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

Chapter 364: Discovery

"Okay, we have something new to discuss?" Nyx called the meeting to order when she realised there was going to be no progress without somebody taking charge. She'd come home to Toni blaming herself, Britney pacing nervously, and no idea what had changed. She'd presented both girls with food and drinks, having come via Wang's, but there still hadn't been any meaningful conversation.

"I screwed up," Toni said, eyes fixated on a bowl of special fried rice. "Belle called, said she'd sent me an email. I think that's what it was? And when I checked it wasn't there. I'd blocked her weeks ago, and completely forgot."

"You talked to her about having the two babies together, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that's the thing. I should have noticed. I was always replying to Britney's replies to Belle's messages. Or yours. We all saw each other's messages, except I was only seeing hers second-hand."

"Is that why you've been so upset?" Britney seemed surprised. "I mean, you've been worrying so much, but it's a mistake anyone could have made. Why did you block her? And I'm sure if there were any other messages you missed, she would have brought it up earlier. We were all in on the discussion about Lillibel, so you've not missed anything."

"Yeah," Toni nodded, but she still wasn't touching her food. "I mean... I didn't know what she was sending me messages about. I knew Adi was worried about something, and I knew they'd talked a little. So I just didn't want to hear from her, thought it could only be more stress. I mean, after she triggered Adi in class, I pretty much blanked her. Adi had said she wanted a little friend, but I didn't realise she'd actually asked Belle. So I swiped her messages away, out of sight out of mind. And if you dismiss a couple of messages without reading them, it turns into an automatic block. I should have cleared it when she asked to join in, but it slipped my mind."

"Did you unblock her now?" Nyx asked, getting to what she saw as the core issue, and then carried on as soon as she saw a nod in response. "Then it's not a problem. So what was she messaging you about this time?"

"She thought–"

"No," Toni interrupted, shaking her head. "Because when I went to unblock her, I saw she's not the only one I didn't know was on the list. I've had Adi blocked too, and I didn't even know. She could have sent me a message asking for help, and I wouldn't know."

"How did–" Britney started, but Nyx cut her off with a more important question.

"Can you check now?"

"No. I tried that. Blocked messages don't go in the deleted folder. They just disappear. But I checked, and there's one deleted message there. It must have been the first one deleted, before a second one triggered the block."

"Something you shouldn't have deleted?"

"I didn't. I don't remember it, anyhow. It's a message asking to be babied more and publicly humiliated. But it seems to be from someone with a smaller vocabulary than Adi, and less formal grammar. Also a little unfocused and meandering, which really doesn't feel like her."

"Someone borrowed her phone?"

"Garfield can be a bit of a jerk when he's intoxicated," Nyx nodded. "That's my guess."

"And Adi saw the message pop up on my phone maybe. We were spending so much time together. She glances at the screen and sees her name, she knows it's a message she didn't send. So she deletes it, doesn't want to bother me, but she didn't know it would..."

"Okay," Nyx answered firmly. All business today. "That's not good, but we know now. And I don't think you missed anything important. If she was lost or something, she wouldn't email, would she?"

"It's the same block list for email and text messages. Would be for online chat too, so-called 'integrated messaging suite' on this phone. But it doesn't work with any of the ones I use."

"Okay, that's bad. But she can send a message now, right? And she could have called if she really needed you, so we can't assume a worst-case scenario. Maybe you can send her a message, tell her you've had phone trouble and send it again."

"Her phone's been off. We tried calling."

"But if she's sent you anything, she must be turning it on occasionally to check for messages. And if she hasn't, then it wouldn't make any difference."

Toni looked up at Nyx, a little surprised by how well she was coping now. Her daughter was missing, but she barely seemed upset. She wasn't letting herself worry, wasn't showing any emotion. Just doing what was needed to give them the best chance of finding Adi again.

"You're right. But maybe she can't... I mean, nobody's seen her at all. If there's someone else involved... we were thinking some kind of stalker she's met online or something crazy like that. It's the only guess that seems remotely possible."

"Have you seen anyone talking to her on those sites you use, Britney? Dean said he'd started talking to some of her friends on there, we should ask how many of them he knows. If there's anyone suspicious."

"We can't contact Dean either," Britney pointed out. "Haven't heard from him since..."

"If there's something wrong with his phone, he might come tonight. I had him on the schedule, and if he's just missed our messages... What's up?"

Toni and Britney met each other's eyes across the dining table, making it clear the same concerns had struck them both.

"He knew you were expecting him today?" Toni asked, before Britney explained: "That's what Belle wanted to say. Dean's done a big shopping trip for her. To make sure she's got everything she needs, like he's away on vacation. She thought he might have left early so he doesn't miss his bus or something, but if you were expecting him here..."

"Then he wasn't expecting to be here. At least now we know."