Operation M.I.A: Missing in Action (IN NEED OF REVISING)

Chapter X

LUKE

Music: Flip-Swap Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy 2

Ah, nothing ruins an exciting life more than the first day of school. I kinda got screwed with my classes this year; hardly any of my friends are in any classes with me. But I do have lunch with Sam, Elle, Heath, Skylar, and Avery, so that's something to look forward to.

I walk into the lunchroom and go grab a tray, then scan the commons for my friends. I spot Heath, Skylar, and Elle at one of the tables in the center of the room. I sit next to Heath and Skylar on one side of the table, and Sam joins us immediately after and sits next to Elle. Avery shows up about a minute later, and takes a seat next to Elle. Unlike the rest of us, she clearly has something on her mind.

"What's up with you, hot stuff?" I ask, leaning forward on the table.

Avery gently pushes my head back and answers, "Well, if you don't mind, I experienced something strange yesterday."

"Talk," Skylar says.

"Okay, so, remember that creepy old lady Mia and Mackenzie were going on about back in NYC?"

Elle groans. "Oh, don't tell me-"

"Yep. Brielle and I ran into her yesterday while we were taking a walk. She just stood at the edge of the forest, staring at us, then mouthed the words 'stay safe' and left."

"Well, so much for the idea that it was just a joke," Sam sighs. "I do wonder why she would show up in NYC and then show up in Missouri..."

"Maybe she teleported," Heath snorts, obviously being sarcastic.

"Shut the fuck up," I growl, elbowing Heath in the ribs. "So, how's the day going for y'all?" I ask, trying to start a meaningful conversation.

"I can't believe I'm stuck with you two morons for Spanish," Avery says, glaring at Sam and Heath. All three of them are confirmed to have 6th hour Spanish I together all year.

"Are you stuck with us or are we stuck with you?" Sam asks, laughing. When Avery raises an eyebrow at him, he says, "Well, that just answered my question."

"Nice job," Heath mutters.

Skylar then randomly snaps her fingers. "Oh yeah... I just thought of something." She signals for us to lean into the table, and then begins talking at a low whisper. "Have any of you seen Eghosa recently?"

When we all shake our heads no, Skylar continues. "Apparently, she's been missing since right before we left for NYC. Just disappeared out of nowhere. Poof."

"I bet we can all guess what happened to her," Elle says, not sounding terribly excited about the news.

"We should probably start being more cautious, especially when we're alone," Sam suggests. "This is starting to get a little out of hand, and the last thing we want is for us to have to get involved."

"You know, coming from you, that's a bit surprising," I smirk.

"Shut up. I'm trying to be reasonable here."

"Well, I think-" Avery starts to say, but she gets cut off when we hear the sound of a gunshot from nearby.

ELLE

Music: Theme of the Gorem from Salamander 2

My entire body goes stiff, aside from one hand shooting toward one of Sam's hands and grabbing tightly, and I let out a wimpy gasp. Most other people in the commons begin standing up, screaming, and running. Some of them choose to hide under their respective tables. As for the six of us, we just sit there, unsure of how to respond to the situation.