THE GUARDIAN 彡 the society

FORTY ONE

"I'M SURPRISED CAMPBELL LET THE PENTAGON DO THE INTERROGATION," Miles spoke up, taking a sip of his tea, "Since you know, we're 'divided',"

"Campbell's fucked in the head," Kyla muttered, drinking her tea, "But the bastard's clever. I'm sure he knows we're still friends but isn't saying anything."

Xavier nodded, "Plus, the little coup needs some alone time to organize themselves since Grizz's news yesterday caused rumours going around in town."

"Rumours?" Kyla questioned.

Valerie nodded, "Doubting Lexie. I overheard Alex and Matthew talking when I was with Xavier. They were thinking that Lexie was bullshitting. I mean, they're not wrong, but of course they would be doubting Lexie instead of Grizz. People trust Grizz more than Lexie."

The four sat in the coffee shop, waiting for a particular someone. Two empty chairs sat between Kyla and Xavier, and that seat was for Dewey and Grizz.

Campbell gave the pass to let the Pentagon and Grizz do an investigation on Dewey. It was surprising to see that Campbell seemed worried at the fact that Charlotte was missing. They weren't sure if it was because he was genuinely worried for her or because he was worried about his position. They didn't want to confirm it, but if they officially confirmed that Charlotte was missing, the town might react in a way that even Campbell wouldn't be able to control.

The four turned to look at the door when they heard the bell and saw Grizz walking in with a serious look on his face. He took the seat next to Miles, leaving an empty space between him and Xavier.

"Just in time," Kyla tried to smile as Grizz pursed his lips. "Dewey should be here soon."

Valerie reached forward and placed a hand on Grizz's knee. "How are you doing, big guy?"

Grizz tried to smile but failed in attempting to do so. He ran a hand through his hair. "Like shit. It's all my fault that she's missing.. I should've went back with her and—"

"Hey," Miles quickly reassured, "It's not your fault.. Nobody knew that this would've happened."

Xavier nodded, "Especially since we're trapped here, there's nowhere else to go. Plus, Char wouldn't be the type to wander off herself like that so it must've been something unexpected."

Grizz slowly nodded but he didn't seem convinced. The others could tell but decided to not continue any further as Dewey entered the coffee shop.

Valerie's eyes instantly found where Dewey's arm was supposed to be. At times, she almost felt bad that the guy had only one arm but then the situation in the church made her lose any sympathetic feelings she had toward the dude.

Although they had a feeling that Dewey didn't do it, why would he come forward to 'confess'? Even if he hadn't done it and just confessed as a 'prank', well, it was nothing to joke about.

"Dewey." Kyla offered a tight smile as he took the empty seat between Grizz and Xavier. Dewey glanced around the group and took a seat. If this were months ago, he would be gulping nervously at the sight of the group, but he got over what happened and knew he deserved the punishment. As bizarre as it sounded, he was almost grateful that Charlotte had spared him and took his arm because he didn't want to die.

"Hey guys.." He muttered quietly, giving a small nod to Miles who poured him a cup of tea.

Xavier set down his cup of coffee and looked at Dewey, "Alright man," He decided to get straight to the point, "Char's missing and it's been over twenty-four hours."

Dewey's eyes slightly widen and he furrowed his eyebrows. His eyebrows suddenly shot up and he looked around at the faces of Charlotte's closest friends.