anxiety.

thirty-eight.

"i am desperate, if nothing else... i talk in circles. i watch for signals, for a clue."

mason.

i can't find her.

and i know i shouldn't be freaking out because she's probably in the dressing rooms with her phone away in her bag or she's in another store and forgot to text me or it died, but i've been searching for her around topshop for ten minutes. my fingers rapidly tapped on my phone screen, texting and calling her as i frantically kept searching. the painfully long ring of the call dragged on with no promises of her picking up.

answer scarlett, please i need you to answer your phone. let me know that you're okay. tell me this is a cruel trick.

it's not like her to not respond to me. feelings of worry overcame me as i thought about the worst imaginable happening. someone kidnapped her, she's in danger. there's a million what if's. i shook my head, there's no way that could happen. i rushed up to the check out clerk, shoving a picture on my phone of scarlett sitting across the table from one of our dates in her face.

"have you seen this girl?" i panicked, retracting my phone.

"um yeah.. she was searching through the jean rack right there about twenty minutes ago. i saw her walking out with her boyfriend i think a little bit later." she explained, pointing to the areas she was talking about.

"n-no. i'm her boyfriend!" i emphasized by pointing to myself.

her facial expression dropped in confusion and surprise. she thought a little further before adding on, "they went out that way. do you need me to call the bobbies for you?"

"yes please!" i shouted, starting to run away but remembering to leave the picture of her with the girl. "i'll be right back. her name is scarlett westfield. she's 17, 110 pounds, and the love of my life."

the hallway led to an exit door marked 'for employees only', but i shoved the handle in an  instant to slam the door open. sunlight poured throughout the opening, blinding me at first. it was an almost empty parking lot to my left and a brick alley to my right. wherever this was, it wasn't where scarlett was and therefore unimportant. as i turned around to catch the door before it shut, something crunched under my foot. i bent down to inspect the shining item. it was a silver ring with a heart-shaped diamond in the center.

scarlett's ring.

she wears it all the time on her left ring finger. this means she must've been here at one point. i sprinted my way back to the front of the store, seeing the girl talking to a bobby and pointing at me as i got closer.

"i found her ring outside right through those doors!" i spluttered, showing them as if it would help them find her faster.

"sir, i'm going to need you to calm down and tell me more details. how long ago did you notice she was missing?"

i looked down to my watch, seeing that another ten minutes had passed. i gulped, "half an hour ago."

"can you give me a description of the missing girl?" he asked.

"scarlett westfield, 17, 110 pounds, chocolate brown eyes, she was wearing my grey sweatpants that are huge on her and a red tank top." i described. "we have to find her."

the bobby repeated her description into his radio and then reassured me, "we already have units out looking for her. until then, we're going to need to contact her parents-"

i cut him off, "what do you mean until then? how am i supposed to sit here and wait for her to be found?"

"i understand your panic mate, but trust that our team is actively searching and will find wherever she is. the first few hours are crucial in these kind of cases. i'm going to give you my card so that you can call me if you find anything out yourself. don't be hesitant to call." he confirmed, nodding.