Jess entered her room, a space that reflected her uyle and provocative charm. The room was adorned with posters and suggestive artworks. Her puter sat on a desk in one er.

  With a sultry smile, Jess removed her clothes. Afterwards, she she put on a green shirt that covered her up to her knees. Jess didn’t always sit down in her chair like most people would. Instead, she k on her chair.Her eyes were fixed on the puter s. Jess opened her web browser and began her quest to find the chatroom. She started by typing in the web address Angie had given them.

  Jess’s face quickly shifted to one of frustration. Angie had provided this website link to them, only for her to be met with an “Access Denied” message. This wasn’t what she had expected. She had been looking forward to eg with Risebelle and the others in the chatroom.

  With a furrowed brow, Jess moved from her kneeling position in the chair and sat normally. She started to question the link and what could be wrong with it.

  While sitting at her puter, her fingers danced across the keyboard. She began to iigate, trying different approaches to access the chatroom. Jess furiously typed away at her keyboard, trying different binations and approaches to access the chatroom. Each time she hit “Enter,” the dreaded “Access Denied” message taunted her.

  “I’ll show them ‘Access Denied,’” Jess muttered to herself and pouted. Her eyes locked onto the s. She tio try, again and again, hoping for a different oute. But the result remaihe same, and her frustration grew.

  Just when she was about to give up in exasperation, the message on the s ged. It no longer dispyed “Access Denied.” Instead, it now read “Give Up.” Jess’s eyes widened. Was her eyes pying tricks on her?

  While Jess rubbed her eyes, the s transitioned from the “Give Up” message to the Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows chatroom. Jess felt some fusion. She took a deep breath and got bato a fortable position. In the chatroom, a message popped up: “What’s your username?”

  Jess realized immediately that she didn’t know her username for this particur chatroom off the top of her head, but she remembered the paper Angie had given them earlier. She had written her userhere.

  Frantically, she grabbed the paper and sed it for her username. Finally, she found it writtely in Angie’s handwriting: “MysticChaos21.”

  With a sense of relief, Jess typed her respoo the chatroom, introdug herself to the others.

  In the chatroom, Jess found herself engaged in versations with several people, discussing their pns and strategies to bat Shadowcroft. The chatroom was abuzz with activity, and Jess was getting the hang of it.

  Then, a new message appeared on her s: “MysticChaos21, you’ve been promoted to Moderator by the Owner.”

  Jess bli the ued message. She didn’t even know what to do with this newfound power. She quickly replied, “Umm, thanks, but what does a Moderator do, exactly?”

  Before she received a response, she noticed a series of usernames in the chatroom, and they all seemed to have a mysterious quality to them. Jess couldn’t figure out ho:

  “StarlightSeeker27”

  “EclipseDreamer14”

  “CipherMystery08”

  “Chessmaster12”

  “EnigmaGamer19”

  “PixelChaos03”

  “KarateSpirit23”

  These cryptic usernames left Jess puzzled. She had no idea who correspoo whiame.

  The versation in the chatroom tinued. Jess watched while trying to find out ho among the mysterious usernames:

  Chessmaster12: “So, everything seems to be in pce. We should be ready for the operation.”

  EnigmaGamer19: “Agreed. I’ve been keeping an eye on Jess just in case, but she’s good for now.”

  EclipseDreamer14: “I still ’t believe how Angie pyed it cool when she fronted us at school. Smooth move.”

  StarlightSeeker27: “Yeah, it was almost as if they knew what was going on.”

  KarateSpirit23: “Well, I was out of the loop at school, but I’ll be ready for the operation.”

  PixelChaos03: “I was there too, but it’s good to see we’re all on the same page.”

  MysticChaos21: “Wait, you all were at the school today? Why didn’t you say anything? Who’s who here?”

  The chat room fell momentarily silent, and then CipherMystery08 finally revealed the truth:

  CipherMystery08: “I wasn’t at the school today. I’m Harty’s friend, under special prote. But the others were defihere. Sorry for not revealing ourselves earlier.”

  Jess was relieved to finally have some crity, even though the enigmatic atmosphere of the chatroom remained intaow she khat Roselle, Risebelle, Harty, Angie, Hashta, and Michigo were all part of this secretive operation.

  Chessmaster12: “Alright, team. It’s time to set the pn in motion. We o trap the doppelgangers and expose Shadowcroft’s true iions.”

  EnigmaGamer19: “Agreed. To do that, we’ll o lure the doppelgangers out into the open. We have an idea of where they might strike .”

  EclipseDreamer14: “I’ll hahe digital end. I’ll create some fake leads and breadcrumbs to draw them out. They won’t be able to resist the bait.”

  StarlightSeeker27: “We also o be prepared for any surprises. These doppelgangers are ing, and they might have their own tricks up their sleeves.”

  KarateSpirit23: “I’ll be on the lookout for physical frontations. If they try to strike, they’ll have to deal with me.”

  PixelChaos03: “I’ve got the teical side covered. Whehey try to make there move, we’ll be able to get eyes on them, no matter where they go.”

  MysticChaos21: “I’ll support in any way I ! But you know, these ‘Shadowcroft’ guys, we don’t know much about them.”

  CipherMystery08: “Harty and I will keep a low profile and provide support from behind the ses. We don’t want to draw unnecessary attention.”

  Chessmaster12: “Perfect. Everyone, remember that teamwork is crucial. If we stick together and stay oep ahead of the doppelgangers, we expose Shadowcroft’s sinister plot. Let’s get to work.”

  Jess noticed the private chat feature in the chatroom. A mischevious glint sparkled in her eyes. She rubbed her hands together With a smirk. She clicked on the arlightSeeker27” and initiated a private versation.

  MysticChaos21: “Hey there, StarlightSeeker27. Cute name you got there.”

  A moment passed before the other responded.

  StarlightSeeker27: “Um, thank you, MysticChaos21.”

  MysticChaos21: “You’re wele, sweetie. I bet you’re just as cute as your name.”

  There was a long pause this time before StarlightSeeker27’s response.

  StarlightSeeker27: “Uh, thanks, I guess? We should focus on the mission though. It’s important.”

  MysticChaos21: “You’re right... Let’s catch those doppelgangers, yeah?”

  StarlightSeeker27: “Definitely. Let’s stay focused and work together.”

  Jess leaned back, muttering to herself, “That one’s definitely not Risebelle.” She tried to imagine Risebelle’s tone, how she would respond to her flirtations. With a sigh, she turned her attention to the arget: CipherMystery08.

  With a smirk, she began typing.

  MysticChaos21: “Hey, CipherMystery08. Your name is so spooky and cryptic. I like it. ;)”

  The response came quickly, but it wasn’t what she expected.

  CipherMystery08: “....”

  Jess tilted her head slightly with curiousity. She decided to press her luck further.

  MysticChaos21: “e on, don’t be shy. I bet you’ve got a mysterious charm to match that name.”

  There was silence, and then a blunt reply.

  CipherMystery08: “Stop b me.”

  Before Jess could respond, a pop-up notification appeared on her s:

  “CipherMystery08 is no longer accepting your DMs.”

  Jess let out a frustrated sigh. With a pout, she closed the private chat window auro the main chatroom.

  Just then, Jess’s s blinked with a private message notification. She saw it was a message from Chessmaster12:

  Chessmaster12: “Hey there. You’ve been given Moderator status for a reason. We need your help to monitor and maintain the chatroom during the operation. I want you to request a private chat with everyone a bay suspicious texts that e back to you.”

  Jess was thrilled. She quickly typed out her response:

  MysticChaos21: “You got it, Chessmaster12. I’ll be vigint and make sure everything runs smoothly! We won’t let anything disrupt our mission.”

  Right after that, Jess sarivate chat being requested from them. She accepted the chat:

  Chessmaster12: “Jess, it’s Harty. Angie mentioned something earlier about your ex-boyfriend’s involvement in some shady activities. I trust you, but I o hear it from you directly. Is there any truth to what she said? Were you involved?”

  MysticChaos21: “I swear, dude, I’m not involved in any of that stuff. My ex was a jerk, but I had no idea about any criminal activities. I’m here to help and make things right, just like all of you.”

  Chessmaster12: “Thanks for clearing that up, Jess. I appreciate your hoy. I won’t mention this versation to anyone, and it stays within the chatroom. I swear on my career.”

  MysticChaos21: “I need you to promise that you won’t share this with anyone else in the group. It’s a delicate situation, and I don’t want to risk our mission.”

  Chessmaster12: “I promise, Jess. Your secret stays with me. Tell me what’s going on.”

  MysticChaos21: “After my ex-boyfriend and I broke up, he got himself into some serious shit. Before that, he was stable and had alotta cash, but tely, he’s been relying oo bail his ass out, even though I told him I didn’t wanna see him again. He’s a mess, and I… well, I’m a mess too, but I couldn’t just leave the handsome guy hanging. Please uand, I’m not proud of this.”

  Chessmaster12: “Jess, do you still have feelings for him?”

  Jess’s response was swift, and she made it abundantly clear:

  MysticChaos21: “God, no! But I didn’t have the heart to just ….ditch him like that.”

  Chessmaster12: “Do you know what he’s done, Jess?”

  Jess hesitated for a moment before making a reply.

  MysticChaos21: “I know some things, but not everything. It’s a messy situation, and he’s ly giving me all the details.”

  Chessmaster12: “Jess, is your ex-boyfriend currently Alex from the gaming club?”

  Jess was astonished.

  MysticChaos21: “Wait minute, how did you find out about that?”

  Chessmaster12: “You may not know this, but ex-boyfriend is one of the high-ranking employees of Shadowcroft. We’ve had our suspis for a while. Based on the way you responded here, we also have firmation. We knew he was getting bag from somebody.”

  Chessmaster12: “CipherMystery08 has been helping with that very iigation. We o firm Shadowcroft’s es, and your ex was a signifit lead.”

  MysticChaos21: “I…I ’t believe this. This was a setup, wasn’t it? You knew all along, and you wao see if I was involved!”

  Chessmaster12: “Jess, calm down. It wasn’t a setup to trap you. We o verify your side of the story, and I uand how difficult this must be for you. CipherMystery08 was already on this case, and we o be sure of your involvement.”

  Jess took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The atmosphere seemed to grow darker around her. She could feel the room closing in on her, but she told herself. ‘It’s okay… it’s okay…’

  Chessmaster12: “Jess, you are—“

  Jess was uo read the full message as a sudden crash got her attention. Jess’s bedroom door was violently forced open. Before she could react, dark figures filled the doorway, and she found herself face to face with a group of intruders in bck-colored uniforms with an ‘S’ Symbol on them.

  Jess stared at the figures in her doorway. She gasped. One of them was her ex-boyfriend, but he looked entirely different. His blonde hair was now ly bed, and his pierg blue eyes, whice used to look at her mischeviously now seemed. He was dressed in a Shadowcroft uniform with an emblem of the anization proudly dispyed on his chest.

  Jess couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

  Summoning all her ce, Jess forced a nervous smile and spoke,

  “Hi, Alex,” she said with a shaky speech. “Don’t you look, dashing, today? What brings you here?”

  Alex pulled out a knife. “You couldn’t resist snooping around, could you, Jess,” Alex said with a gre attached to his face. “Thanks for everything you’ve done, but your services are no longer required.”

  To be tinued…