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Enjoy the story, everyone. Hopefully next chapter will be longer.
Two hours and counting. That is how long she had been missing. Two hours and no word from her at all.
Nella Sampson was standing over the kitchen sink, filling up mugs for hot chocolate. She knew that to keep her sanity she needed to keep busy. In the next room, George was seated on the sofa; Dave was sprawled out on the floor; Denise was sitting in a cushioned chair looking extremely annoyed and Ned was pacing the floor very nervously. The room remained almost dead quiet with the exception of the occasional soft crack of the warm fire in the fireplace.
When the group had arrived two hours earlier, they reported to Nella that Nancy was missing. They had looked all around the restaurant for her, inside and out. But finally, a waiter had told them it was a practical joke. They finally decided to come to the Sampson's house to wait.
But that was two hours ago. If her disappearance really was a joke, it had gone on far too long.
Nancy's purse and coat had been left behind. Her friends had brought it back with them when they left the restaurant. Leaving her purse behind was understandable. But Nancy leaving her coat wasn't quite as understandable. It was cold outside—only a few degrees above freezing, in fact. Going anywhere without a coat was foolish.
Nella shook her head as she dumped packets of coco mix into each mug. She stirred each one before putting them on a tray and returning to the living room, where the anxious teenagers, eager for something to calm their nerves, swarmed her.
"None of you has heard from her?" Nella asked. They all shook their heads.
"I can't believe she would do something like this," George said.
"Are you sure we shouldn't at least call the police?" Dave asked. "She's been missing for over two hours. And anyone would begin getting tired of a practical joke after two hours. I have a feeling that there's more to this than it seems."
"Well, you're wrong," Denise said. "They said at the restaurant that it was a practical joke. Why would they lie about it?"
"It's just not like her, that's all," George said. She glanced at Ned. "Ned, take a seat. Losing it isn't going to get us anywhere."
Ned stopped pacing and hesitated, just a moment, before deciding against it and continuing to pace. "We should look for her again," he said. "If something happened to her—"
Suddenly, the telephone rang, and everyone, stunned by the sudden noise, jumped. Nella answered the phone before it could even finish ringing once.
"Hello?"
"Nella?"
"Nancy! Where are you? We've been worried sick."
The room was dead quiet behind Nella as she listened. "I-I need to speak to Ned," Nancy replied. "Is he there?"
"Yes. Just a minute." Nella turned away from the phone and toward Ned. She held out the phone and he took it.
"Nancy, are you all right? Where are you?"
But the voice he heard on the other line wasn't Nancy. Instead, an uncanny, mechanical voice came over the phone.
"Good evening, Mr. Nickerson. First, I must say congratulations on your win. You must be excited for the championship."
"Where is she?" Ned asked.
The caller continued as if he hadn't even heard Ned. "Of course the championship must bring on pressure for Emerson's star player."
"Where is she?" Ned asked again, his voice full of force and anger—the anger that was slowly slipping out of his control as he realized the reality and actual danger of the situation.
"Not to worry. Your girlfriend is safe—for now. Now it's time to think about what you value more—the championship, or Ms. Drew's life."
Ned's heart began to pound faster and faster. The kidnapper continued.
"Lose the championship, Nickerson—or you'll never see your lovely girlfriend alive again."
The line went dead.