Strings of Fate

184- Lifeless and lawn The hour and a half that it takes for Alex to gather all the necessary information is somehow the longest hour and a half of my life and the shortest all at the stime. It drags on but is also over far too quickly. We all head downstairs to get ready to leave and meet the others.

“Okay, so Darrien and Aaron will stay here with you guys and we will call you as soon as we have them.” Bellamy announces his plan confidently. | make eye contact with Megan who looks just as sceptical as me. Does he seriously think we're going to just sit here and wait? “Yeah, no. That's not going to work for me. Bellamy you can’t seriously think we're just going to sit around here and wait. We're coming with you.” | argue. Bellamy shakes his head adamantly.

“Absolutely not. It’s not safe.” He refuses. I roll my eyes.

“It’s not safe for you either.” | point out. Bellamy crosses his arms and staresdown.

“You can't fight.” He argues.

“I don’t need to fight to be useful. | can keep a look out, or help with communication. Not to mention, Kiara will hopefully recognise my voice. She's going to need something familiar and I'm the best we've got.” | tell him stubbornly, holding his gaze in the way only | can manage. | know Bellamy can see my point, but he isn’t giving up yet.

“You'll distract me. I'll be too busy worrying about you.” He insists. | shake my head.

“You'll worry either way. If you didn’t wantaround, you shouldn't have askedto work with you.” | glare and Bellamy lets out what sounds almost like a growl. | take pity on him and relent just a little.

“I'm not saying | need to be in the middle of the action. I'll wait in the car. You can callin when you need me.” | suggest. He still looks kind of pissed off but he gives a stiff nod.

“Fine. But you WILL stay in the car.” His eyes flick to Megan.

“Both of you. Aaron and Darrien will be staying with you. | don’t care what happens, you will NOT get out of the vehicle unless | say so.” He orders. Eh, close enough. | know he’s just worried aboutso | nod my agreement and | hear Megan agree too. Darrien doesn’t seem thrilled with the agreement either. He and Bellamy exchange a look that clearly says; ‘Seriously, what are we even doing with these stubborn women? We make our way out to the car, Bellamy’s hand tight on my hip. | can hear Megan and Darrien bickering. Apparently he is trying to convince her to stay home, and when that fails, he begins lecturing her about the dangers of leaving the car. Or making noise. Basically of doing anything at all.

It's super quiet outside and there is practically no traffic on the roads at all. What tis it anyway? It was already getting late when we sent everyone home. | would guess it’s about midnight. Maybe just after.We pull up in front of a totally normal house in an average neighbourhood. | know there is no reason why there would be anything wrong with the house, but | still pictured it as old or decrepit. | wanted to see it dirty and falling apart, in disrepair like a villain’s house should be. Shouldn't there be soutward sign of her slowly losing her mind and falling apart? | almost think | would feel better if | knew that Cheryl was not in her right mind. But no. The place is boringly normal. Maybe the grass is a little overgrown, but no more than anyone else’s lawn on the street is. Bellamy repeats his order for Megan 1/3 184- Lifeless and lawn and | to stay in the car, like we didn’t hear it the first dozen times he said it. My face is pretty much plastered to the window along with Megan's as we watch Bellamy and five other guards, including Shaun, quietly approach the house. | see them test the handle on the front door, then without warning, one of the bigger guys kicks down the front door in a smooth movement and they all go streaming inside. Then... nothing.

“Ugh, waiting in the car sucks. We can’t SEE anything.” Megan complains.

“It’s for your own safety. Tristan’s mother has just as much reason to hate you as she does Ryann.” He reminds her.

“I know, | know. But that doesn’t make this less frustrating!” She continues.

“I get it. It's a shwe don’t have cameras or something. Ooh, we could have wired everyone up with like, b*dy cams. Then we could have watched. Something to remember for next tsomething like this happens. | bet Alex could do it for us.” | point out. Megan nods seriously, but it only takes a few seconds for her eyes to dart back to the front door which is still hanging open. Her anxiety is puttingon edge too, even though | have every confidence in Bellamy and the others.

“Should it be taking so long?” | ask, bouncing in place. Aaron shrugs.

“It depends on if she was the only one in the house. Relax if you can. As soon as it’s safe, Alpha Kane will call for you.” He assures me. | don’t feel any better. In fact I'm starting to feel worse. Something is wrong. | just know it.

| sit and try to focus on keeping my breathing even. My heart is racing which is just ridiculous, all I'm doing is sitting here!! Finally, FINALLY, | see Bellamy emerge from the house. I'm out of my seat and flying out of the car before anyone can so much as blink. | didn’t even know I could move that fast. 1 fly into Bellamy’s arms and he catches me.

After a moment | step back and look him over. He seems totally unharmed which is a good sign.

“You were meant to wait forto say it's safe to get out of the car.” Bellamy objects. I roll my eyes, “Yeah, sure. How did it go? Do we have Kiara?” | ask. Bellamy’s face turns grim and my stomach twists.

“We found Cheryl. She was asleep and didn’t really put up a fight at all. But Ry... there is no one else in that house.” He tellsgently. | go cold all over.

“No one? What about her partner? What about Kiara?” | demand. Bellamy takes my hands and holds them tight.

“There is no one there. Just Cheryl Ryann... Kiara isn’t here.” Liflinch away from his words.

“No, she has to be. She HAS to be. Maybe you missed her, maybe she’s hidden?” | suggest, my voice quiet, not ready to give up hope that we might find her just yet.

“We're going to keep checking, but sweetheart, none of us can see or scent any sign of a little girl in that house.

I don’t think she was ever here.” “But... | was so sure that Tristain’s mum was involved. It has to be her. She’s the only one who makes sense!” | think! might cry.

“She is involved. She started swearing and yelling atthe moment we woke her. Don’t give up yet. She might still be able to tell us where Kiara is, or tell us about her partner. This is still progress.” He reassures me. My face darkens.

2/3 184- Lifeless and lawn “I want to talk to her.” | demand. Bellamy falters for a second, but I'm already making my way over to the house.

Bellamy chases after me. | can see he’s unsure, but | don’t give him a chance to object. It's tforto get sanswers, because if Kiara isn’t here, then | am going to find her.

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