Sorry for missing an update yesterday!
This semester is getting really busy.
Hope you all enjoy!!
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Enid woke to the feather-light touch of a finger caressing her cheek.
Sleepily peeking through her long eyelashes, she saw Theodore standing by the bedside.
Still half-asleep, she gave a sleepy smile before pressing a small kiss on his hand.
He was startled to find her awake and he smiled softly at her as he sat beside her on the edge.
"Good morning, darling." His minty breath and musky cologne filling her sense.
"Morning, Theo." She murmured in response as she rubbed her eyes.
"Come down when you're ready and we'll get you some breakfast before Alexander takes you to campus." He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the spacious bedroom.
Now fully awake, Enid glanced around in surprise at her surroundings.
She must have fallen asleep in the library last night.
As she pulled the thick duvet from her body, she found she had been changed into a soft cotton nightgown.
Enid wondered if she should feel strange about them seeing her undressed while she was asleep, but she didn't.
She trusted them instinctively, intrinsically.
It wasn't like they hadn't already seen her nearly bare, anyways.
The room she was in was large, pale blue painted walls and furnished with dark modern furniture.
Stretching as she stood from the comfortable bed, she walked to the large windows along the right wall.
The grounds were blanketed in a thick fog, mysterious and enchanting.
She could see rows of hedges to one side, almost like a maze.
Turning from the view, she found a sweater, undergarments, and leggings folded on the dresser.
All of it in her size.
Dressing quickly, she ran a brush on the dresser through her tangled curls.
She poked her head into the attached bathroom and found toothpaste and a toothbrush still in its package.
Refreshed, she left the bedroom and trailed down the long hallway.
It seemed to take ages to reach the central staircase and she wondered if she had gone the wrong way.
Finally, she reached it and took the stairs two steps at a time as she hurried down.
Looking down at her feet, she did not notice the body standing at the bottom of the stairs.
She shrieked in surprise as arms wrapped around her waist and twirled her around.
Alexander's laugh calmed her at once and she playfully hit him on the shoulder.
"You scared me!" Enid pouted, her heart still racing from the surprise.
He grinned down at her before planting a kiss on her pouted lips.
"I'm sorry, angel. You were lost in your own world." He smiled, brushing his nose against hers.
Blushing at the affection, she watched as he carried her toward the kitchen.
Theodore was standing behind the stove, pouring eggs into a pan.
"I see you found our little adventurer." He said, his back still to them.
Enid wiggled to be released from Alexander's hold and padded over to the other man.
"What can I do to help?" She asked sweetly as he began to add cheese to their eggs.
"I've got it under control, love. Go keep Alex out of trouble." He winked at her, pointing the spatula in his hand toward the golden-haired man.
Alexander looked up with wide eyes, caught in the act of stealing a piece of bacon.
Enid giggled at his guilty expression.
It took longer to set the table than she expected, as Alexander kept engaging her in butter knife duels.
She was never one to bow out of a fight.
When breakfast was finished, Alexander retrieved her backpack from the front hall and walked her to his gold car.
Sinking into the luxurious seats, she watched dazedly as the world flew by outside the window.
She was just in time for History as they pulled into the empty faculty parking lot.
Waving at Alexander as she headed down the path, she already felt the pangs of missing them.
Classes seemed to drag on.
Her practice with Alexander that day had been canceled, as the music department had called a mandatory meeting about the winter gala.
As she finally left her Mathematics class, her phone buzzed in her coat pocket.
Retrieving it, she found it was a text from Emilia.
Hey! See you at the coffee shop at three! (;
Enid sighed internally; she had forgotten about the meeting with the police chief.
See you then! Xx
She sent back before turning to head toward the campus library.
She had a few hours to kill, so she figured she'd try to be productive during them.
She found a table in one of the corners, tucked between a shelf and one of the stained-glass windows.
Pulling her notes and laptop from her bag, she finally started her sadism essay for Theodore.
By the time three came around, she had finished her rough draft.
Wrapping her coat tighter around her, she hurried toward the coffee shop.
The Massachusetts air was frigid and unforgiving today, finding every inch of her exposed skin.
She sighed in relief as she entered the warm café and saw Emilia's grinning face at a booth in the back corner.
Quickly ordering her favorite steamed milk with pumps of vanilla and whipped cream, she made her way toward Emilia.
The establishment was not as she had expected, many of the tables open and the noise level low.
"My partner in crime! Enid, this is Chief Samuels, Jessie's dad." Emilia introduced her to the smiling bald man across from her.
His skin was dark and smooth, the wrinkles on his face showing he smiled often.
His police uniform was immaculate, shiny buttons and a gleaming badge.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Enid. My daughter said you were a lovely girl." His tone was friendly as he shook her hand.
"It's nice to meet you as well, Chief Samuels." She responded with a kind smile.
"Ah! An accent. Something Celtic?" He asked, a slight southern lilt in his voice.
"I grew up in Wales." Enid slid into the booth beside Emilia and took out her notebook and a pen.
"Oh, how lovely. Okay girls, what do you want to ask me?" He laced his hands on the table before him.
"Well, as I said on the phone, we're doing an investigative article on the disappearance of Patrick Thomas ll. We were hoping you could tell us about what you've found so far." Emilia said happily as she posed her pen, ready to write.
Chief Samuels hummed softly before taking a long sip of his coffee.
"I can tell you about everything that's in the public records, but that's all. Thomas was reported missing about two weeks ago. His father was the one who called in the disappearance." He informed; his tone solemn.
"And his father is the dean here at Pennington, right?" Emilia asked absentmindedly as she jotted down notes.
"Indeed. We sent officers out to his fraternity, which was the last place he was seen. His room held no clues; however, we did find that his car was missing." Chief Samuels frowned.
Enid felt her hands shaking lightly and she clenched them together under the table.
"We followed the tracker in his GPS to a ditch off campus where the car had been left, but he was no where to be found. However, we did find traces of his blood in the trunk." The man shifted, glancing around at the other oblivious customers.
"Do you have any idea what happened? Or who took him?" Emilia asked, her eyes wide.
"Not yet. We're still investigating. I can tell you that whoever did it was extremely methodical, though. It was pure luck that we found the traces of blood. That was what tipped us off that he wasn't just a runaway. It was almost a perfect crime." The chief took another large sip of his coffee.
"Wow." Emilia exhaled, "What will you do now?"
"Well, we're searching every inch of this town. We also found some possible suspect DNA in the driver's seat. We've already put out a state-wide watch for him. The FBI is sending some guys to help us, too. I've still got hope we'll find him." He smiled.
Enid's heart thrummed in her chest.
"D-do you think the individuals took him far?" Enid stuttered, clutching her drink with numb fingers.
"I don't know, we're not even sure if he's still alive. The longer it takes for us to find him, the worse the chances of him being so get." His phone buzzed and he retrieved it from his pocket.
Typing back a message, he began to stand.
"Well, I've got to run, girls. If you think of any more questions, just give me a call and I'll do my best to answer them." He smiled at them both before turning to walk out the door.
Emilia exhaled loudly.
"That was crazy, but we clearly have lots of investigating we still need to do. But first, I've got to pee. I'll be right back." Emilia squeezed Enid's shoulder as she slid out of the booth.
She took a calming breath, trying to release the tension in her shoulders.
"Enid." She glanced up to find the chief had returned, his face serious.
"Earlier when you asked me a question- you said, 'the individuals.' How did you know there was more than one?" He peered down at her and her breath caught in her throat.
Anxiety ignited in her veins, sending her heart rate skyrocketing.
"W-what? I didn't-" Her panicked response was cut off by Emilia sliding back into the booth.
"Did you forget something, Chief?" Emilia grinned, oblivious to her interruption.
"No. Just wanted to tell you both to call me if you hear or learn anything about the case."
His searching eyes on her as he spoke.
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Comments fill my heart with joy.
All my love, Sappho ✥