HIDDEN (Hide Or Die)

Chapter 49

EMILY'S P. O. V.

As we stood in a circle, holding hands tightly, I could feel the familiar tingling sensation that always accompanied teleportation. The living room of my house materialized around us, and I opened my eyes to see everyone standing with me. The air was thick with tension, but we had no time to lose. I put a finger to my lips and whispered, "Everyone, be very silent. We don’t want the neighbors to know we’re back."

They nodded in understanding. I quickly explained our next steps. "I need to teleport back to where I hid my car near the town's border. I’ll drive it home so the neighbors see me returning. Stay here and stay quiet."

With a flicker, I vanished from the living room and reappeared beside my car, hidden behind a large tree a few meters away from the main road. The drive home was nerve-wracking. My mind raced with the details of our plan. Kyle has always been a bright kid, a logical thinker, and an answer provider. But this time, I didn't know what to make of his crazy plan. Still, I had to go through with it and stay focused.

Kyle wouldn't have suggested it if it weren't necessary and he didn't believe it would work. I remember the look in his eyes when he first suggested it to the room. I understood then that if I had shut down the idea, my strength would not have been enough to stop the terrors that hid impatiently behind those eyes, waiting for an escape route. As I turned onto my street and my driveway, I saw Ave, Andrew's mother rushing out of her house, her face a mask of panic. She reached my car just as I was stepping out.

"Emily!" she cried, her voice trembling. She looked haggard, her hair in a messy bun. She wore dirty blue jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt with a dark blue T-shirt underneath and completed with a pair of black flip-flops, her face devoid of any makeup.

She looked so sad and lifeless, and I felt so guilty.

"Have you seen Andrew? Please, have you seen my baby?"

I tried hard to put on my best act of surprise and concern, hoping to mask the guilt in my eyes. "Ave, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?"

Her eyes darted to the empty car, and she seemed on the verge of tears. "Andrew’s been missing for over a month. I thought he might have gone with you when you disappeared with Kyle. That's why I’ve been waiting by my window every day since he disappeared, hoping to catch a glimpse of your car."

I let my travel bag, handbag, and car keys drop to the ground, my face a picture of shock. "What do you mean, disappeared with Kyle? I had to suddenly leave to visit my sister upstate. She was dying, and she… she passed away. I left Kyle at home because it was so sudden," I cried out in a rushed voice.

Ave looked confused. "But I haven’t seen Kyle either. I thought he was with you."

I forced myself to look more panicked as I picked up my handbag from the ground near my feet and fumbled for my house keys. "We need to find him!" I exclaimed. With Ave following closely, I unlocked the door and rushed inside.

The house was dark and dusty, just as we had left it. I had been hiding at Lillian's since the time she and I came back to snoop around a few weeks ago. Lillian had teleported the kids away so it was just us in the house. I pretended to search for Kyle, calling his name and frantically checking every room. Mrs. Ave joined in, her worry was palpable. After a thorough search, I collapsed on the staircase, tears streaming down my face. Ave sat beside me, offering comfort and crying as well.

"I tried calling him," I sobbed. "But he never picked up. We had a fight before I left. He was angry I was traveling. I thought he was just still upset with me."

Ave put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We’ll find them, Emily. We have to."

With that, we drove to the police station. I made a statement about Kyle’s disappearance, mentioning through tears that he had no enemies except some boys that used to bully him at school for having a hunchback. I pretended not to know their names and hoped it would direct suspicion away from me. After that, we returned home.