FREYA’S POV
“Good day, ladies and gentlemen. I come before you today with a heavy heart and a plea for help. My wife, Tiffany Dion, has gone missing for days. We are offering a reward to anyone who has information that could lead us to her whereabouts…” she immediately turned off the television, gasping in shock.
Tiffany has been kidnapped? All the while she has been worried about her safety, she was actually in an unknown place, held captive by criminals.
“Oh my God, oh my God,” she kept muttering as tears welled up in her eyes.
She was never a fan of news but that night, after being bored by other shows being shown on the TV as it was not yet time for her favorite Reality show, she had opted for the news.
She was glad she did because she wouldn’t have known her friend was in danger. Picking up her phone, she dialed Timothy’s number.
“Have you seen the news?” she asked, immediately he picked up.
“What news?” He asked, ignorant of what was going on.
“Check Vancouver’s national news right away,”
“On it,” he replied and she could hear some noise in the background and then a gasp. “Oh my God! Tiffany?”
“I’m as shocked as you are, Tim. This can’t be happening.”
“She has been missing for almost 72 hrs. This is bad,” he said in a tone that showed he was at the verge of breaking down in tears.
“We will talk better at school tomorrow. Maybe devise a plan on how we can help in finding her,”
“Okay. Good night, Freya.”
“Good night,” and as the call ended, she let out the son that had been hanging in her throat.
She lost interest in the television and quickly turned it off as she ran upstairs to her room, tears streaming down her face.
In her room, she collapsed onto the bed, hugging a pillow tightly as she continued to cry. She couldn’t fathom the thought of Tiffany being in such a terrifying situation for nearly 72 hours. It was unbearable for her.
Unable to stop the tears, she decided to distract herself by looking through her phone gallery. As she scrolled through the pictures of her, Tiffany, and Timothy, memories flooded back, and she found herself crying even harder.
Each photograph was a reminder of the joy and laughter they had shared together. They had always been inseparable, fighting and celebrating every victory as a trio. Now, one of them was missing, and she couldn’t mentally process it.
She fell asleep crying, with her phone lying on her chest. The next morning, she got prepared for school and despite her parents’ pleas for her to have breakfast she turned it down and left.
Timothy was already waiting for her at the parking lot, when she alighted from the car.
“Freya,” he called out, his voice hoarse and his eyes puffy, obviously from crying.
“Have you been crying?” She asked, engulfing him in a hug.
“I couldn’t help it. I can’t believe she has been missing for almost four days,” he replied, his voice wavering.
“It’s hard to take in, but you know what? We won’t sit back and watch, doing nothing,” she said defiantly.
“Do you think principal Campbell knows?”
“I don’t know, but let’s go and inform her just in case.”
Timothy nodded and they both walked towards principal Campbell’s Office.
“Good morning, Principal Campbell,” they greeted when they gained entrance into her office.
“Morning, Freya, Timothy,” she replied, looking up from her desk. “What can I do for you two?”
Timothy took a deep breath before speaking. “We… we have something important to discuss with you, Principal Campbell.”
Principal Campbell’s expression shifted to concern. “Of course, please have a seat,” she gestured towards the chairs in front of her desk. “What’s the matter?”
Freya sat down, clutching her hands tightly together. “It’s Tiffany, Principal Campbell. She’s gone missing.”
Principal Campbell’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh my… I had no idea. When did this happen?”
“She’s been missing for almost 72 hours,” Timothy answered, “We saw it on the news last night. Her husband is offering a reward for any information about her whereabouts.”
Principal Campbell leaned back in her chair “This is deeply troubling. That girl had barely recuperated from the effect of her call from the rooftop. Now this?”
Tears pooling in her eyes once again, Freya spoke. “We want to help, Principal Campbell. We need to find Tiffany and bring her back safely.”
“That’s true, but first, we have to pay her family a visit and hear directly from them. What do you think?”
They both nodded their agreement.
“I will arrange for us to leave after making an announcement to the students just in case they might have information that could help.”
“Thank you ma,” and with that, they left the office.
SHAWN’S POV
He didn’t go to work as he knew it was pointless. He would end up doing little at nothing as his thoughts were no longer intact any longer. His phone rang and he checked the caller ID to see it was Brian.
“Hey, man. I’m on my way to you. Are you home or at work? I saw the news last night.”
“I’m at home. I will be waiting,” he replied and ended the call. Truth is, he was losing the zeal to interact with people with each passing minute.
An hour later, Brian arrived.
“I am sorry, man. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me when it happened. I had to find out from the news,” Brian said as he took his seat.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight. Are you done with your exhibition?”
“To hell with it. I had to come back to be with you at this trying moment. As a matter of fact, I’m coming from the airport. My belongings are still in the car trunk.”
“You didn’t have to. You should have gone on with the exhibition and come back when you are done,”
“I couldn’t, okay? And I know you would do the same. Now quit telling me what I should have done and tell me how I can help.”
“I honestly don’t know. I’m as clueless as a blind man. My only source of information is the police and for the past five days, they have not gotten any lead.”
“This is serious. I’m sorry. Who could have done this?”
“I wish to get the answer to that question too.”
“Have you had something to eat?”
“No,”
“Why?”
“No appetite,”
“Well, you will have to have an appetite because I’m going in there to fix you something to eat.”
“Don’t bother. I’m fine.”
“No, you are not. If you want to find your wife then you will need all the strength you can muster,” Brian said, ignoring his protest as he walked into the kitchen.
He returned a few minutes later with a tray containing fruits, a sandwich and juice. He set the tray on the dining table and called out to him.
“Your food is all set. You know I won’t take no for an answer, so come and have breakfast.”
Shawn sighed in resignation as he walked over to get dinning. Brian watched over him like a hawk and ensured he ate everything on the tray. After clearing the table, he dragged him to the sitting room to watch a movie as a way of helping him relax.
His mood lightened a bit as he smiled a few times at Brian’s jokes. Soon, it was time for Brian to leave. Reluctantly, Shawn saw him off to his car after which Brian drove off and he returned to the sitting room.
His broody mood was back now that he was alone and he kept thinking about Tiffany and how she was doing.
The sound of the bell indicated the presence of someone at the gate and they were obviously there for the first time because if they had been there before, the gate would have recognized their car and opened on its own accord.
He sighed as he got up and walked out of the house. He walked to the gate and was stunned to see a school bus with Tiffany’s school name on it. He could see her principal and a few students too.
Were they there to ask for Tiffany’s whereabouts since she has not been in school? He thought, as he used the gate remote to open it. The gate slid open and the bus drove in. The principal alighted with the students as they walked up to him.