After a week of tirelessly searching for Antonio, there was still no sign of him. My depression had escalated from bad to worse, and my mind was in a constant state of turmoil.

It had been a full week since I last heard anything from Kristen. All my calls went unanswered, except for the occasional text he sent me before I went to bed. I didn't even want to dwell on the content of those messages.

My classes came and went, but I couldn't focus on learning anything with the overwhelming stress I had been under.

"Anna dear, we'll be leaving for a day or two. Will you be okay until Maria returns home?" my dad asked, his voice filled with concern, as Mom and Dad entered the living room with suitcases in hand.

"Where are you guys going?" I questioned, my tone sharper than intended.

"We're heading out of state for some important business," Mom replied.

"Does that 'important business' have anything to do with Antonio? Can't you postpone it until he's back?" I snapped, my frustration seeping through. I instantly regretted my harsh words as a look of hurt crossed my dad's face. I tried to calm myself down, but the stress was pushing me to the edge.

"Anna, we're trying our best to bring your brother back. Please give us some time. It will all be over soon," my dad responded, pulling me into a tight hug and kissing my forehead.

I turned to Mom and embraced her tightly as well. "Take care and stay safe," I told them, watching them leave.

It felt strange, as if everyone was walking out on me. And there was Kristen, whom I missed desperately.

Sigh.

He had become my anchor, the one person I relied on most for my happiness. I longed for his caring, overprotective, and sometimes bossy ways when it came to me.

Kyle, Marco, Maurice, Steff, and Maria should be back soon. Throughout the whole week, they didn't say a word about Kristen, and whenever I tried to pry for answers, they quickly changed the topic.

But enough was enough. I had a plan to confront Kristen and get the answers I needed. I could finally uncover what he had been up to lately.

A mischievous smirk crept across my face.

It was now 3:00 PM, and I knew they would all come sauntering through that front door any minute. I dashed up the stairs and entered my room. In a hurry, I emptied my drawers and closet, stuffing all my clothes into a suitcase. Then I made my way to my father's office in the house and located the secret button he had told me about, hidden beneath an old dusty chair. It was the emergency button he had instructed me to use if the need arose.

I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of this idea earlier.

The shelf that held his books shifted, revealing a hidden passage. I grabbed my suitcase and stepped inside, the lights illuminating the passage as I walked. The shelf closed automatically behind me, and I gulped, hoping I knew how to find my way out. This was my first time entering these secret walls, and it felt eerie.

As I ventured further inside, I came across a room filled with CCTV footage of the entire house. Continuing my exploration, I discovered a bed, a bathroom, and a cabinet stocked with an abundance of snacks.

"Wow," I whispered.

Apologies for the oversight. Here's the corrected response:

As I watched the footage from the cameras, my attention was drawn to the documents scattered across the desk. Among them was a piece of paper that caught my eye. It had Maria's parents' names, Talia and Jimmy, along with the word "bankrupt." Before I could delve further into it, the living room camera caught my attention.

On the screen, I saw all the guys standing there, shouting my name. They searched the entire house, growing increasingly uneasy.

"Anna, this isn't funny anymore! Stop playing around!" Maurice yelled, and I couldn't help but giggle.

"That's what you get for keeping secrets from me," I muttered to myself.

Steff decided to check my room, thinking I might be sleeping or something. He dashed up the stairs, but soon came running back down, panic etched on his face. "She's not there either, and all her clothes are completely gone. What are we going to do?!"

"Oh man, this is not looking good. Kristen is going to be furious!" Steff rambled on.

Yep, that's my man!

"Do you think she went with her parents?" Maurice wondered aloud.

"That's impossible. There's no way they would risk their daughter's life for that," Kyle reasoned.

"Do you think she escaped or ran away?" Marco asked, considering the possibility. "I mean, it's possible. I don't think they would have kidnapped her with all the security guards stationed outside the house."

"But how do you explain her disappearance?" Steff interjected.

"Do you think one of the guards helped her escape?"

"No, those are Mr. and Mrs. Walker's most trusted guards. There's no way they would betray them," Kyle replied.

"Do you think Maria has anything to do with this?" Steff fumed.

"I think we need to call Kristen and let him know what's happening," Maurice suggested, making me smile.

"Steff, you should contact Kristen and fill him in," Marco said.

"Me?!"

"You're the perfect person for this. You guys are more than just best friends; you're family," Marco reasoned.

Cowards!

"Hell no! Are you trying to get me killed? I haven't even healed from my black eye!"

I knew it! Steff and Kristen had another fight. Just wait till I get my hands on both those imbeciles.

"Kyle, I think you should call him. You're the next sensible one here after Kristen. He'll listen to you," Steff suggested, turning to Kyle.

"Fine, okay. You guys are such pussies," Kyle muttered, clearly unhappy with the task at hand.

Why weren't they discussing anything interesting about Kristen? The least they could do was talk about why he wasn't answering my calls. Help a girl out here!

Sigh.

"Hey, what's up, bro? Uh, I kinda have something to tell you about Anna," Kyle said as he dialed Kristen's number.

I watched as the color drained from Kyle's face. He looked pale, as if he was about to keel over. The other guys watched him warily from a distance.

"A... Anna's gone missing," Kyle informed him.

I could hear shouting from the speaker of Kyle's phone. I winced, knowing exactly what Kristen must be saying.

I almost felt sorry for them, knowing how angry Kristen could get. He was definitely going to throw a fit once he realized I wasn't actually missing.

"She went missing before we even arrived. We searched everywhere, but she's nowhere to be found, and her clothes are gone too," Kyle explained.

"Yeah," was all that came out of the conversation before Kyle hung up.

"He's going to fucking kill us." Kyle admitted, his voice filled with dread.

************

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