✅🎊✂️ Hypnosis Won't Take Me There!! [alternative cut]

Chapter 353: Not There

Britney didn't panic. She thought about joining Adi and Dean in the park, but she wasn't sure which park they could have gone to. An arrow pointing to a clump of trees on the message implied that it could have been some kind of map, but the arrangement of trees and flowers pictured didn't particularly remind her of anywhere in the area. Instead she got her phone out and sent a message to both Adi and Dean, asking where they were and if she should join them. And, in case they were too preoccupied by whatever Adi had found to amuse herself, she also contacted Nyx to ask if she knew what their plans for the evening would be.

Next, she thought about making coffee while she waited for a reply. But before she'd even checked the water level in the machine, her attention was grabbed by a frustrated yell from upstairs.

"What now?" she grumbled under her breath. Technically she was here to babysit Adi, not her little brother. But if Garfield had a problem with something, he was liable to take it out on everyone around him. And a tense atmosphere when she came through the door could easily sour the memories of whatever fun Dean had managed to cook up in the park. So Britney knew the best thing to do would be to sort out whatever was bothering Garfield if it was something simple, or give him some reason to stop sulking.

She strode up the stairs, calling out ahead of her: "Is something wrong up there?"

"No!" Garfield met her on the landing, seeming just a little flustered. He was still angry about something, she could read that much, but also nervous. The reason was pretty clear, as Britney could see the bedroom door over his shoulder, still ajar and moving slowly to bump against the jamb.

"You've been in your sister's room?"

"No way! I don't want to see all her freaky baby stuff."

"Then why's the door open, when she isn't home? Have they come back and forgotten to take the note down? Will Dean be in there if I step past you?"

"Look, I just wanted to use the computer. We've got a team deathmatch tonight, like a grudge match, and my computer's so–"

"Enough excuses. If you want to borrow Adi's laptop while she's out, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Just make sure you're not leaving cheeto dust all over the keyboard again. Right? And if she wants it when she comes back, you'll have to drop out of your game and switch to your own computer. Fair?"

"Yeah, but..."

Britney knew she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the teen. He'd got a little more mature once he found that spending time with his boyfriend was predicated on good behaviour, but it would take more than a few months to break lifelong habits of disrespect. So she stepped past him, and glanced into the room he'd obviously just left.

Adi's room looked almost like it had the last time Britney saw it. There was a giant crib, a mobile mounted on the wall, and all kinds of babyish paraphernalia. The only thing missing was Adi's laptop on the desk. By chance, the same thing that Garfield must have come looking for, in an attempt to play online games unhindered by the mass of ads and bloated software that bogged down his own computer.

She looked around again, putting off the moment when she'd have to think about why Adi would take her computer to the park. Maybe she wanted to get some kind of work done in the great outdoors, or to play games? It was feasible, but that wouldn't explain taking the power cables and transformer block too. Nor would she need her outdoor coat from the back of the door on such a warm day.

The keyboard was still propped up at the side of Adi's crib. The gamepad that she'd been using as a wireless mouse was there too. Britney bent down and picked it up, tossing it over to Garfield. She was pretty sure he'd got his sister a gift that he wanted to borrow occasionally, so there was no reason not to let him use it now. When the boy had gone, she walked around the room. She told herself that she was trying to work out where Adi might have gone, but all she could think about was other things that weren't where she might have expected. She opened a couple of cupboard doors without really thinking about what she was looking for, and everything she saw made her worry more about her friend.

When her phone rang, she jumped and fumbled to answer, desperate for any news of where Adi had gone. She didn't even stop to read the name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Britney? Is something wrong?" It was Adi's Mom, not Adi herself. And her voice told Adi right away that she had no more idea what was happening.

"I got here, Adi and Dean aren't around. There's a note saying they've gone to the park, but I think something's wrong. Like, she didn't say which park, or when to expect her back, or anything. And Dean didn't leave me a message."

"You think she's gone out on her own while he's distracted? He'd go out and look as soon as he noticed, but she can't have gone far."

"That's not all. She's taken her school bag, and her gym bag. Looks like half the clothes in her closet are gone, and her laptop too. I don't like this, I don't want to think she could have been this upset. We need to look for her, but she's not answering my messages and I can't get a hold of Dean either."

"Don't panic," Nyx answered after only a second, with her voice clearly showing that she wasn't taking her own advice. "Look, I'm stuck in traffic on the Flockengate road, I'll be with you in ten minutes. I'll call Toni on the way, and keep trying Dean. Until I get there, you can join the search. She can't have gone far, and if anyone sees her acting like a kid they're sure to call us. Don't worry, we'll find her."

"I know. I just... I can't believe this happened. What could she be thinking?"

"I know. Just... thanks for letting me know. And we'll find her. We can deal with this."