Evolutionary

V. Missing

The next few days consisted of 15 text messages, 5 phone calls, and 2 voicemails- all from Enzo. I didn't want to deal with him, but I was curious about the voicemails. Tapping on the first one, I held the phone up to my ear and listened quietly. 

"Hey Eden. I just wanted to apologize for scaring you, and I would love to explain myself. I think you're an amazing woman, and I really hope I didn't lose my chance to get to know you. Please call me back when you can."

The next one played automatically after the first.

"Eden? I'm not trying to bother you, I swear, but it's been a few days and just hearing that you're okay would mean the world to me. Please, just a text would put my worries at ease. Please be okay."

They were sweet things to say, but thank God he didn't know where I lived; he'd probably be banging down the door just to hear from me. 

 I put my phone down and stared at the wall in front of me. Without my phone to distract me, I started thinking about a lot- Oliver, my parents... even Elaina. I missed them all so much, it was almost unbearable. I hadn't really had time to process everything, and now that I could, I started to panic. It'd been 5 years- had they given up looking for me? Did they think I was dead? I grabbed my phone again, determined. Messages flooded the screen, but I evaded them, clicking on the search engine, researching how far away Glasston was from my hometown, Lancaster. My eyes widened, the shock too great to keep inside. Lancaster was almost on the other side of the United States! Where did those 5 years go, and how did I get all the way over here without any recollection? I sent Xander a text.

Xander

Me: Can you come over? I need advice.

X: Yeah, give me 20 minutes.

**************************

When Xander got to my apartment, he plopped down on the couch, facing me. "So, what's the problem? Is it Enzo?" he smirked. I faked a laugh, "Oh, ha-ha. Very funny. Boys are the least of my worries."

"Yeah, but men are kind of all of your worries," he retorted. I rolled my eyes at him. He was being inconsiderate, and I just needed him to take me seriously. "I'm not joking. Can you listen to me for a second?" I asked him, shooting him a look. "Damn, okay. What's wrong?" I looked around the room before speaking vaguely. 

"Okay. Well, I haven't seen my parents and my friends in... years. And I miss them, but I lost all contact with them and I don't know how to find them now. What do I do?" He looked at me, dumbfounded. "Uh- I'm going to need more context than that." I sighed and told him everything, sparing him the details of my new-found 'ability'. He sat back, trying to process everything. "So... you were kidnapped?" he asked. 

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I want to figure out what happened to me, but I guess I'm afraid to find out alone. There's a sinking feeling in my gut that something awful happened- I mean, five years of my life were taken from me. I need to know what happened, but I need your help, Xander."

"Well," he sighed, cracking his fingers for dramatic effect, "let's find out more together." He quickly typed "Valerie Hahn" into the search engine, and we waited for the results. The search results showed images and videos of a girl that I hardly recognized- long, golden hair, tan skin, and dark, bright eyes; she looked alive. She didn't look like me. Beside the thumbnail of one video, the caption read, "2016: Tyro University Student- Presumed Dead." I sucked in a breath through my teeth and pressed play.

 "Valerie Hahn, a 21-year-old college student at Tyro University, stopped showing up to her classes early March of 2016, causing her parents to worry after not being able to reach her through phone calls and text messaging. Natalia and Edmund Hahn contacted the Lancaster Police Department to conduct a welfare check, and after not finding Hahn in her shared dorm room, began a search of the small county. Finding Hahn's car under an on ramp leading onto interstate 46, police were baffled at the lack of a body. People from all over the state joined in on the search, but to no avail- two years later today, Valerie Hahn is still missing. After a thorough investigation, without significant evidence of another vehicle involved in the crash, Lancaster police have concluded the cause of Hahn's automobile accident was likely the result of texting and driving. She has been presumed dead, much to her parents' and loved ones' dismay, as it would've been highly unlikely to survive a crash such as this one without immediate medical attention. A statue of young Valerie was erected in the Tyro community garden, reminding all young adults just what texting and driving can cause."