"First, go to the edge of the forest and find the tree that is three paces back from the restaurant. There, you will find your next clue."
"Alright," Sammy leaned on Evan's shoulder, "So we're looking for some tree. Can't be that hard, right?"
Glancing between the restaurant and the forest, Evan identified the line where the trees were chopped down for the building and the forest began. He pointed at the space where the clean blades of grass turned into longer, prairie like greens.
"Let's start over there. That looks like the edge of the forest to me."
***
Kaeya groaned when the light of morning hit his face. He tucked his head into Childe's side, shielding his eyes.
"Hey," Childe greeted in a gravelly morning voice.
"We need to start sleeping in my room again," he replied, sparing curses at the sun.
"We let Mike have that room again, remember?"
"...Damn it."
Childe chuckled, "I'm sure you'll survive. Want me to start breakfast?"
"I can do it today," Kaeya dragged himself to the edge of the bed, but Childe pulled him back by the waist.
"I'll make breakfast, you'll probably burn something. You can make lunch, though."
"Fine..." he grumbled, shimming out of Childe's arms and grabbing a book, "I'm still getting up, though."
"You're no fun," Childe stuck his tongue out, following Kaeya to the main room. When they got there, Michael was already sitting on the couch, his chin resting in his hand. He didn't move when they walked in.
Childe raised an eyebrow, "Are you...staring at the wall?"
"Huh?" he jumped, turning to the two men, "Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."
"You need to go out with your friends, comrade," Childe retreated to the kitchen while Kaeya sat in an arm chair next to Michael.
"Yeah, I know! I know. And I still need to talk to Yanfei, too. I'll never figure this out otherwise."
"Don't stress too much, it's all gonna work out," Kaeya threw his legs over the side of the chair, "What did you say happened again?"
"I confessed to a murder I didn't commit and now the real murderer is out there but the cops are looking for me," he replied in one breath, pulling his cheeks down with his fingertips.
"Oh, right. Yeah, that wasn't very smart."
"I know!" he groaned.
Childe peaked around the kitchen wall, "Well, why don't you talk to her today? I was gonna show her around New Khaenri'ah, but I'm sure she'll be much more interested in helping you. She's coming over in an hour or two."
"Wait, they're gonna leave in an hour or two?" Kaeya crossed his arms, "I thought you said I could make lunch."
"Uh...oops?" Childe shrugged, a cheeky smile on his face.
"Oh, you snake," he smirked, "Mike, you like my food, don't you?"
"Uh..." Michael scratched his neck, an awkward laugh slipping from his throat.
"Really, you two? Hmph, and I thought I finally had people on my side. You boys are all the same."
"We're grown men, Kaeya," Childe argued weakly.
"Ah, not this one, though," he reached a hand behind Michael's head, ruffling his hair.
Michael laughed, "I'm nineteen, Kaeya. I drank with you last New Year!"
"You'll always be thirteen in my mind," Kaeya pinched his cheek teasingly.
"So you think of me as a raging asshole?"
"Hm...perhaps."
"Gimme a break," the young man snickered, pushing Kaeya's face away with one hand.
As his chuckles died, Kaeya exhaled, "C'mon, let's go meet Childe in the kitchen."
***
"I see you've found my first letter," Charlie read, translating the binary code again, "You've embarked on a journey that will change you forever. There is a hole in this forest, covered by dirt. Find it, and there you will find the next letter."
Sammy rubbed his forehead, "How many of these letters are there?"
"Relax, we've only found one so far," Elizabeth brushed his complaints off.
Charlie looked at the letter in her hands, "Something seems off about this, Liz."
"Obviously, whoever is putting these letters up is insane. Let's just keep going, we'll be fine," she insisted.
Evan put a hand on Sammy's shoulder, "Let's stick together and keep searching, okay? We gotta find a place in this forest that looks dug up."
"That could take us all day," Sammy argued.
"Then we better get started," Elizabeth declared.
***
"Oh, Archons, Michael..." Yanfei replied, averting her gaze to the skies of Liyue. What was supposed to be a relaxing walk with her old friend Michael turned into a headache for her. As Yanfei's boots clinked against the cobblestone streets, Michael shrunk into his shoulders.
"Yeah...listen, can you help?"
"Yes, of course I can, but I'm not sure if it'll work out the way we want it to. First things first, you need to go back home and tell the police the truth," she declared.
"I can't do that, they'll never believe me!"
"Mike, there's a murderer out there! This isn't something you can just brush off," she put a hand on his shoulder, and he stopped in his tracks to look at her, "You need to do the right thing."
His eyebrows furrowed, he bit his lip, "Say...say I don't. What else can I do?"
She shook her head, "Oh, Mike..."
"Please, Yanfei!" he ran a hand through his hair, "I—I don't wanna go to jail, I'm not a criminal! I'm just..."
"Alright. Okay, listen to me, Mike," she grabbed his biceps, forcing him to look at her, "I suppose you have one other option."
"What is it?" he asked eagerly.
***
"Ew," Evan looked at his hands, which were caked in dirt. He knelt in front of the hole, disgusted yet intrigued at the same time.
"Well? What does it say?" Elizabeth leaned over his shoulder.
"Um..." he grabbed the letter, gently brushing it off, "Whoa..."
"What?" Sammy leaned over his other shoulder.
"It isn't in binary code anymore."
Charlie put a hand on his head, "Just read it."
"Hello, son. If you've gotten this far, that means you really are dedicated to this search. Well, then, I'll make this easier for you. There's only one thing left for you to do."
"Finally!" Sammy cheered, "Phew, this whole thing was giving me the creeps."
"What's the last thing to do?" Elizabeth urged.
"Find the tree with the hole in its middle. It's deeper into the forest, but if you walk directly forward from this hole, you will find it. Good luck. It's blue skies from here on out."
When he finished reading, Evan turned to look up at Charlie. She saw the concern in his eyes, and she gulped.
"Guys, the sun is setting," she said, "This isn't a good idea. We need to go home."
"But we're so close! Please, let's keep going," Elizabeth begged.
"No! Liz, we are going home," Charlie commanded, "So drop it."
The younger girl furrowed her eyebrows, standing up straight. Even when she did, she stood no taller than Charlie did.
"Fine! I'll go by myself," she insisted.
Elizabeth walked towards the tree the letter sent her to, ignoring the protests of her family behind her. Clenching her fists, she resisted the urge to turn around.
"Liz, stop! Come back!" Evan called. He lifted himself from the ground to chase after her, but Sammy grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"Hey, let me go!" he tried to pull away, "Sam, I can't let her go alone!"
"Well, I'm not letting you go with her, man!" Sammy patted his shoulder, then his back, before running after Elizabeth, "I'm gonna go, okay? I'll keep her safe! You two, go home!"
"Sam—!"
"Yes, I'm sure, Charlie!" he answered his twin's question without her even asking, "I'll meet you at home!"
He ran into the forest, catching Elizabeth before both of them were out of sight in the fog. Evan glanced back and forth between Charlie and the fog, Charlie and the fog, Charlie and the fog. She tripped over her words, her mouth hung open.
"Um—come on," she spoke finally, "Let's go home. I'm sure Sam will make her come to her senses."
He almost refuted her words, but he shrunk, dejected, "Okay."
***
"You find out who really committed the murder."
"What?" Michael looked at her as if she was crazy, "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"I don't know, but figure it out! If you do, law enforcement might be willing to strike a deal with you. They might give you just a fine instead of jail," Yanfei replied, "This is the best I can do for you, Mike. You dug yourself in this hole."
"I know, I know..." he rubbed his temples, "Alright, I'll figure something out."
From below his chin, Yanfei placed a hand on his cheek, "I know you will. Be safe, Mike, okay? And, please, quit lying to the police. I might not be able to save your butt next time."
He chuckled, "Okay, I will. Thank you, Yanfei."
She nodded, "Go talk to Childe and Kaeya. Then you have to go, okay? Time won't stop moving, not for anyone. Now go, Mike. I believe in you."
***
"You're an idiot. You know that, Liz?"
"I'm doing what I have to," she answered coldly. Sammy, baffled at her attitude, simply shrugged and shook his head.
The two walked in silence, Elizabeth looking for the tree while Sammy glanced about the landscaped. Nervous, he stayed alert for any noise, movement, or misplaced gust of wind that would indicate someone was near them. He inched closer to Elizabeth, wishing he could hide behind her instead.
"Look, over there!" she pointed a tree with a hole. Before Sammy could protest, she ran after it, leaving him completely exposed.
"Hey—wait up!"
When Sammy reached the tree, Elizabeth was already sticking her hand inside. She shoved the letter into Sammy's hands wordlessly, sticking her arm further into the hole. He looked over the note, turning pale white.
"Oh, no."
"What is it?" she asked impatiently.
"Well, first it says 'HAHAHA' in all capital letters," Sammy cringed, then read the rest of the letter, "Did you really think it would be that easy? You're clearly very optimistic. I've left you four gifts inside the tree. Please, enjoy them. Be ready to...face me soon?! Liz!"
"The letter says my name?" Elizabeth asked, pulling out three small cards and a key.
"No, I said Liz! The letter says that the douchebag is coming for us!"
"Oh, come on, it's just some fake threat to scare us. No one is going to actually come."
"Well, whoever it was didn't have a problem with killing before!" Sammy yelled, exasperated, "What's in your hand?"
"Hm..." she turned the cards over, which revealed themselves as three Polaroid photos. When they looked closely at the pictures, though, the two siblings were disgusted.
"Oh my god. Oh my god," Sammy gagged, "Oh, holy shit, Elizabeth!"
"Oh, no..." her eyes shook. She examined the photos, the little girl on the floor, dead. She lay helpless, cold, alone.
"She's so...bloody..." Elizabeth whispered, her eyes glossing over, "Who did this? She was just a little girl."
The first photo showed the entire scene in all its gore. The second photo zoomed in on the young girl's face, and the third photo zoomed in on the stab wounds on her stomach. Elizabeth shoved the photos into her pocket, refusing to look at them any longer.
"Who cares about who did it—we need to get out of here, now!" Sammy grabbed her arm, then started sprinting out of the woods, "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!"
"Wait, Sam!" she protested, "I don't know what the key is for!"
"I don't care! I could not care less right now, let's go!"
Elizabeth glanced behind her as Sammy dragged her along, then nodded, "Okay!"
"Finally, you listen to someone other than yourself!" he retorted.
The dig crawled under her skin, but she didn't reply. She followed him as he hopped over logs and branches, but the tip of her shoe caught on one of the them, and her hand slipped from his grasp.
"Sam!"
"Oh, fuck no," he pulled her back up, sprinting with an arm around her shoulders.
"Ow, ow, ow!" she hissed.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine, just get us home!"
Sammy nodded, focusing his attention on the edge of the forest. When he made it there, he saw his car, illuminated by the streetlights. He beamed in relief as he sped up, throwing Elizabeth into the car like his life depended on it.
"Ow!" she yelled, "Sam, what the hell?"
"Get in, get in!" he urged as he unlocked the car doors. Elizabeth fumbled, but opened her door right after, locking all the doors behind her. Meanwhile, Sammy forced the key into the ignition and spun the wheel to its right, dodging the families in the parking lot.
"Please don't hit anything," she begged sarcastically. Sammy, his knuckles white, gripped the wheel even tighter. His eyes were wide, and his stomach churned. Elizabeth noticed the sweat on his temples, and she shrunk, "Sam?"
"I can't talk to you right now," his voice shook as he placed a hand on his forehead, "I just—I—...forget it, Charlie'll handle you when we get home."
Guilty, Elizabeth averted her gaze to the floor, "I'm sorry."
"No, you're not," he grit his teeth, focusing on the road ahead of him. If he replied now, he would crack, and he needed to focus on getting the two of them home safe first. Elizabeth, understanding this, sunk into her chair. The ride wasn't long, but submerged in silence, it felt like years.
She pulled the photos and the key from her pocket, studying them. She couldn't look at the front of the photos any longer, but she gazed at the back, wondering if whoever sent the letters, the killer, may have left fingerprints. She ran her finger along the edge of one of the squares, then laid them down on her knee. In her other hand, she held the key, tracing its ridges with her fingertips. She felt like she had seen it before, but she couldn't tell from where.
When she flipped the key around, her cheeks turned white, and she almost dropped it. She squeezed it in her hand, close to her heart, to prevent Sammy from seeing it.
The initials in the middle of the key were clear: H.E.