The car trundled up the narrow, winding road, flanked by dense foliage that seemed to swallow the last rays of the setting sun. Ava and her friends were exhausted from the long journey, their excitement dulled by the weariness of travel. At last, the house where they would be staying for the next few days came into view—a quaint, secluded cottage nestled among the trees.

As the group stepped out of the car, an elderly woman emerged from the shadows of the house, her face kind but her eyes sharp with something unspoken. She introduced herself as the caretaker. “Welcome. I’m glad you’ve arrived safely,”

The caretaker's brow furrowed, her voice low. "It’s best not to go near the beach after dark. There are things you don’t know about this place... things you shouldn’t risk learning."

Ava exchanged confused glances with her friends. "What do you mean? We just got here," she asked, feeling unsettled.

The caretaker sighed deeply, as if weighing how much she should say. "This beach... it wasn’t always here. People say it’s... strange, that it changes. No one knows exactly when it appeared or why. But something happened the last time someone wandered there at night."

Ava’s heart skipped a beat, unease creeping in. She thought about her vlog, the footage she’d be shooting, and how this could make for an eerie but interesting twist. But the caretaker's expression was too serious for her to brush it off entirely.

“I’ve lived in this town long enough to hear the stories," the caretaker continued. "They say the beach hides things. Especially at night. My advice is, if you hear anything... odd... just stay inside."

Samera, always ready with a quick joke, said nothing this time. Ava noticed how her best friend bit her lip, eyes wide with unspoken thoughts. Ava felt a slight tug of worry herself—if even Samera was shaken, then maybe there was more to this.

Rai spoke up, his voice steady but his eyes flicking toward Dionne. “We’ll be fine. No reason to worry. Right, Dionne?” He tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t want Dionne to feel anxious, but Ava could tell he was uncomfortable.

Dionne frowned, unsure of what to make of the warning. "It’s probably just local folklore," she murmured, half-heartedly agreeing. But her voice wavered.

Zaire, always the one to break the tension, clapped his hands together. "Alright, guys, we’re not here to get freaked out by ghost stories, okay? Let’s settle in, get some rest, and hit the beach in the morning." His smile was wide, though it seemed more like a front to lighten the mood.

Ignatius, ever the skeptic, leaned back against the wall. “Seriously, we’re gonna let some old stories get to us? People say this stuff to scare outsiders. We’ve all heard it before. It’s nothing.” He crossed his arms, dismissing the whole thing as nonsense, though the slight twitch in his jaw told Ava he wasn’t totally unaffected.

Ava took a breath, glancing at Samera. They’d been through a lot together, and Ava knew she could trust her. But the others... well, she still wasn’t sure how much she could rely on them. They were new to her, and this situation made the cracks in their group dynamic more apparent.

The caretaker’s warning felt unfinished, like there was more she wasn’t saying. Before she left, she turned back one last time. “Just promise me. Whatever you hear, stay inside tomorrow night. Don't go looking for answers on that beach.”