IncuBUST

Who Wants to go Hunting?

There was a sudden knock on the door, and I sprang to my feet. I rushed over to the door and threw it open thinking it might be Octavia, but it was Barapha.

"Where the hell did you go, Chase? I thought we were going to the zoo," he said and the genuine disappointment on his face made me want to throw myself at him. Before I could, however, my phone rang. I held up a finger and said, "Hold that thought." I ran back over to the couch, scooped up my phone and answered, "Hello?"

Barapha closed the door and walked over to me with a concerned expression on his face. I held the phone and listened as Sýko said, "I called child services and Octavia's case worker told me that no one had been sent to pick Octavia up. As far as she knows you have temporary custody until the home interview can be conducted and processed."

I blinked, my mind going blank with panic. Sýko continued, "No one called to report you. Whoever picked Octavia up wasn't affiliated with child services." My hands began to tremble, my heart was racing in my chest.

"Chase?" Sýko said, "Do you want me to call the police? Hello?" Barapha reached out and took the phone from my hand. He held it up to his ear and murmured, "We'll take care of it. Thank you." Barapha hung up and set my phone gently on the end table next to the couch.

"Chase," Sissy said coming down the hall with her phone pressed to her chest, "Tessa says she hasn't heard anything about child service picking Octavia up. Do you want her to call Octavia's case worker and see if there was some sort of mix up?"

Her gaze then lighted on Barapha and she grimaced asking, "What are you doing here?" Barapha glanced at her then at me and replied, "He ducked out on me without saying anything. I was worried." She squinted at him and mumbled, "Mmhmm." She looked back at me and asked again," Do you want Tessa to call O's case worker?"

I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. I felt like crying and screaming and throwing up all at the same time. I was afraid of what might come out of my mouth if I opened it. Barapha wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled me into a tight embrace. His body curled around mine and he whispered, "Shh, we'll find her." He looked back at Sissy and said, "Someone called and said whoever picked up your human wasn't affiliated with child services."

I let out a panicked wheeze and clung to Barapha's arm trying as hard as I could to draw breath. Sissy's eyes widened and she asked, "Do you think it was someone from Watermill? Maybe Charlotte sent someone to bring Octavia back."

"Or worse. It could be a member of the Iron Lance trying to get revenge for those boys who assaulted us," Barapha muttered, and I wriggled out of his grasp dashing down the hall and into the bathroom where I slammed the door and promptly barfed into the toilet. I hadn't eaten any actual food for nearly three days so all that came up was slightly gin flavored bile.

I coughed and hung my head over the toilet, my entire body trembling with anxiety. I heard the door open and felt Sissy's warm hands on my face pushing my hair off my sweaty forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Chase. I should have known they weren't legit. I should have called someone or asked for identification, but I was scared they would call the police if I didn't let her go and then we'd never get her back," she said and I shook my head croaking, "It's not your fault, Sis."

"No, it is. I'm so stupid. Who lets a bunch of guys in suits take a sixteen-year-old girl without seeing some ID?" she exclaimed and from the doorway Barapha said, "He's right, Cecelia. It's not your fault. It's theirs." We looked up at him and he smiled grimly asking, "So, who wants to go hunting?"