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Original Edition: 26 | Vanish

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I WAKE TO the sound of Mason's voice

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I WAKE TO the sound of Mason's voice.

He's sitting next to me, leaning against the headboard of the bed, his phone pressed to his ear, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and he glances at me when he notices I'm awake. Processing the situation, I slowly sit up, frowning as I try to figure out who he's speaking to.

He looks away from my scrutiny, murmuring his assent to the person on the other end of the line, and I wait for him to finish the call and enlighten me.

"Thank you for letting me know," he says, his tone hushed and weary, and for some reason my heart begins to sink. His gaze flickers to me. "I'll pass along the information."

After ending the call, he sets the phone down, sighing heavily and dragging his hands over his face. He remains that way for a while, and I begin to feel restless, wondering what else could have possibly gone wrong overnight. Finally, he pulls his hands away, studying my features with a solemn expression.

"You're scaring me," I hum quietly, resisting the urge to fidget with my fingers.

He raises his eyebrows. "That was Officer Ramirez. Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?"

"Good news," I conclude, feeling a flare of nerves, and his expression doesn't change.

"Okay," he says, before pausing. "Dr. Meyer has been taken into custody. They cornered him last night when he tried to cross the border. Apparently, he confessed to everything."

My eyes widen at the unexpected words, though I feel a surge of excitement at the thought of the twisted doctor getting thrown behind bars, especially after learning he was trying to flee. "Holy shit," I breathe. "What's the bad news?"

His jaw tightens reflexively, and his fingers twitch, almost looking as though he feels the need to throw something. Pursing my lips together, I reach out, placing my hand over one of his and giving it a squeeze. He intertwines our fingers with a sigh, eyes flickering to mine again.

"You're not going to like this," he warns.

"That's why it's called bad news," I reply.

He hauls in a big breath, releasing the words on his next exhale, "There's no sign of Zoe, Dylan, or James anywhere."

I feel myself freeze, my body going rigid and my heart stopping, the words striking me in the chest. I pull my hand away from Mason's to place it over my mouth, every part of me sinking lower and lower without ceasing. In hindsight, I suppose it was naive of me to think that going to the police would solve everything, that it would all be over after what happened yesterday.

Lips trembling, I look away from Mason's sympathetic gaze, and for the first time in a long time, I actually want to be alone, my arms wrapping around my torso. I want there to be no witnesses if I feel the need to scream and sob and break things. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mason tentatively reach out to touch my arm, but I shift away, not wanting to be touched at the moment, just needing to breathe.

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