Snowflakes Fall and So Did I

~CHAPTER 97~

~ELSA~

My aunt's ear-piercing sobs echoed against the walls of the private meeting room security had put us in. Tamora wasn't one of the cops that had first arrived, but when she had called Astrid, wondering about her whereabouts, Astrid had explained what was going on, which prompted her to show up.

"It's always something with this family," I had heard her say through Astrid's phone, and I couldn't agree more.

Why can't we ever have a break?

The police were watching over the security footage when Tamora had showed up. She had joined them while the rest of us waited. My aunt was already crying because, obviously, with her daughter gone, something bad had happened to her. I had yet to cry or outwardly panic. I couldn't. I needed to be strong for my aunt and Anna, who was also crying. My uncle was like me, however. He shed no tears yet; most likely waiting to cry in solitude like I was going to.

But as Tamora's words flooded my mind, I couldn't stop the stinging of my tears as they formed.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come straight out," Tamora had said just one minute ago, "Your daughter was kidnapped."

Those are the words that sent my aunt into a spiral, and sent the rest of us into shock. While my aunt sobbed into my uncle's chest, he frantically asks: "What do you mean she was kidnapped?! You mean to tell me that she was kidnapped in broad daylight with so many people around? It's impossible–"

"Not if she appeared to be normal," Tamora interrupts. She sighs, very clearly stressed out because this is another thing she has to deal with from us. "Look, from what I saw on the footage, your daughter walked out of the bathroom with her kidnapper. The figure was wearing a hoodie and some sunglasses, so we couldn't get a good look at their face, but they appeared to be female in body. Rapunzel was also wearing sunglasses and was walking with this woman, arms-linked. She was stumbling a little, so I'm guessing her kidnapper was leading her to the getaway car, which, thankfully, we were able to get facial footage of the two men in the van."

"Two men?" Flynn asks, and from the way the color drained from his face, I could only assume that he knew exactly who those two men were. He is, after all, a criminal himself. He may not know everyone that's under this illegal ring, but he has worked with some before. Has he ever wronged anyone to provoke my cousin's kidnapping? Is it possible that these men kidnapped Rapunzel as revenge on Flynn?

Or is it the woman who we should mainly be focused on? Is it possible that it's Miss Gothel?

"What did they look like?" He asks, standing up now, as if he's ready to run out of the room any second.

"Why?" Tamora asks, looking at him suspiciously. "Do you think you know them?"

"It's possible," Flynn answers, taking me off guard. I looked at Astrid, who shared my same surprised expression. He needs to be careful with his answers. He could give himself away. Tamora is smart and may connect dots that Flynn may not know he is leaving behind.

"I mean, look, I'm a popular football player. I've got tons of fans, but I also have a handful of jealous haters. Maybe they kidnapped Rapunzel so I can do something for them. Like give away a scholarship. I don't exactly have a whole lot of money to give, so a scholarship is all I can think of. I don't know!" His voice raised as he started to pace back and forth. "All I know is that I'm about to lose my fucking mind. The girl I love is in danger, so please, what did they look like?!"

"What I want to know is why did she walk out with her kidnapper?" Astrid asks, looking at her aunt. "Was she being threatened with a weapon?"

Tamora shakes her head. "There was no weapon that we saw in the footage, but it's possible that she was threatened in the bathroom. And I don't think she went willingly. I think she was drugged. She looked like she was stumbling. She was also wearing sunglasses too, possibly to hide her disoriented look. It's possible that whoever the person was that she was with may have drugged her; not enough to cause her to go unconscious, but enough to make her dazed and confused. But you," she points to Flynn. "You're coming with me. I'm going to show you the footage."