𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝓜𝓮

Chapter 48

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
𝕂𝕒𝕚 𝕂𝕚𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕠
»--•--«

I stepped out of the elevator, feeling the air hit me as if I'd just surfaced from being underwater. The quiet hum of the space around me only made the feeling worse. It had been almost a full day—night again now—since I'd last seen or spoken to Emmaline. Since I gave her the necklace. And after spending what felt like an eternity in my room, alone, with nothing but my thoughts, the walls felt like they were closing in. Every second of that silence had stretched into hours, suffocating, heavy. I had to get out. Breathe. But even now, out of my room, the air still felt too thin.

I wandered down the hall, my mind drifting to Emmaline again. I hadn't heard from her since last night. I talked to Jett, and she said that she was doing alright, but that's it. And I didn't even buy it, it left an uncomfortable knot in my chest that I couldn't shake off.

Something was off though. Usually, I'd run into someone by now. A passing joke from one of the girls, Castle scolding Winston or Brendan, or even just my parents or Emmaline's wrapped up in whatever business they always had going on. But... nothing. It was too quiet. Empty.

I paused, narrowing my eyes as I scanned the hallway. Where the hell is everyone? Confusion twisted in my gut as I moved from room to room, each one just as empty as the last. No one was in the kitchen. No one in the living room. Not even a sound from the corridors.

Then I heard it—a muffled noise coming from the direction of the security room.

I picked up the pace, my heart thumping in my chest as I neared the door. When I pushed it open, I froze. Everyone was there. Mum, Dad, the girls, Warner... even Castle. All of them were standing around, staring at the security screens. The moment I stepped inside, they turned to look at me, every single one of them, like I had interrupted something important.

"What are you all..." I started to ask but trailed off, the tension in the room hitting me hard. The way they were staring at me... something was definitely wrong. My pulse picked up, my chest tightening.

"What?" I asked, my voice sharp as I glanced between them. No one said anything, just kept looking at each other like they were silently deciding who would be the one to speak. My eyes darted around the room until they landed on Warner. His face was completely blank. No expression, no sign of life. Like he'd shut down, turned off all emotion. The knot in my chest tightened, and an unsettling chill crept down my spine.

"What happened?" I asked again, quieter this time, though it felt like my voice might crack.

Mum shifted, her gaze flicking over to Dad for a brief second before she looked back at me, her voice small and hesitant. "We... we can't find Emmaline."

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. I felt the blood drain from my face, a cold rush surging through my veins. It was like everything in the room stopped, like time itself froze for a split second. My mind went blank. I couldn't think. I couldn't even process it. Confusion didn't have a chance to settle in because it was swallowed by the sudden rush of panic that surged inside me. My heart pounded against my ribs, each beat louder, faster, as if trying to break free.