It All Started Here

Chapter Twenty

Kara:

            “Kara, wake up.”

            Kara opened her eyes and frowned up at Stephanie.

            “Did you fall out of bed?” Stephanie asked.

            “What?”

            “I was wondering what you were doing sleeping on the floor.”

            “I don’t know.”

            “You probably just fell out of bed then. Either that or you were sleepwalking,” Stephanie said. “At any rate, you’d better get up and get ready to go. You don’t want to miss your flight back to school. I know you’d be heartbroken.”

            Kara tried to laugh at Stephanie’s joke so her stepmother wouldn’t figure out something was wrong. There was something wrong though. Kara had a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t and wouldn’t shake until she saw Ethan again.

            Ethan, I order you to come to me, Kara thought. Meet me at the bus stop.

Kara’s heart sank when she got off the bus and found only Megan and Mina waiting for her.

“Hey, how was spring break?” Megan called. 

            “Has anyone seen Ethan? Is he back yet?” Kara said.

            “I haven’t,” Megan said.

            “Neither have I,” Mina said. “Why are you asking? What’s wrong?”

            “I’m not sure. It could be nothing, but I’d feel better if we could find Ethan,” Kara said.

            “Just call him to you right now,” Mina suggested. “You’re the keeper. He has to obey.”

            “I did call him to me,” Kara said. “The minute the bus pulled in I ordered him to meet me here.”

            Both Megan and Mina paled.

            “And he didn’t come?” Megan gasped.

            “Then something’s wrong,” Mina concluded and whipped her cell phone from her pocket. “We have to call Roman and Jeremiah.”

            “Not Jeremiah,” Kara said. “Just call Roman. I don’t trust Jeremiah.”

            Mina’s fingers flew as she sent her text message. After a moment, she looked up. “Okay, let’s go.”

            “Go where?” Kara asked.

            “Roman’s going to meet us by the auditorium,” Mina explained.

            Still carrying her suitcase, Kara hurried toward the auditorium with her friends.

Roman was already there waiting for them. “What’s going on?” 

            “Ethan’s missing,” Megan answered.

            Roman frowned. “Missing like he was the night of the Halloween carnival or missing like nobody knows where he is?”

            “I don’t know where he is, Roman,” Kara said, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt. “I haven’t seen him since last night.”