I was seriously scared by now. Because I was warned about my "little friend."

Because my little friend was not in her bed.

Because my boyfriend had told on me.

Because…

I had just heard the front door slam. Hard.

Where's Marissa's parents? I thought, and just as a horrible suspicion was forming, there was a scream. I shivered and told myself that some kid was just playing a prank, but then I remembered Marissa's bed and bolted outside.

Mrs. McKenze was standing over her husband, who had come home to see the kids from wherever he stays these days. She was in hysterics, and then I saw a pool of red around Mr. McKenze.

"Where's Marissa!" I screamed.

Mrs. McKenze pointed to a note, not able to talk about it. I picked it up.

Sammy-

Your little friend doesn't come back until I get what I want.

-You figure it out

The note was printed, but the handwriting was so familiar. I knew the murderer. But first, I had to see to Mr. McKenze.

He was still breathing. I called 911, and made myself sound like an adult so that they would believe me.

It worked. When the ambulance came over, the doctors swarmed around Mr. McKenze. They sedated Mrs. McKenze, but didn't ask any questions, because I had heard them talking about Mr. McKenze's condition, and it wasn't good. They didn't have the time to wonder how this had happened.

On the way to the hospital I saw another car.

Casey's.

I sighed and leaned against the window. I still couldn't believe that he had told the police that. But that wasn't the only thing that I was worried about. Dot would be in huge trouble if everyone found out her secret. Holly would be famous, but that wasn't what she wanted. And Marissa…well, Marissa's had already gone out.

Sort of.

Marissa's boyfriend is supposed to be a boy named, uh, Danny Urbanski.

Sound familiar?

Anyways, every night she sneaks out to see someone else. She never told me who. But that's why she was outside.

It's your fault that Marissa is gone, the voice in the back of my head reminded me. If you had stopped her, she would still be here.

The voice was usually wrong, but wasn't it right this time? It was my fault. If I had just stopped her…

But right now I had something, or should I say someone, to deal with.

Casey.

"Sammy, are you okay?"

"Get away from me!"

He backed away, shocked.

"Why did you tell?"

"Tell what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about!"

"Oh, so now you start blaming me for things that I didn't do!"

"You did it and you know it!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Well then how did the police know that a man named Casey Acosta said that I lived in the Senior High Rise with my grandmother because my mother was an actress in Hollywood?"

"I don't know!"

"Well that's just too bad!"

We both stared at each other for a minute, and then Casey stomped away. The minute he was out of sight I collapsed in a chair, and decided that I needed something to do to keep my mind off my heart, which was slowly breaking in four pieces.

One for Grams.

One for Lady Lana and everyone who had died.

One for Marissa.

And one for Casey.

My life is so messed up.

So, still trying to figure out what had happened to Marissa, I realized that the first step was finding out who she was always sneaking out to see every night. So I looked Danny Urbanski up in the directory.

Time to pay a visit to an old "friend."

When I knocked on the door, it was opened by Casey.

"What are you doing here?" We both yelled at the same time.

"Whoa, calm down." We both turned and saw Danny heading toward us.

I decided to get straight to the point.

"Has there been any other boy that Marissa has ever mentioned?"

"Why?"

"Listen to me."

"Fine."

"As I'm sure you heard Marissa disappeared tonight. I may be able to find out where she is if you just tell me. Now, is there any other boy that Marissa mentioned?"

"One."

"Who?"

"Some guy named… Taylor?"

Oh. My. Gosh.

"Briggs?" I asked, praying to God that no, it was some other Taylor, that Marissa was not that stupid, just please, please, please-

"Yeah, that's it."

Oh no.

"Well, thanks. I gotta go…"

"Wait, maybe you and Ca-"

I slammed the door in Danny's face as he tried to finish that last sentence. The door opened one last time as Danny yelled "COULD TRY TO STRAIGHTEN THINGS OUT."

Now, to get my mind off that person, I went to Taylor Briggs's house. It was quiet there, but when I opened the door not so much.

I don't even want to describe some of what was going on in there. All I wanted was out. I mean it. But I had to do it for Marissa.

I almost freaked when a Taylor Briggs with bloodshot eyes came up to me and slurred, "Yes?" but then remembered Marissa and took a deep breath.

"Would you like to come in?"

"No! I mean, thanks, but I'm fine out here…"

"Okay then," Taylor slurred.

"Have you seen Marissa lately?"

"Ohhh, my darling girl."

Marissa, what have you gotten yourself into?

"I mean, she refused to come inside, but still." He pointed at the activities inside, some of which were making me sick.

"Did she come tonight?"

"No. She was supposed to, but she didn't."

Well, in my opinion, Taylor Briggs didn't need to know that his "darling girl" had been kidnapped, so I left and went back to the house.

It was silent inside, and my fears of monsters that I had from when I was a little kid came back. Monsters leaping out of the dark, the boogeyman in my closet, skeletons walking around in the dark, waiting for me to come near them…

"Get a grip," I muttered as I found a flashlight and took it outside. I looked for any indication of what had happened to Marissa, but the front door had no blood, no dropped items.

But then I checked the back door.

A few footsteps and Marissa's cell phone was found. I looked at her texts and found no threats, no nothing. Just then she got a text.

Leave her alone. I can see you. And I can stop you.

I looked around the yard for a hiding spot. I didn't dare or want to look behind the bushes. I ran to the house next to us and asked if they would mind if I spent the night with them.

They said yes, and gave me the guest bedroom. I would have stayed at the McKenze's house, except I could tell.

I couldn't sleep in that house.

Turns out, I couldn't sleep in the neighbor's house either.

I needed to talk to someone. Now, let's make a list of who I could talk to.

Marissa- kidnapped, maybe dead.

Holly- summer school.

Dot- Lives too far away, and it would be dangerous to go on a skateboard or on foot.

Casey- I broke his heart. Yeah, that'd work out well.

Lady Lana- found dead in a closet.

Grams- I don't wanna say it.

Officer Borsch- …too late at night?

So I called Officer Borsch.

"Look, I'm sorry that it's so late again, but the person who took Marissa? Well, he…

So I told him what had happened. It took about an hour, but he finally had everything written down in a report and all that crap.

And then I asked him the question that had been bothering me.

"Did Casey really tell?"

There was silence on the other end.

"Did he?"

"Look Sammy, I had to."

"What?"

"I had to. I had to say he did."

"What did you do?"

"Sammy, look, she-"

"What did you do?"

"I was threatened by Heather. I had to say that her brother told or else she would take away my job."

"I cannot believe you."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry is not gonna fix it! Sorry is not gonna-"

"Look Sammy, I know you're angry. But I can go and tell Casey everything."

"Wait! If Heather is going to take away your job, why are you telling me this?"

Officer Borsch didn't say anything at first. Then he hit me with it.

"Sammy, didn't you hear? Heather's been kidnapped too."