Praew woke to the sound of her phone buzzing on her desk. She groggily reached for it, squinting at the screen. It was a text from Meen.
*Meen: Meet us at the library. Found something big.*
The words jolted her awake. Throwing on her school uniform, Praew grabbed her bag and the doll before hurrying out. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, bathing Sathit Chao Phraya High School in a golden glow, but the beauty did little to soothe her unease.
In the library, Meen, Tan, and Pim were huddled around a dusty stack of books and documents. Pim waved her over excitedly. "Look at this!"
Praew leaned in as Meen explained. "We found old faculty records. Turns out Kanokwan's father worked here as a groundskeeper. He was fired shortly after the fire in the auditorium."
Tan pointed to a faded photograph of a man standing in front of the school gates. "That's him. Chaiwat Somsak. If we can track him down, maybe he can lead us to Kanokwan."
"But why would a groundskeeper be involved in this?" Praew asked, frowning.
Meen hesitated. "That's the thing. According to these records, he wasn't just a groundskeeper. He was also... a spiritual medium."
The room fell silent.
"A medium?" Pim whispered.
Praew's fingers tightened around the doll. "That explains a lot," she murmured. "Maybe he helped with the ritual. Maybe he was the one who—"
"—summoned whatever went wrong," Tan finished grimly.
---
**A Visit to the Archives**
The group decided their next stop was the city archives, where they hoped to find more information about Kanokwan's family. The journey there was tense, with everyone avoiding the subject that loomed over them all: Kanya's increasing presence.
"She whispered to me last night," Praew admitted softly as they rode the bus.
The others turned to her, wide-eyed.
"She said, 'Find her.'"
Pim shivered, hugging herself. "I don't like this. What if we're just digging ourselves deeper?"
"We don't have a choice," Meen said firmly. "If we stop now, Kanya will never rest. And who knows what else could happen?"
The archives were a maze of dusty shelves and flickering fluorescent lights. A helpful clerk directed them to the section containing old residential records.
"Here," Tan said, pulling out a file. "The Somsak family."
They gathered around as he flipped through the documents.
"Kanokwan's family lived in a house near the school," Tan read aloud. "But it was abandoned after the fire. There's a record of her father moving to a temple in Ayutthaya."
"A temple?" Praew asked.
Tan nodded. "It says he became a recluse after the fire. If he's still there, he might know where Kanokwan is."
"Then we go to Ayutthaya," Meen declared.
---
**The Haunted Road**
The trip to Ayutthaya was quiet but tense. The countryside rolled past in a blur, but Praew's mind was firmly on the doll in her bag. She could feel its presence, heavy and cold.
When they arrived at the temple, they were greeted by a serene silence. Monks moved quietly through the grounds, their saffron robes glowing in the afternoon sun.
They approached an elderly monk sweeping the courtyard. "Excuse me," Praew said hesitantly. "We're looking for someone named Chaiwat Somsak."
The monk stopped and looked at them with a strange expression. "Chaiwat has not spoken to outsiders in many years," he said. "Why do you seek him?"
"We're investigating something that happened at Sathit Chao Phraya High School," Meen explained. "Something involving his daughter, Kanokwan."
The monk's eyes darkened. He pointed toward a small, secluded hut at the edge of the grounds. "You'll find him there. But tread carefully. The past is a dangerous thing to awaken."
---
**The Medium's Warning**
The hut was small and unassuming, surrounded by gnarled trees. The group hesitated at the door, exchanging nervous glances before Praew knocked.
"Who is it?" a raspy voice called from within.
"We're from Sathit Chao Phraya High School ," Praew said. "We need to ask you about Kanokwan."
There was a long silence before the door creaked open. Chaiwat stood in the doorway, his face lined with age and sorrow.
"What do you want to know?" he asked.
They stepped inside, the air thick with the scent of incense. The walls were lined with talismans and old photographs.
"Your daughter," Praew began. "We think she was involved in a ritual that... killed someone. A girl named Kanya."
At the mention of Kanya's name, Chaiwat flinched.
"I warned them," he said bitterly. "I told them not to play with things they didn't understand. But Kanokwan was always headstrong. She thought she could control it."
"Control what?" Meen asked.
Chaiwat sat down heavily, his hands trembling. "They summoned a spirit," he said. "A powerful one. But they didn't follow the rules. They didn't close the circle."
"What happened during the ritual?" Tan pressed.
Chaiwat's eyes filled with tears. "The spirit lashed out. It consumed Kanya, trapped her between worlds. And it left something behind—a curse that still lingers."
Praew felt the weight of the doll in her bag grow heavier. "How do we stop it?"
Chaiwat looked at her sharply. "You can't. Not without Kanokwan. She's the key to ending this. But be warned—she'll do anything to protect herself. Anything."
---
**The Shadows Deepen**
As they left the temple, the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the ground. The group walked in silence, the weight of Chaiwat's words pressing down on them.
"Kanokwan's the key," Praew murmured. "We have to find her, no matter what."
"And when we do?" Pim asked nervously.
Praew didn't answer. Deep down, she knew the confrontation with Kanokwan wouldn't just be dangerous—it would be deadly.
---
As the first stars appeared in the night sky, Praew tightened her grip on the doll and whispered, "Kanya, I won't let you down."