Mr. Dark

Chapter Nine: Who's next?

"Running away from your problems is a race you'll never win." ~Evan Carmichael.

MAYA

I couldn't bear the pain of loosing two of my friends who I really cherished. "Why would it be us? Are we the only teenagers in Ceno?" I always asked myself dejectedly.

Mom said that I no longer eat much but to be sincere, I try my best to, but how did they expect me to eat when I can't even get my mind off the issue of loosing Luke and Anna?

"What does the kidnapper want? Is it random? We could just give it to him if he insists on it" My mom would always say.

"Come on Rose, you know there is no way of contacting them even if we try and the kidnapper never call." My Dad told her like a million times.

"That means he wants them for other things not even for the money, oh my God!" My mom lamented.

"Exactly! Let's pray he doesn't get our kids or so. Seriously, this city baffles me. Is it because we are the close to the woods, no neighboring town close by?" My Dad asked rhetorically.

"Maybe we should find a way of escaping from this city. We can go to another place and start all over." My mom reasoned.

"That is not possible. Ever since the news about this incident, ever city closed their borders, ours did likewise because they are trying to investigate the matter and be sure no one leaves the city." My Dad corrected.

What investigation? Ever since the incident, they always tell us that the matter is being investigated but I think they don't even know anything to do about it. They have never really done anything.

"Our Crime Investigation Agency sucks." I reasoned.

"I think they might even be working with them. No one really knows and from the look of things, the civilians need to take laws into their own hands, if any improvements are to be made o this search......."

"Just this morning, the CCIA, has verified another strike by one called Mr. Dark" The news on our flat screen television interrupted my thought and because it was important, I decided to check it out.

I noticed during that period that I was beginning to like the news. I mean, no teenager loves watching it because it's boring and tiresome but ever since we started expecting goodness from them, we all got to listen anytime there's an update especially on matter concerning "Mr. Dark" issues.

The young lady on the news looks as though she hadn't changed ever since I was a kid. "Maybe she really had superpowers." That was what I believed then. But seriously, she doesn't age. She been like that for years. Just average height with long hair, big eyes and long nose.

The only thing that changes about her is her clothing. She has a good taste of fashion and would always show up on TV with the latest ones.

Someone in my school once commented that the only reason some of them watches the news was to check out the latest trend on fashion through the female newscaster, Juliet J.

"The news has it that with the latest happening yesterday night, it has made it, 201 teenagers held captive in an unknown destination. The securities has reported that there has been no one trespassing around their area yesterday night and everyone maintained their night time. No one knows how the young boy was taken, it remains a mystery." Juliet J. from the news concluded sadly.

They are all mystery and need someone to solve them.

Max wasn't  even helping at all. He was always against the point of looking for Luke, even after Ann joined, he still haven't contacted me for anything.

Maybe he's just afraid or he actually hates us for real!

I can't just figure this out all alone, I need some one to help me out. I need Max.

MAX

I confused and downcast. I didn't even know what to do.

I thought about going out to save them but I was to afraid to do so all alone. I was also afraid to call Maya. I thought she was still angry at me over the matter we just concluded. Nothing was going well at that moment.

I knew I wasn't even good at solving mystery. There were some things I sure couldn't figure out by myself. But I knew someone who could!

Maya! But the problem was, would she forgive me?

After a day or what seemed to be like it, I decided to apologize to Maya do that we could solve the mystery together as friends.

I knew I couldn't just call her and she would listen.

Of course, she was a lady. I decided to apologize by getting her what she loved most, Video games!

Maya loved video games and because of that, I spent a huge sum, buying her the latest one she once told us about.

Maybe that would make her forgive me for being a jerk. I hope so

I bought the game and it was surprisingly the last  one in the store. So I was overcharged because of this. This was because due to the current border situation, getting things across costs a lot and also needs time.

I didn't care though. So long as it would make her forgive me.

When I got to her home and knocked, her sister opened the door. She told me that Maya was asleep and that she would be so so mad at me when she wakes up.

But I was ready to face the outcome because, it was all my fault.

"Well if you insist, I would be heading out. Just tell her when she asks that you opened the door for yourself. Bye!" Maya sister who was already leaving with her skateboard said and shut the door with full force.

Bye wicked child. You want to leave me all alone to suffer this.

"Who's there? Oh my God Max, is that you? What are you doing at my place? How did you get in?" Maya bombarded me with questions as she wakes from the noise made by the door when her sister shut it.

"Hey Maya, well I know you're mad at me but I just thought of how selfish I was. I think I'm the worst friend that ever lived. I let you guys down once, I won't do that again. I, we need to find them by any possible mean and I can't do that alone, I need you Maya, I need you!" I said sobbing like a baby.

"Me neither, come here we can do this together, pull yourself together." She said hugging me tightly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry I badged in, in the middle of something important, you guys can just continue I just came to take my school bag, That's all." Said Maya's sister who entered without knocking, she took her bag and left, smiling mischievously.

"But it's not even school day!" Maya shouted even though she had left few seconds ago.

"Hmmm, so how do we start?"I asked her.

"Thought you'll never ask!"

"Yeah I just did! and guess what, I got for you the game you always told us about. That's the last one in the store though." I said handing over the package to her and she grabbed it hastily from me, tearing it open with joy and removing the game from the box.

"What! Is that the latest one? I haven't updated to it yet! It must cost a fortune. Thank you." She said with a reassuring smile.

"You're welcome. Now let's do this!"