Pride and Prejudice, the High School Version.

Chapter 23

Liz was still lying in bed, deeply asleep, dreaming about flying an aircraft herself when her phone's sharp ring woke her.

"Hello?" She said groggily.

"Liz! Thank goodness. I have been trying to reach you since yesterday morning."

"Sorry. I forgot my phone in my hotel room. Whats up?"

"It's Lydia. She has been...Liz, Lydia has been kidnapped."

Liz sat up, immediately alert, "What do you mean kidnapped?"

"She disappeared from her foster home a few days ago, and no one knows where she is."

"And Miss Forster didn't let us know immediately?"

"She called dad on the day it happened but at the time she believed Lydia was just with George Wickham and she would come back."

"What was she doing with George Wickham?"

"Apparently, they were last seen together. He hasn't been seen since either. The police over there believe he has her,he has a criminal record over there."

Liz cursed as she quickly got dressed, "Have they demanded a ransom? Where is dad?"

"Dad is in DC, the police believe he flew her back to the country, there are pictures of them at the airport, and he booked plane tickets to DC. And yes they are demanding a ransom Liz, two million dollars."

"What! George knows dad can't afford that."

"Perhaps but he doesn't care I think. They sent dad a photo Liz, she was tied up and unconscious. Mom cries all day and...oh Liz, I wish you were here," Jane said with a sniff.

"I am coming home this instant."

"Oh. That will be a relief."

Liz tore out of the house and headed to her uncle and aunt's room, she knocked and tried the door, locked. They hadn't said they had any activity so she didn't even know where to find them. She tried calling both their phones and heard them ringing behind the door of their closed to room.

She ran downstairs to the reception.

"The couple in room 224, where did they go?" She asked without preliminaries.

The receptionist looked up from his computer,"They went out bit didn't say where. Is there a problem?"

"Yes. A big one. Find out where they went."

"Have you tried calling them?"

"They left their phones."

He picked up the telephone and dialled a number, he spoke into it for a few seconds then looked up at her as he placed it down, "I am afraid no ones knows where they went. Would you perhaps like to sit down as I check the security cameras to see the direction they headed to?"

To her embarrassment, Liz began to cry. Big fat tears rolled their way out of her eyes and fell on the desk.

"Ma'am?"

"Liz? What's wrong?" Bill's voice was a welcome relief.

Liz turned to him and swiped at her tears with her hand, "Bill! I am looking for my uncle and aunt, please tell me they are at your house?"

"I am afraid not."

"I need to find them. It's urgent."

More tears rolled down her face.

Bill placed his hands on her shoulders and gently guided her to sit down. He handed her several tissues from the reception desk.

"Calm down, okay? We will find them, I promise."

"You don't understand. I need to find them now. I need to go home. It's my little sister, she is in trouble."

"What happened?"

"She went to the foreign exchange program and now she has been kidnapped and no one knows where she is."

"I am so sorry Liz," he said as he took out his phone, "Just give me a few seconds and I will get your aunt and uncle here."

He dialled a number on his phone and spoke briefly in it, in Spanish this time, Liz could tell.

"They are on their way."

Liz let out a hiccough,"Who was that?"

"The company's aerial patrol team, your aunt and uncle were just taking a coffee at the corner cafe."

"And you managed to trace that?"

He shrugged,"This is my territory. So your sister, Lydia was it? What happened?"

"It's that George Wickham. He took her."

"What? How do you know that?"

"He left with her. They have traced them to DC, but no further. What if they kill her? Or they rape her? Or they pump her with so many drugs she goes mad? Or..."

He gently touched her arm, "Hey, don't think like that. They are going to find her."

"How? Unless they pay the ransom really quick, my dad doesn't have two million dollars just lying around and..."

"They will find her," he said with finality as he rose up, "Will you be okay? I need to go do something."

Liz didn't want him to leave, but she didn't have any reason to make him stay. He had already done enough by finding her aunt and uncle.

"Thank you for everything and tell Georgina I am sorry I can't make it to her birthday party okay?"

"That's okay, I am sure she will understand."

Liz went to her room and haphazardly threw her belongings in the suitcase, then she made her way downstairs just in time to find her aunt and uncle talking to the receptionist.

She briefed them on Jane's phonecall and they both agreed that they needed to leave immediately and went to pack.

They had come by car, and Liz was just dragging her suitcase towards it when she heard the sound of a plane, and a few minutes later, a sleek white jet with the PE logo landed at the hotel's helipad. Bill strode out with a determined step and headed in her direction.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you home," he said as he took the suitcase from her and began to wheel it towards the jet.

"But.."

"It's not a big deal, I was headed to LA anyway."

"What about my aunt and uncle?"

"We will drop them in DC and then head to Spring Valley."

"Were you really headed for LA?"

"Yep. I was going to see my aunt."

Liz didn't believe him, but was grateful for the jet. He dropped her uncle and aunt in DC as promised, then flew them to Spring Valley. Liz was too agitated to talk, and he also kept his concentration on flying the jet. At last, they landed on Spring Valley's small airport, and if her nose wasn't running from all the crying, Liz would have kissed him.

"Will you be okay from here?"

"Yes. Thank you very much."

He smiled and touched an invisible hat on his head, "Do take care of yourself Liz."

Liz watched the jet, suitcase in hand until it was just a small dot in the distance before she turned around to look for Jane, who was to pick her up.