𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 || 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲

2. the vanishing of cathleen olive

Sunlight shone through the campground, not sparing an inch of grass. Nora grumbled drearily as she faced the wrath of morning light. Tiredness overcame her, but the light prevented her from going back to sleep. You wake up, you're awake. There was no going back to finishing the dream you just woke up from no matter how hard you try.

"Mornin' Cass." Nora rolled over onto her other side, assuming that she would be facing the black-haired beauty laying in her sleeping bag. "Cass?" Instead, the sleeping bag was strewn in a clump in the corner of the tent, soaked from the mix of morning dew and rain that must have fallen earlier in the morning.

Nora assumed that her friend was already awake and outside either reading on a rock or preparing breakfast for the team. Because of this deduction, Nora took her time to get dressed and head out to the nature-filled outdoors.

"Good morning world," Nora grumbled in a morning voice. The black-haired sophomore unzipped the tent, rolled out onto the grassy terrain, and slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops. "Good morning, Nora!" Nora greeted herself back when she realized no one else took the liberty to do so.

"Where's Cass when you need her? I need a self-esteem boost, girly!" Nora made her way further out and realized that she was truly curious about where Cathleen Olive was. Originally Nora had assumed that Cass had gone out of her way to make breakfast for the team, she should have known that was unrealistic. No one would ever trade anything for Alec's famous savory or sweet crepes of the day.

Now all Nora could think of was how the boys managed to get Cass to bunk with them for the night. It was the only plausible explanation Nora could come up with. It's not like Doctor Strange randomly showed up and summoned her friend across the multiverse, no. Unfortunately, Nora didn't know how close this unrealistic assumption actually was, so instead the teenager assumed that the boys got her tipsy enough to want to cuddle up in a feet-smelling stuffy tent.

"Wake up bitches!" Nora connected her phone to the speaker and started blasting "I'm a Gummy Bear" by Gummibär, much to the boys' displeasure.

"Shut that thing off!" Nate's grumbled voice could be heard across the morning weather while he shoved a pillow over his ears.. "I'll throw your speaker into the swamp!" The threat from the male made no negative impact on Nora, instead, she turned the volume up louder, intent on interrupting the nice sleep her friends were previously participating in.

While taunting and laughing at the complaining boy, Nora didn't notice Alec sneak up behind her and steal the hand-held speaker. The older boy immediately powered it off and slugged over to the chairs in his Powerpuff Girls pajama set.

"Ugh! Come on! I was listening to that! It was good music!"

"Then you have very poor musical taste. Have you not seen the music video for that song? The bear gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Wimp. He was just a bear driving a car. Anyway, did Cass bunk with you all last night?"

"No, I thought she came back into your tent."

"Nope.." Nora responded with hesitancy. Alec was positive that Cass had run back to camp late last night. He had gone into the woods some time after Cass in search of her last night, but after some time he came back to the campsite to see that she wasn't there. He had come to the conclusion that she was already in her tent with Nora because she usually doesn't stay up terribly late. However, after talking with Nora that didn't seem like the case anymore.

"Maybe we should try calling her?" Alec offered.

Nora pulled out her cell phone, listening to Alec's advice, and scrolled through her contacts and came upon a profile pic of Cathleen drinking boba tea with a large grin on her face.