Riley POV.
It had been four hours since we had arrived at Sarah's, but something just seemed off. It didn't feel the same as it usually did.
"Hey guys, I'm going to the guest house, to get some more blankets" Sarah says standing up.
Smackle nods, "I'll come with you, if you want"
"Great! Come on" The brunette haired girl says urging the smaller girl to follow her.
"What's up with Sarah?" Maya asks as soon as our two friends have left.
"What do you mean?" I ask as I play with my charm bracelet, my boyfriend of four years Charlie gave me.
"Well, she's kind of acting like a bitch towards Smackle"
"Sarah's probably just having an off day, you know how she gets" Missy pipes in.
I nod in agreement, "Missy's right, plus that guy she was seeing completely screwed her over"
"What was he called again?" Missy asks dangling her head, downwards.
"Zac or Zay, I can't really remember"
My eyes widen, as the lights and TV shut off.
"AHHHH!" A piercing scream echoes the house.
My heart sinks, as I quickly stand on my feet.
"SMACKLE?!" Maya calls out.
"SARAH?!" I yell loudly.
Tears quickly, pierce the corner of my eyes. As panic runs through my veins.
The backdoor bursts open, causing me to grab Maya's hand tightly, a small figure runs inside, covering rain and panting heavily.
Missy quickly stands up and grabs Smackle's shoulders, "Are you okay? I heard a scream"
The black haired girl, looks around frantically, "Where's Sarah? She headed back here for a flashlight!"
"Didn't you see her? Because she's not in here" Maya says soothingly, trying to call the worried girl down.
"No! She should be here!"
"Did you hear a scream?" I ask quietly, edging closer to the upset girl in-front of me.
"Yeah, but it was from far away, like near the lake at the bottom of Sarah's garden"
My heart stops.
Bile threatens to rise, from my stomach.
"We need to go check it out!" I urge, as I look around for my jacket.
"It's probably nothing Riles" Maya says putting a hand on my back.
"What if it was Sarah?!" I ask worriedly, as I finally find, my bright yellow jacket.
Missy nods, "Riley's right. She might have slipped because of the rain; she could be hurt!"
We all nod in agreement before putting on our jackets, and leaving the house. The raindrops belt down rapidly like a thousand bullets, fast, harsh and painful when in-contact.
"SARAH!" Maya calls out loudly.
I follow her suit, "SARAH!"
"SARAH! IF YOU'RE PLAYING ONE OF YOUR JOKE IT ISN'T FUNNY!" Missy screeches, her voice wavering dramatically.
No response.
Where is she?
The longer, I don't hear a response, the more panic rumbles through me. It hits me that much, that I feel sick.
I stop in my tracks, when I see a hooded figure, in the bushes which are found, at the bottom of Sarah's garden before you stumble across the lake.
I felt paralyzed, I couldn't move. What if this person hurt Sarah?
I wanted to scream, I wanted to yell but my mouth wasn't cooperating.
"Riley! What is it?!" Smackle asks, coming towards me.
I point my finger towards, where the figure is.
"What is it? The bush? What about it?"
My eyebrows knit together, "The-There was a person"
"Was it Sarah?" Missy asks standing next to me.
I shake my head, "No"
I wish, I was Sarah.
"We need to call Sarah's mum" Maya says as she turns around faces us.
We all nod in agreement and head back inside.
I get out my phone and dial, Sarah's mum's number
'RING..RING..RIN-'
"Hello?" Her voice rings through the speaker.
My stomach churns wildly, "M-Mrs P-Preston"
"Riley? Is that you? Is everything okay?"
Tears begin to fall from my eyes, "N-No S-Sarah's gone missing"
"What do you mean?", Her voice sounded scarily calm.
A strangled sob escapes my lips, "T-There w-was a blackout and S-Sarah just d-disappeared"
"Oh god, I'm coming back to the house!"
I open to mouth but, it's too late she's already hung up on me.
I turn to face Missy, her face is stained with tears and mascara. I quickly go and hug her tightly.
"I-It's m-my fault" Smackle says, tears in her dark orbs of sadness.
Maya shakes her head, "I-It's not your fault. I bet she just went off with one her boyfriends. You know how she gets"
I force out a laugh, but it just sounded broken.
The door bursts open, there stands Sarah's mum, Rachel, her eyes broken, her face frantic.
"WHERE'S MY BABY?!" She screams, clutching Missy's shirt and roughly bringing her forward.
"I-I d-don't k-know!" The younger girl sobs loudly, causing Rachel's features to soften slightly.
"I-I just don't get it" Mrs. Preston, sighs.
"There...T-There was someone in your bushes wearing a dark hood" I say softly.
Mrs. Preston's eyes widen slightly, "E-Excuse me, I need to make a phone call"
Me, Smackle, Missy and Maya all exchange looks of confusion.
"What was that about?" Maya whispers.
"Maybe they have a disturbed relative or something" Smackle answers.
I shake my head, "She would have told us. We tell each other everything"
"She did say that secrets are what keep us close" The blonde next to me mutters, harshly.
Rachel comes back into the living room, her landline phone clutched to her side. Her face was blank, there was any trace of emotion on it.
"G-Girls, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask for you to leave" She speaks up, her voice cracks slightly.
I nod, "Of course, if you need anything please tell us"
The brunette woman nods, "Well, I presume the police will be in touch with you all. You are the last people who had seen her before she went m-missing"
We all nod silently.
"Please, let us know though if you need anything" Missy says as we begin to leave the house.
"You don't really think she's gone do you?" I ask quietly as I zip up my jacket.
"No, I'm sure she had to nip round to that Zac's or whatever he's called"
Smackle shakes her head, "I didn't hear a car come into the drive"
"But you didn't hear footsteps either" Maya points out, "So it's not like someone could of took her"
"She could be seriously hurt, at the bottom of that lake!" I snap.
"You're the one who wanted to go back inside Riley!" Smackle says, annoyance brimming in the corner of her eyes.
"I SAW SOMETHING!" I screech, the frustration drips down my face, in droplets.
Missy shakes her head, "Let's just go back!"
"You heard Mrs. Preston, she wants to be alone" Maya says, "The police will search everywhere, she must have already rung them"
Smackle nods, "Maya's right, it's not our job, to go nosing in somebody's garden"
Missy shakes her head, "Not OUR Job, Not OUR job…THAT'S OUR FRIEND!""
I grab Missy's hand, "Missy's right. I'm not giving up on my best friend, ALREADY!"
"She's been gone for nearly an hour, and you're already giving up?" Missy scoffs, shaking her head.
Maya sighs deeply, "I'm not giving up, but what else can we do. I'd rather leave it to someone professional"
Sirens blare through my ears.
"See the police are already here" Smackle says.
I snap my head, when I hear loud footsteps. I tilt my head as I see Sarah's step-brother Farkle Minkus stood there, breathing heavily. A dark hood over his head.
"WHERE'S MY SISTER?!" He yells, marching towards us.
My eyes widen as I quickly go to grab his arms, "F-Farkle calm down"
"W-Where is my sister? What did you do to her?" He asks, his voice came out like pure venom, his hand tightly clasps around my arm.
"Farkle, let her go" Missy says, pushing the taller boy away from me.
The brown haired boy shakes his head, "I'm going to find out, what happened"