"I'm sorry."
The simple, succinct text went out from Kristy's phone. To Stacey. To Dawn. To Karen. To Dax.
There was so much more to say – so many things she'd mentally drafted during yet another sleepless night. But the most important sentiment was the apology. The completely genuine apology.
Kristy typically wouldn't dream of apologizing for being herself. She was who she was. Her personality was strong, bossy, some might say abrasive...But this time, she had to admit, she had crossed the line, getting caught up in pushing her own agenda without listening to anyone else's ideas or feelings. One by one, people she loved were dropping out of her life. It was a wake up call.
"You know you could just come to my room and say it to my face," Karen, having just received the text, appeared in the doorway, arms crossed in exaggerated indignation.
"I wasn't sure you'd want to see me," Kristy admitted. "And I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."
"You keep butting in on everything," Karen lectured. "You took over MY Babysitters Club, you took over MY search party meeting and you took credit for MY fund raiser idea."
"I was wrong. I'm sorry."
Karen glared for a moment, making Kristy squirm a bit. "I accept your apology."
"And I promise I'll step aside and let you do your thing," Kristy promised.
"Actually..." Karen gave a gentle smile. "I was thinking about it all night, and I could really use your help with the fund raiser."
"Really?" Kristy perked up.
"Yes," Karen nodded. Then her faced turned serious, "But don't get any ideas, I'm the one in charge."
"Deal," Kristy agreed.
"Wanna take me to the park to scout locations?"
"Definitely!"
"Be ready in ten minutes!" Karen instructed.
Kristy couldn't help but smile. She wasn't used to taking orders, but she was really proud of her little sister for being so bold and strong and entreprenuerial and...so Kristy-like. And she was relieved that one of the people she had wronged had forgiven her. She hoped the other three wouldn't be far behind.
And then her phone rang.
Dax's name appeared on the screen.
Kristy couldn't answer fast enough. "Dax!"
"Hello," an unfamiliar voice greeted. "I found this phone in the park and you were the most recent contact..."
"Oh..." Kristy's heart sank. "Where exactly did you find the phone?"
"At the park," the person replied, "Across from Stoneybrook Elementary."
"Did you say Stoneybrook Elementary?" Kristy clarified, "As in Stoneybrook, Connecticut?"
"Yes, that's right."
Kristy's heart stopped. Dax lived hours away. What was his phone doing in Stoneybrook?!
"I cannot deal with her right now," Stacey grumbled, deleting Kristy's text and pushing her phone away. She turned her attention to her fruit salad as she sat in the corner booth at Stoneybrook Diner.
"She had good intentions," Claudia shrugged, taking a bite of a chocolate glazed doughnut with rainbow sprinkles that matched her vertically striped rainbow sundress, orange gladiator style jelly shoes, red beret, four green and purple slap bracelets, yellow sunflower print scarf and blue chandelier earrings. "Don't be too hard on her."
"Maybe I could overlook her domineering ways when we were kids," Stacey sighed. "But we're adults now. There are boundaries..."
"I know, but this is a really unique situation."
"I just have so much on my mind right now..." Stacey's voice trailed off.
"Anything you want to talk about?" Claudia asked. She was aware that her old friend had become distant and secretive lately, but they would always have that special best friend bond.
Stacey seemed to mentally grapple with whether to confide in Claudia. But with a furrowed brow and slight frown, she shook her head vigorously.
"Hey, isn't that Mary Anne's boyfriend?" Claudia peered out the window at a figure standing at the corner, waiting to cross the busy street.
"It is!" Stacey confirmed. "He's really cute! Perfect for Mary Anne!"
"Yeah, he..." Claudia suddenly gasped. "What's he holding?"
Stacey gasped as well.
In Alec's hand was – just like the mysterious figure that had peered through the restaurant window at them just days ago had worn – a black hoodie.
Nearby at a vegan coffee shop, Dawn rolled her eyes as she read Kristy's text.
She knew she shouldn't have come to town.
She began looking up flights back to California for later that day. The fares were outlandishly expensive, of course. Too expensive. She'd defintely be staying in Stoneybrook at least few days more.
She tossed back her head and let out a disgruntled sigh.
"You look like you could use a refill," a cute waiter clearing a table nearby said.
"That would be awesome," Dawn accepted.
"Coming right up," the waiter replied with a wink.
Was he flirting? It seemed that way. And, needing the distraction, Dawn felt particularly receptive.
A few minutes later, he returned with another vegan latte.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked.
Dawn was caught off guard by the request. But she was certainly flattered.
"I get a ten minute break," he told her, "And you look like you could use some company."
To be honest, Dawn did not really want company. She had so much to think about. But this guy was seriously good looking. So she nodded and smiled.
"I'm Sebastian."
"I'm Dawn."
"This may seem a bit forward," Sebastian told her, "But I believe that people should look out for one another, whether we know each other or not."
"That's nice," Dawn sipped her latte, getting a little lost in Sebastian's wavy caramel hair and adorable dimples.
"I didn't, like, make that up myself. I follow this blog that's been seriously life changing," he explained. "It's a collections of letters from a guy from Stoneybrook."
"Oh?" Dawn was intrigued.
"Yeah, he believes in people making connections and watching out for each other and sharing our humanness." Sebastian, truly moved by his own words, placed his hand on Dawn's as he spoke and looked deep into her eyes. "Everyone's souls are intertwined, sharing this earth and navigating this world and enduring circumstances we have no control over."
"Sounds pretty great!" Dawn felt butterflies in her stomach. She could absolutely make a connection with this guy. The things he was saying – and the way he was saying them – felt really right, making Dawn immediately feel less lonely and lost.
"The blog is amazing!" Sebastian enthused. "You should check it out!"
"I will!" Dawn grinned. "What's it called?"
"A Brother's Wisdom," Sebastian answered. "This guy has had a really screwed up life, but it's made him really see the world in a unique way."
"Sounds like an interesting blog," Dawn nodded as she listened intently to her new crush.
"Oh, it's more than a blog – it's a movement!" Sebastian leaned in closer, his eyes and words brimming with excited intensity. "It's new, but lots of people are really into it."
"Awesome."
"So are you from here?" he asked.
"Yes and no," Dawn replied. "I kinda split my time between Connecticut and California."
"Cool," Sebastian smiled. "I just moved here from Sea City."
"I love Sea City!" Dawn exclaimed.
Dawn and Sebastian chatted for a few more minutes.
"I really should be going," Dawn announced reluctantly. "But it was great to meet you."
"You, too, Dawn." Sebastian's eyes sparkled. "I hope you'll be back soon."
"Definitely," she batted her eyes and gave her best flirty smile as she walked away.
Sebastian, noticing he had two minutes left on his break, pulled out his phone and accessed the blog he had just told Dawn about.
A Brother's Wisdom: The Teachings of Mike Pike
Across town, Mary Anne paced back and forth, checking and rechecking her phone.
She had been trying to get in touch with Alec for over an hour. He wasn't in his hotel room. He wasn't answering his phone. Where in Stoneybrook could he be?
"Augh!" Mary Anne wailed when the phone finally rang, startling her. She was so anxious to answer, she fumbled the device for a moment before composing herself.
It wasn't Alec.
It was Dru, aka Druscilla Porter, aka her neice. As fate would have it, Mary Anne was her designated outreach sitter that day.
"Hello," Mary Anne answered pleasantly. Her relationship with Dru was awkward, which was probably to be expected since Dru's beloved grandmother was recently revealed to be Mary Anne's mother. And Mary Anne wasn't exactly close with her newly discovered mother – in fact, she had grown up thinking she was a witch...So forging a relationship with Dru was almost too complicated to consider.
"Mary Anne? It's Dru," a shaky voice began. "I...um...I'm babysitting for Brynn and CJ Rivers...and, uh, I...I...It's right across the street from the Newton's house and...I...I..."
"Would you like me to come over?" Mary Anne offered, sensing fear in Dru's voice.
"Yes." Dru sounded relieved. "Please."
As Mary Anne drove past various parks and playgrounds, she noticed how empty they were. In light of Evie's disappearance, people weren't letting their kids go out to play. It was so sad. Stoneybrook, on a beautiful summer day, looked like a ghost town.
Mary Anne pulled up to the Rivers house. No wonder Dru was so nervous. You could see the Newton's house from the front yard. It was easy to worry that Evie's kidnapper was lurking around, on the prowl for more children.
A shudder went down Mary Anne's spine as she got out of the car. Something wasn't quite right.
Twenty minutes later, the police were combing the area. Kristy could see them from the park nearby, where Karen was scouting locations for her fund raiser.
"Let's go see what's going on," Kristy suggested.
She and Karen were stopped at the corner. The police wouldn't let them by and wouldn't tell them what was going on. But they saw Dru, standing in the yard with a peculiar look on her face. Mary Anne's car was in the driveway, being carefully inspected by two cops.
"Dru!" Karen called.
Dru sauntered over, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What happened?" Kristy asked.
"I don't know. But Mary Anne is missing!"