Sonope

Chapter 3

Mrs. Wolfer was crying as she called her husband. Darby tried to comfort her, but saw no way to do so. After a while, she quietly left.

Once outside, she was greeted by Olive's four friends from school, all sporting a varying degree of hostility. She stopped and glanced between them.

"What?"

Naman was the one who spoke up. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to her?"

Darby took a step back. "Wait, you think I have something do with this? No way! If anything, I should be asking the same of you!"

The boy she hadn't met yet scoffed. "Sure, blame us, the people who have been her friends for probably longer than you have."

The girl turned to him. "Andrew this is Darby, Olive's friend since practically birth. You aren't scoring any points on that front."

Andrew turned to her, eyes wide. "You barely know her, Rou, and you're taking her side?"

Jason took his hands out of his pockets. "It wasn't anyone standing here, probably."

They all turned to look at the boy, who was wearing a blank expression.

He looked right back at them. "What? She seems like a good enough person, and from what I've heard, she isn't even capable of lying, let alone kidnapping."

Rou nudged Andrew, as if to say 'I told you so.'

Jason turned to face the street. "If anything, we might be looking at a hate crime."

Darby frowned. "A hate crime? Why?"

Jason whirled back around to bore into her eyes. "We are all Turnings. Some people at school don't exactly like the fact that we live privileged lives, or the fact that our parents never see us again after age 15, or possibly the fact that the only consolidation they get once we do Turn is money, tech, food, and basically material possessions."

Darby blinked away from those icy eyes to read the expressions of the others, which were all grim, speaking of the truth that rang through Jason's words.

She turned back to him, brow scrunched. "Wow, public school sucks. Any suspects?"

Jason shrugged. "I'll think on it. Why don't we all meet up in the park in half an hour. That will give us some time to think."

The others started to wander off, and Darby felt a bit hopeless. She walked home, dragging her feet. As she approached the door, her pocket buzzed at her. She pulled out her phone to see she had gotten a text from Paravi.

"I know the party is probably still going on, but how's it going? Any cute boys?"

Darby smiled sadly, replying, "There was no party. Olive is missing. I did get to meet her friends though."

"HAHAHAHAHA oh man, you almost had me for a second."

"No, dude, I'm serious. Her room was trashed and we suspect a kidnapping. I'm really freaking out right now, but her friends have an idea."

"Oh fetch you're serious aren't you... How can I help?"

Darby sighed. "You can't, really. I'm going to the park in half an hour so we can maybe investigate where she went."

There was a pause before Paravi replied, "Ok, good luck."

Darby smiled a bit. "Thanks. Some Turning week, huh?"

"And it's only just begun."

——-

Darby was the first to arrive. Since she really had not much to think on, or gather really, she went to the park a bit early and plopped herself down on a bench, already exhausted from the stress. She practiced taking deep breaths, leaning back and generally just working herself up over her best friend being gone, and possible dead why did I think that oh god.

Needless to say, she was still worried when everyone else started arriving, if not more than she was to begin with.

Rou and Andrew were the first to arrive, followed by Naman. After a minute of awkward milling around and small talk that didn't get past the first few lines, Jason showed up.

But so did Paravi.

And Taylor, Quinn, and Erin.

Darby stared at Paravi. "What...?"

She shrugged. "I knew this was serious and she means a lot to you. I couldn't just sit back and watch you scramble around. I needed to be a part of it."

She turned to look Naman up and down. With an innocent expression, she said, "Who's this loser?"

He stiffened. "I am Naman. And you are?"

She smiled brightly. "Paravi."

He looked taken aback and squinted. "Like the sandwich?"

Her smile seemed stressed. "No, that is a 'parogi,' with a 'g.' I am Paravi, with a 'v.'"

She turned slightly to Darby, still beaming, and said not so subtly, "I hate him already."

Jason looked up, seemingly out of a daydream. "Ok then. To business."

Naman jumped up. "What? In front of these random people?"

Erin stood in front of him. "Of course, how rude. Let me introduce us. I am Erin, that is Taylor, you've already met Paravi, and that is Quinn."

The brown, curly haired girl waved and smiled before sitting down on the bench beside Darby. Taylor nodded in that weird way boys do. Andrew politely nodded back, if a bit curtly.

Jason shrugged. "Ok, now we can get to business," he paused to look down at Naman, "unless of course there are any further complaints?"

Naman sighed. "Not that anyone ever listens to me anyway..."

Jason nodded. "True. Now then. One of my good friends is gone and I would like to figure out why and how. I assume everyone else is here for the same reason. However, seeing as I don't really pay attention in school to list people as suspects, I'll let you guys have the floor."

Rou stepped up. "Hello to you newcomers, I'm Rou, that's Andrew, Naman, and Jason. Anyway, the point Jason brought up yesterday was that this might have been a hate crime. See, we go to the public school, at not everyone likes us, so they go out of their way to make our lives miserable. One of the main players is Matt Crusion, someone in Olive's homeroom class, and most others, who has always been a thorn in her side, as she claimed. Perhaps we should pay him a visit."

Taylor raised his hand a bit. "Why him? Is he the leader? Are there even enough people that there could be a leader?"

Andrew stepped forward to speak. "Well, he's like the main advocate. Other people don't like us, but he is waaaay more open about it. The five of us sometimes faced assaults or attempts at what he called 'punishment for being born freaks.' Needless to say, not pleasant."

Erin and Quinn looked taken aback.

"Wait," Quinn said, "assault? That sound horrible!"

Naman nodded. "My glasses have been broken a few times, as have Rou's; but hers not as often."

Rou shrugged. "I figured out how to avoid him really quickly."

"Anyway," Jason spoke up, "I'm going to visit his house this after this. Anyone want to come, they can. Meet up again at 4? Should give Andrew plenty of time to curl his luscious locks."

Everyone laughed a bit as Andrew said, "Hey! That's only 6 hours, you heartless monster!" which only made everyone laugh harder. It seemed like it was over too soon for Darby as she said goodbye and they all went their separate ways.

Maybe Matt Crusion would have the answers and this would all be over.

Sadly, Jason did not come to the meeting in the evening. Neither did Quinn, Naman, or Roujon.

This left Darby, Andrew, Taylor, Erin, and Paravi.

Suddenly this didn't seem like a simple disappearing.