May 6th, 2021:
"I'm going out," Qibli informed Thorn and me, taking his keys from the kitchen counter.
"Where?" Thorn and I asked simultaneously.
Qibli looked at us, letting Daisy fall from his arms. "Uh, out." Thorn and I exchanged a skeptical glance.
"That didn't answer my question," she finally said in a condescending tone, playing the mother card.
"I'm going to make amends," Qibli said vaguely, opening the front door as Daisy barked at him. I frowned.
Make amends with Sunset? My mind guessed. Does he...
I shook that thought.
"Be back before six," Thorn muttered, eyeing him. "I need you to help me with the nursery. And give me a back massage. And get milk while you're out."
Qibli waited for more. "Are you done?" he asked dubiously.
Thorn grinned.
"Trust me, I'll be back before four," he snorted, taking a step out. "Bye, Moon."
"Bye," I called out. "Don't be out long."
"I won't."
"*"
He didn't come back. It was four-thirty and he wasn't back.
"He's just taking a while than usual," Thorn assured me. "He'll be back any second now."
"*"
Six. It was six. I called him five times and texted him, but they were all left on delivered. Even Thorn tried getting in contact, but it was no use.
I called Turtle.
"Yes?" his voice came out, and it sounded like he was eating something.
"Have you seen Qibli?" I asked urgently. There was a pause on the line.
"No," Turtle responded. "Why?"
I sighed, getting a little stressed. "He went out at two. He said he'd be back by four, but he isn't. He's not picking up my calls or answering my texts. Even Thorn can't reach him."
"Maybe he's pulling a prank or something?" Turtle tried helpfully. "I'm not sure. I'll ask Kinkajou. For now, wait a little bit."
He was right. It could be a prank, like the one we had pulled on Kinkajou a couple of days ago.
I just need to wait.
"*"
It was ten.
Thorn stopped the nonchalant act and joined me in the panicking. No word from Qibli in the slightest.
Thorn called Smolder and everyone she could think of at the top of her head.
Even Deathbringer tried to help.
No one knew where he was.
Smolder was over at the house, trying to get Thorn to relax and to be optimistic.
"Do not tell me to relax!" Thorn said, in the midst of shouting at Smolder. "My son is out there and I don't know where! He's not replying to my texts or answering my calls! It is physically impossible to relax!"
"You're right," he quickly agreed. "I shouldn't have said that."
"I'm going to call the police to file a missing person's case," Thorn mumbled, sinking into her couch.
"This much stress isn't good for the baby," Smolder said, sitting down beside her. "Let's just breathe, okay?"
"I am CLEARLY BREATHING!" Thorn shouted, and Smolder retreated with raised arms. "The only problem is I don't know if my son still is!"
"Maybe he's just being an average teenager?" Smolder tried unhelpfully. "Y'know, rebelling and stuff?"
Thorn was now crying, and so was I.
"No," she said, "you don't understand. Qibli wouldn't do that to me." She angrily wiped away her tears. "God, what if something happened to him? What if he's dead?"
What if he's dead? What if he's dead? What if he's... dead?
He couldn't be. He's too smart to die.
Smolder took the phone from Thorn and calmly talked to the police. With tears in my eyes, I called Winter.
"What?" His voice seemed tired and totally not in the mood for me at that moment.
"He's missing." I swiped at my eyes and tried not to bawl right in front of him. "Qibli's actually gone."
This time he didn't reply with the same attitude. "What?" He seemed genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"
"He's been missing for more than eight hours now." My leg was bouncing in anxiousness. "Thorn's calling the police. She... she thinks he's dead. But he can't be, right?"
There was a long sigh on the other line, then there was a string of curses that came from Winter until he finally said, "I'll be there in 10."
He hung up and I texted Kinkajou and Turtle to come over, saying that it was urgent.
"*"
11:00.
The police were at the house, asking Thorn a series of complicated questions as Smolder stood beside her.
Meanwhile, Sunny, Deathbringer, Turtle, Kinkajou, Winter, and I all sat in the living room, whispering and trying our best not to panic.
Kinkajou was losing it the most. "So he didn't say anything at all about where he was going?"
"No." I shook my head. "He said something about making amends."
"With Sunset?" Turtle immediately guessed.
"I thought the same thing, but I didn't ask." I nervously played with a strand of my hair. I didn't feel real. I felt like my mind and my body were two completely different things. That we weren't connected at all.
"I'm calling him again," Sunny said, standing up and walking upstairs.
"Qibli's always doing stupid shit like this," Winter growled, running a hand through his hair angrily. Kinkajou was now crying.
"You think he's okay?" I squeaked.
"Hard to tell," Winter said, rolling his eyes, and Turtle shoved him. "What? Qibli's an idiot. He probably died from petting a squirrel in the middle of the highway." Turtle shoved him harder.
"He isn't dead," Kinkajou said fiercely, tears staining her cheeks, and Turtle rested a hand on her shoulder.
I wanted to believe her, but I also didn't want to set up unrealistic expectations.
Don't lose hope.
"By 'make amends'," Deathbringer suddenly said, "could it have been with the person Qibli fought? What was his name? Fjord, I think?"
We all thought about that before shooting him down.
"They despise each other," Turtle said.
"Can't stand each other," I agreed.
"Pretty much want to kill each other," Winter added.
"Fjord's annoying," was all Kinkajou said as she sniffled, "but he isn't horrible. Well, he is. But like, at the same time, he isn't. At least, I don't think."
I gasped. "What if it has something to do with his mother?" I asked. "What if he finally left with her?"
"All of his stuff is still here, though," Turtle pointed out, looking around. "And I don't think he'd just leave like that. If it does have to do with his mother, then he got kidnapped at best."
"Or blackmailed," I murmured, and they glanced at me.
"What an idiot," Winter cursed. He seemed more angry than sad. He's worried. I can tell. "He goes out and doesn't tell a single soul where he's going. And now, the longer we sit here talking about it, the lesser chance we have of finding him alive."
"Stop saying that!" Kinkajou yelled at him. "He's alive and he's going to be fine! Stop saying he'll die!"
"Life isn't all cupcakes and rainbows!" Winter yelled back. "Sometimes you need to wake up in the real world, Kinkajou! It's full of people dying every day, so just because Qibli's important to you, that doesn't mean he'll beat the odds and survive the unsurvivable!"
"So you're just going to give up on him?" Kinkajou shouted. She was crying more now. "You're going to give up on the person who's stuck with you even though you're a douche?"
"I'm not giving up on anyone!" Winter cried. "I'm preparing us for when reality strikes! Because if you don't, it's going to hit you harder than you expected and knock you right off your feet!"
"Stop fighting," I quickly interjected before things could get uglier. "We need to—"
I abruptly stopped as my phone vibrated in my lap. Everyone else noticed it as well and stopped talking to stare at my phone, which was currently facing down. It then vibrated twice more.
"What are the odds that that's Qibli?" Deathbringer asked, and everyone looked at each other.
"Well?" Winter demanded. "What are you waiting for?" I quickly lifted my phone and stared at the screen.
I froze.
S.
O.
S.
"Who is it?" Turtle asked, staring at my face to try to read my expression.
I stood up and ran into the kitchen, ready to start crying again. Thorn was still being questioned by the police.
The others quickly followed after me, panicked looks on their faces.
Thorn saw us and wiped her tears, pushing past the police. "What?" she asked urgently. "What is it?"
"Qibli texted me," I blurted. Thorn's eyes widened.
"Is he alright?" she demanded, walking toward me. Everyone looked at me.
"I don't think so," I whispered. I handed her my phone and watched as her expression shifted from hopeful to horrified.
"What does it say?" Smolder asked, peeking over her shoulder. The others tried to get a look, too.
"It's an SOS signal," Thorn squeaked, and then she suddenly seemed faint. The officer who was questioning her quickly walked over.
"May I see the text?" he asked, and I nodded. He took it from Thorn's hand as she slightly staggered backward.
"Okay, you need to sit down and drink something," Smolder commanded, leading her toward a chair. "You're dehydrated and you look like you're going to pass out."
"But Qibli—" Thorn gasped.
"Is going to be taken care of," Smolder gently said. "As of right now, there's nothing you can do to help him other than provide information. I have a gut feeling that he'll be alright."
"We might be able to track this number," the officer said. "You all need to stay put. We call you when we have an update."
"Wait!" Kinkajou cried. "So we're just supposed to sit here and hope for the best?"
The officer looked at her before nodding. "We can only focus on Qibli right now, and if you want us to find him, you will cooperate."
Kinkajou was left with her lips slightly parted as the officers walked out, talking on their radios.
"*"
We all huddled in the living room. All of our phones (except mine) were resting on the coffee table facing up, and none of them were on silent. We just sat there, waiting for a call and resting our heads on each other's shoulders.
My head rested on Kinkajou's shoulder and hers was on Turtle's, who sat beside Winter. Deathbringer sat on the far end of the couch, staring at our phones. Sunny had her head rested on Thorn's shoulder while Thorn had hers on Smolder's.
It was midnight.
All hope was sucked out of me.
Anytime there was a notification from anyone's phone, we all eagerly leaned forward to see, but it was never Qibli or anything useful. Nobody was crying anymore. We all kind of just stared blankly forward, wishing for the best.
I fidgeted with the necklace Qibli had given me on my birthday. I thought about him nonstop. I thought about his smile and his clever jokes. I thought about the way he often flirted with Winter and how he'd wink at me after.
Stop thinking about him like he's dead.
Still, I thought about his arms around me and his lips on mine. And I thought about every time he was there to comfort me.
I thought about how I never got to tell him I loved him.
Do I?
I stopped.
I think I do.
"He gave you that, didn't he?" Thorn whispered, and I realized she was talking about the necklace I was fidgeting with.
"Yeah," I whispered back. Thorn sighed, resting a hand on her stomach as she stared at the roof.
"He texted you," she said after a moment. I stared at her. "He texted... you. A year ago, he came to me with all his problems. But in this life or death situation... you were his go-to person." She turned her head to look at me. "That means he really trusts you, Moon. He's moving on from his mother to his... future. I won't always be here to take care of him, but I'm trusting you will."
I opened and then closed my mouth. I didn't know what to say. Thorn turned back to stare at the roof.
"He never liked me," Smolder mused, letting Thorn rest her head on his shoulder. "He wants to protect the people he loves. I get it. He doesn't know me and I showed up out of nowhere. I owe him a proper meeting. And maybe an apology."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Thorn mumbled, and then she quietly laughed. "Qibli's like that. He'll be a bit harsh for a while, but he'll warm up to you. I can sense it."
Smolder looked down at her. "Yeah, well you're pregnant so I don't really trust your senses at the moment."
Thorn let her eyes flutter shut. "Don't believe me, then, but watch. You'll finally see the Qibli I know."
I looked down at my hands, continuing my thinking.
Suddenly, very loudly, one of the phones rang.
"*"
"I should warn you, though," the doctor said to us as we waited in anticipation outside of Qibli's hospital room. Thorn had asked Deathbringer to stay behind and watch over Daisy and Ostrich as they slept, and he reluctantly agreed. Kinkajou, on the other hand, had to go home, since her mom ordered her to, but we promised to keep her updated.
Through the windows of Qibli's room, I could see him lying down on his back with a hand covering his face as if the light pained him. He was breathing evenly but seemed bothered for some reason.
He still hadn't noticed us yet.
The doctor continued, "Qibli's stable but his MRI and PET scans still haven't come back, so we're not sure if he has damage to his brain. He is suffering from a concussion and a few fractures, and I should also let you know that he has mercury poisoning, which can cause permanent memory loss and other neurological problems, but it all comes down to the amount of exposure."
"Mercury poisoning from what?" Winter demanded.
The doctor shook her head. "He won't talk. The police tried asking him questions, but he hasn't said a word."
"Where'd they find him?" Turtle asked. The doctor shook her head again.
"That's information I don't have access to," she said. "I'm sorry. If you guys want to see him, try to keep your voices down. I'll be out here if you have questions."
"So, someone poisoned him?" Sunny cried, horrified. "Who'd do that?" Sunny rested her head in her hands. "I need a drink. I'll be back."
I turned and stared at Qibli, melancholy filling my waking thoughts.
Thorn hadn't said a word, but she seemed angry. At Qibli or his attacker? I couldn't tell.
Finally, Thorn walked into Qibli's room with Smolder, Turtle, Winter, and me right on her heels. Thorn stopped a few feet from his bed, looking as if she was going to start crying again.
Qibli finally removed his hand from his face when he heard footsteps approaching him.
His face lit up.
At least he still remembers us.
Then his face slowly fell as he noticed all of our angered expressions.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Thorn lashed out, frowning. Qibli winced.
"I'm sorry," he said, this time seeming sincere. I approached him and pulled him into a gentle hug, burying my face into the crevice of his neck.
"It was stupid," Qibli admitted, hugging me back tightly.
"You're damn right, it was," Winter scoffed, crossing his arms as Thorn and Turtle walked forward. "You got poisoned, for fuck's sake." He immediately apologized when Thorn cast him a stern look. "Sorry."
I pulled away from Qibli so Thorn could also embrace him, but instead, she smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Qibli cried as I smothered a laugh with my hand. "Concussion, remember?"
"What the hell were you thinking?" Thorn repeated more aggressively.
"I'm sorry!" Qibli said, dodging Thorn's hand when she tried to hit him again.
"Dude," Turtle said, "we thought you were dead. Where'd you even go?"
Thorn finally stopped hitting Qibli to pull him into a bone-crushing hug, which Qibli also found pain in.
"Fjord's place," he finally answered, and Thorn immediately pulled away.
"What?" she asked as Winter mumbled, "What an idiot."
"You went to Fjord's house?" I demanded. "Why would you even consider that? The guy wants you dead, Qibli. Are you out of your mind?"
"I'm wondering the same thing," Turtle agreed. Winter rolled his eyes.
"Why would you go there and not tell me?" Thorn cried, resorting to hitting him again. Qibli dodged as many as he could.
"I was trying to make amends!" Qibli cried. "It wasn't even my idea! He was the one who told me he wanted to apologize."
"And you believed him?" I asked, to which Qibli sheepishly nodded.
"I just thought that if Fjord and I were on good terms, he'd stop..." Qibli trailed off, glancing at me. "It was dumb. I'm sorry."
"Wait, wait, hang on," Turtle interrupted. "So... Fjord poisoned you?"
Qibli shrugged, thinking. "I mean, we can't really—"
"Did he offer you anything?" Thorn asked.
Qibli narrowed his eyes, and then he seemed slightly exasperated in himself. "Yeah, he gave me a glass of water. I drank it."
"Qibli!" Thorn and I cried at the same time as Winter scoffed, "You seriously can't be this stupid."
Then Thorn seemed mad. "Where are the police who questioned you? If he poisoned you, I will kill him with my bare hands."
Smolder, who had been leaning on the doorframe so Qibli wouldn't notice him, pushed himself up and walked up to Thorn. Qibli saw him and immediately averted his gaze.
"You aren't killing anyone," Smolder sternly said. "You've been freaking out for hours now. It isn't good for you or the baby. You should sit down."
"But Fjord poisoned him!" Thorn snapped. "We need to get the cops and—"
"And we will," Smolder gently said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You seriously need to rest. I'll go get them for you if you want."
Thorn didn't seem like she wanted to, but I could tell the exhaustion was slowly getting to her. "Fine." She turned to Qibli and grabbed his face, drowning him in kisses.
Mother.
"Mom—" Qibli complained, but then he gave up after a while.
"And just so you know," Thorn said, pulling away so Smolder could lead her to an officer, "you're grounded."
Qibli sighed as she walked out. "I can barely remember anything." He looked at me. "Can you remind me who you are again?"
My heart sank.
"Just kidding," he said, and I smacked him.
"Ow!" he cried. "What's with all the hitting for?"
Without any warning, Winter pulled Qibli into a crushing hug, which I did not expect in the slightest, and judging from the look on Qibli's face, neither did he.
Turtle and I exchanged a look.
"You're such an idiot," Winter mumbled, not letting go. I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lip as Qibli slowly hugged him back. I giggled and joined the hug, and Turtle eventually joined as well.
From the doorway, Sunny squeaked, "What did I miss?"
"*"
The doctor hadn't cleared Qibli for school yet, and he was on meds for a few months. Thankfully, there were no neurological issues and Qibli had all his memories intact.
Meanwhile, there was still no word on what happened to Fjord.
"There are so many different options," Kinkajou pointed out. "Qibli, I might need help on my college application."
"Sure thing," Qibli said as we all sat down on his bed. "But last time I read it, it seemed fine."
Lynx was also there, applying to a college on her laptop. "I want to be in the medical field."
"Same," I agreed. "Not a surgeon or anything, but maybe a NICU nurse or something. I love babies."
"Holy crap, that would be so cute!" Kinkajou said. "I can totally see you handling babies. I kinda wanna deliver them, you know?"
"Just sent my application," Turtle muttered, and he genuinely seemed worried.
"Really?" Kinkajou asked, crawling over to him.
"Me, too," Winter said, shutting his laptop.
"Same here," Lynx announced.
"I thought we were sending them together!" Kinkajou cried. "I mean, applications to the same college? We kind of have to!"
"Sent," Qibli said, and then caught the look Kinkajou sent him. "Oh, sorry. Were you saying something?"
"I just sent mine, too," I said to Kinkajou. "Yours is fine. Send it."
After a long argument with Kinkajou, we finally got her to send hers. She was convinced her application was horrible or needed tweaking, but Qibli assured her it was perfect.
Now all we have to do is wait.
I looked at Qibli.
And get answers from Fjord.
<3