Chapter 19...

Emily showed Michael the message on her phone. It read: "Stay away from Lucas. He's not what he seems."

Michael's eyes widened. "Who sent this?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't know. The number is blocked."

Michael's mind raced. What did the message mean? Was Lucas involved in the strange occurrences?,

Emily nodded decisively. "I'll try to trace the message.

Maybe we can uncover who's behind it."

Michael watched as Emily worked her tech magic on her phone.

After a few tense moments, she looked up with a triumphant smile.

"I did it! The message came from a burner phone, but I managed to track its location."

Michael's eyes widened. "Where did it come from?"

Emily's expression turned serious. "The message came from inside the school."

Michael's mind raced. Who could be sending mysterious messages from inside the school?

Michael and Emily decided to investigate the school.

They started by canvassing the hallways, asking students and teachers if they had seen anything suspicious.

As they turned a corner, they noticed a familiar face - the school's IT specialist, Mr. Jenkins.

He was fiddling with a phone, his eyes darting around nervously.

Michael's instincts kicked in. "Mr. Jenkins, what are you doing?"

Mr. Jenkins hesitated before answering. "Just, uh, fixing a phone. Yeah, that's it."

Emily's eyes narrowed. "Let me see that phone."

Mr. Jenkins handed it over, and Emily quickly examined it. "This is the burner phone that sent the message!"

Michael's eyes widened. "Mr. Jenkins, what's going on?"

Mr. Jenkins sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I was just trying to protect the school. I didn't mean to cause any harm."

Michael and Emily exchanged a confused glance. Protect the school from what?

Let me add a little detail to clarify that.

Mr. Jenkins, the IT specialist, had been working at the school for several years. Unbeknownst to Michael and Emily, Mr. Jenkins had a past connection with Agent Thompson. They had worked together on a previous case involving a cyber threat at a nearby school. Agent Thompson had been impressed with Mr. Jenkins' expertise and had kept in touch with him.

When Agent Thompson arrived at Michael's school, she had quietly reached out to Mr. Jenkins to keep an eye on things and provide intel if needed. Mr. Jenkins, being a curious and tech-savvy person, had been doing some digging on his own and discovered the strange occurrences at night.

Mr. Jenkins leaned in closer. "Agent Thompson and I have a bit of a history.

We worked together on a case a few years ago. She's a good agent, but I think she's in over her head this time."

Michael's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Jenkins hesitated. "I think Agent Thompson is trying to protect someone... or something.

And I think it's connected to Lucas and the strange occurrences at night."

Emily's mind raced. Who or what could Agent Thompson be protecting? And what did it have to do with Lucas?

Michael could but will wonder of what more Secret's does this school have.