Zayden placed the photo carefully in a plastic bag, his mind racing with thoughts. Who was this girl? Was she connected to Zeynep? Did they know each other or have something else going on? As he turned back toward the cabin with all these questions swirling in his head, he felt the urgency to figure it all out.

As Zayden walked up to the cabin, he saw Leo sitting on the steps, looking relaxed but alert. When Leo heard the crunch of leaves under Zayden’s feet, he looked up with a curious expression and asked, "What took you so long?"

Zayden laughed a bit and replied, "Nothing! What’d you find there, and why did you get here sooner?"

Leo flashed a playful grin and said, "I’m fast, don’t you know? Let’s check out the cabin first, and then I’ll tell you." He stood up and headed inside with a sense of excitement.

Zayden shook his head, amused, and followed Leo inside. Once inside, he quickly checked on Zeynep, who was still lying on the floor like before. He knelt down to check her pulse and was relieved to find it steady. Taking a deep breath, he looked towards the kitchen, curiosity piqued.

Leo was already busy inspecting the windows, using a brush and tweezers like a detective on a case. It didn’t seem like he’d found much, but Zayden had a feeling something was off. He walked over to the dining table, picked up a knife, and turned it over in his hands. Why had Zeynep been holding this?

Noticing Zayden’s focus, Leo asked, "What’s going on in your head?"

Zayden shrugged and said, "Nothing really. Outside, I saw blood on a tree, but how did that guy get hurt? The knife is clean."

Leo asked, "Did you check with the UV light?"

Zayden felt a wave of frustration for missing that detail. He quickly pulled the UV light from his jacket pocket, switched it on, and sprayed the knife with a special solution. But when he shone the light on it, they didn’t see anything new. The blood was old, about a day old, probably from when He had used it for cutting meat. No fresh stains anywhere.

Leo’s expression changed from curious to shocked. "I found blood on the leaves, but did they both get hurt? And why did they split up?" He pointed out the blood he’d seen on the stairs. "They both went their separate ways. What’s up with that? Were they scared of her? She’s just a girl, but something doesn’t feel right. I’m telling you, Z, there’s much more to her." His voice had a tinge of worry as he thought this through.

Zayden listened but felt an odd reluctance to dive deeper into Leo’s concerns. Instead of wanting to question Zeynep more, he felt a strong need to protect her. He couldn’t shake off the feeling, leaving him puzzled about why he felt that way.

Leo carefully took the knife from Zayden, who was still caught up in his own thoughts. Setting the knife down on the counter, Leo continued to search the kitchen, dropping to his knees to see if he could find anything else. That’s when he spotted it, the same device he had seen in the forest. He grabbed it and tossed it into his bag, knowing it might be important.

As he got up and moved further into the kitchen, he noticed some bloodstains on the cabinet doors. It looked like there had been a gunshot, which meant the intruders had the gun and had tried to shoot at Zeynep. That realization was unsettling.

"Z!" Leo called out, hoping to break through his friend’s daze. Leo was still staring at the stains, but Zayden didn’t respond. Turning to see him lost in thought, Leo felt a rush of urgency. He put his hands on his hips and tried again, "Zayden!" Still nothing. Frustrated, he stepped over and shook Zayden’s arm, which finally startled him back to reality.

"What?" Zayden asked, blinking as if waking up from a dream. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Don’t ask me what," Leo said, a hint of annoyance creeping in. "Ask yourself what you’re thinking! I called your name three times, and you just ignored me."

Zayden ruffled his hair in frustration. "I don’t know, man. I’m just trying to process all of this. It’s never been this chaotic before; it’s super confusing."

"You’re right," Leo nodded. "We’ve handled a ton of complicated stuff, but this? It feels like a whole different level." He paused, looking back at the cabinet doors. "But we really need to focus right now. Look at the blood."

Zayden’s eyes went wide as he finally processed what Leo was pointing at. "How did I not see this before?" he exclaimed, visibly frustrated with himself.

Leo couldn’t help but laugh a bit. "Maybe because your head was too busy thinking about Zeynep."

Zayden shot him a look. "Seriously, shut up! I’ve told you a thousand times, I don’t have feelings for her. I’m just trying to keep her safe, like we do for everyone."

"Okay, okay," Leo said, trying to stifle his laughter. "I get it. But you might have some feelings you’re not ready to admit. Maybe you don’t even realize it yet." He shrugged, a teasing smile on his face.

Zayden turned red, clearly annoyed. "If you don’t shut up, I’ll toss you out!"

Leo, noticing Zayden’s bright red face, struggled to contain his laughter. He covered his mouth, but it didn’t last long before he burst out laughing and doubled over on the floor.

"You’d better stop, or I swear I’ll beat you up!" Zayden warned, though a reluctant grin was starting to form.

"I’ll chill out, okay?" Leo said between chuckles. "No need to be all angry! Just calling it as I see it." He grinned, then added, "My bad if I misunderstood what you’re feeling," all while trying not to break into laughter again.

Zayden couldn’t help but smile this time, feeling the tension lighten a bit as they shared a laugh in the middle of all the craziness.