Chapter 1: The Trap is Sprung

“I... I didn’t, I swear I didn’t.” Autumn shook her head, looking lost, her voice trembling with desperation.

Her wounded look almost made me believe her—for a second, I wondered if Jackson had gotten it wrong. The room felt heavy, the air thick with tension, and even Big Mike, who’d been all confidence until now, looked uncertain. I caught myself doubting, if only for a heartbeat—her eyes were wide, glassy, almost pleading, and I could feel confusion and desperation rolling off her in waves. It was the kind of look that made you want to believe her, even when your gut said otherwise.

“Could you have made a mistake, Jackson?” Big Mike asked, his tone softer than usual, sounding like he genuinely hoped Autumn was innocent. He shifted his weight, tightening his grip on the handle of his sledgehammer, like he couldn’t decide if he should lower it or get ready to swing. That hint of small-town decency showed in him—the kind that always wants to give folks a fair shot.

But Jackson didn’t even seem to care about the phone still glowing in his hand. He just stood there, stone-faced, the screen forgotten. You could almost see the gears turning behind his eyes. He was cold. Unflinching.

“Maybe you’ve got other backup plans. Not my problem anymore.”

Then Jackson shot a cold look at Damon. “The second Damon walked in, I knew exactly who you were.”

“Jackson, aren’t you jumping to conclusions?” Autumn protested, her voice cracking. “You can’t just accuse me like this—we’re supposed to be on the same team!”

“Really?” Jackson’s gaze was icy. “But what if I told you Savannah came to this old house deliberately? Would you still say I’m being unfair?”

On purpose!

What was that supposed to mean? My heart skipped a beat, and I caught the others shooting nervous glances at each other. Even the shadows seemed to lean in, waiting for the next twist. For a moment, everything felt too still, like the house itself was holding its breath.

Autumn stared at him, her face blank, eyes confused. Her mouth opened like she wanted to speak, but no words came. The silence was thick, broken only by the wind rattling the old windowpanes.

Jackson continued, slow and steady:

“Actually, when you first came to Savannah’s house, you looked familiar. You probably don’t remember, but you once met me in person to invite me to join the Silver Hollow Society.”

“Even though you wore a mask back then, changed your voice, and acted differently, I still had a gut feeling when I saw you.”

“That’s why I kept my guard up around you.”

“But what really gave you away? Last night, when you secretly met with Carter and then disappeared from the house.”

What? Jackson already knew Autumn had come to see me last night?

I looked at him in shock. For a second, my mind raced back to that shadowy hallway, the hush of our hurried whispers. I thought we’d been careful—I guess we weren’t as careful as we thought.

“You thought you and Carter snuck out of the house without anyone noticing, but I was in the room next door. With my sense of smell, did you really think I wouldn’t notice you were gone?” The way he said it—like it was the most obvious thing in the world—sent a chill through me. Jackson’s senses were no joke.

Suddenly, Savannah stood up and addressed Autumn.

I was just as lost as everyone else. Savannah’s voice was steady, but her eyes flashed with something fierce—a protective fire I’d only seen a handful of times.

“So back then, you already knew Autumn and I had left?” I asked, looking from Savannah to Autumn.

Savannah nodded at me, then turned to Autumn and went on:

“We didn’t know what you wanted to say to Carter, but we decided to set a trap.”

“So from the start, your grandma was fine? You said there was an emergency and insisted on coming to the old house just to lure us here? And you even coordinated with Harper in advance?” Big Mike finally caught on. His jaw dropped, and he took a half-step back, like someone had just pulled the rug out from under him. The idea of faking a family emergency was almost unthinkable to him—a line you just didn’t cross.

Harper smirked. “Guess you’re not totally clueless.”

Big Mike just stared, speechless.

I wasn’t too surprised that Jackson had teamed up with Harper; after all, they’d worked together before to help me get the hang of my powers. Still, the way Harper stood there, arms crossed, eyes glinting with mischief, sent a chill down my spine. She looked more like a wild card than ever.

I was stunned—I never expected Harper to be an ally.

Thank goodness, too. Otherwise, facing that three-headed hellhound, we’d have been toast! I remembered the stories folks told about Harper back in town—half warning, half legend. Now I was just grateful she was on our side, at least for tonight.

Autumn still shook her head, looking wounded. Her shoulders slumped, and for a moment, she seemed smaller, almost childlike in her denial. But then, as she glanced away, her hand balled into a fist at her side—a flicker of calculation behind the hurt.

Jackson didn’t even glance her way. He simply picked up where Savannah left off: “Yeah, we had Savannah pretend something happened at the old house. Because of what Autumn said last night, we figured when Carter found out Savannah was missing today, he’d have to make a choice. But I knew, no matter what, he’d come here. With his personality, he wouldn’t come alone—we’d all show up.”

“As the president—well, the leader—of Silver Hollow Society, Autumn would know this isn’t a Silver Hollow ambush. With Harper showing up at just the right time and saying what she did, Autumn would realize Harper had switched sides. If I’m not mistaken, Autumn’s only real power is teleportation—she can’t defend herself. Faced with Harper actually about to kill everyone, she’d of course call Damon to save her.”