Breaking to Pieces

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

I didn't want to believe it. No. It couldn't be, but it has to be. After all, for what reason would anyone have to fake the video. You know it's the truth. My mind and heart were at war with each other- whilst my mind had to accept that it was in fact Summer who had tricked Sophie, my heart still yearned for another explanation. Why would she do this? What could she possibly have against me? In that moment I wondered if she ever was like that in real life or if it was all just an act- if it was, it was a sick one.

My mind thought back to the first day I met her, she was the kind local, saving me from the panic of loneliness from being the new person. Was that all fake? Her kindness that radiated through one smile seemed so genuine, but it wasn't. Her cheerfulness that relieved me everyday seemed so her, but it couldn't have been. Swallowing the thick lump in my throat, I broke the morbid silence that reeked with dread.

"Are you sure Nate? Maybe it was faked or something!" My voice was weak as I desperately tried to seek another reasoning. Nate's look of understanding sympathy was all it took for my pathetic hope to diminish and my anger to form. There was no imaginable logic behind why Summer would do this; I wanted answers. Clenching my fists until my nails dug into my palms, I bit on my lip to keep my anger at bay. The last thing I needed was to snap at someone- like I did to Ryder. Where are you, Ryder?

"I'm sorry. I really want to say that it was, but it's not." Nate looked away and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Running my hand through my hair, I sighed heavily at the stress that had been building within me. What do we do now? This was obviously the reason why Summer hadn't come to school, or answered to any of our texts. She doesn't want to be found, so how were we going to find our answers? It may have been a step forward into finding Sophie, but the distance seemed somehow longer now.

The anger, the hurt, and the betrayal had shifted to fatigue. I was tired. Tired of the fact that whenever we find a way, we hit a dead end, and those dead ends weren't pretty. Replaying the clip once more, I saw that the cat Meghan had mentioned, the day I visited Sophie's school, was in fact Summer's cat, Mia. My shoulders slumped in defeat as I had no other choice but to accept that Summer was involved in this.

"Who knew," I bitterly whispered to myself, knowing that with their good hearing, Nate and Eva, most likely heard. I glanced towards Eva who had been silent the whole time. Her hands were clamped shut, similar to mine, and she was shaking, whether it was out of anger or hurt, I didn't know. After a few seconds, Eva stiffened before storming out the room, slamming the door behind her. Wincing at the harsh blow, I looked at Nate who now stood there awkwardly, shocked at Eva's sudden action.

"I should probably go after her." Nate rubbed the back of his neck, I noticed he does that quite a lot. I shook my head and replied, "No, I'll do it." Nate stood still for a few seconds before firmly nodding his head.

"Right, I think that's probably the best idea. I'll tell the alpha and look for more footage. This was the last time Summer met Sophie before the kidnapped, so there probably is more. Maybe I can find something that'll help." Stiffening slightly at the mention of Ryder, I nodded in agreement and walked the same way Eva left from.

Stood outside, I caught sight of Eva sitting on the stairs. Her back tensed from the sound of my footsteps. I sat down beside her, playing with my fingers- not knowing what to do or say. To be honest, I'm not really great at comforting people, so hopefully my presence speaks for me. We sat in silence for a few moments until Eva began to speak.