"It's just strange," he repeated, replacing the telephone cradle and retrieving the money that the machine ejected. "Mom has never missed a single phone call. And when I say never, I mean never. Her phone stays with her all the time." His brow was furrowed and he sounded troubled. "Aren't you fretting unnecessarily? She might be asleep for all you know." "No, you don't understand. She never parts from her phone. Never. Even when she's asleep, she keeps her phone in her hand," he explained, his face now showing trace signs of anxiety and fear. "But why would she do that?" "Why?" he blinked, processing the question in his mind. He knew perfectly why. How couldn't he? x----------------------------x This story follows the ventures of four children who manage to escape their kidnappers and discover themselves lost in a foreign place. Will they be able to reach their homes?