I hurried up towards Miya's front door, meeting it with a few resounding knocks before finally getting someone to open it. "Miya please, I need yo-"
"Ew." A tiny voice spoke out from below, causing my head to quickly drop down at the sight of her little sister, Hitomi. "Why are you all sweaty?" She bluntly asked as the sleeves of her painfully adorable penguin onesie hid everything but her face.
"Is your older sister at home?" I asked with a frantic voice as she took a moment to observe me.
"She's in her room helping Atalia with her braids." She answers after a short pause, seemingly reluctant about my presence. "Why?"
"Leone is missing and I need their help to find him." I responded.
Hitomi quickly gasped in shock, her face quickly faltering. "Oh no! Leone?" She breathed out, rapidly moving aside to let me in. "We need to find him! He's the only one willing to play dress up with me!"
I quickly knelt down and pressed a gentle hand against her cheek in attempts to calm her sudden flurry of emotions down. "We'll find him, I promise, okay?"
"Okay." Hitomi nodded as she closed the front door behind me. "Just make sure to knock really loud, Miya's kinda deaf."
I headed straight for Miya's room, hearing lowly laughs and playful whispers emitting from the other side. "Hello? Miya, I need your help!" I quickly regretted my decision to barge in without knocking as I unknowingly landed my gaze at the sight of Miya and Atalia kissing each other on the bed. "Oh god-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I rapidly averted my gaze and left the room.
A burst of giggles emitted from the other side as I could hear someone coming towards me. "It's okay, Dydan." Miya reopened the door and smiled. "Come in."
"What's up?" Atalia waved at me from the bed, furrowing her brows down at my panicked expression.
I let out a shaky breath and gulped. "I didn't mean to bother you guys, but I was wondering if you've seen Leone at all?"
Miya shared a mutually confused glance with Atalia before turning to face me. "Um-no." She crossed her arms and walked closer towards me. "Why? Is everything alright?"
The thought of not knowing where Leone was began to freak me out more. "We had a date a few days ago, and those assholes from your school tried to mess with us. Leone and I had to split up and I've been looking for him ever since."
"Wait what!? What do you mean you had to split up!?" Atalia immediately got up, her tone growing to be interrogative. "Leone can barely walk, you should've stayed with him."
"Atalia." Miya whispered out in attempts to calm her down, her tone filled with empathy before resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Tell me everything you remember."
"Well we were at Cloud Lake." I bit with a shaky voice, trying my best to gain a recollection of everything. "We we're on a date and that's when I told him the truth about everything. The Blood Bond, what I am, what it means for it to be stalled-everything. Then all of a sudden a search party for Hudson caught up to us and just as we were about to leave, that's when Eric and Joshua decided to mess with us. Eric ended up running after him while Joshua and I got in a fight. After I knocked him out, I ran as fast as I could to the train station. I told Leone that I'd meet him there but he never showed up."
"What about Eric?" Atalia spoke up. "You said he ran after him-do you think he lost him!?"
"I-I don't know." My voice cracked out.
"Is everything okay?" Hitomi cautiously chirped out from the side of the door, causing all of our attention to momentarily land on her.
"Everything is okay, Hitomi. Go back to your room." Miya walked right past me to guide her little sister back to her room. "I'm sorry, but we haven't seen Leone at all." She says once she returned.
"What about Nikolai? Do you think he has?" I brought up.
"I'm sure he would've already told us if he did." Atalia shrugged before continuing with slight optimism. "He does own a cabin by Cloud Lake though-so you know, there's a chance he might find him before any of us."
"Yeah, that's right." Miya quickly rushed over to her phone and began dialing. "If there's anyone that could help us find Leone, it's him." The phone rang for awhile.
"No answer?" I asked once we were left in contemplative dread.
Miya's brows furrowed, a slow and uneasy expression coming across her face as she carefully slid the phone back into her pocket. "That's weird, he usually always picks up."
My heart raced with apprehension, anxiety coursing through me. "Well I suppose I should keep looking then-" My voice was abruptly cut off by a fit of violent coughs. I desperately attempted to conceal it with a clenched fist, only to find my hand drenched in a disconcerting amount of blood shortly after. Ashamed, I wiped my arm across my mouth, both of their gazes fixed upon me with genuine worry. "I'm sorry for coming here unannounced. If you guys hear anything can you please let me know? He really means a lot to me-so if you guys could-" I could barely finish my sentence as I averted my eyes downward, overcome by an overwhelming surge of emotions that threatened to consume me entirely.
Miyako quickly rushed towards me, her mouth pressed together in a comforting gesture to hush my impending tears. "Hey, you don't have to do this alone, you know? Leone's our friend too. Let us help, we wanna help." She enveloped me in her arms.
"Hell yeah we do!" Atalia added, promptly rising out of bed with growing determination. "I say we drive down to Eric's place and ask that piece of shit for any information he might have."
"He's throwing a pool party at his house today." Miya interjected in clear urgency, momentarily scrolling through her phone before presenting a digital flyer before my eyes. "It's absolutely insane he's even able to enjoy himself, considering what he's put you both through."
"But how can we be certain that he'll talk?" Curiosity and doubt filled my voice as I asked.
Atalia nonchalantly shrugged, exuding her naturally blasé confidence. "Trust me, with a bit of a push, anyone that's got a lot to lose will always talk the most. If push comes to shove, then we'll just have to burn that entire party down to the ground." She ended with an excited cackle.
The sound of excitement suddenly filled the air as Hitomi cheered. "Oouu did I hear someone say party!?" She crept up by the door, adorned in the same penguin onesie, along with springy-eyed glasses with last year's date displayed on them.
"Ugh." Miyako groaned out in annoyance before throwing us an apologetic laugh. "Hitomi, I told you to stay in your room!"
"You always tell me to stay in my room! It's no fair!" Hitomi loudly pleaded while stomping her penguin flippers and webbed feet that were made out of cotton on the ground. "I wanna help find Leone! He's my friend too!"
In an attempt to calm Miyako's annoyance, Atalia gently patted her on the back before addressing Hitomi with an understanding smile. "Alright little penguin, how exactly do you wanna help us find him?"
"I can help you guys pick out your outfits for this party!?" Hitomi grinned with excitement before adorably waddling back towards her room. "Come on! Please!"
"Alright fine, but you have to promise to make me look cute alright?" Atalia spoke out as she grasped onto Hitomi's little hand, letting the small child guide her towards the room.
Miya offered me a sheepish smile, shyly tucking a few strands of hair away from her face. "Sorry."
"No need to apologize." I replied softly, unable to contain my own smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't need this. Everything's just been kinda dark and heavy these past few days. I haven't been able to sleep or eat. It feels good to have help."
She offered me an understanding nod. "We'll find him, Dydan." Smiling kindly at each other, we eventually followed right after Hitomi and Atalia, surrendering ourselves to the little girl's imaginative wardrobe choices.
Once hours had passed and we finally got to arrive at the pool party, it didn't take long for us to venture towards the large house with the vibrant atmosphere to start our search for Eric.
"This is like the most pink I've ever had on me, like ever." Atalia murmur below her breath as she lowered her skirt. "I look like a secretary rendition of Barbie."
"At least you can pull it off." Miya complimented. "Hitomi made me wear nerdy glasses and a turtle neck because she hates me."
Atalia mockingly pointed at Miya with a playful tone. "I think you're kinda pulling off yours too, but I'm not gonna lie, she kinda made you look like Velma from Scooby-Doo!" She exclaimed before exploding out into a series of laughter. "And look at Dydan, why did Hitomi make him look like Luffy from One Piece."
"Wait guys-" I sharply let out to call for their focus. "What's the plan?"
Atalia's eyes widened as she craned her neck back in confusion. "Plan? Plan for what? I say we just get in there and fuck shit up."
"What?" I couldn't help but let out in disbelief, wondering if she was actually being serious or not.
"It's sounds risky, but I can't help but agree with Atalia." Miya added with her soft spoken voice. "If we get Eric alone he's not gonna talk, but if we confront him around the people in that party I just know his ego won't be able to handle it."
With the intentions to directly confront the bastard, we marched towards the house with its booming commotion. Together, we navigated through the vast crowds of drunk, gyrating bodies dancing to the pulsating music, colorful neon lights that casted a harsh glow amongst countless poolside splashes, and the oblivious cruelty that had taken form as a dissonant symphony in my head.
Suddenly, the host of the party finally caught my eye. Eric looked obnoxious as ever as he stood at the center of attention, reveling in his circle of idiots with a red cup in hand.
"Where is he!? What did you do to him, huh!?" My voice was sharp and commanding, cutting through all the nonsense as I aggressively singled him out. "Tell me what you've done to Leone!"
The chaotic party froze for a moment as everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. "H-Hey not here man, come on, chicks are here." Eric's facade of confidence wavered, his face barely able to hide his visible fear.
"Shut the fuck up and tell me what you did to him!" I yelled even louder, shaking him by the collar.
"Dude I didn't do anything, alright!?" He nervously chuckled, darting his eyes at the sight of everyone staring at him. "Besides, he's a loser, why the fuck would I want anything to do with him?"
Atalia's patience suddenly snapped like a taut wire, causing an entire table of drinks and food to topple over into the pool. "No need to panic people, I just did everyone here a favor!" As the floating snacks and drinks scattered, effectively forcing everyone out of the pool, she continued. "With a host like Eric, you'd expect him to at least get us the good stuff, but oh no! Shit's better being thrown out!" She mockingly let out.
The music abruptly cut off, only to be intercepted by Miya pushing the DJ aside to play a series of comical nursery songs that undoubtedly pissed people off, leading some to even leave the party entirely. "Awh no, come on guys, leaving so soon!?" Miya carelessly spoke into the mic, trying all that she could to suppress her laugh. "This is more than just a pointless pool party you know!? We're also here to celebrate Eric being the biggest man-child on earth! If you guys leave early, you'll miss the diaper goodie bags and the binky-shaped cake!" Countless palpable waves of laughter and whispers about Eric began to sound off all around us.
It didn't take long for an absolutely horrified expression to come across the bastard's face. "Okay! Alright! Stop it-Stop! Please! I don't know what happened to him!" Eric's voice had turned into a feeble whisper, looking directly into my eyes with burning desperation. "The last time I ever saw him was that night at Cloud Lake a-and he's the one who who actually hurt me! Son of a bitch hit me on the side my head and ran off!"
"Ran off where!?" I continued to question.
"How would I fucking know!? It was in the middle of the night!" He sharply retorted. "And besides, it wouldn't change the fact that the entire town already has their eyes on you. Isn't it odd that the only thing in common with Leone and Hudson is that you're always somehow the last person they're associated with before they disappear? You could've killed Hudson after what happened at the skate park-or-or Leone, maybe you found him after what happened that night at Cloud Lake and killed him too! You seem to have the ability to do that anyway."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I interrogated, my hands uncontrollably shaking him by the collar.
"It's a shame I couldn't capture that moment you saved yourself from that bullet. If that had been our evidence instead of what we actually have, my friends and I would've definitely gotten into some serious trouble." Eric slyly began to snake in an impending threat, his face contorting into a sinister expression. "But don't you dare even think for a second that I didn't capture a video of you flipping that police car over. It's only a matter of time before I decide to share it. Joshua's been pushing me to do it ever since you gave him that black eye, but I wanted to be nice-figured it's best if we just end it all and focus on finding our friend, but now here you are, making me rethink my decision. The prime suspect can't be anyone else but you. Cause anymore of a scene in my house, and I'll make sure that everyone sees the true monster that you really are."
I remained silent as the word he used caused fury to engulf me entirely, making me deliver formidable blows across his cheek and stomach before throwing his unconscious body into the pool.
"Fuck this." I spoke right past the countless army of stares and whispers, proceeding to leave as I figured this entire situation wouldn't be of any help.
Miya rushed by my side, comforting me with a few back rubs and gentle whispers. "What did he say?"
"Nothing." I uttered with a sense of uncontrolled dread. "He was a waste of time."
Atalia spoke up once we returned to the car, unpacking a bunch of stolen snacks and drinks that she obtained from the party. "God that was some pathetic ass shit. Eric and his friends love to act so big and bad, but the moment someone stands up to them they just end up looking stupid."
"That wasn't how I expected my first party experience to go." I murmured lowly, my tone audibly laden with disappointment.
Miya let out a heavy sigh as we all got back inside the car. "Yeah well that shouldn't count. There was nothing fun about that situation."
"Atalia's right." In spite of my best efforts, I was unable to prevent my fears and doubts from eating away at me as I spoke. "It's all my fault that this is happening. I shouldn't have ever split away from him that night."
"There's no point in blaming yourself. You were only trying to do your best to keep him safe." Miya glanced at me from the rear view mirror with a look of empathy. "All we need to do right now is to make sure that we cover any possible ground that Leone may have come across."
With a determined nod, Atalia revved up the engine. "There's not much else we can do now except head to Cloud Lake ourselves. Nikolai has a cabin nearby, I suggest we make a quick stop and ask if he's seen anything. It's quite a drive, but at least I made sure that we've got drinks and snacks!" She urged happily, lifting up the array of items she took from the party.
"I'm down!" Miya threw off her nerd glasses and adjusted herself on her seat. "What do you say Dydan!?"
I quietly nodded as gratitude surged within me, barely contained beneath the heavy weight of my emotions as I found myself lost in a world of memories, each one a delicate thread connecting me to the person I couldn't stop thinking about.
Leone was a beacon of kindness and warmth that illuminated my life, and now, in the absence of his presence everything feels completely dull and incomplete. Every passing second I yearned for his touch, to hear his light airy voice, to let him bury his head in the crook of my neck, to lock my fingers with his, to run my fingers through his hair, to pull him closer by his tiny waist, to envelop him into my arms and chest, to love him with everything I've got.
Even in this suffocating level of uncertainty, I still tried to hold onto hope. Hope that one day, I will have Leone back with me once more.
I'm gonna find him, and once I do, I'm never letting him go ever again.
This is the first time I've ever felt this amount of love for someone, and although it has surely ruined me, it still doesn't compare to the fear of being ruined by anything else other than him.