One Lost, Two Found

Chapter 10

Isla

After a few hours of on and off sleep that night, I got up to go to the bathroom.

On the way, I heard some voices coming downstairs. 

I was pretty sure one was DJs but I couldn't tell who the other one was.

I walked down a few stairs and peeked into the living room.

DJ and Preston were taking their shoes and coats off.

I ran down the stairs and they turned.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Would you believe we went on a walk?" DJ asked with a sigh.

"I would have if you hadn't said it like that," I admitted.

"I'm gonna head to bed, you teenagers are going to get me in trouble," DJ said, walking past us and into the spare room. 

Preston turned to face me.

"We went to get Freddie out of her house."

"Ohhh," I said, understanding. "Were you not successful?"

"She and Jonah went in her car," he said, walking over to his pillow bed on the floor.

"Okay," I said, nodding. "I'm going back to bed, then."

Preston

I had just fallen asleep when I was shaken awake again.

"Can't a guy sleep?!" I groaned. 

I rubbed my eyes and looked up to see Jonah and Freddie standing above me.

"Oh. Hey Freddie!" I said.

She smiled. "Hi."

"We really need to talk," Jonah said.

"Oook," I said suspiciously.

"I'll cut to the chase. Freddie and I are going on a trip to find Jada."

"You WHAT?!" I whispered loudly.

"You wanna come?" 

"Why would I WANT to do that?!"

"Because Jada's our best friend and you want to find her," Freddie retorted.

"Fair point, but why can't we just tell people we're going?"

"I already asked my parents. They said it was 'too dangerous.'"

"They're right!" I said, grabbing my glasses and stood up.

"Listen, guys, I want to find her too, BELIEVE me. But I don't want any of US to go missing either."

"But we aren't helping by just sitting around," Freddie said.

I sighed.

"Fine. But if we get into a bad situation just know that it wasn't my suggestion."

"Yes!" Jonah and Freddie excitedly said. 

Jonah and I packed the stuff we brought and I put on my coat and shoes for the second time tonight.

"Ready," I grumped.

We hurried out of the house and got in Freddie's car.

"So we're really not telling anyone?" I asked.

"We left a note at the Maxwell house," Freddie said, driving off.

"Okay… what about our phones?? Can't they track it somehow?"

"It won't matter. If they find us, they find us," Jonah said.

"Where are we even going??" I asked. "We have NO idea where Jada would even be."

"That's where you're wrong," Jonah said, taking something out of his backpack. 

He pulled up a picture on his phone. 

I took it and looked at it. 

"What am I looking at?" I asked.

"This was the last location a black truck identical to the one people saw right after Jada went missing."

"Ohhh," I said, nodding. "Have the cops not looked yet?" 

"Nope. They're going tomorrow. But by tomorrow they'll probably be long gone."

"Okay, this is starting to make sense," I said, feeling a little less lost.

"It's about eight hours away," Jonah said. 

"Oh my," I replied, feeling a little more lost.

"So I can't even text my parents to say I'm fine?" 

"Sure you can, just don't say where we are."

So I sent a short but detailed text to my parents who I knew wouldn't see it for awhile.

We drove for about two hours when Jonah offered to switch with Freddie. 

We pulled into a gas station and Jonah took the driver's seat. 

After a few minutes we were on our way again. I felt myself getting tired and Freddie was already asleep in the front seat.

Jazz

The next morning I rolled over to see Isla sleeping on the ground, and the past few day's events hit me yet again.

I got up and quickly got ready.

I headed down the stairs and walked into the living room. Jonah and Preston weren't there, and I assumed they moved their stuff somewhere.

I had also woken up later than normal, because I had actually gotten sleep.

I headed to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.

When I walked in I saw DJ standing at the stove making scrambled eggs, looking half asleep.

"Hey," she said, yawning.

"Morning," I said, taking a tea bag out of the pantry.

"Do you know where Jonah and Preston went?" I asked.

"Who?" She muttered sleepily.

She blinked a few times and seemed to wake up a little more.

"Oh. No."

"Why are you so tired?" I asked. "I mean, I hardly get any sleep either, but you-"

Her eyes widened as she froze.

"What?!" I asked urgently.

She bolted out of the kitchen, leaving the almost burnt eggs on the stove. I quickly switched it off and followed her.

She ran into the living room and to the couch Jonah and Preston took turns sleeping on.

I hurried in after her.

I noticed a piece of paper on the couch and my heart began racing. 

Her eyes widened as she read it.

"What?!" I cried and tried looking over her shoulder.

She handed it to me, looking shocked and not saying a word.

I scanned it quickly. 

"Hey guys. Thanks for having us but  Preston, Freddie and I felt like we should be doing more. We're headed off on a search for Jada. Please don't worry, we're being extremely careful and we should be back in a week.
-Jonah."

I gasped.

"This is all my fault. I took them to Freddie's last night. I should have known they were planning something else," DJ panicked.

"YOU took them to Freddie's?!" I exclaimed. 

"I don't have time to talk now. I'm going after them," She said, and sprinted towards the stairs.