Secrets

Chapter Nine

Hope you enjoy!

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Hanna never showed up to her classes on Monday or Tuesday. Worry pulses through my veins and becomes part of my humanity. Sean is no longer assuming that she is perfectly fine, considering she stopped responding to his attempts to contact her as well. Even Kayla decided that we're worthy enough to ask about Hanna's whereabouts.

None of us know where she is.

By Wednesday, even her teachers began asking if she was horribly ill, and by then we decided to look for her. We visited her house after school, but nobody answered the door. Not even her parents were present to welcome us into their home.

We continued to search for her throughout the day. We followed Hanna's footsteps. Out of all of the dark alleyways and abandoned buildings that Hanna had ever visited, we searched through all we could in one afternoon without getting into trouble.

The three of us sit on the curb of the road outside Hanna's house after having driven around town for hours and hours. My parents, as well as Sean's, are concerned about Hanna, and had given us permission to look for her. Kayla is just here, with or without permission we're not sure.

As of right now, we haven't found her.

Kayla sits beside us, looking less confident than usual. She had always tried to become a copy of Hanna, but in a way she became too dependent of her. My story is not very different, and neither is Sean's. We've all built our friendship around Hanna, whether our relationships are weak or strong, and I now realize that was a mistake. Our group should be friends with Hanna, not because of her.

Sean sighs from the right of me. "There is still the chance that she's completely fine and that we're overreacting, guys."

Kayla scoffs loudly. "Cut the bullshit out of this horror movie, Sean, she's not completely fine, she's not here. Her parents aren't even here."

I stare at the gravel of the street as they bicker on like siblings, not focusing on what they're saying. I think back to Saturday night, and my mind plays through the events that took place like a movie. The Secretò Bus is connected to this, I think to myself, trying to connect dots that aren't present.

Hanna has gotten into major trouble before, and a few times she nearly didn't get out of it. However, that strange, one of a kind bus seems extremely sketchy and dangerous. And it just so happens that Hanna stopped messaging me right as I rode that bus.

"Kayla," I interrupt their conversation, which had been getting gradually louder as it went on. The ginger girl looks at me expectantly, with her usual, slightly bitchy look plastered on her face. I examine the details of her appearance. Her hands are holding onto the concrete edge of the street, index finger drawing circles into the pavement. Her eyes are focused on looking directly at me, a sign that she is giving me her undivided attention. "Have you ever ridden the Bus with Hanna?"

To Sean, this might seem like an ordinary, everyday question. However, Kayla's eyes widen slightly. Her right hand moves to play with her long, silky orange hair and her pupils grow larger under pressure. She's about to lie.

"Nope. I've ridden the school bus with her before, but not any other type of bus." Her answer is vague, and almost certainly a lie. I give her a knowing look, and then turn my attention to the neighborhood that we are currently in.

Middle class houses and kind, loving families surround us. Children play soccer joyfully down the street, not understanding our grief of missing a friend.

"I don't understand," Sean says quietly. "Did she go out of town? I mean, her parents aren't here, so they must be with her. Did she move? Did she get kidnapped or mugged or raped or something?"

"Don't worry guys," I say confidently, surprising even myself. "We will find her."

Kayla looks over at me with plain shock in her eyes. "How can you even be so sure of that, Tori? I've known Hanna for way longer than you. She and I have been friends for such a long time. Do you even know her that well?"

I nod, answering her question. "Yeah, I do know Hanna that well," I say, more to myself than the others. "I've known Hanna since middle school. I remember when she had a crush on my brother, and she would act so rude towards him so he wouldn't know. We've been bitches together since then, and that's not going to stop now."

"Yeah, but how will we find her? It's only been five days, so I doubt the police would help us if we went to them crying about our friend being abducted or something." Sean has the most negative look at the situation.

"I have an idea about how she can be found."

"Yeah, you just said that," Kayla responds with her high pitched voice. "But how are we going to find her?"

I'm not usually one to go back on a decision. Usually, once something has happened, it's dead and it's done with. However, this situation is an exception that I can hopefully handle. Once Hanna is found, we can all go back to living our mostly normal, high school lives. This decision will not get me involved with something incredibly dangerous. I will not fall for the charm of an asshole in the disguise of a debonair young man.

"I know someone who could know where Hanna is. In fact, in a way, Hanna might be with this man or possibly with the company he attracts."

And with that, my decision is made. I am returning to the Secretò Bus tonight. I am seeing Jay once again.

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Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. It just cut off well right there, and I didn't want to drag it out. I hope you liked it! Feedback is greatly appreciated!

QOTC: Do you think Kayla was lying, or do you think Tori's assumption was false? Do you think she knows about the Secretò Bus, or is she completely clueless, just as Tori had been?