The Hunters of Artemis: The Return of the Hunters

Chapter 21: Information!

"Hey, Keegan," I greeted the next day. I saw him down the hallway and hoped that I could ask him about anything that would relate to the clue that I got yesterday.

He smiled and closed his locker door. "Oh, hey, Ayla. What's up?"

I shrugged, trying to be cool. "Nothing much." I checked my schedule. "What do you have first?" 

"I've got Science," he said. 

I sighed. I had been hoping that he had a class that was close to the English class I was going to first, but the Science hallway was in a different part of the school than my class. 

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I was hoping I could ask you something, but it looks like we don't have enough time." I pointed at the ceiling one second before it rang.

"Did you time that?" he asked, playfully suspicious.

I winked. "A magician never tells their secrets."

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Well, I better get to class. See you in math!"

"Bye."

In my first class, I noticed a sign that was being put up by a few girls. I read it and smiled to myself. Welcome Dance, it read. The annual Welcome Dance is this Friday! The theme: Masquerade. Come with your Identification cards, and your masks. The most important thing is: HAVE FUN!

I smiled at the girls who grinned back and finished taping the sign up. 

So... This Friday? 

I sat down, thinking about our options. It had been almost a week since my mom had gone missing, and it would be a few more days before I was even going to get the next clue... I closed my eyes and wanted to sob. Days... That was more than enough time for someone to ki--hurt my mom. If they hadn't already.

So, we could either wait until the next clue, or just go on a whim and search for my mom everywhere, which probably wasn't the best idea.

I sighed internally. I hated quests. At that moment, I hoped never to ever be sent on one again. At least, not a personal one. 

"Alright, class!" my teacher, Ms. Newson said. "Please bring out your reading books and read quietly for the next ten minutes."

I reached into my bag and brought out my book: A Voice In The Wind. I was really enjoying it, and wondered why I hadn't read nearly as much back home. 

Making a mental note to go to the library as soon as I got home, I read the next sentence. "Unless we have something worth dying for, Atretes, we've nothing worth living for." 

Setting the book down slightly, I thought about that one line, and how well it applied to my life at the moment. 

It was true, I would die for my mom, but I hoped that I would live long enough to see her again. My dad too. 

I suddenly felt guilty for not thinking of my dad enough on this trip. He had basically lost everything. His wife was taken from him. His daughter left him to find his kidnapped wife,  and he was all alone without a way to contact either of them. 

That would be really, really terrifying...

A few minutes later, Ms. Newson stopped our reading and we began our lesson.

After that class, the day went by fairly quickly, and soon enough, I had gained all of the information from my peers and the teachers at Gray Birch School that I needed to form a plan to get the next clue that would, hopefully, lead me to my mom.