What Happens In Mayrose: The Story Of Stacy Green

Chapter Twenty-Two

It was two in the afternoon. Only ten hours left.

@%#!$

I have to say, little detectives, you're persistence is quite admirable. And pitiful.

Believe me when I say, I could kill you now and the game could end here. But lucky for you, I like a challenge. So... let's see how fast you little rats can run:

SEID DOLGIRAM EHT EREHW SEIL HTURT EHT

Tick tock little detectives. See you real soon.

"So you're telling me," Spencer started, looking down at the newly sent message that had appeared on his phone. "That sweet, little freshman Kate wrote this message?"

Yara nodded. "Apparently. She said since her brother's injured, she's been playing the messenger." Because of Kate's warning, the gang was now piled into the truck driving down a random road, with no clue where to go next. "How did your chat with Caleb go?"

Spencer scoffed. "It was... repetitive. He just repeated the shit we already knew." He decided to leave out the whole "special invitation" bit since it didn't seem like something that would help them in that particular situation.

"So, we're back to square one."

"Not necessarily," Lena barged in, her eyes still on the road. "What about the new message? Those random ass letters? They've gotta mean something."

"The question is what, though," Blake finished, grabbing Spencer's phone and examining it closely. In only a few swconds of staring,the letrers began to blur and his eyes began to sting. "Yo, this shit is gibberish."

He passed the phone back to Spencer. "It has to mean something," Spencer urged. "Why else would it be in the message?"

Blake sarcastically shrugged. "Gee, I don't know. Why would a mystery guy who's sent us on a while goose chase to hell and back send us some gibberish. It's not like he's tryingto mess with us or anything."

"Aw, my sarcasm rubbed off on you," Lena smiled. "I'm so proud."

"Can we please focus you guys?," Yara intruded, snatching Spencer's phone from him. She glinted at the words, when suddenly the whole phone began to glitch. "Spencer, you're wifi sucks."

"We're near a lot of trees!," Spencer protested, quite offended by all the abuse he was getting. "Plus I haven't paid my plan yet."

Yara rolled her eyes and groaned. She held the phone up higher, trying read it clearly. "I'm gonna turn it the other way. Blake, tell me when the screen's clear."

Blake looked up at the top rearview mirror of the car, to see Yara holding up the phone. Then he noticed it.

"Wait," he said squinting to get a better look. "What is that?"

"What's what?," Yara asked, pulling down the phone to look at it. "There's nothing there."

Blake curved his body in his seat to face Yara. "Hold the phone back up to the mirror again."

Confused at what he was getting at, Yara held the phone up like she had before, trying to keep still.

Blake narrowed his eyes to make out the words. And surprisingly... it wasn't gibberish. "The message is backwards. Holding it up to the mirror relfects it the right way."

"Woah," Yara said, actually really astonished. "What does it say?"

"Can you hurry up!," Lena bawled. "I have to see the cars behind me!"

"Its says..." Blake read slowly, his eyes now starting to hurt. "The truth lies where the marigold dies."

Everyone stayed quiet.