Lost in the waves

⋆⋆☾[17]☾⋆⋆

"Eh, she's on edge," I intentionally omit, albeit reluctantly, the threats she received.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this? I'm convinced Cara's father has something to do with it," I run my hand through my hair and nervously play with the chain around my neck. The others turn to me and silently observe. "During the last night she was seen, are you sure you didn't see anything unusual? Suspicious? Anything?"

Jace puts down his controller, and the game is paused. A heavy silence hangs in the room. "We've already told Mia everything. It was a normal night, we didn't hear anything out of the ordinary."

The others nod in silence, and I persist a bit longer. "And this summer, did you notice anything?" I look at all of them, focusing a little more on Ethan. I feel his jaw tighten, and his hand brushes over his beard. He sighs in frustration and sits up straight. "We had communication issues, and she became more withdrawn, but we've known each other since childhood, and we love each other. We're planning to move in together next year. It wasn't anything serious. Well, that's what I thought..." He puts his head in his hands and murmurs, "I should have dug deeper into the problem. I should never have let her go home alone that night, damn it." His honest and worried gaze meets mine, and I fully understand the sense of powerlessness he feels. Jace puts his arm around his shoulder.

"We'll find her. The police have started the search and haven't found any body, so that's a good sign. We just need to keep looking."

"I know where," Ethan responds, raising his head towards me with a determined look. "At the psycho's place." The tension in the room is palpable, and I meet Max's worried gaze as he leans against the window. "We can't just go to Eddie's like that, but we can search that side of the island." Matt tries to be diplomatic, and I agree with his idea. "There are search teams organized by the mayor and the police chief throughout the day. Can we join one of them?" Max adds to Matt's idea.

"Then let's go," Ethan abruptly stands up, already ready to leave, and I step aside to send a message to Mia, informing her of the situation.

☼

﹏﹏﹏

Mia - Saturday, 1 PM

We are all sitting on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the beach when I receive a message from Austin. They are joining a search team on the other side of the island.

I reply to him and put away my phone to watch the girls sipping their drinks. My gaze lingers on Anna. She is silent next to Heather. Her red hair is tangled, and dark circles mark her eyes. Her knee shakes incessantly, and she avoids making eye contact with me like the plague.

"Is everything okay, Anna?" I force her to engage in conversation, and Heather looks at me with understanding. Allison takes Anna's hand in hers and continues, "You can tell us what it is, right? We're here for you." She nods, and her gaze falls to her feet. She hunches her back.

"You need to tell us if you know something, Anna." I instantly regret saying that as she suddenly looks up at me and straightens up angrily. "You think I have something to do with this, right?! All of you do!" She stands up so abruptly that her glass falls and shatters on the floor.

The few people around us turn abruptly, and we hear whispers like "It's her, it's her best friends... They should be helping, and they're here." "Maybe they..." The murmurs amplify, and I try to calm Anna down and get her to sit back, but she looks around frantically.

She seems to be in the midst of a paranoid episode. Allison, who is next to her, stands up as well, but Anna pushes her, and she falls to the ground. "Allison!" I rush to help her up, and she struggles to stand. "What the hell, Anna, what's your problem!"

"You're my problem!" She screams hysterically before rushing out of the café, under the stunned gaze of all the witnesses.

"Allison, are you okay?" I ask, extending my hand to her. She takes it in hers, and I can tell from her expression that she doesn't understand what's happening. "I'll go after her and take her home," Heather grabs her car keys and goes after Anna. I turn to Allison and state, "What the hell is going on?"

After apologizing for the damage and paying for our drinks, Allison and I quickly leave the place and decide to walk towards her car. "Something really happened this summer. There's a distance between all of us, and it's only getting worse."

"Do you think Anna is still taking her medication?" I know Allison is very close to her, so if anyone knows, it's her. "I... I don't know. I'm ashamed, but we also drifted apart a bit during the vacation. I was working, and she was off the island, and..." she pauses and sighs before continuing, "If I tell you a secret, promise me you won't say anything?" "Yes, of course!" I look at her, and she continues.

"I talked a lot with Max this summer, and we grew closer. It's new, so we don't want to talk about it with anyone, except you now, but I really love him, and he feels the same way."

"Oh..." a smile escapes my lips, and I'm genuinely happy for the two of them. They are really cute together.

"I need to confess something to you about that night now that you know this." My smile disappears immediately, and I stop. She does the same, and her voice trembles slightly. "On the night Cara disappeared, I took Anna home, but I didn't stay with her. Max came to pick me up, and we went to his place. Anna was asleep when I left, but the next morning... When I came back..." Her gaze is ashamed, and she tucks strands of hair behind her ear.

"When I came back around 6 a.m., her bed was empty. She didn't come back until a few hours later, around 9 a.m. I pretended to be asleep, and she didn't ask me where I had been, so I didn't ask either. I thought maybe she also had a hidden boyfriend or girlfriend. But her behavior and what happened today..." She looks at me with a lost and sad expression. "I'm her best friend, and yet I wonder if she could be capable of that..." Her lips tremble, and I can sense tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mia. I should have told you earlier." She bursts into tears, and I feel helpless in front of her. I embrace her, and she sobs against me. "You don't have to worry. I know this whole situation is completely crazy, but we will find her, and everything will go back to how it was." My voice sounds so fake that I can't even convince myself anymore.

Where are you, Cara?

⋆☾⋆