"Get out, no, come back here! If you can't find her alive, then consider yourself gone. Do you understand me? Now get out of my face. Idiot!"
Noah, Nathaniel's most trusted aide, scrambled out of the living room in fear. Nathaniel had been fuming since Lila's disappearance. He didn't even know what to do anymore. Even the tracker he had secretly placed in her bag wasn't working.
He clenched his fists and ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth across the room. The sound of his shoes echoed sharply against the marble floor. Every second felt like a century.
He decided to call one of the top hackers he knew, hoping he could locate Lila's whereabouts. The man on the line said it would take two hours to trace her signal. Nathaniel's voice turned cold. "Be fast about it," he said, ending the call abruptly.
He kept pacing, muttering to himself. "Where could you be, Lila?" His chest tightened with guilt. He never should have let her go on that mission alone. The feeling gnawed at him, guilt, fear, something he hadn't felt in years.
These emotions were foreign to him. He didn't understand why it hurt this much, why he couldn't breathe just thinking about losing her. All he knew was that he had to find her.
Even if he had to destroy the world, he would.
Meanwhile, at the Lewis residence, Vivian, Lila's mother, was in tears. Her voice trembled as she clutched her phone tightly. "I left her in her room when we went to sleep yesterday," she sobbed. "So how could she be missing?"
Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest. She knew her daughter well. Lila would never leave home without informing her. "She wouldn't do this," Vivian whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Where could she be?"
David and Ethan were also deeply worried. They took turns trying to console their mother, though they themselves were just as anxious.
"Mom, we'll find her," Ethan said, trying to sound brave even though fear clouded his eyes.
But Vivian only shook her head, mumbling incoherently. "Was she kidnapped? Did she get into trouble? No, my baby girl isn't troublesome, oh, what if…" She couldn't finish. The words died in her throat as she broke into another fit of sobs.
The house that once echoed with laughter now felt hollow and cold.
They didn't even know where to start searching. Lila barely had friends since she transferred schools, there was no one to ask, nowhere to look. All they could do was hope.
Malone City, 6:00 p.m.
"Mum! She's woken up!" a girl's excited voice rang out.
A woman, around forty years old, hurried into the small room. Her hands were still damp from washing, and her apron hung loosely around her waist. Her daughter, a bright-eyed twelve-year-old, was kneeling beside the bed, smiling widely at the girl who had just opened her eyes.
The woman's heart softened at the sight. The girl on the bed looked so pale, so fragile.
"Where am I?" the girl asked weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyelids fluttered as she looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings.
"Don't stress yourself, child," the woman said gently. "My daughter and I found you on our way to the farm. You looked like you needed help, so we brought you home."
Lila blinked slowly. "How long have I been here?"
"Two days," the woman replied, placing a hand on her forehead. "You were unconscious, my dear. Do you remember your name, or what happened?"
Lila hesitated before answering. "My name is Lila. But that isn't important right now. I have to leave soon. They'll be worried about me by now." She tried to push herself up, but her arms trembled from weakness.
The young girl beside her smiled brightly. "My name is Bella," she said cheerfully.
Lila managed a small smile in return. "That's a lovely name." She tried to stand, but the woman quickly placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"No, you can't go yet," the woman said firmly. "You're not well enough to travel. You should rest, at least for tonight. It's dangerous out there. Whoever hurt you might still be looking for you."
Lila's lips curved slightly. "No one's trying to kill me," she said quietly. "I was just mistakenly shot."
The woman frowned but didn't press further. "Oh, I see," she said softly. "Well, you still need to eat something. What would you like?"
"Anything," Lila murmured.
A few minutes later, the woman returned with a bowl of warm porridge. The sweet scent filled the small room. Lila ate slowly, her movements careful. The young Bella sat beside her, chattering happily the whole time.
"You look like my sister, Matilda," Bella said suddenly, tilting her head curiously.
Lila looked up. "You have a sister?"
"Yes," Bella nodded proudly. "She's older. She traveled, but she'll be back tonight. You two look so much alike, only your hair's a bit different."
Lila smiled faintly, touched by the girl's innocence. "Tell her I said hello," she replied softly.
Bella grinned. "I will!"
When Lila finished eating, she thanked them sincerely. "You saved my life," she said. "I'll never forget that."
Before leaving, she asked the woman for directions to Long Island. The woman hesitated but finally gave them, along with a small envelope of money.
"Take this," she insisted. "It's not much, but it'll help you get home safely."
Lila tried to refuse, but the woman pressed it into her hand. "Please, child. Don't argue. You're too young to be stranded."
Lila nodded, realizing it would be rude to refuse again. "Thank you," she said softly. "Both of you."
Bella hugged her tightly. "Be careful, okay?"
Lila smiled for the first time in days. "I will."
Then she turned and walked out of the small house, her steps unsteady but determined. The cool evening breeze brushed against her skin, carrying the faint scent of rain.
She wasn't completely healed, but she had no choice. She had to leave before anyone else got involved.
She didn't look back.
Lila knew she should have been dead by now. She remembered the shot, the water swallowing her whole, the suffocating silence.
But somehow, she had survived.
She didn't understand why or how, but she was grateful. For now, she needed to get home, to find out what had happened in her absence.
The night stretched long and silent as she boarded the late bus heading back toward Long Island. Her hand brushed against the faint scar beneath her jacket. It still throbbed, but she ignored it.
Her mind replayed everything, Nathaniel's voice on the phone, the traffickers, the shot.
Her expression darkened. One thing was certain, she wasn't done yet.