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ad happened for me to ever feel normal again. Even Sarah, normally bright and cheerful, was subdued, as if she were afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Jenny and Marcus seemed to sense the tension since they left much earlier than they normally would have. We all gave a collective sigh of relief when they were gone.
“That was awful,” Sarah groaned.
“It was,” I agreed with a frown. “It’s too hard because there’re so many things we can’t tell them.”
“It’s for their own good,” Ryan said. “The less they know the better.”
Ryan’s statement made me even more glum, and the mood seemed to permeate the group. We all looked up when Grant stood.
“I need to get some more clothes from my apartment.”
“I’ll go with you,” Ryan said as he stood as well.
Grant frowned. “Is that really necessary? I’ll be just downstairs for a few minutes. Marcus already thinks I’m acting weird. I don’t need a chaperone to make him think I’m acting any weirder.”
“Please,” I said before Ryan could answer. “It’s for your own good. We just want to keep you safe. Besides, they said they were headed to Jenny’s dorm.”
Grant sighed but nodded and they both left to go downstairs to his apartment.
“I’m exhausted,” Sarah announced as she leaned back against the couch. “I never knew it could be so tiring just waiting for something to happen.”
“I know what you mean,” I said sympathetically. “This must be so hard on you. I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?”
I shrugged. “I feel like this is all my fault. My father is the one behind all of this, and if it wasn’t for me, you guys wouldn’t be in danger.”
Sarah frowned deeply. “Don’t say that, Caitlin. You’re as much a victim in this as anyone else.”
“She’s right,” Simon said. “The worst thing to do is blame yourself.”
I didn’t speak as he slowly started rubbing the back of my neck, trying to relieve some of the tension that had gathered there. I kept quiet but I didn’t agree with them. It was my fault. But I wasn’t a victim. I would be the one to resolve all of this if it killed me.
Suddenly, there was a yell from outside. We all bolted towards the door, but Simon was the first one to reach it. He flung it open and we saw Ryan standing in the driveway, looking frazzled.
“Grant ran off! I don’t know where he is!”
“Shit,” Simon bit out as he ran down the stairs with Sarah and I following close behind him. His expression was ominous as he spoke when he reached Ryan. “How the hell did you lose him?”
“We were in the apartment and he said he had to go to the bathroom. He asked me to put some clothes in his bag for him while he was gone. When I was done, I went out to check on him and the bathroom door was open and he was nowhere to be found.”
Ryan looked pissed, but I wasn’t sure if he was angry at himself or Grant.
“Why would he do that?” Sarah cried out, fear making her voice break.
“He might not be in control of his body,” I said, not mincing any words. “We have to find him before it’s too late.”
“He’s definitely not in the apartment,” Ryan said. He glanced at the woods behind the apartment building. “He has to be out there somewhere since he didn’t take a car.”
“He’ll be okay, though,” Sarah said, her voice tinged with hysteria. “You said you saw him being shot with a gun. Where would he get a gun?”
For the first time since I had met him, Ryan looked nervous. “I keep a gun locked in my glove compartment. I didn’t think it was a problem since I have the only key. But I checked my car after I couldn’t find him and the glove compartment is open. The gun is missing.”
“Fuck!” Simon said fiercely. He glared at Ryan. “If anything happens to Grant, it’s on you. And I won’t let it go.” He quickly scanned the woods before speaking again. “We need to start looking for him now but we can’t separate. That’s the worst thing we can do.”
Fear was clawing at me, but I tried to keep myself in control. We would get to Grant in time. We had to.
