Riley saw the forest spinning. She felt herself fall deep into the forest, calling after Maya. Yet Maya would not come. Riley had been in a throng of nightmares all night, once again tangled up in her sheets.

"Maya!" She thrusted herself upwards in her bed, tears had already stained her face. But Maya did not come to her rescue. She hadn't for nearly two months. She glanced out the bay window at the Christmas lights and the flickering pieces of snow that surrounded the outside houses. She collapsed onto her pillow; a state of deep depression overcame her once again as fell back into a cold hearted sleep.

-

2 months before...

-

It was a gray October night when Maya went missing. At first, everyone thought she ran away. It became clear after just a few hours that she did not run away. Riley still remembers the chiming of her parents phones' at 2:07am. Followed by echoed yells of exasperation and surprise. Cory ran into Riley's room, hitting her doorframe with his side on the way in. He gripped his side and looked at her with lost eyes.

"Maya's missing Riley. Katy can't find her."
Riley couldn't find words to speak. Her world and body went tumbling into a spiral. She felt like she was roped into a trap that snatched her up like prey. She started shaking before unsteadily picking up her phone off of the night stand.

"LUCAS: (11:10pm) have you talked to Maya? She hasn't answered her texts since 8. Her and i really need to FaceTime to work on this project for class tomorrow. Let me know."

Another text from fifty minutes later.

"LUCAS: (12:00am) ok she's still not answering... Hope nothing's wrong. let me know what's up when you know, ok?"

"LUCAS: (1:13am) ok Riley I'm really getting worried. I texted Maya again and the message didn't deliver. I know you're sleeping but please tell me if you've talked to her."

The phone lit up as Riley held it in her hand.
"LUCAS: (2:12am) oh my god Riley she's gone."

Riley dropped the phone onto her bed and mustered up the energy in her shaky legs to move.

"Dad.. Why isn't she with Katy? Maybe... Maybe she went to find Josh.." Riley's face lit up instantly!

She ran up to her father and tugged on his shirt sleeve.

"Yes Dad! She has to be with Josh!" She looked at Cory with expectant eyes, he was about to speak when her mother, Topanga walked into the room, Auggie being held by her. She shakes her head at him, as if knowing something Riley did not.

"What? Why are you shaking your head Mom?" She looked at her mother whom suddenly had tears in her eyes.

"She's not with Josh, Riley. Katy hasn't seen her since she left our house..."

Riley looked at her like that was impossible. She shook her head so forcefully that Cory had to take her into his arms.

"But... That was.. That was at 6! She always eats here the nights her Mom works, then goes home. She gets home, and turns on reruns of Tom and Jerry! She always does that Mom! She went right out the bay window like she always does-" Riley stopped to shove off of her Dad and ran to the bay window.

"She went right out the bay window! She's at home right now, she's in her room watching Tom and Jerry. She isn't gone! She isn't..." Riley went into a fit of tears as police sirens rung in the distance.

-
It was dark when he took Maya. She had been wary of him since the day she met him.
Taking a side art class wasn't originally Maya's idea. It was Shawn's. Of course, Maya hadn't felt the need to take a class outside of school, but Shawn saw the talent in Maya. He knew that she could be great. Greater than him at least.

It was then that the red man coughed. He smoked his cigarette as he flicked butts out the window, Maya counted the little specs fly by the window. She remembered the way something like that would be beautiful art to her. Now, she barely felt anything at all.
Her eyes were swollen from crying and her body weak from the sedative he gave her.

The red man had been watching Maya carefully from the art class. Always commenting on her work; seeming to be harmless, even acting like he had his own family. Maya started to realize there is a thin line between acting and lying.

"How you doing back there short stack?" He bellowed a chesty, ugly laugh. Maya felt her heart sink. She saw Lucas in her mind, Ranger Rick, Ranger Roy. Huckle-

A sudden jolt of the truck brought her out of the state of mind.

"Hey! I asked you a question. You answer me when I talk to you!" He put out his lit cigarette inches from Maya's hand.

"I'm-" Maya began to speak but then felt the nauseousness of the sedative kicking in again. She fell back into a deep, sick, twisted sleep.

The red man laughed and had a nasty sneer on his face as he pulled out another cigarette.

"Yeah, that's how I thought you'd be doing."

-

Riley slowly typed a message to Lucas.

"RILEY: "She can't be."
"LUCAS: "you haven't heard from her have you Riley?"
"RILEY: "No"
LUCAS: "I'm going out to look for her. You coming?"

Riley set her phone down as she looked at her parents with blurred eyes.

"Lucas said he's going to go out and look for Maya."

Cory and Topanga looked worriedly at each other.

"Tell Lucas we will meet him at Farkle's! I just got off the phone with Minkus." Cory hurriedly shoved things into a bag as he grabbed Topanga a coat from the hall closet.

"Honey put on your shoes and let's go. I never thought I'd have to do this, but I'm dropping off Auggie at the Stern's." Topanga rolled her eyes with a little laugh to Riley. She noticed it was not returned. She brought Riley in for a hug and held her tightly.

"It'll be okay Riley. We will find her."

All Riley could do was be silent.

After Topanga had dropped Auggie off the time seemed to slide by until they reached the Minkus household.

When they pulled into the driveway Lucas was outside of the house, pacing back and forth on the lawn, running his hands through his hair. Zay stood nearby shaking his head at the ground. Farkle was near Lucas on the grass. Riley felt a tiny smile as she saw him in his alien pajamas.

As soon as the car came to a halt Riley broke free of her parents and went straight for her friends. Lucas and Farkle embraced her quietly and somberly, while Zay stayed behind. He was still new to the friendship, and didn't feel comfortable invading their moment.

Riley took a quick glance back at her Mother and Father who were in deep conversation with the Minkus's and Katy.

"What do you guys know?" Riley held her shaky voice for as long as she could before a tear slid down her face. Farkle held out his sleeve as Riley managed a small smile and accepted it. She wiped her tear away and prepared herself.

Surprisingly, Zay was the first to speak up.
"They thought she ran away. That's what they were saying at least...Now..." Farkle knocked him in the ribs. Zay flinched and then looked as if he remembered something important. He muttered a 'sorry' under his breath as Lucas shot him a death glare.

"Wait... What do you mean 'were saying'-" Riley shifted her eyes to Lucas. "What do you mean now?"

Lucas breathed in and out a few times before speaking. And he found when he tried, he couldn't find the words. He instead bit his knuckle and punched a nearby tree. He recoiled as he looked at his bloody hand. Riley covered her mouth quickly in both shock and speechlessness.

"They found her ring Riley. Your friendship ring. They found it on a trail. Then they found her-" he stopped and looked at the burning black night above him. He was trying not to cry. He shook his head, "I can't do this, I can't." He walked off farther into Farkle's front yard.

Farkle got up from his seated position on the wet grass.
"They found blood. On the ring and then along the trail. They think it's hers." He said it with a steady tone. Farkle then sucked in air quickly and began to exhale at uneven paces.
Zay spoke up again. Placing a light hand on Farkle's shoulder.

"They think she was kidnapped."

Riley felt herself sink to the ground. She saw the stars tumble back and forth, jumping in the night sky. The next thing she saw was her Father's face, and then felt his arms around her as he carried her away.

-

It was morning, or what Maya assumed was morning when she opened her eyes. She was in the back of the van, tied down to the floor. The small window that showed the light was covered by a cut out portion of a black sheet. Maya could feel her cellphone in her shoe. She doubted it had any battery left, but she still held out hope that it could.

She adjusted her eyes to her surroundings, realizing the red man was no longer in the van, Maya debated screaming for help. Then, she realized, if she could get her phone, she may just have a chance.

Struggling to move her leg even an inch, she gave all the power she had and thrusted her leg upwards, attempting to shimmy the phone out of the shoe. She saw the head of the phone beginning to stick out, she did it again and the phone crashed to the ground, sliding inches from her face.

"Damnit." Maya was panting from exhaustion and weakness. She managed to get the phone close enough to her face. She pressed the button with her chin. Instantaneously, she saw message upon message from Riley, Farkle, Lucas, her mother... Even more than she had ever seen. She began to hear talk outside the van. She realized if she wanted to make a move, she would have to do it quickly.

Breathing heavily she unlocked her phone with her chin, she went to the first person who came to her mind.

She typed out the message, she could hear the red man coming back with each step.
"Black curtain. hes red and big. Maybe on interstate help" she typed it as fast as she could. She heard the car door open as the man finished his conversation. She hit send and glanced around as she shuffled the phone into her shirt with her chin, hoping that the red man hadn't heard her. She felt the quiet buzz of her phone and it confirmed happiness, even for a brief moment. The message was delivered.

Maya closed her eyes again and mouthed a silent but desperate sentence,
"Please don't give up on me Shawn. Don't give up on me."

-

It was around 4am that early morning when Shawn showed up to the Farkle household. His car screeched to a halt as he quickly his car door shut and ran up to Katy.

"Where the hell is she?! Why hasn't she come home yet?!"Shawn yelled this at the group as Cory came over to him, placing his hand on Shawn's shoulder.

"Shawn, they think she's been kidnapped."

Shawn's face went sheet white. He swallowed slowly and swallowed again. He felt his eyes fill with tears but he let out a deep sigh. He turned to Riley who was being hugged deeply by Topanga.

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

Riley shook her head. "I haven't talked to her since six yesterday."

Shawn looked defeated. Until Lucas chimed in.
"She texted me just before 7..." He stopped briefly and frowned.
"I told her we needed to work on the project and she told me 'hur dur'" Lucas smiled for a second and then shook his head.
"She was typing more... Then she just stopped."

Shawn suddenly went even paler as he looked at his phone which buzzed.

"It's.. It's Maya." He stuttered as he looked at the phone. He was confused.
"What does this mean? Black curtain... Red man?"

He showed the phone to Katy, Cory and Topanga.

"Interstate? Oh god. She's in a car." Katy held a hand to her mouth.

"Topanga, go tell the officer over there that we've gotten contact with her. Maybe they can trace her phone."

Topanga quickly nodded as Riley, Farkle, Zay and Lucas huddled together.

"Who d'ya think took her?" Zay asked this to the group, Lucas glared at him as he recognized Riley's hurt expression.

"What? You want me to sugarcoat it Lucas? She's gone. If we can figure things out, she has a chance of coming back."

Lucas shoved Zay to the ground, his eyes turning from sadness to fire.
"Don't you DARE say 'a chance.' She is coming back." Lucas fumed as Shawn came over and picked him off of Zay.

Farkle finally spoke up again,
"Lucas, fighting isn't going to bring Maya back. Logic will." He wiped off his pants and took a deep breath.

"Does anyone know anything different Maya has done?" Farkle began to question us and Shawn. Riley managed a smile for just a second.

"She started a club at school. The "Anti-Club" Club.

Shawn gave a confused look to Riley.

She shrugged,
"It'll catch on..."

Lucas looked like a lightbulb went off in his head. He snapped his fingers,
"The art class-" he went directly up to Shawn.

"The art class she's taking downtown. She told me that there was this older guy who always talks to her."

Shawn looked shocked. He of course thought if it was the man from the art class, he was responsible. He nodded as he grabbed Katy and the officer from Cory, Topanga, and the other parents

"Lucas said Maya told him about a creepy guy in her art class. He could be connected to this."

"The art class that Shawn signed Maya up for?" Katy looked at Shawn, who had covered his face with his hands. Looking as though he had felt all the shame in the world.

Riley pulled her grip from her father's and went over to Shawn.

"This isn't your fault Shawn." Maya took Shawn into her arms as he stood stiffly, no emotion radiated from him at all.

"It is. And that's why I'm going to find her. Whether it's the last damn thing I do."

-

Hope you enjoyed the story so far!
This is just the beginning of the story, and I have many ideas to continue it. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!

-Lindsey