Life Happens

Jodi? JODI?!?!

(Saylor's POV)

I almost fainted right there on the spot. "What?!" I screamed. "What do you mean Jodi's missing?!?!"

"She left for her walk yesterday," Sun Hi explained. "And she never came back. The police are looking for her."

Corki was still sleeping on her bed. Sun Hi shook her awake gently. "Sun Hi," Corki whined. "I don't feel good. I wanna sleep."

"I know," Sun Hi replied. "But Jodi's missing."

Corki shot straight up. "What?!" she yelled, then winced.

Jared ran into the room. "What do you want?" Corki asked, more mad then I had ever heard.

"That guy is going crazy out there!" he replied.

"Who?" I asked.

"Liam!" he replied, and I ran out into the hallway.

Liam was banging his head against the lockers. I ran right up to him. "Liam," I said softly. "Liam, listen to me."

He stopped his head to listen. "Thank you," I said. "Don't do this to yourself. Doing that is not going to help Jodi. Now, you've known Jodi longer than any of us. Is there any place that you think she would go?"

"She loves Maple trees," he replied. "We used to hang out in the forest by my house. There was this group of about five or six Maple trees that she would always sit against and design stuff in her sketch book."

"Maple trees," I mumbled to myself. "Got it, can you help us look for her?"

"Yeah," he replied. "We went to some in the park the other day. That might be where she is."

We grabbed everyone else, but soon remembered that Corki was sick, as she almost fainted on the way out. "Uh," I said, trying to think if what to do.

"I'll get the nurse," Ms. Diona replied. "She cane take care of Corki."

"Right," I replied. "Corki, do you think you try and track Jodi's phone?"

"Yeah," Corki said. "Text you as soon as I find it."

"Awesome, let's go!" I said to everyone else, and we were out the door.

(Caleb's POV)

Why am I so stupid? I thought to myself. Jodi is cold, wet, alone. She could be dead for goodness sake!

I kept running through the rain with everyone else. Saylor and Liam stayed up top, and I knew why, because both of them felt responsible. I did too, but I wasn't ready to face Saylor yet. I had been so mean to her earlier.

We ran all the way to the park, but Jodi wasn't anywhere near it. "The forest," Saylor said.

"Let's split up!" Sun Hi announced. "Dylan, Liam, you come with me! Saylor, you go with Caleb and Jared."

Saylor looked like she was going to argue, but dropped it. "Great," she replied. "Let's go jerks."

We split up into the forest into our two groups. And that's when it happened. I knew my little sister had anxiety issues, but nothing as bad as this.

Saylor just burst out crying, not a little whimpered, but as if she was hurt. Jared and I both rushed over to her. "Shh," I said soothingly. "Calm down Sayels."