

Screams of every pitch and tone filled her ears, the scene erupting into total bchaos/b.

Jean pped her bhands /bover her ears.

At the same time, she kept alert–listening, scanning for any strange movements nearby.

This ckout was exactly what that mysterious figure had wanted.

So–bwas /bhe here!

bThat /bshove from Lacey, bhad /bunknowingly triggered the very thing he asked of her,

The switch, after all, wasn’t something beasy /bto activate. It took real force.

Which said a lot about just how hard she’d hit the

bground/b.

The screams around her intensified. A swirl of panic, crying, and shouting echoed in her skull.

About a minuteter, the lights finally flickered back on.

The scene was still a mess.

bMany /bstudents were slumped to the ground on stage, faces pale with fear. Some had even burst into tears.

Chapter 32 Unexpected ckout

Where’s Mr. Lamda?!”

A shocked cry brang /bout bfrom /ba woman on the panel, her face pale.

That one scream redirected everyone’s attention-

An elderly judge bhad /bgone missing during the brief ckout.

Just like that, the Hope Cup ended in chaos. All students were quickly escorted out of the venue and sent home.

After all, someone had vanished into thin air. The Central Theater was no longer safe by any measure.

Finished

Jean boarded the bus along with her ssmates, who were still bshaken/b. Some were crying on the phone with their parents. Others sobbed into the shoulders of their friends. The mood was all over the ce.

Jean rested her chin on her hand band /bstaredzily out the window.

Only she knew what might have really happened.

Mr. Lamda’s disappearance–it had to be connected to that mysterious person.

Was that what he wanted? To use the darkness to take Lamda away?

The school bus dropped beach /bstudent off at their doorstep since it was the weekend and there was no need to return to campus.

Jean, however, didn’t want anyone to know where she lived.

So when they neared an intersection not far from her house, she called out to the driver to stop.

The driver nced at her in confusion. “Not going home? Why get off at theer?”

“My house is nearby, Jean said honestly. “I’ll walk the rest of the way.”

The driver frowned. “bIt’s /bno trouble. I can drop you off at your door.”

Jean waved him boff/bb, /bsmiling brightly “Really, it’s not a bbother /bat all

“She probably lives in a dump and doesn’t want us to see,” someone behind her muttered.

“Ugh, how pitiful. Too embarrassed to let us know where she lives.”

“Come on, Jean. We won’t judge. Let’s see just how shabby your ce really is.”

Jean ignored them and just burged /bthe driver to let her off.

The bus pulled over Jean stepped off.

She walked along the sidewalk, lost in thought.

Her mind was full of that mysterious man.

Was there any news about Lamda’s disappearance!

She pulled out her phone and opened Twitter.

Just as she expected-“Hope Cup, “Central Theater,” and “Mr. Lamda” were all trending in the top three spots. The buzz was explouve.

She clicked in, but the posts were bmostly /bjust spection.

Chapter 12 Unexpected Blockout

“No clue. They just cut out–btotally /bsudden.”

“Probably a power boutage /bor something”

“This whole thing gives me the creeps..”

Jean pressed her lips together.

So most people didn’t know that she had triggered the ckout by falling?

Finished

bThen /bagain, it made sense. Who would’ve guessed that the switch front and center onstage was the master light control? It looked more like ban /bemergency button to most people.

If that mysterious figure hadn’t pointed it out, she never would’ve made the connection either.

So it was only natural that no one suspected her.

She kept scrolling.

“This year’s Hope Cup was cursed. So many bizarre incidents…”

“My precious Tree girl finally won an award–and this ruined everything.”

“I hope none of the students were traumatized…”

“What a mess–for the students, the

“Let’s hope the truthes s out soon

Even the judges.

Jean turned off her phone, not in the mood to keep reading.

When she got home, the mansion was quiet. Aside from the housekeepers, no one else was there.

Dominic hadn’t returned yet.

He’d known she was performing today and bhad /beven wished her luck before she left.

But he’d also had an importantmitment, so he couldn’t attend the event in person.

Jean dropped her backpack on the table and stepped into the dining room, nning to get a drink of water–when suddenly

Her phone rang bfrom /bher pocket.