Nobody's Business (BOOK ONE)

Chapter 26

Monica laughs as Shaun twirls her around like a clumsy ballerina. They're off beat and and discombobulated but they're having fun. As he spins her again she stumbles into someone who catches her around the waist, she giggles and looks up at the person, feeling a little tipsy.

"Someone's having fun," Malcolm says turning her around. "Where's your other half?"

Monica pulls her hair away from her sweaty neck. "She went to the bathroom a few minutes ago, I thought she'd back by now."

 "Maybe she's with Jackson," Shaun offers.

"Jackson's right there." Malcolm says pointing across the room where Jackson is talking to Janine at the snack table.

"What?" Monica questions. "But she...hold on." She pushes through the crowd of people on the dance floor to reach the snack area. She grabs Jackson and turns him around so that they're face each other. "Where's Sevyn?"

Jackson gives her a confused look, "Uhh...I dunno. Last time we were together she said she was getting a drink."

An uneasy feeling settles into Monica's stomach as she looks around for her friend. Malcolm spots Ty and rushes over with Monica and Jackson trailing behind them. "Ty, have you seen Sevyn?" Malcolm asks.

"Not since the drinks were given out." He says, "Why, what happened?"

"We don't see her in here," Monica says.

Corey stops his conversation with the girl he was talking to and look at Monica, "Well its not like Sevyn would just wonder off."

"She said she wanted to let loose tonight, who knows what her idea of fun is right now." Monica says. They all exchange worried looks with eachother before looking around the ballroom one last time.

"Well you said she went to the bathroom right," Shaun says, "Let's checl there." The group agrees and together they hurry out the ballroom. Janine watches them go, her lips twisted into a scowl as she watches Jackson disappear out the door. Aubrey glances at her curiously, wondering exactly what Janine has done.

As they head to the bathroom Monica whips out her phone and dials Sevyn's number. After non-stop ringing it goes to voicemail. "She's not picking up." She complains, ending the call.

Malcolm looks around the empty hallway before spotting a security guard getting off the elevator. He sprints over to him with the others right behind him, and taps the guards shoulder. He turns around, his eyes roaming over the group of well dressed teenagers. "What can I help you with?" He asks.

"Have you seen a girl come through here? She's my complexion, short hair, white dress." Malcolm says. "She's my sister and she disappeared a while ago."

The secuirty guard scrunches his eyebrows together, "I can't say that I have." He says, the group groans with disappointment and glances around the hall again. Malcolm can already imagine what his parents are going to say when he tells them that they cant find Sevyn. The security guard picks up his walkie talkie and brings it to his mouth. "It's Wilson speaking, have any of yall seen a girl in a white dress any where? Her friends are looking for her."

After a moment of silence, the other guards in the building reply saying that they haven't seen her. Monica's eyes start tearing up at the fact that her friend is missing. "I should have gone with her," She mumbles shamefully. Shaun pulls her into his chest and rubs her shoulder, trying to comfort and reassure her that it's not her fault.

The security guard frowns, "We can go to the backroom and review the security camera tapes, out of all the cameras in this building she's got to be seen on one of them." The security guard heads across the room and leads them down a dim narrow hallway. As they walk down the hall Monica suddenly stops.

"Did you guys hear that?" She asks. Everyone stops walking and turns to look at her, listening for whatever she heard. "It sounded like a thud." She looks around the hallway, straining her ears to hear whatever she heard before.

"I don't hear anything, come on." Malcolm says and they begin walking down the hall again. Something crashes behind one of the doors in the hallway and everyone freezes. Corey looks at Malcolm, "Ok, I heard that noise."

They strain their ears harder and the sound of low voices can be heard along with muffled cries. The sharp sound of a slap can be heard, along with another crash and crying. "Sevyn!?" Ty shouts out. There's a moment of silence before pounding can be heard through the walls.

"Tyyy!" They hear Sevyn scream and start pounding harder. "TYYY!" she lets out a blood curling scream before the pounding stops and rustling around can be heard. The group scrambles in all different directions, banging on doors and jiggling doorknobs to figure out which room the sound are coming from. The security guard speaks into his walkie talkie: "We've got a situation on the third floor."