A/N: Hey guys! Guess what? I just took my history test today and I think I just passed it! WHOO! Anyway, with that out of the way, I still have a project in science due tomorrow but what the heck, I'll update anyway! Thanks to my readers and of course my fabulous reviewers!
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Let's see, that was... nine unique reviews! Thanks you guys! I love you so much! Anyway, I'll stop babbling and give you the next chapter! Enjoy!
This Is War
Chapter 18: Lost and Found
"You're coming with me to Albuquerque." Gabriella informed the girls as she pulled up to the main road and headed to the twins' house.
"Huh?" The girls said simultaneously.
"Jesus Christ, you are your father's daughters. You're all deaf. You're coming with me to Albuquerque!" Gabriella responded a little louder.
"But why?" Roxanne asked.
"Why can't we stay with dad?" Rachelle asked.
"Because Leslie will suspect that your dad rescued you. She didn't expect me to come and rescue you. If she finds out you're gone, the first place she's gonna search is Ryan's house. So you're better off with me. And don't think I'm kidnapping you or anything because I'm not. I'm not deranged like Leslie. I actually care about you." Gabriella explained. And your dad. Gabriella added as an afterthought.
"But what about dad?" Roxanne asked.
"Yeah. He wouldn't know where we really are and he'll keep searching and eventually think we're dead!" Rachelle reasoned.
"That's why when we're at Albuquerque, I'm going to call him and tell him you girls are with me." Gabriella responded.
"But you know how our dad is! He'll fly to Albuquerque the moment he finds out and take us back with him!" Roxanne said.
"Yeah, he's gonna be all in his 'super dad' mode and come and try to 'rescue' us." Rachelle said with a hint of sarcasm.
"And he's not gonna because there is no way I'm letting you two near that freak of a woman again." Gabriella said.
"Speaking of Leslie, what did she want to do with us?" Roxanne asked.
"What did she mean by science experiments?" Rachelle said.
"She just called you 'science experiments' to hide the fact that she's going to sell you to child molesters tomorrow."
"What are child molesters?" Roxanne asked.
Gabriella sighed. "You girls have so many questions! Why don't you just relax while I drive you to your house?"
"Why do you care so much about us?" Rachelle asked.
"Because." Gabriella answered lamely.
"Care to elaborate?" Roxanne asked. Gabriella looked at them funny.
"Since when do you girls use such big words? Well, I care about you because, you're Ryan's daughters."
"So?" Rachelle asked.
"Well, you girls are like little pieces of your dad." Gabriella said.
"Well, we're also little pieces of Leslie." Roxanne said.
"You girls are different. You may look like Leslie, but you have your dad's heart."
"Aww. Corny much?" Rachelle said while giggling.
"Hey, I give you a compliment and you give me an insult? There's something wrong with this picture!" Gabriella said. "But you can never hide the truth. No matter how corny I say it. Your dad's a great guy. And now I could just wish that I could turn back time and take back all the mean things I said to him. Start all over again. Be able to say 'I love you' to his face." Gabriella said, while small tears formed in her eyes.
"So you do love him!" Roxanne squeaked.
Gabriella looked at them through her rearview mirror. "More than you know."
Ryan looked at his wristwatch. It read '4:17'. He and the guys still don't have a clue where the girls may be, even with the police's help. He was getting awfully worried, anxious, and scared, all at the same time. He didn't know what to think, what to feel, or what to do.
Sharpay was with them now, along with Taylor. Kelsi is driving around all of New York with Jason since she can't walk very far. After all, she is seven months pregnant.
Sharpay approached her brother and gave him a big bear hug. "It's okay Ry. We'll get through this. We'll find them soon." Sharpay said as Ryan held her tight.
"Shar, you won't leave me right? You'll always be here, right?" Ryan said as he quietly sobbed on his twin's shoulder.
"Ry, I will never leave you. I will always be here to protect my little brother." Sharpay said reassuringly. She then stroked his back in comforting motions and soon enough, Ryan stopped sobbing and raised his head.
"Hey, I'm only younger than you by seven minutes. Don't you go all 'big sister' on me now." Ryan said making Sharpay laugh a little.
"You always knew how to make the worst situations better." Sharpay said. "Now why don't you relax a bit? Take a rest in your car and we'll keep searching. I know you've had a long day, so go ahead." Sharpay said as she stood on her toes and gave Ryan a kiss on the forehead. She then patted his cheeks a little before turning around. "Take care of yourself. If you don't, you're going to have to deal with me." Sharpay said.
"Don't worry Shar. I'll take care of myself." Ryan said as he turned to go back to his car. He turned the ignition on and found himself dialing a familiar number on his cell phone.
Gabriella and the girls just arrived at Ryan's house and they got out of the car. Rachelle and Roxanne unlocked the front door and walked inside and rushed to their rooms and started packing.
Gabriella decided that she took one last look at Ryan's house before going off to Albuquerque.
After a few minutes of looking, she looked at her cell phone to check the time. Her cell phone read '4:34'. She figured they had enough time to catch the 5:30 flight. But before she could put her phone away, it started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and saw Ryan Evans. She didn't want to answer it at first, fearing that he found out about the girls, but she decided that she had to answer it so it wouldn't look suspicious.
"Hello?" Gabriella said into the phone, pretending to not know who it was.
"Hey Gabs! How are you? I can't believe you actually answered my call." Ryan said oh-so perkily on the other line. "Where are you right now?"
"Oh, I'm still in the air." Gabriella lied.
"You haven't arrived yet?"
"Unfortunately, no, not yet." Gabriella tried to make conversation.
"Oh, actually, I'm going home. There was some bad news that came up and I had to check it out. Now I'm going home to rest for a while and then deal with it again later."
"Wait, you're in your car right now? Driving home?" Gabriella asked nervously as she started to run up the stairs to the girls' rooms.
"No, no. I don't use my cell phone when I drive. It's dangerous. I'll be on my way after I talk to you."
"Um… so what have you been up to lately?" Gabriella asked, trying to stall for time. She started helping the girls pack their clothes.
"Gabby, you've only been gone for four hours. What could I have done in four hours?"
"Beats me. That's why I'm asking." Gabriella said, zipping up Rachelle's suitcase.
"Well, I'm kind of in a tight situation right now. Like I said, there was some bad news that came up that I had to deal with." Ryan said.
"Really? So… um… why don't you… tell me about it." Gabriella stuttered.
"I'd rather not. It really is bad news and I don't think you'd want to hear about it."
"Oh, nonsense! Tell me, I don't care how bad it is! Tell me!" Gabriella demanded.
"Okay, okay. Well…" Ryan continued. Soon, he was telling Gabriella that the girls had been kidnapped and he had no clue where they were. Gabriella pretended to be interested and kept saying "Really?" or, "Oh no." or other things to stall for time. Finally, they finished packing Roxanne's last suitcase and they started carrying the stuff down the stairs.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that Ryan. I hope that you find them soon. Good luck!"
"Thanks. Well… I better let you go. I'm headed home now. When you get to Albuquerque, tell Mrs. Montez that I said 'hi' okay?" Ryan said.
"Yeah, sure. Bye!" Gabriella said.
"Bye Gabriella! I lo-" That was the last Gabriella heard from Ryan before she started the ignition and drove off.
"Bye Gabriella! I love-" That was all Ryan got to say before he heard the click of Gabriella's phone signaling that she had hung up. "…you." He finished. He sighed and then started up the car and headed home.
By the time he got home, Gabriella and the girls were already halfway to the airport.
That night, at about eight o'clock mountain standard time, Gabriella and the girls arrived at Gabriella's old house. Gabriella paid the cab driver and wished him a good night before she turned to the girls and led them into the house.
"Exactly the way I remember it." Gabriella said to herself.
"This used to be your house?" Rachelle asked.
"It's very pretty!" Roxanne added while they all went and sat down in the living room.
"Thank you." Gabriella said as she took a look around. Suddenly, Gabriella's mother came through the kitchen doorway.
"Hello? Who's there?" Gabriella mom asked nervously, holding a pepper spray.
"I have a weapon." She said. Then Gabriella rushed to the living room and saw her mom.
"Mama!" She screamed and ran to hug her mother.
"Gabriella! I haven't seen you in so long! Welcome home sweetie!" Gabriella's mom said while hugging her daughter close.
"So, ma, how are you feeling? Is everything okay? When's the surgery?" Gabriella asked, bombarding her mother with questions.
"Slow down honey. All will be answered tomorrow. Right now, you need to rest. I know you've had a long flight. You look thin, I'll make you your favorite dish, Fettuccini Alfredo." Gabriella's mom said as she slowly walked to the kitchen. But Gabriella stopped her.
"No need ma. I can make it on my own now. Besides, I'd like you to meet somebody." Gabriella said as she led her mom to the girls.
"Ma, I'd like you to meet Rachelle and Roxanne Evans."
"Nice to meet you ma'am." The twin's said perkily.
"Oh, they're so adorable!" Gabriella's mom said as she went to hug them. "Wait, are they your daughters? Oh, I'm a grandmother! Wait a minute, how old are they?"
"They're seven. But-"
"You had kids when you were twenty and you didn't tell me? You didn't even tell me you had a husband. You don't tell me anything anymore!" Gabriella's mom complained.
"Ma! They're not my kids!"
"Oh… then whose are they?"
"They're Ryan Evans's girls." Gabriella informed her mother.
"Oh, you mean that handsome, sweet young man you dated in high school?" Gabriella's mom asked, making Gabriella blush beet red. "Oh, they look just like him! So you've met him in New York? What's he like now? Are you two together?" Gabriella's mom had started asking personal questions and soon, the twins were laughing.
"Mother! Not in front of the girls!" Gabriella said. "Um… girls, why don't you go upstairs and take the spare room. Make yourselves at home. I'll just have a little chat with my mom." Gabriella instructed and the girls did what they were told. When they were gone. Gabriella filled her mother in what happened to her the past couple of years and why her previous boyfriend's daughters were with her.
The next day, Leslie woke up in a good mood. She noticed that Troy still wasn't home.
"Where the hell is he?" She asked herself. She then shrugged the thought off and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Throughout the whole morning, Leslie was in a good mood, thinking about how much money she was going to make that day, selling the girls off to strangers.
After taking a shower, she went to the kitchen for breakfast. She even started humming songs from musicals she despises, just because she's in a very good mood.
An hour later, as Leslie stepped out of the car, mysterious strangers met her.
"Hello Ms. Davis." One of them greeted.
"Hello fellas. You here for the girls?" Leslie asked. Everybody nodded.
"Good. Follow me." She ordered. She then led the people into the warehouse. She expected the girls to be in their seats but to her surprise, they were gone.
"Ms. Davis, where are the girls?" Another one of the men asked. Leslie went through the warehouse searching through all the boxes and other nooks and crannies there were. She found nothing. She then did the only thing that came to mind. She screamed.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH…" Leslie screamed. Everybody covered their ears. Leslie's henchmen swore that they saw some of the windows crack.
Half an hour later, Leslie found herself getting out of her car and walking towards the Evans's mansion. When she got to the front door, she started beating on it mercilessly.
"Ryan Evans! You open this door right now you son of a b!+ch! I know they're in there and you better open… this… door!" Leslie shouted through the thick wooden door.
Ryan woke up that morning, determined to find his girls. He wasn't about to give up just because he didn't find them the first day. He had a gut feeling that he would find them today.
He got up and brushed his teeth. After making sure he had fresh breath, he then took a long, hot, shower. After taking his shower, he decided to eat breakfast, brush his teeth once more and then look for the girls.
Half an hour later, after brushing his teeth for the second time, he put his shoes on. As he was tying his shoelaces, he heard someone pounding on his door. He only caught fragments of the statement the person was saying. "Ryan Evans… of a b!+ch… open… door." Was all he heard. He decided to put a stop to this nonsense. After tying his shoelaces, he grabbed his car keys and more fliers and opened the front door.
"Will you please shut up!" Ryan said as he opened the door and saw Leslie standing in his doorway.
"Where are they?" Leslie demanded to know.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryan asked.
"Where are the girls?" Leslie asked. She looked into Ryan's eyes and saw confusion. She then looked at his hands and saw fliers with pictures of the girls.
"What is this?" Leslie asked demandingly while she snatched the fliers out of Ryan's hands.
"Leslie I don't have time for this. I'm going out to search for the girls." Ryan said as he snatched the fliers back, closed the door behind him and walked past Leslie.
"What do you mean you have to search for the girls?" Leslie pretended to not know so he wouldn't suspect her.
"Like I said, I don't have time!" Ryan said as he stepped into the car and drove off, leaving Leslie on his front step.
If it's not Ryan, then who could it be? Leslie thought to herself.
That morning, Zeke woke up late and found Sharpay was already gone. Probably already looking for the girls. He thought. He was supposed to wake up early and meet up with the other guys to look for Ryan's twins. But he had plans of his own that morning. He decided that he'd just meet up with them later and make up an excuse.
Zeke got up and took a shower, got dressed, and went through his routine.
After brushing his teeth, he took his car keys and drove off in the direction of Gabriella's house.
A few minutes later, Zeke arrived on Gabriella's driveway. He got out of the car and walked to the front door. When Zeke saw that suspicious box that day, he couldn't help but snoop around.
Fortunately, he knew where Gabriella stored the spare key. He got it and opened the front door, leaving it ajar. He rushed to the closet and opened it, frantically looking for the box, hoping that Gabriella didn't take it with her.
After a few minutes of looking he found it. He opened the box and was shocked at what he saw.
It was a picture of girls being molested and a news article about it. He also saw that there were letters addressed to Gabriella but there was no return address. He then read the letters and was again shocked to have read them.
After reading all the letters, he put everything back in the box and took it with him. He ran out to his car, remembering to close the door this time and drove to NYC to meet up with the rest of the guys.
A few minutes later, Zeke ran up to the guys with the box in his hands.
"Zeke! Where ya been man?" Troy greeted.
"Yeah, we were worried you weren't gonna show up!" Chad said. Zeke greeted them shortly and then turned to Ryan.
"Ry, I think I know where the girls are." Zeke informed Ryan.
"Really? Where?" Ryan said anxiously. Zeke then gave Ryan the box to look at. When he was finished, he fell to the cement floor, and was knocked out cold.
Eh, I was a little iffy with this chapter. But it still flowed with the story. But I wanna know what you guys think.
Oh! I almost forgot! The winner of the voting is... drumroll please... Lushley! Sorry lol925! But I promise it's going to be worth the read... hm... maybe I shouldn't promise that because it's my first oneshot and cast story. I'll put it up before I put up my next chapter! Thanks for voting guys!