Priceless(A for KING & COUNTRY fanfic)

Chapter 13: strange encounters

"He did that for you?"

"Yeah." I replied. "He actually thinks about me and he's so sweet and thoughtful."

Mila and I were having a much needed girls day and I had just finished telling her what Joel had surprised me with the other day. We were heading to a small boutique that happened to be a favorite of both of us.

"Joel's the kind of guy you deserve." Mila smiled warmly. "I can tell you really like him."

"I do but—" My smiled soon faded thanks to the harsh truth of reality. "I shouldn't."

"Because technically you're married." Mila's voice was drawn out as if she was tired of remembering that.

"Legally." I added. My lips form a small smile and I remembered that night. "But Joel makes it very hard not to....by just being himself."

As we walked into the boutique, I bumped into a girl who looked around my age. She had brown, almost red hair and hazel eyes. She looked startled, almost terrified when she looked at me.

"I'm so sorry." I said. "I didn't see you."

The girl's eyes were wide and I realized she was looking over my shoulder. I turned around a saw a familiar face starring at her with an intense expression. Was that one of Steven's friends?

"I-I have to go." The girl quickly darted around me and ran to the guy. He yanked on her arm before telling her something and then tbey both walked away.

"That was...strange." Mila commented.

"Yeah." I said. I looked in the direction they had walked off in but I could no longer see them. "I hope that girl's okay. She seemed scared of the guy she went with."

As Mila and I shopped, I couldn't get that girl I had bumped into out of my mind. How terrified she looked, the way the guy yanked on her arm. And that guy. I almost certain it was one of Steven's friends. I never did like his friends. They were practically duplicates of him which the thought of there being more Stevens in the world terrified me. One of this Steven was too much already. More is the last thing the worls needs.

When Mila and I finished at the boutique we went to get lunch as as we walked to the restaurant, I ended up rounded a corner to sharply and bumped into another girl around age. She had black hair and dark brown eyes. She swallowed nervously.

"I'm Sorry." I said. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm sorry." She stammered, running past me. Just like the first girl, she looked petrified, worried, scared.

When I turned to watch her leave, I saw her run to another guy. He also looked like one of Steven's friends. Just like the first guy, this guy yanked the girl's arm and they walked off in the same direction as the first girl. A million questions we're running through my mind. Where were they going? What was that way? Did they know each other?

"You think those girls are in trouble?" Mila asked. "They both acted the same and went off in the same direction."

"I don't know." I admitted. "We don't even know who those girls are or where they were going."

"Still." Mila said. "That certainly wasn't normal. I wonder what made them so fearful. All you did was bunp into them."

I knew Mila was right. But was it me? Or was it whatever is going with those two guys? We kept on walking and just as we got to the restaurant, my phone rang. I saw that it was my boss and I answered immediately. I was a little confused. My boss usually never called me on my days off unless it was urgent. And even then, I usually wasn't the first person she called if there was a problem at work, even though I'm her assistant.

"Ara, have you seen Isabelle lately?" My boss asked. "I've been trying to contact her for the past few days but she has responded. She hasn't shown up to work for the oast few days either. And her parents and friends haven't seen her."

"No ma'am, I haven't." I replied.

"Well, keep an eye out for her. It's like she disappeared."

We talked for a couple more minutes before hanging up. Isabelle was always such a responsible and smart girl that I never would imagine her not showing up to work or disappearing without telling anyone. It's just not like her. She was my friend. I knew her habits and something seemed off.

I found her number and my phone and shot her a message asking her if she was okay. A few minutes went by and...no reply. Isabelle always answered her phone.

Was she missing or was she just not answering?

As Mila and I continued on with out day, I said a quick prayer that everything would work out. Not just for Isabelle but...for who those two girls were...if they were indeed in trouble.