Ericose

06

06

-K A C E-

7.23.2071 // 9:58 p.m.

I feel ... paralyzed. But at least I got myself here. Step one.

Good job, Kace.

Maybe the drop isn't the best place for everyone to meet right now, but I would love for someone to give me a better idea. I take out my ansible, notifying everyone again to fly.

'Hurry up. SOS.'

It feels like a trillion hours have passed by before I start seeing everyone drop in. Through my peripheral vision, I can see everyone sitting around me. But what do I say? What can I say?

"Whoa dude. You look like you've seen Vonner in his real form," Ronnie laughs, asking "Where's Carter?"

Carter. Hearing her name, thinking about what I let happen just an hour ago, I can't hold it in anymore.

"I- I ..."

"Did she get caught up with Cyrus stalking around the house again?" she laughs again. "Don't worry, she'll be here once he goes to bed."

I know what I need to say but I physically can't put it together.

"No- uh, I- she won't be here." A tear falls from my left eye.

The anxiety is coming back. My heart is pounding so loud, I can hear it in my head, taking over the sounds around me. The sweating and shaking; the tears forming again. I have to tell them.

I see Ronnie looking around at the others and back to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Kace, what do you mean?"

"She's gone, Ronnie! She's gone! I shouldn't have let her do it. I just knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. It's all my fault! I don't know where she is or who or what they're-"

"Kace, slow down. What happened?!" Mila screeches.

Zed starts rubbing his temples after that.

"SH! Quiet, sister. Please!"

"S-she was going to go lo-ok at that trailer by herself. I knew I couldn't get her to stop, so I went with her to be on the lookout. But now I know how much I failed at that."

Ronnie chimes in again.

"Kace... What. Happened."

I wipe a couple more tears off my face.

"She saw something in the trailer. I don't know what. She went to go open the door and a van came out of nowhere. A guy came out and grabbed her. I ran down the stairs of the building as fast as I could. I ran over to the trailer but they were gone. Carter was gone, the van..."

Ronnie's face has never looked this spooked and worried before.

"Oh my God-"

"You're sure?" Zed concerns.

"Yes I'm sure! She's gone and I don't know where she is. It's all my fault!"

"Kace, it's not your fault. We all know she would've found a way to go anyways. At least you were there. Otherwise we wouldn't know where she is right now."

"Mila, we don't know where she is!"

"You know what I mean!"

Mila is always trying to make everyone feel better. Just like now. But there is no light in this situation and she knows it.

Rubi speaks up for the first time, looking daunted herself.

"What do we do?"

We all turn our heads to the direction of Zed.

"Listen. Just because I have the answers to literally everything else doesn't mean I know what to do in a situation like this!"

"Brother, we have to figure out something quick. What if they hurt her?"

I know one thing.

"They knew she was a Fortis. They won't hurt her. She's valuable to whatever they took her for," I sigh.

I see a couple tears coming from Ronnie's eyes too.

"I hope you're right. She's probably so scared, poor thing."

"But she's strong. Probably stronger than all of us in this room."

Never thought I'd hear Zed admit that out loud, but this is a desperate time. People's truths about everything come out now.

Rubi smiled at Zed's comment. "You got that right."

I look up at the four.

"What are we going to do?"