ABDUCTED

Dirtbags

Chapter 8. Page 174

Thurday December 8 12:07 am- 18 days

A car honked angrily as Jay swerved to the correct side of the road. "I said 'Get us there quickly." Not "Kill us quickly!' You're veering. You're veering!" I yelled from the passenger's seat. "Sorry! I just woke up and you're making me nervous. Just fill me in," he answered back. I groaned, organizing the pages in my lap. "The company doesn't exist. Website after website had bogus articles on each 'achievement.' And if I go to the main website, it's just a cover. Something some guy made to seem legit. Look," I said briefly showing him each page I printed. "So, what's the company's real name?" he asked, eyes darting towards me every few seconds. My phone chimed a few times. It was Demi and Minji letting me know they had arrived at the school. "I think I might know how to figure it out," I said with a smirk. "I went back to that newspaper site Demi looked up and found that a leak in the company provided the author with most of the details. After further research, I realized it was a coverup for something that your father's company is tied to," I continued. He almost swerved off the road causing yet another car to honk in anger. "What are you talking about? My dad owns an oil company. Not some human trafficking ring," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Is that a confession?" I half-joked. He exhaled sharply, scratching his head. "She might be as crazy as m..." he muttered as if regretting his words too late. I recoiled in offense. "This article is from June, 1952. The title reads 'Multiple Teens Missing From Local Genius Academy.' But this academy is in New York. And it's mainly sponsored by the New York location of your father's company. They fund everything and there's even a painting of your grandfather in the library. So, I looked into your father's company." He sat there in silence, marinating in my words. I noticed his knuckles turning white from the death grip he had on the steering wheel. "What did you find?" He finally asked in a cold voice. The blank expression on his face made him seem so distant from reality. I couldn't even open my mouth to speak. I was so surprised to see this side of him. You could cut the tension in the car with karate chop. "I won't know until you show it to me," I said softly. "What do you mean show you? You think I'm a part of it? My father and I barely speak," he replied. I shook my head, opening my backpack to reveal my laptop. "You are going to help me access your father's finances, important, and other records." I shrugged so casually as if I were requesting his grocery list. Jay pondered for a second as if choosing his next words carefully. A truck playing loud music rode past us, moving in the opposite direction. I swear it slowed down for a second as it passed by, but sped off as it moved further down the road. It was the same as Spliff's truck; tinted windows and all, so I was unable to see inside—especially with the darkness. "What makes you think I know how to do that? It's not like we share passwords." Jay said, drawing my attention away from the truck.  "No, but I noticed your class schedule on your dresser in your room the night of the bond fire. You take a coding class which is basically an elective for tech nerds. Are you a tech nerd, Jaysean 'middle-name-unknown' Bloodworth?" He furrowed his eyebrows, briefly taking his eyes off the road. "And, what if you're wrong? I expect one HELL of an apology," Jay said with a broken laugh. "I have a hunch. Humor me," I said before allowing silence to take over the remainder of the car ride.

8.175–

Ciggy stood with his back against the south entrance doors; Demi latched to his torso. I gathered up the bag with all the papers, jumping out of the car before Jay could even take his seatbelt off. "You're late, Juliet," Demi joked as she gently pushed herself off of Ciggy. "No time for jokes. Where's Minji?" I asked ignoring her playful banter. "Here. I had to deal with something," Minji answered, rounding the corner. Ciggy tried the door, finding it to unlocked. He raised his eyebrows, shrugging as he pushed the door open. I led us towards the janitor's closet. The pale light from our cellphones bounced off the wall of lockers. The school had a creepy look at night. Our footsteps echoed down the empty halls. Minji shivered at a sudden breeze that passed through us. "This place is mega spooky. I think I just saw a ghost," Ciggy said with a playful laugh. "Shut up, Ciggy. We don't know who's here," I whispered. "How do you know anyone's here?" I stopped walking, causing everyone to halt behind me. I slowly turned around and smiled. "Because the door was unlocked, Genius. They lock all the doors after school. So..." I trailed off, stepping closer to Ciggy as I placed my hand on his cheek. "...someone either came and left or they're still here." He bit his lip, stepping away from my hand. "Well, maybe they accidentally forgot to lock it. You guys got out early because some girl went psycho right? It was probably an accident," He finally said in his defense. I shrugged. "Maybe. We should still be careful. We could get expelled for being here." I turned back around, continuing to walk to the janitor's closet. "And her name is Dowlay," I added.