Trigger Warning:
- description of assault
- heavily implied bloodshed
- drowning
- torture
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Another day has gone by, and Selene-chan still hasn't returned to school.
Fifteen missed calls.
Thirty text messages.
Not a single response to any of them.
When I try to use the phone locator app, the last location her phone appears to be is at her home. And that's from two days ago. My thoughts darken with each second, each worst possible scenario crossing my mind. Bakugou is agitated, too, though he does an excellent job of hiding it. He's taken to bullying Midoriya more intensely than before. Midoriya is less subtle, as he frequently glances at Selene-chan's desk, as though she will appear out of thin air any instant.
Given that more than twenty-four hours have passed, I think it is safe to say that she is missing. Aizawa-sensei calls me to the teachers' lounge, asking me about her whereabouts. "Neither she nor her father sent in an excused absence notice beforehand. Instead, the police were called, and they came to the school to further investigate. A search team consisting of detectives and Pro-Heroes have been organized to locate her. I am on that team. Todoroki, you're the closest one to her. Do you know anything about where she might have possibly gone?"
"I wish I did, Sensei. I've tried to reach out to her so many times, but she isn't responding."
"Not to your calls, not to your messages?"
"No, Sensei."
"Did you try going to her home? What does your father think? Did he mention anything to you?"
I interrupt him. "Aizawa-sensei, I have tried every possible avenue of connecting with her. I went to her home, and her father has no more information than I or you do. My father is observing the situation passively, as he is not involved in the search teams, and nor does he have a clue or any interest in what has become of her. I know it's necessary to find her because the prestige of the school is at stake. But believe me. If I knew anything, absolutely anything, I would tell it to the police and the teachers without hesitation. I want her back just as much as you do." Albeit for different reasons.
He stares at me with those sleep-deprived eyes that right now seem to be awake like a sly predator. "I probably should not share this to anyone, but because you and Hanada are close friends, I think you deserve to know. I have a theory that the League of Villains may have abducted her."
"What?" I exclaim, incredulous. "Why would they go after her?"
"Think about it. Hanada comes from an influential family, she was there during the U.S.J. attack, and her performance was stellar at the Sports Festival. So many Pro-Hero agencies nominated her. Despite being disabled with a cane and her flaw of pride, she is talented. She can make one hell of a hero, and by taking her away, they are depriving U.A. of a prodigy. Honestly, I do not like the girl, but I respect her abilities. If they abducted her, then they have destabilized a pillar of the hero foundation."
The theory has credibility. But still ... "What do you think they will do with her? Selene-chan's father thought they might ask for ransom money, but no such call has been made. So will they make a public spectacle of her? Use her to send a message?"
"It's possible. I'm afraid to say this, but in the worst case possibility, the League will murder her brutally and leave her corpse as a threat to all Pro-Heroes. All we can do is find her as soon as possible. Pray that we do."
I leave the lounge, heart pounding like crazy. It's Lunch time, and the students have congregated in the mess hall. I can't go there. Traversing the hallways and exiting the building, I reach the spot where Selene-chan and I eat together. I don't have my lunch tray with me, but I don't have the appetite either. My anxiety and fear has ensured that.
Scenarios flood in my mind, each one worse than the last. Selene-chan's lifeless corpse found floating above the surface of a pond. Selene-chan's bloody remains run over by a car. Selene-chan's body bruised and battered in an isolated alley. In some of them, a note is nailed to her body, insulting the Pro-Heroes and promising the return and victory of the League. In others, the message is carved onto her body. In all of them, she is assaulted in the most horrific of ways. I've seen how douchebags behave with her, and the League consists of the filthiest of them. I stagger to some bushes and heave. Nothing comes out, but the sensation doesn't fade. Tears soon prick my eyes and rivulets stream down my cheeks.
There is nothing I can do, and I hate it. I hate being so helpless. I hate that somewhere out there, my best friend could be tortured in unspeakable ways, and I cannot do anything to save her. Aizawa-sensei is right. All I can do is pray. I repeat the mantra from last night again, but with a few changes.
Please be alive and unharmed.
Please be safe and unscathed.
Please come back to me.
I miss you.
I miss you so much.
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Blossoms of the Dark
Lãng mạnHanada Selene. Todoroki Shouto. Two troubled souls living troubled lives. But they somehow find solace within each other. They first met in a dream, and later again in real life. Both of them were initially wary of each other. But with time, the...
