The Modern Four

Chapter 38

Helen Parr was worried. Her daughter, Violet, hadn't talked to her all day. Granted, she was staying the night at a friends house, but normally, Violet would at least send her a goodnight text, or call her. But today, there was nothing. And she was getting concerned. She tried calling her again, the third time today, but still, nothing. She frowned down at her phone, shaking her head. She wouldn't do it. She wanted to call Diane, Penny's mom. She would know where Violet was. Especially if she was staying at her house. She shook her head. But if she didn't, and something had actually happened to her daughter, then she'd never forgive herself. But Violet would never forgive her if she did call. It was too late though. As she debated in her head, her hands dialed the phone, calling Diane Forrester.

"Hello?" Diane's voice said from the phone, sounding friendly.

"Hi, Diane. It's me, Helen. Helen Parr. Violet's mom." Helen said, biting her lip. Violet was really going to kill her for this.

"Oh, yes! Hi! How is Violet? Penny said she left the dance early last night, and was very upset. She seemed worried about her." She said, smiling.

Helen felt her heart drop to her stomach. "Y-you mean she's not with you?" She asked, hoping she understood wrong, but she dreaded the answer.

"No...why, is she not-?" Diane asked, all the cheerfulness fading away. Helen shook her head, even though she knew that Diane couldn't see her.

"She- she never came home last night." She muttered, trying not to let out the cry caught in the back of her throat.

Diane, on the other side of the phone, could feel the tears forming in her eyes. As a parent, this was one of her worst fears. Losing her daughter. She didn't know what to say to Helen. She bit her lip. "Oh... Helen... I'll talk- I'll talk to Penny. Perhaps she'll know what could have happened to her. I- I hope she'll know." Diane said quietly. She took her phone away from her ear, and hung up.

The dial tone rang in Helen's ears as she stared at her phone. Missing. Her daughter.... Her daughter was missing. She stood up and walked to the window. Helen was going to find her daughter if it was the last thing she did. She had to. She can't let her down.

The formal was a flop, thought Wilbur Robinson, who lay on his bed, staring at his ceiling. He lost his girlfriend, along with any shred of dignity that he had at his small school. Maybe his best bet was to try to convince his parents to move out. He was never really much of an Illinois person. Maybe they could move to California. He could start all over, get new friends, get a new girlfriend. Maybe he'd even be popular. He sighed. He'd probably just mess that up too. Plus, he'd miss his friends that he had here. And plus, he could never get his parents to move. He frowned, hearing the doorbell ring. From downstairs, he could hear his mom talking to someone. Penny. He frowned more, he didn't want to talk to anyone. But, he could hear Penny walking up the stairs.

"I don't want to talk." He told her as she walked in his room. He glanced over at her, and his stomach dropped when he saw the expression on her face. He sat up, examining her.

"I think you're going to want to hear this." She said, biting her lip. He shook his head.

"WHat happened? You look like someone died- Oh gosh, did something happen to Bolt? Penny, I-"

"No- not Bolt. Violet. Violet's..." She sniffled, her eyes beginning to water.

"I don't want to think about Violet right now, Penny. You know that..."

"She's missing." Penny started, breaking down into tears. Wilbur froze, his eyes widening.

"Wha...what do you mean by missing?" He said, hoping what he was thinking was very, very wrong.

"She didn't come home last night. She's gone, Wilbur. Gone."

Gone. The word echoed through the room. WIlbur felt his heart burst. Violet was... no.... This can't be. "No. You're wrong. She can't be.."

"She is. Her- Her mom called mine and told her that she never came home last night. She thought she stayed at my house. And she didn't." Penny mumbled, swallowing hard. She couldn't believe what was happening. Violet was her best friend, and all of the sudden, she was just... gone.

Wilbur looked away. "This is all my fault." He whispered, staring at the ground, tears welling up in his eyes.

Hiro slept on his couch last night. Going to his room had required too much effort, and he was tired. So, he wasn't surprised when his Aunt Cass shook him awake. He was, however, surprised when she handed him the phone.

"It's Wilbur. It sounded urgent." She told him, then walked downstairs to return to the cafe.

"Hello?" Hiro answered, sounding drowsy. He rubbed his eyes, yawning.

"Hiro?" Wilbur asked. His voice was upset sounding. Hiro frowned, blinking a couple times.

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay? You sound upset." He yawned again. "Listen dude, if you're gonna rant about last night, give me a minute, I just woke u-"

"Violet's missing." Wilbur stated, cutting to the chase, his voice strained. Hiro's eyes widened, and he shot up off the couch.

"What?" He asked, looking shocked. "No no no... This can't... no no no."

"She's- she's gone. She didn't come home last night. She just... disappeared." Wilbur whispered, his voice broken.

"Give me fifteen minutes." Hiro gulped, tugging on his shoes. "I'm coming over, we're going to figure this out."

Violet woke up, confused. She looked around the room, more like a jail cell. She frowned. Where... was she? She rubbed her head, blinking. Her head throbbed and she glanced around the room again. Slate gray walls. The bed she was in. A mirror. A door, likely leading to a bathroom, and another door. She stood,trying to open the first opned to a bathroom, just as she suspected. She walked to the other door. Locked.

"Ah, our guest is awake." A voice said, floating around in the air. "Good. Now, I'm sure you have some questions, and trust me, in due time, they will be answered. For now, I think I'll just keep you in here. You should be perfect bait for your friends and family." The voice spoke, with laughter following. Violet shuddered. She knew that voice. But... How? Who? And where was she. And- What happened last night...

She knew only one thing. All she wanted right now was to be home.