spotlight. (book two of missing melody) // katy perry

seventeen.

{Katy's POV}

"Hello?" The other side is silent, though I know the caller is still on by the sound of the person's breathing.

"Hey, Kate. I have to pee. I'll be right back." Shannon says, standing up from her seat and head towards the restrooms. I nod, telling her I was listening.

"I have your daughter." I freeze on my seat, my heart stopping itself from beating. I stay silent, my breathing uneven as I try to force myself not to cry.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I laugh, though I know there's nothing funny about anything right now. It was more of a forceful one than a genuine laugh. I just don't want to believe the caller.

"Am I?" The caller replies. The way the caller takes with an eerie voice rings a bell, making a name pop into my mind.

"Jonathan?" I ask, wanting to confirm my assumption.

"Who else would it be, babe?" He replies, making me sniffle a gag. He acts like we're together when infact she's kidnapping our own daughter. Our daughter. No, Chloe's my daughter. Not his. He may have given me Chloe but he never will be her father.

"You son of a bitch! Where's Chloe?" I whisper, though my voice is sharp, not wanting people to hear and draw attention towards me.

"Woah, honey calm down. No need to get all bitchy." He laughs. Is this some kind of joke to him?

"Don't you honey me. Tell me where Chloe is!" I reply, my tone a bit snarky. I don't regret being rude to him, though. I'm only rude to people I hate.

"Fine. You want to know where your daughter is so badly? Here." He snaps.

"Mom? Mommy?" I hear Chloe's voice, her sweet voice shaking with fear.

"Baby, I'm right here." My voice breaks, a few tears finally escaping my eyes.

"Mom, I'm scared." She sobs, breaking my heart into a billion pieces.

"I know. I'm scared too. But don't worry I-"

"Okay, that's enough for one day. If you want to get you precious little daughter back, you have to abide by my rules and only by my rules. . ." Jonathan cuts me off, making me clench my teeth in annoyance.

"What do I have to give to you in exchange for my daughter? Just tell me what you want." I ask, my voice controlled as I try to calm myself down and remind myself that I am in a public place.

"You." He replies just before he hangs up, leaving me speechless at what he said. I wanted to speak but nothing would come out of my mouth. Is he even serious?

"Hey, you okay?" Shannon ambles towards the table, looking at me worryingly. Only then I notice that tears are endlessly trickling down my cheeks like waterfalls. I wipe them away, sniffling as I do so. I set my phone down, contemplating on whether I should tell her or not. Just as I begin to push my phone inside my pocket, the screen lights up. I look at my phone, seeing one text message that instantly sent unpleasant tingles down my spine.

Tell the police or anyone else about our conversation and straight to the grave you'll go.

I swallow hard. I guess that's the answer to my question. I couldn't tell anyone. I look at Shannon, seeing her staring at me with concern. I force out a smile, never wanting my best friend to worry. There's nothing to worry about, right?

"What's wrong?" She asks, taking my hand and squeeze it.

"N- nothing." I lie, keeping my fake smile on.

"Kate." She replies sternly, demanding an answer. I'm so bad at lying.

"I was just reading my mentions." I bite my lower lip, praying hard that she won't notice my little white lie.

"You read hate?" She asks, though I know she sensed that I wasn't telling the truth. She knows me too well to tell if I'm lying or not. I nod, making her sigh.

"You know you shouldn't do that. Come on, let's go home." She grabs my hand, dragging me outside. I hand her my car keys, thinking that I'm too drained to drive. She doesn't argue though, taking the keys in hand as we step outside in silence.

"Katy!" I groan, lowering my head as I put my sunglasses on. I bet they even snapped pictures of me while I was crying inside. I cling onto Shannon's arm tightly, letting her guide me through the crowd. I close my eyes, my head hurting from all the blinding flashes. It's still 4 in the afternoon, why the hell are they using flash?

"Katy, come on. Smile for us." A man says, holding his camera close as he prepares to snap a picture of me. I let go of Shannon's arm as we inch closer towards my car, letting her hop inside first. I stand there, flashing a fake sarcastic smile. I quickly get inside, the paparazzi satisfied with what I gave them. As Shannon turns the engine on, I look outside, the group of annoying camera- geared people still standing near my car. I flick my middle finger at them, making sure they see it. I hear Shannon silently giggle, driving back towards my house. I sigh contentedly, slouching on the car seat.

"Put your seatbelt on." She reminds me, making me roll my eyes.

"Yes mother, I'm sorry." I say sarcastically, earning a glare and an eye roll from her. I smirk, happy about my little victory. That small bubble of happiness soon pops as Shannon keeps on asking me who the caller was and if that was the reason why I cried. Of course, being a good friend like I am, I lied. She isn't buying them, though. She keeps blabbing the whole way back towards my house so as soon as she pulls into my driveway, I hop off the car and sprint towards the front door. I quickly unlock the door, desperate to get inside. I sigh heavily, plopping myself down on the couch and close my eyes.

"Come on, Kate. Just tell me." Shannon whines, sitting next to me. I keep my eyes closed, trying ignore her. Maybe if I'd continue to ignore her, she'd grow tired of trying and stop. But she never does. For the whole evening, she kept on bugging me. That irritated me but I didn't say anything.

"Fine. I'm going to bed." She stands up, folding her hands on her chest as she stomps up the staircase and into her room. I sigh, standing up and deciding on getting some sleep myself. Just as I am about to climb up the steps, my phone buzzes, indicating a message. I swallow the lump that instantly formed in my throat, having full knowledge of who sent it. Jonathan.

Want to see your daughter? Drive to that abandoned farm house I took you to when we had our first date. Remember that, Kate? Just a reminder: Just make sure you come alone or I'll make sure you won't make it back.

I shiver, putting my phone back into my pocket. I quickly run upstairs, though I tried my hardest not to make a sound. I get inside my bedroom, grabbing my hoodie and quickly slip it on. I get inside my bathroom and splash my face with water, wanting to wake myself up fully. I take in deep breaths, trying to calm myself as I step outside with only my phone and car keys in hand.

"I'm coming, Chloe."

-a/n-

im really sick so idk if this chapter is anywhere near good. my whole body is in pain and i can barely move my fingers and open my eyes to type bc practically my body hurts really bad so yeah im really sorry for the crappy chapter. ill make it up to y'all, i promise.