Adopted by The Pack

Chapter 40

When we go to my school, I scanned outside for Liam before getting out of Preston's car. Jogging up to the building to avoid the rain, I nearly ran into Raven when I got under the roof overhang.

"I'm so sorry! I was focused on avoiding the rain as much as possible, and I didn't see you!" I quickly apologized.

"Don't worry. So, do you know when your birthday party is going to be?" She said, looking at me.

"I don't know. Probably like, this Saturday or Friday if nothing else happens." I replied. "Oh yeah, I forgot. One of my dad's friends gave me a phone, and I only have seven numbers in it. So, I need yours." I said, pulling out the phone.

"Sure! And Cheryl texted me this morning, saying she wasn't going to be here today, so I'll give you hers." She said, typing in numbers. She handed my phone back just as the first bell rang. I turned around and saw Vikk and Lachlan drive off.

When I got to my first period class, I remembered who I sat next to. Oh no. I thought.
Everything okay? Vikk asked me.
Yeah. I just remembered that I sit next to Liam in my first period. I replied.
Let me know if anything happens. He said. Just as he finished saying that, the late bell rang and class began. Without Liam.
Preston's POV
"Guys, what if she's not ok? I mean, she's literally sitting next to at least one of them!" I said, running my fingers through my hair.

"Preston, I'm sure she's fine. Look, her school started 12 minutes ago. If anything had happened, she would have contacted us by now." Rob said.

"You're right. And now that I think about it, we probably ought to start planning her birthday party." I said, calming down. We began to discuss what all we'd need to do. After an hour or so, we came up with this:
-Brianna would make the cake
-I would get decorations with Lachlan
-Vikk and Jerome would get the food
-Rob would find flowers that smell good and match her cake.

"So, do we want to get her more presents or not?" Rob asked.

"I don't know. Her friends will probably get her stuff, but at the most that's about two gifts. And Brianna and I were talking about buying her something, but we don't know what yet. I guess y'all can choose if you get her something or not." I replied.

"So if I remember correctly, her favorite type of cake is chocolate?" Brianna asked me later.

"Yep. Although I doubt she's ever had one as good as yours." I said, smiling.

"So, in other words, you want me to make a triple layer chocolate cake with chocolate chips cooked in and chocolate shavings on top?" She asked, laughing.

"You know me too well!" I remarked. "And it's going to be a surprise party, so maybe you could make it Friday when she's at school, and then bring it over to the office?"

"Sounds good." She said, and walked off. I stood up and looked down at my watch. Seeing that it was almost 11:30, I walked back into the living room.

"Hey Vikk, where did everyone else go?" I asked him.

"I think they went to go record videos over at your office. I already have pre-recorded content, so I stayed here." He said.

"Have you heard from Ash recently?" I asked him.

"No, I'll check on her. But I'm sure she's fine. She told me earlier that Liam didn't show up at school today." He said. I nodded, and waited for him to contact Ash.
Ashley's POV
"So, where is Cheryl?" I asked Raven.

"I don't know. All she said was that she wasn't going to be here." Raven answered. At that, I began to get worried, but didn't show it outside at all. What if Liam found out that Cheryl had seen the note last Friday? What if these disappearances were linked to each other? What if- I was interrupted by Vikk.
Hey Ash, everything alright? He asked me.
Yeah, just worried about one of my friends. She read that letter that Liam gave me last week, and neither of them are here today. I replied. There was a pause before he responded.
I told Preston, and he wants to know if you want Lachlan to take you back home. Vikk said. I thought about it, and finally decided.

"Hey Raven, one of my dad's friends is going to pick me up from school. Can you let my teachers know?" I asked her.

"Sure, what happened?" She replied.

"A panic attack." I said, only half lying. Ok, will y'all send Lachlan? I said to Vikk.
Ok. Are you ready? He asked.
Almost. I need to go somewhere so I don't just seem to vanish. I said, and looked around. I was still outside, and the rain had finally stopped. Now it was just really humid and muggy, making it feel hotter than it really was. Finally, I spotted a bunch of trees, and decided I could go over there. Walking over there, I found a spot where no one could see me.
Ready? Vikk asked me.
Ready. I said, and closed my eyes.
Mitch's POV
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. It was still so strange to to not have the dreams after having them for nearly a month. Looking around, I tried to remember why I was in a beautiful field. Oh yeah, that Mial guy had taken me to a new "cell." I glanced up, and saw clear blue sky above me. I wonder if it's just glass or if it's actually open air. Walking over to the tree in the corner, I began to climb it. I think the last time I climbed a tree for fun was probably before I even knew the Pack. I thought to myself. I got as high as I could without risking falling out of the tree, when I heard what sounded like voices. Looking down, I saw Mial and a red headed girl. Soon, he left, leaving the girl glaring at where he had disappeared. Sitting there in the tree, I decided that I ought to try turning invisible before confronting her. I concentrated, and soon looked down to see just the tree branches, and none of my body. Making a mental note to message the rest of the Pack later, I climbed out of the tree and walked towards her, still invisible.

"Hey, who are you?" I asked. She jumped and turned around wildly. Glancing down, I realized that I was still invisible. Quickly making myself visible, I asked her again. This time, she answered.

"I'm Cheryl. Who are you?" Cheryl replied.

"Mitch. Your name sounds familiar. Do you happen to know an Ashley?" I asked. A look of surprise crossed her face.

"Yes. Ashley Arsement. Do you know her? Is she Why we're here?" She answered. So she did know the same Ash.

"I'm not sure why you're here, but I'm pretty sure I'm here as bait for the rest of the Pack." I said.

"What's the Pack?" Cheryl asked me. Wow, we really do need to record more, even if it has to be Fortnite.

"It's a group of si-seven people. There's Ash, Preston, Jerome, Lachlan, Vikk, Rob, and myself. We're all YouTubers, except for Ashley." I explained.

"Do you know who Liam is?" She asked me. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. "He goes to Ash's and my school? Is a creep who gives out letters with threats?" She continued. The letter part rang a bell.

"Oh yeah! That guy!" I said. She began to tell me why she brought him up.

Hey guys!!! I'm so so so sorry that I haven't published anything in a while, so I put in an extra long chapter for y'all! Hope y'all like it, and I should start publishing more soon. I blame High School! XD
Also, please remember to vote. As I've said many times before, it does mean so much to me, and always helps show me that while I am still an amateur writer, people do enjoy my book.