**Chapter 1: The Curse of the Links**

I stared at my phone, my eyes widening in horror as I scrolled through the news articles. It was like a never-ending nightmare. Famous people named Link were dropping like flies, and it was getting really, really weird. I mean, I'd always thought my name, Iris, was pretty cool, but being called Stranger Girl by my friends was a whole different story. Now, I was worried sick. "Hey, Stranger Girl, what's wrong?" my best friend, Olivia, asked, noticing my pale face. "It's the Links," I whispered, showing her my phone. Olivia's eyes scanned the articles, her brow furrowing. "What do you mean?" "It's like, they're all dying! Linkin Park's lead singer, Chester Bennington, died a few years ago, but that's not weird. What's weird is that now Link from The Legend of Zelda is dead, and then I saw that a guy named Link Nelson, the musician, died too. And get this - they all died in really nasty ways!" Olivia gasped. "That's so creepy! Do you think it's a curse or something?" I nodded vigorously. "I don't know, but I'm getting really scared. What if it's not just people named Link? What if it happens to people named Harry too?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Harry? Like, Harry Potter?" I nodded again, my mind racing. "Yeah, exactly! I love Harry Potter, and I have a huge crush on Harry Styles. What if it's not just Links? What if it's people with common names that are somehow...linked?" Olivia chuckled at my pun, but I wasn't laughing. This was serious. As we walked home from school, we saw a news van parked outside our neighborhood. I quickened my pace, my heart sinking. "Stranger Girl, what's going on?" Olivia asked, jogging to catch up. I pointed to the van. "I think it's about the Links. Let's go see." We approached the van, and a reporter was speaking to a camera. "...and sources confirm that another person named Link has passed away. This time, it's Link Hoffman, a well-known artist. Details are sketchy, but eyewitnesses describe the scene as gruesome..." I covered my mouth, feeling a wave of nausea wash over me. This was getting too real. Olivia grabbed my arm. "Stranger Girl, let's get out of here. This is too much." As we turned to leave, I saw a guy with a familiar face walking towards us. "Hey, isn't that...?" Olivia started. I nodded, my eyes locked on the guy. "That's Link Neal, one half of the YouTube duo, Good Mythical Morning!" Link smiled and waved at us, oblivious to the chaos that was unfolding. "Hey, girls! What's up?" My heart skipped a beat. Was I just being paranoid, or was he in danger too? "Hey, Link," I said, trying to sound casual. "We were just, uh, talking about...your show." Link chuckled. "Ah, cool! I'm actually on my way to meet with some fans. Want to join us?" Olivia and I exchanged a worried glance. Should we warn him, or keep quiet and hope it was just a coincidence? I took a deep breath, and my mind started racing with possibilities...