Principal Morris sat at his desk, the phone receiver heavy in his hand, his second coffee long forgotten. Angela’s words still rang in his ears, they’ve disappeared, and the weight of it settled in his chest like a stone. Three students, Mira, Liam, and Raquel, gone just like that, lying to their parents, using school systems to cover their tracks. He rubbed his temple, feeling the start of a headache. This wasn’t just a disciplinary issue anymore; it was a crisis that could tank the school’s reputation if it got out. He had to handle it carefully, but Angela’s urgency was pushing him to move faster than he liked.
He picked up the phone and dialed Liam’s mother first, figuring she’d be the easiest to reach. The line rang twice before she answered.
"Mrs. Kenner, this is Principal Morris from Brookside High," he said, keeping his voice calm and professional.
"Oh, hello," she said, sounding confused. "Is this about Liam’s excursion?"
Morris’s jaw tightened. "That’s what I’m calling about. Can you tell what you know about this trip?"
"Well, Liam told it was a school thing, so cultural program with the Minister of Youth and Culture," she said. "He said it was for a week, and I called the school to confirm. A woman answered, said it was all set. Was that not right?"
Morris leaned forward, his free hand gripping the desk. "Mrs. Kenner, there was no excursion. We didn’t organize anything like that."
The line went quiet for a mont. "What do you an?" she asked, her voice rising. "I spoke to soone at your school. She said Liam was approved to go."
"Who did you speak to?" Morris asked, his stomach twisting.
"I—I don’t know her na," Mrs. Kenner said. "She sounded official, said she was with the administration. I thought it was fine."
Morris took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Mrs. Kenner, Liam hasn’t been in school for almost three weeks now. We have no record of him leaving for any trip. Can you tell when you last saw him?"
"That Thursday morning," she said, her voice shaking now. "He left with his backpack, said he’d be back after the trip. I thought he just went straight to the school’s hostel when he didn’t co ho. Are you saying he’s not with the school?"
"That’s what I’m saying," Morris said. "We’re trying to figure out where he is. Has he contacted you since then?"
"No," she said, her voice breaking. "He hasn’t called, hasn’t texted. Oh my God, where’s my son?"
"We’re going to find out," Morris said, forcing his voice to stay steady. "I need you to co to the school as soon as you can. Bring any ssages, emails, anything he might have sent you before he left."
"I’ll be there in an hour," she said, already moving. "Please, find him."
Morris hung up, his hand lingering on the receiver. One down, two to go. He dialed Raquel’s mother next, bracing himself.
"Mrs. Torres," he said when she picked up. "This is Principal Morris from Brookside High. I’m calling about Raquel."
"What’s she done now?" Mrs. Torres asked, her voice tired.
"I understand she told you she was staying at Mira Koker’s house for a sleepover?"
"Yes, and I told her no," Mrs. Torres said. "But she snuck out anyway, left a note saying she’d be at Mira’s for a week. I figured she’d co back when she got bored. She’s done this before."
Morris’s grip on the phone tightened. "Have you checked with Mira’s family to confirm she was there?"
"No," Mrs. Torres admitted. "I was mad, thought I’d deal with her when she got ho. Why? Is she not at Mira’s?"
"We don’t think so," Morris said. "Mira’s also missing, along with another student, Liam Kenner. We’re trying to track them down."
"Missing?" Mrs. Torres’s voice rose. "What do you an, missing? You’re telling my daughter’s gone, and you’re just now figuring this out?"
"We’re working on it," Morris said, his tone firm. "Can you co to the school today? We need to piece together what happened."
"I’m coming now," she said, her voice hard. "This is unbelievable. You’re supposed to keep track of these kids!"
Morris winced as she hung up. He didn’t bother calling Mira’s house; Angela had already gotten what little information the housekeeper could provide.
Instead, he stood and walked to the window, staring out at the courtyard where students were starting to gather for the morning bell. Three kids, gone, for three weeks now. His school, his responsibility.
The door burst open, and Sofia, the attendance officer stord in, holding a stack of papers. Her face was flushed, her eyes sharp with determination. "I’ve talked to their teachers," she said, dropping the papers on his desk. "Nobody has any clue of where they could have gone. Now even their classmates."
Morris turned, his hands on his hips. "I just spoke to Liam’s mom and Raquel’s mom. Liam told his mother he was on a school trip, and soone posing as staff confird it. Raquel said she was at Mira’s, but her mom didn’t check. And Mira was at her estate briefly, with two others, then left."
Sofia’s eyes narrowed. "So they’re together. They planned this."
"Looks like it," Morris said, sitting back down. "But we don’t know where they went or why."
Sofia leaned over his desk, her voice low. "I got sothing else. I checked the school’s computer logs, like you said. The ICT unit’s activity report shows soone accessed the student portal last three Wednesdays by 7pm. Guess whose accounts were active?"
"Mira, Liam, and Raquel," Morris said, his stomach sinking.
"Exactly," Sofia said. "They sent emails from the school’s system, probably to cover their tracks. One of them even logged into the admin account, my guess is Mira, she’s got the nerve for it, and sent a fake confirmation for Liam’s ’excursion.’"
Morris rubbed his face, the headache spreading. "So they used our own systems to lie to their parents."
"And to us," Sofia said. "This wasn’t spontaneous, sir. They’ve been planning this for a while."
Morris leaned back, his chair creaking. "What else did the teachers say?"
"Not much," Sofia said, flipping through her papers. "Liam’s math teacher said he was quieter than usual last week, kept to himself. Raquel’s history teacher ntioned she was distracted, always on her phone. Mira’s English teacher said she turned in a paper early, which is unlike her, she usually waits until the last minute."
"Anything specific in the paper?" Morris asked.
Sofia shook her head. "Just a standard essay on Shakespeare. Nothing weird. But the timing’s off. Mira’s not the type to be ahead of schedule unless she’s got a reason."
Morris nodded, his mind racing. "Okay. We’ve got parents coming in. I want those digital records pulled, every email, every login. And I want their form teachers in my office by noon."
Sofia hesitated. "Sir, I think we’re still moving too slow. These kids are gone, and we’re sitting here collecting papers. We need to call the police."
"Not yet," Morris said, his voice firm. "We don’t have enough to go to the authorities. They could be gathered at a friend’s place. I don’t it to look like we’re overreacting.
"Overreacting? They’ve vanished for three weeks now. You think they’re just hanging out sowhere?"
"I’m saying we need evidence," Morris said, raising a hand. "We can’t assu they’re in danger, or dangerous, without proof, Sofia. We’ll talk to the parents, get tilines, check their stories. Then we decide."
Sofia shook her head. "You’re worried about the board. I’m worried about those kids. What if they’re in trouble? Or worse, what if they’re planning sothing else?"
Morris t her eyes, his tone steady. "Sofia, I get it. Yo’re starting to panic and you’re right to be. But we can’t let this spiral into chaos. We do this by the book."
"By the book?" Sofia’s voice rose.
"Enough," Morris said, his voice hard. "First, it was Angela’s pressure, now yours. I won’t tolerate that anymore. I’m handling this. Get the attendance booklet, and start calling the rest of their teachers. I want every detail by the end of the day."
Sofia stared at him for a mont, then grabbed her papers and turned to leave. She paused at the door, her voice low. "You’re making a mistake, sir. These kids aren’t just skipping school. Sothing’s wrong, and we’re wasting ti."
She walked out, leaving Morris alone with his thoughts. He leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly. Sofia and Angela were right about one thing, this wasn’t just kids being kids. The fake excursion, the hacked accounts, the lies to their parents, it was too coordinated, too deliberate.
His eyes fell on the folder Sofia had left behind. He opened it, scanning the student statents. One line caught his eye, written by a girl in Mira’s class: Mira was talking about a trip. Said she had to ’fix sothing big’ with Liam and Raquel. Wouldn’t say what.
Morris’s stomach twisted. He didn’t know what they were fixing, but he had a bad feeling it was about to blow up in his face.
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