The 4 in the shadows: Between light and darkness E-Book

Leonie Breitner

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 141

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

A city full of secrets, a missing plan and a conspiracy that threatens to devour everything: When the four friends Lukas, Sophie, Emma and Max come across a seemingly harmless mystery, they suddenly fall into the clutches of a dark organization. As they try to put the puzzle pieces together, their friendship is put to the test. School stress, first love and your own insecurities make the hunt for the truth even more dangerous. But what if the shadows are closer than they thought? Between light and darkness, the four have to make decisions that change everything - and perhaps not all of them emerge unscathed. A story about courage, solidarity and the unwavering light of friendship in the face of darkness.

Leseprobe

Title: The 4 in the shadows:

Between light and darkness

Author: Leonie Breitner

Biography:

Leonie Breitner, born in 1991 and raised in Germany, discovered her passion for stories and characters at an early age. As an enthusiastic storyteller, she combines exciting plots with the challenges of everyday life in her books. Her stories are about friendship, secrets and the adventures that life has in store.

With her flair for lively dialogues and authentic emotions, Leonie Breitner particularly appeals to young readers.

When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time in nature or looking for inspiration in her new surroundings.

Chapter 1: Falling in the Night

It was just after midnight when a shrill bang shattered the silence in the small town of Eichenfeld. Lukas Berger tossed and turned in his bed, half asleep, until the sound had completely reached his brain. "What was that?" he muttered and sat up. His room was only dimly lit by the moonlight that fell through the window. There was no movement outside -everything seemed normal. But Lukas sensed that something was wrong.

The old villa at the end of the street had been empty for years. There were many rumors: ghosts were said to live there, a treasure was hidden there, or - as the adults said - "it was nothing but an old ruin that would soon be torn down." But tonight something was different.

Lukas put on his sweatpants and a sweatshirt, sneaked out of the house and stepped into the cool night air. The villa was visible in the shadow of the street lamps, dark and threatening. "If I tell school tomorrow that I dared to come here, I'll be the hero," Lukas muttered.

Suddenly he heard a quiet rustling behind him. "Pssst! Lukas!" A familiar voice made him jump. It was Sophie Krüger, his neighbor and classmate.

“Sophie? What are you doing here?” he whispered nervously.

Sophie stood in front of him with her arms folded. She had herlong blonde hair tied in a ponytail and wore a thick jacket. "I heard the noise too. And to be honest, I don't trust you to do anything on your own without doing something stupid."

“Haha, very funny,” Lukas replied dryly.

"Dad! Do you see that?" Sophie pointed to one of the upper windows of the villa. A faint light flickered. It wasn't a spotlight, more like a small flashlight or a candle. Lukas felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

“There’s someone in there!” he whispered.

"Obviously," Sophie replied, pulling her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. "We should call the police."

"Police? Are you crazy?" Lukas shook his head violently. "What should we tell them?" "Hello, this is Lukas Berger. We saw a flickering light. Come immediately before the ghost disappears."

“You’re impossible,” Sophie said, but put the phone away anyway.

Before they could discuss it further, a branch cracked behind them. They both whirled around. "What the...?" Lukas quickly tripped over his own feet as Max Weber climbed out of the bushes, a packet of chips in his hand.

"Man, you guys are so jumpy," said Max, grinning. "Did you really think I would let you experience the adventure alone?"

“What the hell are you doing here?” Sophie snorted in annoyance.

"I heard the noise. And I knew Lukas wasn't going to sit still. "So I thought I'd bring some snacks." He held up the chips triumphantly.

“Unbelievable,” Sophie murmured.

“Pssst!” Lukas raised his hand. “Something’s moving in there.”

In fact, the light in the window seemed to move back and forth. Lukas' heart pounded. "We have to get closer."

"Are you crazy?" Sophie grabbed his sleeve. "What if this is dangerous?"

"It's even more dangerous to do nothing," Lukas replied with a crooked grin. "Come on. We're the Eichenfeld gang, aren't we?"

Max laughed. “That sounds like a movie title.”

“Even now!” Sophie rolled her eyes, but still followed hesitantly.

The three of them crept up to the fence of the villa. Lukas pressed himself against a rotten wooden post and peered over the edge. Everything was quiet inside the garden. But suddenly she heard footsteps, quiet and hasty, and then the creak of a door.

“Someone went in there!” Lukas whispered excitedly.

“That’s a really stupid idea,” Sophie muttered as Lukas started to climb over the fence.

“Then stay outside,” he said with a wink.

“Not without me!” Max shouted and followed him. Sophie shookher head. "You are such idiots," she muttered and climbed over the fence as well.

As she reached the villa, all three of them felt the tension in the air grow. The door was ajar, and a faint, pulsating light was coming from inside.

"Okay, new plan," Sophie whispered. "We'll take a quick look inside and leave immediately if it gets dangerous."

“Deal,” said Lukas, even though he knew she probably wouldn’t keep her promise.

He slowly pushed the door open. It creaked so loudly that Lukas felt like it must have woken up the whole town. Behind it was a dark hallway that smelled of old wood and mold.

“Come on!” whispered Sophie, and all three crept inside.

But before she could get her bearings, she heard a voice coming from one of the rooms. "What the hell...?" called a deep male voice.

Lukas froze. The adventure was more dangerous than he had thought.

Chapter 2: The Gang Comes Together

Lukas felt his heart pounding in his throat. The deep voice from inside the villa left him, Sophie and Max rooted to the spot. Max, who usually always had a joke on his lips, opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

"Who's there?" the voice called again, now louder and angrier. Footsteps echoed through the hallway, getting faster, getting closer.

“We have to go!” Sophie whispered in panic and put on Lukas’ jacket.

"No time!" Max gasped, grabbed Lukas' arm, and the next moment the three of them stormed back to the door. It creaked again as it burst open, making the man behind them react even faster.

“Stop! Stop!”

The teenagers jumped over the creaking wooden floor, stumbled out into the garden and climbed over the fence as fast as they could. Lukas got stuck for a moment, his sweatshirt caught on a protruding nail. Sophie pulled him free with a jerk and together they ran down the street without looking back.

“Run, run, run!” Max shouted breathlessly, but still managed to hold the bag of chips firmly in his hand. Only after two streetsThey bet they would stop. They leaned against a lamppost, panting, while the world around them became quiet again.

"Are you totally crazy?!" Sophie snapped at Lukas, her hands on her hips. "That was probably the stupidest plan ever!"

“It was… exciting,” Lukas said, gasping for air.

"Exciting?" Sophie glared at him. "We could have been caught! Who knows who or what that was!"

"That's exactly why we have to find out who did it," Max interjected, recovering and opening the chips. "This is a real mystery story. We're right in the middle of it! Things like this usually only happen in the movies."

“Max, this isn’t a movie,” Sophie hissed.

Lukas, who had now regained his composure, raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Okay, okay. Calm down. Yes, it was dangerous, but let's be honest: don't we all want to know what's going on in the villa? Something is happening in there, and it's definitely not normal."

“Maybe we should just call the police anyway,” Sophie suggests again, even though she knew that Lukas and Max would not be happy about it.

“What should we tell them?” asked Max, chewing on a chip with relish. “‘Hello, Commissioner, wegained illegal entry to a villa at night and there was someone with a scary voice. Please come immediately.'"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying, we're not detectives. We could get ourselves into real trouble."

"Maybe. But that's exactly what makes it exciting," said Lukas. "Imagine we solve a real case." What if the guy in there was a thief? Or..." He paused dramatically. "... a ghost hunter?"

“Ghost hunters? Really?” Sophie crossed her arms.

Max laughed. "Whatever he is, I'm in." But on one condition."

“And what would that be?” asked Lukas skeptically.

"We need a cool team name. Like... 'The Shadowhunters'. Or 'The Night Watch'."

“You can’t be serious,” Sophie said dryly.

“How about ‘The Gang of Eichenfeld’?” suggests Lukas.

Max thought about it and then nodded. “Sounds good. Simple, but with style.”

Sophie groaned, but couldn't help but smile slightly. "You are impossible. But well, if we really do this, then only with a plan. No headlessRunning around like tonight."

"Deal," said Lukas and held out his hand. Max accepted it, and after a brief hesitation, Sophie did the same.

"Okay," she said, pulling her hand back. "But if we get caught, I'm out."

The next morning, the night's events were still the topic of conversation. During the first break, the three met as usual at the old basketball court behind the school, where they had arranged to meet Emma Schilling. Emma was the quiet but clever friend of the group. If anyone could help to solve the secret of the villa, it was her.

"So, what's up?" Emma asked, opening her notepad. As always, she had her precise handwriting and a checklist ready.

“You won’t believe what happened last night,” Lukas began and told her everything: the bang, the light in the villa, the deep voice and her escape.

Emma listened attentively without interrupting and then asked a question that took all three of them by surprise. "Did you remember the license plate number of the car that was parked in front of the villa?"

“What kind of car?” asked Max.

Emma sighed. "There must have been a car there." Nobody breaks into an old villa and just walks through the city. We need evidence, not mere observations."

"That's what you're here for," said Lukas, grinning. "You're our brain."

Emma snorted quietly, but was already making notes. "Fine. I'll get us some flashlights, a city map and maybe a few books about the history of the villa. But this isn't going to be a walk in the park."

“To celebrate, we’ll have a cocoa in the cafeteria,” said Max with a big grin.

“You’re impossible,” Sophie said, this time without being really angry.

The Eichenfeld gang was ready to begin their first great adventure.

Chapter 3: School Problems and Secrets

Lukas stared at the equation on the board when she had personally insulted him. The numbers and letters blurred before his eyes and he could feel time running out. Next to him, Max was casually scribbling little figures in his math notebook. Sophie, sitting in the front row, had raised her arm and Emma was deep in her notes, her brow furrowed in concentration.

“Lukas, what is the solution?” The voice of Mr. Hagedorn, their math teacher, made him flinch.

"Um..." Lukas scratched the back of his head and thought feverishly. He knew there was no chance of finding the right answer, but Mr. Hagedorn was already waiting with his arms crossed. "Maybe... seven?"

The class laughed and Lukas felt the heat rising in his face.

"Seven? Really?" Mr. Hagedorn shook his head and turned his gaze to Emma. "Ms. Schilling, can you explain to your classmate why that is wrong?"

Emma nodded seriously and began to rattle off the answer. Lukas only heard half of it, but he knew she was right - as always. "Thank you, Ms. Schilling. And Mr. Berger, I expect you to prepare better. If this continues, the next exam will be a disaster for you."

“Yes, Mr. Hagedorn,” Lukas murmured as the class giggled again.

During the break, the four friends meet again at the basketball court. Lukas collapsed heavily onto one of the wooden benches. "Math is the worst nightmare of my life."

"It would help if you studied," said Emma Nüchtern. "The equation wasn't even particularly difficult."

"Thanks for the support," Lukas explained sarcastically. "I just have other things on my mind, okay?"

Sophie sat down next to him and leaned against his arm. "Like last night's adventure?"

Lukas nodded. "Exactly. That was a thousand times more exciting than those stupid equations."

"You do know that we can't break into old mansions every night, right?" Sophie looked at him seriously, but a smile twitched around her lips.

"Wait a minute!" Max suddenly called out, leaning towards them conspiratorially. "I heard. This morning, in the auditorium. A few of the tenth graders were talking about the villa."

“What did they say?” Emma asked curiously.

“Well, apparently they found someone there last nightseen - a figure dressed all in black, with a flashlight."

“That must have been the guy we heard!” Lukas’ eyes lit up.

"Or someone else," Emma interjected. "We don't know how many people go to the villa or why." But it does mean we're not the only ones who know about it."

“What do we do now?” asked Sophie, leaning back thoughtfully.

Emma opens her notepad. "First we collect facts. I've thought of a few ideas. Lukas and Max could see if they can find any more traces - footprints, tools, anything that someone left behind there."

“And what about us?” asked Sophie.

"We are both doing research. I found a book about the history of Eichenfeld in the library. Maybe we can learn more about the villa - who built it, who lived there and why it was abandoned."

“I knew you had a plan,” said Lukas with a grin.

"Of course I did," Emma replied dryly. "But please be careful. And try not to attract attention."

In the afternoon, after class, Lukas and Max sneaked back to the villa. It was a quiet, cloudy autumn afternoon, and the street in front of the old property was deserted.

“Do you think we’ll really find something here?” asked Max as he carefully opened the garden gate.

"I don't know," Lukas replied. "But if we don't look into it, I'll go crazy."

The two boys climbed over the fence and entered the overgrown garden. The grass was high and covered almost everything, but Lukas soon noticed something unusual. "Dad!

Do you see that?"

Max stepped closer. A broken flashlight lay among the leaves. The handle was wrapped in some sticky tape and the lens was cracked.

"Definitely not old," Max noted. "It belongs to someone who was here."

“Do you think that was the one we saw?” asked Lukas.

"Maybe. But we should take this with us. Emma will surely find out if she is important."

“Or accuse us of touching evidence and obstructing the police,” Lukas added.

“It doesn’t matter, the main thing is that we have something,” said Max and carefully put the flashlight in his backpack.

The next day, in the library, Emma came across something interesting.

"Sophie, listen to this," she said, opening an old book. "The villa was built over a hundred years ago by a merchant named Richard von Hagen. He was supposedly rich, but after his death his family disappeared without a trace. Since then, rumors have been swirling around the property."

“What kind of rumors?” Sophie asked curiously.

"Secret hiding places, a treasure, even a murder. Nobody knows what really happened."

Sophie stared at the old black and white photo of the villa that was featured in the book. "What if the guy who was there last night is looking for something? Maybe one of the hidden treasures?"

"That's possible," Emma said thoughtfully. "We need to find out who else knows about this story. And what they're looking for there."

“Then we should meet the boys and find out what they discovered,” Sophie decided.

It was clear: the secret of the villa was much bigger than she had imagined.

Chapter 4: Suspects and a Plan

In the afternoon, the gang met again in Lukas' garage, their unofficial headquarters. The four of them sat together between old bicycles, dusty tools and an old sofa. Max took the flashlight out of his backpack and put it on the small wooden table in the middle.

"We found this yesterday," he said, making his discovery seem dramatic. "A broken flashlight. Maybe it belonged to our creepy roommate in the villa."

Emma picked up the flashlight and examined it carefully. "The tape looks fresh. It was definitely used recently." She turned the flashlight over in her hands and opened the battery compartment. "The batteries are dead. Maybe he just threw it away because it stopped working."

"But that doesn't prove anything," Sophie interjected. "It could have been some drifter. Why would someone intentionally leave a broken flashlight lying around?"