Endless || Jonah Marais ✓

♪ THIRTY ♪

"Wait a second," Jonah says, being the only voice of reason within the distraught group as he grabs Aurora's hand to prevent her from sprinting out the front door.

"We don't have time to wait!" Aurora protests. "Our Caramel has been kidnapped by her psychotic ex! How can we help her by waiting?"

"How can we help her by just running to Oregon without a plan? We can't search the entire state. That could take weeks," he points out, convincing her to sit down with him and gesturing for the others to as well. "We need more information."

"From who?" Jack questions. "We don't know anybody that knew Carmen before she came to LA."

"Her mom," Daniel answers from his spot by Zach. "We can go talk to her. After all, she needs to know about Carmen's disappearance as well."

"Fine," Aurora agrees begrudgingly, jumping back to her feet. "Let's go."

Not waiting to see if the others will follow, she grabs Jonah's keys off of the coffee table and a pair of sandals from by the front door and heads outside.

××××

"Can you please slow down?" Daniel screeches from the back seat, clutching onto the emergency handlebar as Aurora flies dangerously fast down the winding road. "This speed isn't even legal in races!"

"I can go faster," Aurora threatens, glaring at him through the rearview mirror. "Following the law isn't exactly my biggest concern right now."

Corbyn can't help but to laugh at Daniel's expression as Aurora doesn't even touch the brakes to round a sharp turn, quite enjoy her reckless driving despite the circumstances. Zach sits between them, too lost within his own worries to be concerned with her driving. Jonah doesn't say anything about her speed, though his hand is clenched tightly against the door handle and his foot continuously presses against some imaginary brake, hoping one will magically appear.

Jack and Callie follow somewhere behind them in Callie's Jeep, though they've long since lost sight of the vehicle since they're following the speed limits.

Aurora all but slings the Corvette into the Elliot driveway, simultaneously throwing her seatbelt off and putting the vehicle in park.

Running up the porch steps, she goes to knock but Corbyn catches her wrist before she can.

"Why don't we let Jonah knock?" He reasons. "We don't need Mrs. Elliot thinking a S.W.A.T team is about to break down her door."

Aurora groans but, nevertheless, steps back and allows Jonah to knock calmly. She crosses her arms and realizes she must look crazy in an oversized sweater and sweatpants with her unbrushed hair in a sloppy ponytail.

The door opens, revealing Carmen's surprised mother still in pyjamas herself. She smiles warmly as Callie and Jack pull into the driveway at a far safer speed than Aurora's.

"This is certainly a-"

"We're sorry for not calling ahead but we really need to talk to you," Aurora interrupts. "It's important. May we come in?"

"Of course," Mrs. Elliot agrees, stepping back to let them through the door. She leads them into the living room, gesturing for them to make themselves comfortable. "Is Carmen with you?"

"She's acting what we're here to talk to you about," Zach speaks up, his voice cracking as he wipes away his own tears. "She's been kidnapped by Jackson."

The mother gasps, tears springing to her eyes as she sits down, worry overcoming her. "When?"

"It happened earlier this morning," Daniel answers. "While we were all asleep."

Aurora can't help but to feel a pang of guilt with the statement, knowing she and Jonah had actually been out of the house when it happened. Perhaps of she hadn't insisted on going to tje diner, she could've caught Jackson in the act and prevented this whole situation.

"We will get Caramel back," she promises. "We just need more information in order to do so."

Mrs. Elliot nods, regaining her composure and wiping away her tears. "What do you need to know?"

"Where would Jackson take Carmen?" Jonah asks, tugging Aurora into his side as the large group squeezes onto the couch, all practically laying in each other's laps. "We were thinking he'd go back to Oregon, but maybe that's too obvious."

"That's definitely where he'll be," she agrees. "Last I heard, he and his friends are still living in Silverton."

"How long does it take to get there by car?" Callie asks from the opposite end of the couch.

"About fifteen hours," she answers. "Maybe a whole day when you consider traffic and the occasional stop."

"So they'll get there early tomorrow morning," Zach adds, his leg bouncing anxiously.

"It's only a three hour plan ride," Mrs. Elliot points out, holding up a hand to prevent everyone from speaking up at once. "But before you start making crazy plans, let me make a phone call. I know someone that might be willing to help us."

Before the group can protest, Mrs. Elliot pulls out her phone and walks out of the room, greeting someone on the other end of the line cheerfully.

"The next flight to Oregon leaves at eleven tomorrow morning," Corbyn says before she's even out of earshot, showing the airline website pulled up on his phone. "We need a crazy plan."

"We already have one," Aurora points out, gesturing towards herself. "And it's three easy steps; go to Oregon, kick Jackson's ass, and bring Caramel back home!"

"Sounds good to me," Jack admonishes, considering no one else is offering ideas. "But you can't go alone."

"That's tr- did you just agree with me?" Aurora questions, staring at the boy incredulously. "Are you getting sick?"

"Holy shit, I think I did," he gasps. "The world must be ending."

"That was Jessica, Jackson's mother, who I was on the phone with," Mrs. Elliot says, re-entering the room before they can finish planning. "She says she hasn't heard anything from Jackson since he turned eighteen, which was a few weeks ago. But, she's more than happy to assist in finding Carmen."