Helanie:
I had been staring at the screen, numb and afraid. Did he steal her phone? Did he hurt her? There were so many questions running through my mind, and I was panicking for answers.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even realize soone had co into the room, until I felt Norman wrap his arm around my shoulders and kiss my temple.
"I brought you so fresh fruit," he whispered, holding a bowl in his hand. A few minutes ago, this gesture would have ant a lot. But now, I was anxiously staring at the screen.
"Babe, are you mad at ? I’m so sorry. I was burning with jealousy," he whispered again, resting his forehead against mine, his lips brushing close to my ear.
"Norman!" I said and pulled away from him. He noticed my expression and frowned, instantly setting the bowl down.
"What is it?" he asked, as if he instantly sensed sothing bigger was wrong.
"I got a call from Salem. But—but it wasn’t her. It was Rune—!"
The tears I had been holding back finally found their excuse. The mont they spilled, Norman snatched the phone from my hand and tried calling her back.
"No one’s answering," Norman said. "Let call Gavin."
He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Gavin’s number. I covered my mouth with my hands and began to sob.
"Maximus! Kaye! Drop whatever you’re doing and get in here!" Norman shouted, rushing to the door with the phone still to his ear.
"Gavin! Where are you right now?" Norman asked as he stepped out. I saw Maximus and Kaye walk up to the doorway until Norman pointed sharply inside, almost aggressively.
"What happened? Is she okay?" Maximus rushed in as soon as he realized sothing was wrong.
"Helanie," he let out a sigh of relief, "you scared us. We thought sothing—"
Kaye groaned, placing a hand on his chest, until his expression hardened again.
"Are you okay? Is it because of him?" Kaye asked, pointing at Maximus, who smacked his chest in annoyance.
I ignored the two of them and followed Norman. They both ca after . Norman was still on the phone with Gavin.
"Since what ti?" he asked, holding my arm and pulling closer. But this ti, I gently pulled away and put so space between us.
"Call her sister again. I’m sending my warriors to check on her," Norman said, ending the conversation.
The way he closed the call told that Gavin didn’t know where she was, either.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said she left his place earlier when her sister ca to pick her up," Norman told , and I knew right then, Salem wasn’t with my friends.
"And?" I asked, rubbing my hands together anxiously.
"Gavin said he couldn’t get in touch with her. He’s been trying Sydney as well, but we all know her, there’s no way she’d answer anyone’s call. I’ll contact her father and let you know," Norman said. While holding his phone to reach her father, he tried to touch my cheek, but I stepped back and avoided his hand.
I turned around to call Lamar and my other friends too.
"What’s going on?" Kaye asked Maximus, but both of them looked just as confused. I heard them run after Norman while I called everyone I could think of and asked about Salem. No one had been able to reach her.
After a while, I went back to the living room and t up with Norman again. He told Sydney’s father wasn’t answering either, and that they weren’t even in their pack territory at the mont.
"Maybe that’s why she’s not picking up her phone either?" Kaye suggested, but Norman shook his head.
"But Helanie said she heard Rune speaking from her phone," Norman reminded them, and Kaye closed his eyes, visibly disturbed by the thought that it really might’ve been Rune.
"What did he say to you?" Maximus asked, but I didn’t turn to look at him directly.
"He said he’s here, and that he’ll make my dreams co true, and that he always keeps his promises," I muttered. The three of them silently watched my face.
"Does that bastard have a death wish or what?" Maximus shouted, throwing the glass of water in his hand across the room.
"He can’t do anything. I won’t even let him get close to her," Norman growled, and Kaye nodded.
"I’ll start researching right now, and this ti, I’ll trap him in a damn cactus," Kaye added.
I took a deep breath but didn’t respond to any of their dramatic reactions.
"Where are you going, Helanie?" Norman was the first to call out when I started walking away.
"I’m going to look for her," I said without turning around.
I went to my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a white tank top, throwing on a side bag with so weapons and a water bottle inside. Since there were no leads to go on, I knew I’d need to wander around for a while.
"You can’t go alone. We’ll co with you," Norman said, waiting at the exit of the bedroom with Maximus and Kaye beside him.
"One of you should stay here and keep an eye on Emt. The other two can do whatever you want, but I’m going alone," I snapped, storming past them with a sharp tone unlike any I’d used before.
"Is sothing wrong? Are you upset with because of how I acted earlier?" Norman asked, chasing after . The other two followed behind him but kept their eyes averted because they knew damn well it wasn’t just him. It was all three of them.
"No, Norman. It’s no one’s fault," I said, stopping briefly. "I just want to be alone— like I was in the damn basent, where you three made feel like I’d done sothing horrible to all of you."
I finally snapped. Then I turned and sprinted out of the mansion before they could catch up.
But, of course, they still did.
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