We found the hopeless

Day 17

Tessa's pov

As we rode home in silence, the atmosphere inside the car was tense enough that I didn't even realize I was biting my lips. Suddenly, I bit down on one of my piercings too hard, causing it to bleed. "Fuck!" I muttered under my breath, trying to look for something to help cover the blood.

"Tess, let me see," Ricky said in a soft tone, and I sighed, feeling defeated. As I turned to face him, he gently placed his finger on my lips, causing me to blush. "It looks like you bit too hard on your lip, but it will be easy to clean," he said while tracing my lips tenderly.

Billy looked at us through the mirror and chimed in, "Remember what the piercer said about kissing!" I felt my face heat up, embarrassed by his comment, and looked out the window, hoping to hide my blush.

As we pulled into the driveway, my heart was pounding with anticipation. I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Suddenly, Billy spoke up, his voice filled with urgency, "Ricky, I want you to get her inside the house as fast as possible! Hide any evidence of what she did to her hair!" Without any hesitation, Ricky quickly grabbed me out of the car and practically carried me inside. I clung onto him tightly, fear gripping my chest.

As we entered the house, Em looked at us with confusion. "Em, hide! They're back! Billy will be in soon!" Ricky shouted before rushing upstairs to get rid of any evidence of my presence. I sat on the couch, feeling helpless and panicked.

Suddenly, I heard Chris's voice yelling in the background, "WHERE IS SHE, BILLY?" My heart skipped a beat as I realized the gravity of the situation. I had no idea what to do, so I sat there, frozen in fear.

Chris' pov

"I know she's here Billy! Where is Tessa?!" I shouted, my heart racing with anxiety and fear. Billy looked at me with hurt and confusion etched on his face. "I don't know where she is! She's been missing for a while!" he said, his voice trembling with emotion.

My mind was in overdrive as I tried to figure out where Tessa could be. I couldn't help but feel like I was running out of time. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind if we searched your house!" I said, my voice shaking with anger and frustration.

Without waiting for a response, I burst through the door and immediately noticed Kayla sitting on the couch. "Oh? You're here?!" I asked, surprised to see her. She jumped at the sound of my voice, clearly caught off guard.

"I'm actually staying here for a while...my parents kicked me out after they found out that I got another tattoo behind their back," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she fiddled with her thumbs.

My anxiety was at an all-time high as I grabbed her arm tightly and walked upstairs with her. "WHERE IS TESSA'S ROOM?!" I shouted in her face, my voice echoing through the empty hallway.

"I don't know who that is!" she cried, clearly terrified by my sudden outburst.

"Chris, that's enough," Ricky said, his voice calm and steady. "I know where her room is."

I pushed Kayla away from me, my heart racing with adrenaline. "If I find out that Kayla is Tessa, I'm not going to be happy with you, Ricky!" I said, my voice laced with anger and frustration.

"Dude, I've known Kayla for years. We went to the same school! We've been dating since freshman year!" Ricky said, annoyance etched on his face.

As we entered Tessa's room, I couldn't help but notice something suspicious. "Seems suspicious, you and Tessa went to the same school too!" I blurted out to Ricky. His expression turned serious as he replied, "Like I said before, Tessa meant nothing to me. Kayla is the only person I care about." I rolled my eyes at his response and shifted my attention to the messy state of Tessa's room.

"Has she been home? This room is a mess!" I exclaimed, feeling frustrated with the untidiness. Ricky looked around the room for a moment before responding, "No, Chris, Kayla only borrowed some clothes, but other than that, the room has been left the way Tessa left it." I let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

Ricky's pov
As we looked around Tessa's I room I suddenly heard Tessa scream in fear "Kayla?!" I shout while running downstairs with Chris following me.

I stood there in a panic once I saw Max holding onto Tessa's arm tightly "Max please let her go, Kayla didn't do anything she doesn't even know what's going on," I say in fear. "You're weak Ricky, you know you're supposed to bring every victim back home!" Max shouted. "Please sir, the only reason why I didn't is because her parents are very sick! She had to stay with them," I noticed his grip getting tighter around her. "Ricky..." she cried in pain "I'll find her and bring her back! Just let Kayla go!" I shout and he pushed Kayla to the ground.

"How about we take Kayla with us until he brings Tessa back to us?" Kody said and I froze in panic. "You're right we should so he doesn't get distracted!" Max said and started dragging her out of the house. "KAYLA!" I shout while chasing them outside, Vinny looked at me in a sorry way. "Ricky!" Tessa cried while trying to get out of max's grip, I quickly tried to get her out of his grip but I was too late. Max shoved me to the ground and pushed her inside the car. "RICKY!" Tessa's voice echoed while Max sped off.

Billy's pov

As I was sitting in my room, I suddenly heard Tessa's screams coming from outside. I rushed to see what was happening, only to find Ricky sitting on the ground, crying and shaking uncontrollably. I immediately approached him and asked, "Ricky, what happened? Where is Tessa?" The look on his face was enough to make me feel anxious and scared.

"They took her," Ricky managed to mutter between sobs. I felt a lump form in my throat, and my heart sank at the realization. "You let them take her again, Ricky?" I yelled, feeling a mix of anger and hurt. "You were supposed to protect her!"

"They want us to bring Tessa back to get 'Kayla' back," he explained, still crying. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "But Tessa is Kayla! We can't just get her out like that," I shouted in frustration. It was a hopeless situation, and I felt helpless.

Just then, Emma walked outside, calling out to Billy. I could see the confusion on her face as she saw the commotion. "Emma, she's gone again," I said, struggling to keep my emotions in check. Emma's face turned pale, and tears welled up in her eyes. I pulled her into a tight hug, trying to comfort her.

As we stood there, lost in our thoughts, Ricky suddenly spoke up, "I have an idea..."

Ricky's voice was filled with determination as he spoke, "We will find someone who bears a resemblance to Tessa, and use them as a decoy to get our Tess back." I let out a deep sigh, my mind racing with doubts and worries. "But would that really work?" I asked, hoping for a reassuring answer. "Of course it would," Ricky replied confidently. "We've done it before. We just need to get Tessa back to safety." His words resonated with me, and I knew that we had to do everything in our power to bring Tessa back home. "Okay," I said, nodding my head in agreement.

"Let's do this."