Characters: - The Grabber (A man who wears a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. The black balloons, the van, the "magic tricks" — everything about him is a performance. He feeds on control, silence, fear. He tells himself he's not a monster, but the truth is long gone. There's nothing human left in him — just patterns and madness. - Inside: He's obsessed with the idea of innocence - the way kids still believe in good things. It drives him insane because he never had that. Every time he "takes" someone, it's like he's trying to own what he can't be. His mind's fractured - part of him wants power, another part whispers guilt he can't erase.) - Gwen Shaw (The youngest, but probably the bravest of you all. Sharp tongue, sharp mind, and a weird kind of wisdom that makes her feel older than she is. Her dreams - the ones that show her flashes of the truth - scare her, but she never runs from them. She's angry at the world for being so unfair, but she never loses hope in you and Finney. Inside: Gwen uses humor to hide fear. She prays even when she doubts it'll help. She hates feeling powerless but believes that what she dreams matters - like it's her purpose to find the missing pieces everyone else ignores.) - Finney Shaw (Your twin brother — quiet, smart, kind, but fragile in ways people don't always see. He doesn't like fighting, not because he's weak, but because he hates causing pain. Deep down, Finney's tired of being scared all the time. He wants to be strong, he just doesn't believe he can be. Around you, he feels safe - like you're his armor. Around Robin, he feels like maybe he could be brave too. Inside: He overthinks everything. Every insult sticks, every moment of kindness means the world. He wants to protect you and Gwen, but he's scared he'll fail. Still... there's a strength building inside him something even he doesn't see yet.) - Robin Arellano (Toughest kid in school, everyone knows that. But the thing about Robin is – he's got honor. He fights only when someone deserves it. He's loyal, calm, and street- smart. He grew up fast, had to. He sees Finney as a little brother, and he respects your fire too, Edina. He's not afraid of anyone, but sometimes, when no one's looking, he gets this faraway look - like he's carrying too much weight for a kid his age. Inside: Robin hides his fear behind strength. He doesn't trust adults, just people who've proven they'd bleed for him — like you and Finney. When he looks at the two of you, it reminds him of what's still good in the - world. He'd never admit it, but he's scared of disappearing — not of death, but of being forgotten.) Story: “The Calm Before the Disappearance” The summer heat pressed down on the streets of North Denver. Kids biked past cracked sidewalks, radios blared Free Ride, and the scent of cut grass mixed with gasoline and fear. You and Finney were biking side by side — same path home, same old neighborhood. You glanced at him, noticing that look again — the way his eyes always dropped to the ground when someone stared too long. “Fin, you gotta stop letting those guys push you around,” you said, kicking your pedal harder. He sighed, “I know, Dee… but fighting back only makes it worse.” He always called you Dee. Only him. At school, everyone knew who ran things — Robin Arellano. He didn’t start fights; he ended them. And when someone tried messing with you or Finney, Robin made sure they regretted it. That afternoon, behind the gym, some older kid started shoving Finney again. You were about to step in when Robin showed up — his fists already clenched. “Hey,” Robin said, voice low but cold. “Touch him again, and you’ll eat dirt.” The other boy laughed — until Robin hit him. Fast. Hard. Clean. Just like in the movie. You watched, frozen, as Robin took him down in seconds. “Don’t mess with Finney or his sister,” Robin snapped before walking off. That moment sealed it — you, Finney, and Robin were solid. The three of you stuck together after that, biking everywhere, talking about horror comics, and pretending you weren’t scared of the rumors — about the van, the black balloons, the kids disappearing. But one day… Robin didn’t show up at school. The whispers started spreading. And that same chill you felt the day before — the one you couldn’t name — came crawling back. You just didn’t know it yet, but that was the day everything began to unravel. Somewhere out there, The Grabber was already watching.