The Matters of Power

Chapter 14- Fall Festival, Missing Star [5]

"What you say, boy?!" Carl runs up to Fernando, and grabs his shirt near his collar. "You better not be joking! What, h- h- how you knows this?" He pulls out his phone, "I managed to record it when it happened! I swear, I was scared of being spotted and get beaten up if they saw me! Look, (he presses buttons on his phone) here is the recording." Carl lets go of him and comes back to me, where he presses the play button where Payton is standing next to her locker and with someone (mostly covered in black clothing). She tilts her head, "Do I... know you? You don't seem to be with our school." The figure replies, "Oh... uh, well, I'm not, actually. You see, I'm from another school and came here to see you." "...Me?" "Yes, yes! (He starts acting excited) Of course, you, Payton Moon! Also, congrats on winning Fall Star Representative, I expected nothing less from what I always knew you were." Payton looks uncomfortable. She starts to act on guard. "How do you know me so well? And I surely don't remember you from any point before, excuse me. I think we should talk about this somewhere else. Even when she is backing up, they are catching up. "Come on, how do you not know me? Even when you made that promise to me, Jeffrey, all those years ago to let me be by your side forever?! Is it because of that man Marcus, or Carl? Listen, I can do so much better than them, just give me a chance!" Then too much happens in little time: Payton suddenly tries to run and call for help, but Jeffrey lunges forward and holds her tight. He clamps a hand on her mouth then uses his other hand that has a syringe to inject something on her neck. She tries to resist but whatever that syringe had makes her slowly lose consciousness and then go to sleep. Looking at their face when they carry Payton in their arms, there is no denying that is Jeffrey, even with whatever lofty excuse of a mask he put. He looks around him to find no one else (not even Fernando) in the hallways and then heads out away from the camera to the other end of the hallway.

By the time the recording ends, it's clear that Fernando is terrified of what happened because of the constant shaking from his hands, and with that, Carl and I know what happened. "The audacity of the bastard to think that she would like someone, a creep, such as him! I'm gonna get his hands on him, and when I do!... (puffs)I'm going to search for her while I still can." He fumes away in the hallway, but then stops. "Marcus," he turns his head, "I don't care what you do now, but if you want to find her before me... DON'T go ahead without me." I nod. I turn to Fernando, "Hey, go outside and try to get everyone's attention on this and call the police. The school will want to know about this." He stutters. "S- s- su- sure thing. Oh gosh, (he breathes heavily) how bad was it that someone could get into here so easily? Dammit man, and just before the Fall Festival! What are you going to do then?" I guess I have no choice but to find Payton as well, with whatever Jeffrey is going to do. "I'm heading out to find her," I reply, "I need to help Carl cover more ground early. I'll see you then." If Jeffrey went to the back end of the school, then that means I will need to find a clue to where he might have gone.

*At the school parking lot*

Dammit, did he actually pass through here? The lot is still full since school just ended, but to think that he could have somehow still managed to not get spotted while passing through here is odd. Ok, think Marcus! San Anton High may not be as large as the public schools, but with the head start he may have I still have a chance to catch up. If he had to pass through here, he must have gone throu- "Hey! What are you doing here?" I find one of the school security guards confronting me. It must be suspicious to find a student hanging out in the parking lot and just standing around, because he seems wary of me even though he gives off a menacing aura. He stops a few steps from me, "Hellooo? I asked, what are you doing here? Students aren't supposed to loiter around the parking lot." Surely he must know something. "Listen, officer. Someone was kidnapped here on school grounds and I need to find out where they might have gone!" The guard doesn't really seem to believe me. "Really? What makes you say that? Why are you even here then, if you should be telling the school and police department about it? You better not be making stuff up!"