Spy School King's Cage (Completed)

Gone

Ben's POV

I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping at eight in the morning. I opened my heavy eyes and immediately sat up. Erica didn't wake me up. Did she do the work herself?

Erica always stuck to her word, though. She wouldn't have done the work without me. That sounded unlike her.

I took a shower, got dressed and walked outside my room. Zoe was waiting patiently for Cynthia.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully when she saw me. "Everyone's downstairs, but I'm waiting for Cynthia. She's still drying her hair."

"Have you seen Erica by any chance?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Erica's an early bird, and we all know that. She's probably downstairs."

I nodded and started walking downstairs to the lower floor, where we were to meet for breakfast.

"Good morning, Benjamin!" Catherine said with a sweet smile on her face. "Come, have a seat. Where's Erica?"
"I was just about to ask you that exact same question," I answered, sitting across from her. "She said she was..." I paused, not sure if Erica had told Catherine about our reconnaissance plan.

Catherine smiled, but it wasn't as bright. "She told me too. She said she was going around two in the morning."

"That's the thing," I said. "She didn't come."

Catherine's smile faded. "What do you mean? Erica didn't come for you at night?"

"I don't know why she would do that," I commented. "I just hope she's okay."

She nodded, but her face was fallen. "This isn't like Erica," she muttered. "Erica's always early. She's probably still in bed."

"Maybe."

Just then, Mike and Jamie walked in. Mike slid into the spot next to me, and Jamie sat to his left.

"Where's Erica?" Mike asked.

"I have no idea. She's probably asleep or in the shower," I said. "We were supposed to do recon in the morning at two, but she didn't wake me up."

The king, queen and Piper walked in and took their seats as well. Seeing the spot to my right empty, Piper slid in.

"Good morning, Ben," she said softly. "Sleep well?"

"A little too well," I replied.

She looked around. "Where's your girlfriend?" she asked. I turned beet red.

"I don't have a girlfriend," I muttered, praying that my face would return to its original color. "Erica's just... a really good friend."
"Really?" she asked. "Then your friends Mike and Cynthia must have lied to me about all the kisses," she responded, and my face, which had just returned to a lighter shade of pink, turned red again.

"We...we kissed, but we're not in a relationship or anything," I said, trying to hide the blush again.

Piper smiled. "Anyways, where is she?"
"Probably somewhere," I replied. "Showering or sleeping in, though neither of those sound like what she would do."

Piper reached out and placed a hand on my leg. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." I sounded sober, not wanting her to hear, "Hopefully."

Catherine sensed my tension as we ate breakfast in silence. When I looked up, she met my gaze. Her eyes flickered back and forth before re-settling on mine. She then gave me a go find her look, signaling inconspicuously with her left hand.

The king stood up. "Please enjoy your stay. I have some important matters to attend to. I may not join everyone for lunch, otherwise, I shall meet you all for dinner."

Piper stayed back as soon as her parents left. "Do you want to...you know, hang out?" she asked.

"Why not?" I replied, and we followed the others upstairs. With every step, panic flooded my body as I grew more and more worried for Erica.

I tried to contain my worry, though, and I followed Catherine upstairs.

"Ben, go get Erica. The rest of you, in my room. We have some talking to do." Catherine walked into her bedroom, followed by everyone else.

I walked to Erica's bedroom and knocked on the door. When she didn't answer after the fifth time, I opened the door.

Erica, who was always so neatly organized, had the messiest room. Her suitcase was wide open, with two handguns on the floor atop her jeans. Her sweatpants were on the bed, and bottles of ammunition lay scattered about. What worried me the most was that her utility belt sat on the small area below the windowsill with cushions.

And her bed wasn't made.

"Erica?" I called out, getting even more worried. "Erica! Where are you?"

Her bathroom was empty, and so was her dressing room. I pulled out my phone to call her when I realized that her phone was on the nightstand by her bed.

Oh no.

I raced out of the room and into Catherine's. Everyone was sprawled on the floor in beanbags, and Catherine sat on her bed. Everyone perked up when they saw me.

"Erica....she's....not in her room. She's...she's....she's gone," I breathed. I felt my face go pale.

Catherine's face went pale. She got off the bed and stared at me dead in the eye. "What do you mean she's gone?"

I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes. "She's not in her room. Her bed's a mess and the contents of her suitcase are all over the place. It's kind of scary that her utility belt and phone are still in her room, yet there is no sight of her."

This produced gasps from everyone, who leapt to their feet in seconds.

"Erica's gone?" Cynthia asked. "But where?"

"I don't know," I replied. "But it's crazy."

"Where could she possibly go without her phone?" Jamie pressed.

I struggled to keep the tears in. They stayed in, and I knew the answer to his question, yet I didn't want to say it out loud.

"What happened to her?" Zoe wondered aloud.

Catherine was on the verge of bursting into tears. She looked at me, her face pale with worry. I swallowed hard before answering.

"Erica's been kidnapped."