Finding Tristan ✓

11: First Disappearance

"How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him."

Kylie

"You guys weren't able to get a hold of Luke?!" I shrieked angrily and stood up from my seat. The other students who were studying for tomorrow's Geometry test gave me judgmental glares. Heat crawled to my cheeks and I sat back down, rubbing a hand over my face. My math teacher sighed and continued to grade the quizzes that we took last week.

Ashley shook her head in disappointment. "No, we weren't. We even left him a voicemail last night, and he never called back. Luke hasn't showed up to school today either," Her eyebrows creased up in concern. I pinched the bridge of my nose and stared down at the study guide in front of me.

"If he can't bother to pick up his phone, then why don't we just go to his house?" I suggested,"His parents are out of town, so it will just be an easier entrance for us!" I added and Ashley gave me her eraser when I failed to get the correct answer on the math problem I was working on. I rolled my eyes and used it before giving it back to the red head.

"Yeah, that's a better idea rather than wasting our phone battery," My best friend muttered. I shook my head and heaved a tired sigh. We continued working on the study guide until the bell rang for the fourth time today. Everybody quickly started packing up their things and making a race for the door. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and blankly stared down at the screen.

I figured that I would be able to label that unknown number as my stalker. That way I would be a lot more alert if I ever saw this person's name on the screen. My phone buzzed in my hand as I squeezed past other students into the hallway. I glanced behind me and saw that Ashley was walking beside Nick. They were having some kind of serious chat, and Nick's eyes became wide.

Stalker: You don't remember who I am? What a shame.

He ripped off his earbuds and shoved them into his pockets before his eyebrows creased in deep thought. His gray orbs met my stare, and I abruptly walked off as if it was nothing. I wasn't really in the mood to speak with him. Nick was just hard to deal with whenever he kept running his mouth off. He rambles on non-stop and expects people to keep track of all the things he says.

Shortly after the school became empty of its students, I met up with Ashley, Lynn, and Ace in the main parking lot in front of the school. We all slipped into Ace's white Kia Optima and he revved up his engine before driving out. "I have a bad feeling about this, and I have no idea why," Lynn murmured quietly. The brunette with beautiful royal blue eyes glanced back at Ashley and I through the review mirror. I paled and turned around in my seat to quickly look behind the car.

It didn't seem like anybody was following us, so I guess I was just feeling paranoid again. Ace remained deadly silent throughout the whole ride to Luke's house. Ashley was fidgeting in her seat and she was clenching her phone tightly in her left hand. Her red bangs were matted down with sweat from the insane heat outside. Once we all arrived to Luke's place, I jumped out of the car and fetched his spare key from the breast pocket of my red blouse.

I wiped away the sweat from my palms onto my white denim jeans. My friends were standing behind me as I shakily tried to put the house key into the hole. I unlocked the door and swung it open, stepping inside. I felt goosebumps crawl up my arms as cold air welcomed us along with eerie silence. Normally, Luke would be sitting in the living room and watching television during his sick days.

"Luke?" Lynn and Ashley shouted at the same time. When there was no response, Ace and I gave each other an uncertain expression. The two girls decided to search downstairs while Ace and I desperately roamed upstairs. I felt fear prickling at my skin when I slammed his bedroom door open. His phone was laying on his nightstand; his bedsheets were neatly made, and it was the only trace that was left of him.

The blonde boy beside me gave me a sympathetic frown and rested a hand on my shoulder as I picked up Luke's phone from the nightstand. The lava lamp beside the window was unplugged and his window was open. I stuck my head out the window and searched for any of Luke's footprints down below. I retreated from the window and crumpled to the floor on my knees. "Do you think my stalker came after him?"

I choked on my tears and lifted my head to stare up at Ace. He kneeled down in front of me and held my hands. He took Luke's phone and slipped it into his pocket for me. "I don't think there would be any other reason to why he went missing, Kylie." He whispered in dread, staring me straight in the eye.

Lynn and Ashley abruptly came into the bedroom. Lynn was insanely pale, and her shoulders were quivering. Ace sucked in a breath and helped me up by the wrists before stepping over to his girlfriend. He brought Lynn into his arms, and I leaned my back against the wall. "I discovered a small box of letters in his work desk when we went to search through his art studio," Ashley gulped the knot in her throat and handed it over to me.

I held the brown colored leather box in front of me with shaky hands. The box itself had already been unlocked, and there was a thin layer of dust that was sitting on top. I carefully set it onto of the dresser and slowly opened it. There was a small mound of white envelopes that had the red wax seal adorning the folds. I teared off all of the seals just as easily, assuming that Luke had already read through all of these letters himself before he disappeared.

I sifted through the envelopes and took all of the papers and laid them out in a line on the desk. There were dates listed at the very top left corner of every single letter. Ashley reached for my hand and held it tightly. Dread slowly hit me as I read all of my stalker's messages to Luke. I felt my whole body go numb as I recited them out loud for Ace and Lynn to hear.

"While those eyes intimidated the world, to some, they represented numeral mysteries, a gallon of untold stories, and a bright flicker, waiting to ignite into a full fledged flame. Do you truly wish to save her?"

I felt my stomach knot as my eyes skimmed over my stalker's neat handwriting.

"Kill the part of you that believes it cannot survive without someone else by your side for eternity, if not, maybe I might as well do that for you."

My face grew pale and a bead of cold sweat skidded down the crevice of my back.

"You still continue to laugh freely after what I had done to your poor twin brother. You wither in the dark and cover it with a smile, you cower behind your weakened walls, you fail to abide by my commands. And you will pay."

Lynn, Ace, and Ashley's gasps fill the room.

"She is mine. Kylie Williams is mine, and don't ever lay a hand on her. I will sever off your hands and feet. I will make you scream in agony, and I will make you regret ever stepping a foot on this damned earth. I will rid of your family. I will rid of you, and all of your friends one by one."

As I continued to read, my voice started to give away as more tears started to escape from the corner of my eyes. My lungs constricted themselves as I broke out into uncontrollable hysterics; Ace sticking his arm out to prevent me from hopelessly falling on to the ground.

"I'm coming after you, Mr. Crawford."

I was now fully aware that my stalker had already came after Luke. Lynn, Ace, or Ashley could have been next. The thought of Tristan being on my stalker's list of targets made me feel sick. If my stalker wanted to rid of the people who were very close to me, then I'm sure that my stalker was going to make Tristan one of his top priorities. Luke was long gone, and I was struggling to understand what this person wanted to do with me and why.

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Warm greetings readers and fans, this story has taken an awfully unexpected turn on my part, so I have decided to change up the book description and add up a better plot alternative. Be sure to go re-read the book description, and lend me some constructive feedback! I would love to know what you all are thinking, and it gives me an idea of what kind of chapters that I can write up and release later down the road.

Have a wonderful week readers! For those of you who have already started school, you better do good in your studies because your personal life always comes first. I don't start school until September 6th, so I only have a week to enjoy what I have left of my summer break. See you all in the next update!

-Eaden