Mångata Bay

|12| cave

|a n d r e w|
🌊

Watching the waves crash on the beach brings back memories of my near-drowning experience weeks ago. I just wanted to see how far I could go, but as soon as my feet couldn't touch the sandy ground, the water swept me under and I couldn't swim back up. An embarrassed blush subconsciously finds its way onto my face as I remember Aspen saving me. Not my best moment, but I'm glad I got to befriend Aspen in the small amount of time I've been in Mångata so far.

"What're you thinking about?"

I peer at Aspen through the corner of my eye to see her studying me curiously. My eyes flicker back to the water and I shrug. She doesn't say anything as we revert back to enjoying each other's silent company. She's been through a lot these last few days, so a little peace and quiet must be a breath of fresh air.

My mind wanders off to when I found Aspen patching herself up on the floor in her bathroom and doing a terrible job at it. The unspoken words in that moment were so clearly displayed; I don't know how I hadn't seen it earlier. I haven't seen Will since before I found out what he did to Aspen and she hasn't mentioned him in a while.

"Where's Will?" I ask bluntly, turning to look at her. She follows suit with a sigh.

"Poor thing," she starts, confusing me to no end, "his step brother, Teo, went missing sometime during the night. Will hasn't reached out. I can imagine him looking everywhere for him."

I blink. "Teo's missing?" I repeat. Aspen nods, pushing the auburn hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah. He's been hanging out with your sister, right? Does she know?"

"No . . . " I trail off with a frown.

"They were pretty tight, weren't they? Maybe she knows where he could be?" Aspen proposes. My eyebrows scrunch together as I think.

"Yeah, okay, I'll ask her," I say, nodding unconvincingly. I hear her sigh again and turn to see her set a hand on my shoulder. A comforting smile graces her lips, her hazel eyes shining.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I'm sure Teo just ran off again. He loves adventure."

I bite my lip and turn back to the ocean.

🌙

"Teo's gone?!"

"Yeah, he disappeared some time in the night. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

Rose stares at Aspen and I with panic filled eyes. She fists her hands around her hair and stares up at the ceiling. "That psycho wasn't joking," she spits under her breath.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

Apsen cocks her head at my sister. "And what psycho?"

"It's a long story, but Teo's in serious trouble." Rose spins around and grabs a duffel bag from off the ground, slinging it over her shoulder. She faces Aspen and I again with serious eyes. "We need to find him. Now."

I lean back against the wall and let my eyes study the garage Rose told us she was at. When I texted her and asked where she was so I could tell her about Teo, she replied saying she was actually in his garage. Weird; I know. Aspen followed me all the way to the Hughes's house to help me break the news to Rose about her friend going missing, but by the looks of it, she saw it coming.