Vivian had had the notebook open on her desk for more than an hour.
The lamp in her room cast a warm light over the pages filled with dates, names, and notes. She had gone over the timeline once again, but this time she wasn't simply reading it. She was looking for patterns more carefully.
The abandoned warehouse.
Tairon's gang.
The forest fire.
The attack at Ana's house.
Her own kidnapping alongside Madeleine.
The laughter they had heard that night.
Vivian slowly ran her finger over the dates.
There was something that kept repeating.
The Clown didn't appear at random.
He always arrived when the violence had already begun.
Never before.
Never too late.
Vivian frowned and wrote a new sentence in the margin:
He doesn't prevent it. He intervenes.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
There were still too many gaps.
She didn't know who he was.
She didn't know where he got his power.
She didn't know why he chose to save certain people only to disappear afterward.
But there was one thing she knew for certain.
Continuing the investigation alone no longer made sense.
She put the notebook away in the drawer and stared at her phone for a while.
It was late.
The house was quiet.
Vivian picked up her Nokia, typed the message, and reread it several times before sending it.
Brittany, can we talk tomorrow at my house?
It's important.
She sent the message.
The phone remained silent for almost a minute.
Then it vibrated.
Yes.
What time?
Vivian let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
After school.
Whenever you can.
Brittany's reply came quickly.
Okay.
I'll come.
Vivian placed the phone on the table and leaned back on her bed.
She stared at the ceiling for a while.
For the first time in days, she felt like she had taken a real step forward.
---
The next day, after school, Brittany arrived on time.
Vivian was waiting for her at the door.
—Come in —she said with a small smile.
Brittany stepped inside and left her backpack near the couch.
The house was quiet.
Vivian's mother hadn't arrived yet.
They both sat down in the living room.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Brittany was the first to break the silence.
—Well… you said it was important.
Vivian nodded.
She looked down at her hands for a moment before raising her eyes.
—I've been investigating something.
Brittany raised an eyebrow.
—Investigating what?
—The Clown.
The name fell between them like something heavy.
Brittany didn't respond immediately.
She simply looked at Vivian more intently.
Vivian took a deep breath and continued.
—Since what happened to Ana. Since what happened to us. Since that laughter we heard.
She paused briefly.
—I've been gathering everything I could find. News reports. Dates. Locations. The warehouse. The forest fire. Everything.
Brittany leaned back slightly on the couch.
—And?
—There's a pattern —Vivian said—. He always appears when someone is about to die. Never before. Never afterward.
Brittany frowned.
—We already knew that, more or less.
—Yeah.
Vivian paused.
—But it's not just that.
She leaned forward.
—I can't keep doing this alone. There are too many things I don't understand. And every time I try to get closer to an answer, more questions appear.
There was a brief silence.
Brittany looked at her seriously.
—Then… why are you doing it?
The question was simple.
But it carried weight.
Vivian lowered her gaze for a few seconds.
She thought about the forest.
About Madeleine crying.
About the feeling that they were going to die.
About the way the Clown had appeared and changed everything within a matter of minutes.
Then she looked up.
—Because I can't ignore it anymore.
She paused.
—Not after what we saw. Not after what happened to us.
Vivian took a deep breath.
—If someone like him exists… if there are more things like what we saw that night…
She looked at Brittany.
—Then we can't keep pretending life is normal.
Brittany didn't answer immediately.
She stared at the table for a while.
Finally, she spoke.
—I'm not going to lie to you. This scares me.
Vivian nodded.
—Me too.
—But… —Brittany looked up— it also makes sense.
The two of them fell silent again.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
It was a silence of understanding.
Brittany crossed her arms.
—What exactly do you want me to do?
Vivian hesitated for a second.
—For now… I just want you to help me go over what I already have. See if I missed something.
She paused briefly.
—And if we find more information, we can decide together what to do.
Brittany thought about it for a few seconds.
Then she slowly nodded.
—Okay.
A small smile appeared on her face.
—We'll do it.
Vivian felt something loosen slightly in her chest.
—Thank you.
Brittany let out a small, humorless laugh.
—Don't thank me yet. If this gets worse, I'm going to remind you that I only came here to listen.
Vivian smiled faintly.
—Deal.
The two of them remained in the living room for a while longer.
They didn't talk about grand plans.
They didn't talk about impossible dangers.
They only talked about what they already knew.
What they had seen.
What they still didn't understand.
When Brittany stood up to leave, she stopped at the door.
—Vivian.
—Yeah?
Brittany looked at her seriously.
—If we're going to do this… be careful.
Vivian nodded.
—I know.
Brittany stepped outside.
Vivian closed the door and remained there for a few seconds, leaning against it.
For the first time since she had begun investigating…
she wasn't completely alone.