before I butted in. “So, Chrissy, have you seen Chels today?” I asked, as casually as I could. I was hoping that I hadn’t drawn Ben’s attention to my conversation; I really felt sorry for the poor bugger. Thankfully, Aiden had him engulfed in a discussion about a debatable try from that morning’s P.E. class, so I knew it was safe to continue.
“Nope, she didn’t turn up to class this morning,” Chrissy said through a mouthful of food, then turned back to Megan to finish their conversation. They were trying to decide what we should all do this weekend, which to her was a lot more important than Chelsea not being at school.
At times like this I wondered why I still put up with her. But I had known her since we were in primary school, and I guess I had grown used to her selfish ways. She hadn’t always been so bad. Ditsy, yes, but always wanting to be the centre of attention only really started when Aiden moved to the Gold Coast. She’d been trying to divert his attention away from me to her, and even though she had not been successful, she still kept with the attitude.
I took my phone out of my pocket and called Chelsea’s mobile, but it was switched off. I quickly dialled her home number, hoping that she would answer so I could put my mind at ease, but there was no answer. “Damn,” I said under my breath, and nobody noticed.
I was contemplating what my next course of action would be when my phone started ringing—it was Chelsea’s mobile. Thank God, she must be okay.
“Hey, Chels, where the hell are you?” She didn’t respond. “Chelsea, can you hear me?”
“Jade,” the voice sounded shaky.
It was not Chelsea. It was Marie, her mother. My heart started thumping. Why would Marie be calling me, and why on Chelsea’s phone?
“Jade, have you seen Chelsea? She wasn’t in her room when I went in to wake her up. She left her phone on her bed, and I don’t know where she is.”
My heart stopped as my mind started replaying the scene of her abduction. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to stop it from happening.
“Jade?”
I gulped, unsure of what I was supposed to say. It wasn’t like I was about to tell her that I’d had a vision of her daughter being taken by some psycho. So I told a half truth. “No… I don’t know where she is,” I replied, my voice a little shaky.
“Oh.” She paused. I could tell that she was disappointed. “Well, can you please call me if you see or hear from her?”
“Will do,” I promised before hanging up.
I had crushed whatever hope she had that her daughter had uncharacteristically gotten up early, made her bed, and headed to school; most mornings Marie had to almost forcibly drag Chelsea out of bed so that she could just make it to school before the bell rang. But at that moment, I think it was better for her to have a little hope than for me to smash her heart into a million pieces by telling her that her daughter had possibly been kidnapped.
“What’s wrong?” Chrissy asked. She actually seemed concerned.
I looked up, realising that all eyes were on me. “Chelsea… she’s gone,” I said softly, not wanting to believe the words coming out of my mouth. “Her mum went in to wake her this morning, but she wasn’t there. And the police won’t do anything until she has been missing for forty-eight hours.” My vision came true and there wasn’t a damn thing I did to protect her , I added mentally for Aiden.
I badly wanted to be alone so I could let out all the emotions I was holding in. Aiden pulled me closer to him, letting his feel-good vibes enter my body. At least I knew that I would soon be feeling better; I just had to hold myself together until then.
“Stop worrying, she is probably just off with her cute mystery man,” Chrissy said.
“What mystery man?” Ben asked before I could. He looked wounded, like he was waiting to be crushed by what she was about to reveal.
“I don’t
“Nope, she didn’t turn up to class this morning,” Chrissy said through a mouthful of food, then turned back to Megan to finish their conversation. They were trying to decide what we should all do this weekend, which to her was a lot more important than Chelsea not being at school.
At times like this I wondered why I still put up with her. But I had known her since we were in primary school, and I guess I had grown used to her selfish ways. She hadn’t always been so bad. Ditsy, yes, but always wanting to be the centre of attention only really started when Aiden moved to the Gold Coast. She’d been trying to divert his attention away from me to her, and even though she had not been successful, she still kept with the attitude.
I took my phone out of my pocket and called Chelsea’s mobile, but it was switched off. I quickly dialled her home number, hoping that she would answer so I could put my mind at ease, but there was no answer. “Damn,” I said under my breath, and nobody noticed.
I was contemplating what my next course of action would be when my phone started ringing—it was Chelsea’s mobile. Thank God, she must be okay.
“Hey, Chels, where the hell are you?” She didn’t respond. “Chelsea, can you hear me?”
“Jade,” the voice sounded shaky.
It was not Chelsea. It was Marie, her mother. My heart started thumping. Why would Marie be calling me, and why on Chelsea’s phone?
“Jade, have you seen Chelsea? She wasn’t in her room when I went in to wake her up. She left her phone on her bed, and I don’t know where she is.”
My heart stopped as my mind started replaying the scene of her abduction. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to stop it from happening.
“Jade?”
I gulped, unsure of what I was supposed to say. It wasn’t like I was about to tell her that I’d had a vision of her daughter being taken by some psycho. So I told a half truth. “No… I don’t know where she is,” I replied, my voice a little shaky.
“Oh.” She paused. I could tell that she was disappointed. “Well, can you please call me if you see or hear from her?”
“Will do,” I promised before hanging up.
I had crushed whatever hope she had that her daughter had uncharacteristically gotten up early, made her bed, and headed to school; most mornings Marie had to almost forcibly drag Chelsea out of bed so that she could just make it to school before the bell rang. But at that moment, I think it was better for her to have a little hope than for me to smash her heart into a million pieces by telling her that her daughter had possibly been kidnapped.
“What’s wrong?” Chrissy asked. She actually seemed concerned.
I looked up, realising that all eyes were on me. “Chelsea… she’s gone,” I said softly, not wanting to believe the words coming out of my mouth. “Her mum went in to wake her this morning, but she wasn’t there. And the police won’t do anything until she has been missing for forty-eight hours.” My vision came true and there wasn’t a damn thing I did to protect her , I added mentally for Aiden.
I badly wanted to be alone so I could let out all the emotions I was holding in. Aiden pulled me closer to him, letting his feel-good vibes enter my body. At least I knew that I would soon be feeling better; I just had to hold myself together until then.
“Stop worrying, she is probably just off with her cute mystery man,” Chrissy said.
“What mystery man?” Ben asked before I could. He looked wounded, like he was waiting to be crushed by what she was about to reveal.
“I don’t
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