Chapter 8

The next morning Lilly woke up to a disturbing buzzing sound. She looked over at the night table and found that it was her cell phone vibrating. She grabbed it and answered it without bothering to see who it was first.

"Hello" answered Lilly groggily.

"Lilly, Honey. I need you home immediately. There's been a death in the family. Sniff. Your great aunt Carolyn passed away last night. (Pause, sniff) You didn't know her very well. Anyway we have to take an emergency trip up to New York for the funeral." said her mother tearfully.

"Wow Mom. That's horrible. I'll be home in five." Lilly packed up whatever she had, and raced home. She left no note of anything that would tell Miley and Oliver where she'd gone. Lilly figured she would call them at the airport when all the chaos was over. Lilly barged through her front door only to find a sobbing mother and a father that was comforting her.

"I just thought I'd get to see her first." said Lilly's mother. Lilly just rushed to her mother's side and tried to comfort her as best she could as her father was doing. For about ten more minutes Lilly stayed down stairs with her mother. Then her father told her to go upstairs and pack enough clothes for a week.

Lilly's POV

Wow. It's a shame that this death has Mom so torn. Great Aunt Carolyn must've been an awesome person to make Mommy cry like that. It makes me kind of glad I didn't know her too well or else I would be all distraught too. Well I'd better pack some clothes. I wonder if Miley and Oliver will worry. I wonder what they'll do while I'm gone…

End of POV

Back at Miley's Two Hours Later

Oliver tossed, and turned, and rolled around in Miley's bed until he realized that there was now too much space in the bed. He sat up with a jolt and looked around frantically.

Lilly's not here!"

"Relax, Sleepyhead. She's probably just in the bathroom." Replied Lilly.

"Right! I'll go check.

Oliver got up and searched for Lilly in the bathroom. She wasn't there. He searched frantically around the entire house. Then he reported back to Miley that Lilly was nowhere to be found. The two searched the house thoroughly to make sure that Lilly wasn't playing a prank. Then Miley and Oliver got this not so brilliant idea to barge into Jackson's room and wake him. Miley pounced on her sleeping brother, who was not so happy.

"What is going on!" exclaimed Jackson. "Ohhh, Miley, you'd better have a decent explanation for this."

"Jackson, cut the drama. Lilly's missing!" snapped Oliver. After all this was his girlfriend they were talking about.

"Well did she leave any of her possessions behind? Cell phone, clothing?"

"Um no." replied Miley, slowly.

"Well then did you ever consider that she might've gotten up and left on her own? Call her cell phone. It's not like she left it here."

"Wow. Leave it to the donut of the house to come up with the most intellectual solution." commented Oliver.

"Yeah maybe you should 'cut the drama' and think first before you disturb a person's beauty sleep!" said Jackson.

"Oh. We're sorry Jackson. If we're interrupting your beauty sleep we'd better leave. You need as much of it as possible." said Miley, mocking a sympathetic tone of voice.

"Thank you Mile- Hey" But before Jackson could retort, Oliver and Miley were out the door and on their way back to Miley's room. They called Lilly's cell phone but only got her voice mail because she was on a plane to New York.