A/N: WHAT'S THIS? A FASTER UPDATE?!
I fast-tracked this chapter for two reasons: I hate leaving people on cliffhangers, and they are calling in a snowstorm in my area tomorrow. So, just in case I can't make it to my...um...writing space...I'll at least have gotten this out on schedule.
Hopefully I can get out the next one in a few days, we shall see!
Please drop a review and I'll see you later!
Tori was clutching her chest, breathing erratically as Jade held her tightly.
"SHE'S GONE! WHERE'D SHE GO?!"
"We'll find her," Jade cooed. "We need to start searching right now."
Tori nodded in agreement vigorously.
Jade remembered going to Disneyworld with Alice and her father when she was six. The family got turned around after exiting the Peter Pan ride and for four agonizing minutes, Jade had no visual on Alice. Harry fanned out to look while Jade was paralyzed with worry. Her heart sank as she was kicking herself for losing sight of her daughter. Jade wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to her!
Next thing she knew, she turned and there was Snow White, holding Alice by the hand. She was red in the face and rubbing her right eye from crying so much. The munchkin must have been terrified, but she ran right to Jade and hugged her tightly. Jade kissed her all over and swore that they will never separate again. Much to the character performer's surprise, Jade pulled her into the hug as well.
Here was Jade West hugging and thanking a Disney princess for finding her best baby. It really was a Magic Kingdom.
As much as losing a child in a theme park was scary, Tori's fear must have been tenfold. LA was a much bigger place and far more dangerous.
Just like how Harry had to take charge and search, Jade needed to be Tori's rock and help her every way she could.
"I'm calling Alice," Jade said, using the hand not wrapped around Tori to dial.
"MOM!"
That spooked Jade as she whipped around and saw her daughter, wearing a face so reminiscent of that scared toddler in Disneyworld.
"Oh, you're here!" she huffed, taking her girl by the hand. "You know what's going on?"
"I don't know how it happened," Alice said with a sigh. "I saw her and after a few minutes, it was like she vanished!"
Tori shook her head, coming somewhat back to earth.
"Did she call you?"
Alice shook her head sadly.
"I tried to call her just now and it keeps ringing."
"So, her phone's not off," Jade surmised.
That made Tori cling even tighter to Jade.
"OH-MY-GOD-OH-MY-GOD-OH-MY-GOD-OH-MY-GOD!"
"Tori, baby..."
"WHAT IF SHE'S HURT SOMEWHERE AND CAN'T ANSWER?!"
Jade hugged Tori and kissed her temple.
"Don't think that, Tori! Let's find her."
Jade's phone rang and she answered quickly, not caring about who it was.
"Hello?" she asked anxiously.
"Jade, it's Neil again. Me and the others have been checking around and no sign of Mia. Billy's still trying all of the possible areas he can think of, but I don't think she's here."
"She ran off," the pale woman admitted, knowing those words cut Tori in half.
There was a pause.
"Oh, no!" said Neil.
Then Jade and Tori could hear some rapid conversation between Neil and the youths.
"Listen, me and Chase and going to go on the east side and search. Jenna and Lauren will get in her car and check on the west side."
"We can cover the rest!" blurted out Tori.
The former goth covered the cell and gave her girlfriend a look.
"That's a lot of town to cover," she said with all seriousness. "Get Shapiro on the case. He can look, too."
Tori swallowed heavily.
"Good thinking," she sighed, taking out her phone. "Rob?"
Jade turned her attention back to Neil.
"Roger that, Neil. If either group hears or sees anything, call me or Tori!"
"You got it!"
"Thanks, bye."
Jade hung up before turning to face Tori who was hanging up her own call.
"Okay," Tori sniffed. "Rob and Kate are on the case. They will start between their home and the school and that's a lot of ground."
The dark-haired one folded her arms.
"Good," Jade nodded.
"How about Miles?" Tori suggested. "Or, maybe..." she grunted. "We need all we can get to cast a wider net!"
The Latina then snapped her fingers and called her dad.
"Come on, pick up...DAD! Listen, we have a big problem here. Mia's missing and we need to do a search! You still have connections to LAPD, I need a missing person alert!"
"Okay, okay, sweetie, slow down! I'll text Carl a recent picture and get the ball rolling."
Tori knew this was the faster way to get the word out. She didn't have time to waste hacking through the bureaucracy of the police. Missing persons reports generally don't go through until a significant amount of time has passed.
"Thanks, dad!" Tori sighed. "We're all looking around here. Please keep me updated!"
"Same! I'll let your mom know. She can get people's attention on Facebook."
"Good, thanks again, dad. I love you!"
"I love you, too. Bye."
"Bye."
"What can I do?" asked Alice. "I want to help."
Tori looked down at the sweet girl and smiled.
"Get in the car with me," Tori said. "Your mom will follow us. I'll explain on the way."
Mia's heart was breaking but she did her damnedest not to let it show.
The last thing she needed was onlookers stopping her to see if she was alright.
She didn't want to get entangled with anybody anymore, even if it was a total stranger. Mia made up her mind that her very existence was toxic to those around her.
Our mind can really be the worst enemy for us. It's a mixture of lies and the truth and it knows how to fool us. Think about dreams. How many times where you were convinced what was happening was real until the rug was pulled from under you?
The mind knows how to deceive. We have our senses, and they don't lie, but they all have to go through the filter of our brain. And if our brain is calibrated a certain way, see how easily our own reality can get skewed? On the more moderate side, we experience denial and depression. More extreme cases yield schizophrenics and sociopaths.
Mia had all of these things in front of her that led her to the conclusion that everybody would be better off without her. She didn't know exactly what that meant. She only knew the first step was to remove herself from the situation. Mia didn't have suicidal tendencies necessarily. She had her wits about her but found her own survival as incidental. She was would just get away. Far away.
Perhaps she would go east. Or another country?
Her phone had been blowing up for the last hour. No doubt everyone was trying to find her.
(I told them not to. Figures they would ignore that. They care but I wish they wouldn't.)
A little out of breath, Mia stopped by a Chinese restaurant and sat down on the sidewalk to collect herself and continue on. While her couple of bags she was carrying were mostly clothes, it was still an extra few pounds on your back for an extended period of time.
Nothing else to do, she browsed her phone and the usual suspects appeared on the list of missed calls. One of them was unfamiliar to Mia. She pondered if that was Jade's phone.
Jade.
Mia wondered if Jade had met her mom a while ago, would she have had the guts to run away then? Knowing Tori had somebody now to care for her was at least a comfort. She would have felt way worse if she left her mom all alone.
It didn't occur to the teen girl on a downward spiral that her absence would be a loneliness for Tori that couldn't compare.
Scrolling through the text messages and other alerts, Mia was reminded why her phone was off that week. But she needed it for directions. At least, once she had an idea in her head where she wanted to go.
Unfortunately, "far away from here" isn't a specific enough direction.
Near the latest texts was from someone that chilled her veins.
Ethan.
She hadn't thought about that guy in weeks.
Mia cautiously opened the message, and it was her worst fear:
"MIA - WHERE ARE YOU? WE NEED TO MEET!"
The Latina pondered about responding but sighed and replied:
"What's up?"
Her phone dinged:
"PLANNING TO START BUSINESS AGAIN SOON. BRING THE MONEY!"
Mia held her throat like her anxiety was going to jump out of her mouth and escape.
Her trembling digits typed another response:
"Tonight?"
"YES, TONIGHT."
The realization hit her like a Mack truck racing between her ears.
She had forgotten the money. It was back at the house.
"OH, FUCK!" Mia whispered loudly to herself.
Mia was of two minds. She wanted to make tracks from her home, but she also needed to sever ties with Ethan and the others. This would mean somehow sneaking back home and retrieving the cash box and returning it to them. There she can tell them in person that she wants out. Maybe handing over the money would soften the blow.
One thing was for certain: Mia couldn't leave LA without cutting that tether between her and those three. Otherwise, she would be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. It wasn't a million dollars or anything, but that pot of cash meant everything to them.
She knew she was taking a risk but not giving the box back was a bigger risk. Mia frightened herself with the scenario of Renee somehow figuring out where she lived, breaking into her home and slitting her mother's throat before tearing the place apart looking for the money. What if Jade and Alice were there, too?
Mia couldn't afford to have any more blood on her hands after her father's ghastly demise.
They cannot find out where she lived. They cannot have a reason to even find her.
Mia would be long gone, the money returned, and everybody would be safe.
If she was going to do one good thing before turning her back on LA, tonight was the night to do so.
Mia rounded the corner of the street across from her building.
She stared at it, not expecting to be back here.
When she stowed her bags away in the car right before departure, Mia just spent several minutes looking at the old storefront and up at the home above it. So many memories made there and so many things she had ruined because of her bullshit.
Mia blinked and ran across the road and didn't see her mom's car. It was usually parked up front.
The tall girl scaled the side steps and placed her backpack and duffel bag on the landing to give her shoulders a break. Mia took out her key and inserted it into the lock. Of all the times she had snuck out at night and snuck back in, this was the night she felt the most nervous. But why? Her mother clearly wasn't at home, right?
The door opened with a creak and the Mia made her way inside.
Scanning the living room and kitchen, she saw no sign of anyone except for a lamp being on.
Mia figured Tori in her haste failed to turn off the light on her way out to the show.
She didn't have time to think about it and raced up to her room. Mia opened the door to her bedroom and made a B line to the closet. The pile of stuff had miraculously gotten even bigger. She dug through the mess like an archeologist looking for treasure.
And in a way, she was.
"Got it!" Mia breathed.
There was the red metal box with the key sticking out of the lock.
She stood up and was halfway down the steps when she heard it.
The sound of a toilet flushing.
Alice emerged from the bathroom below and her eyes met with Mia's.
"Oh, shit."
"MIA, WHERE WERE YOU!?"
The older girl didn't answer and brushed past her.
"Wait, hold on!"
Alice took hold of Mia's wrist.
"Where are you going now?" she asked.
"Leaving," Mia said simply. "Now let me go."
The petite girl tightened her grip.
"NO!"
"I said, LET GO OF ME!"
Mia pulled her arm away, nearly sending Alice off balance.
But that didn't stop her because she got between Mia and the outside door.
"You're not going anywhere!" the smaller teen said as sternly as her meek voice would allow.
"What?" asked Mia.
"My mom and your mom told me to stay here in case you came back!" she explained. "And I'm keeping you here and we are going to talk about this!"
Mia stepped closer, her arms shaking.
"Alice, please move. I don't want to move you myself. I've hurt enough people already."
Tiny determined just scowled.
"Save it! Your mom told me what you wrote, how can you think that?!"
Mia narrowed her eyes, not in the mood for this face-to-face.
"You really believe that you're doing Tori a favor by leaving? It will destroy her..."
Alice flinched when Mia leaned toward her and punched the wall. It didn't make a dent, but she knew it had to hurt her friend's hand a lot.
"Don't try to trick me!" she told Alice. "We both know staying is the only thing that will destroy her!"
"I'm sorry you believe that Mia..."
She looked like she was going to cry.
"...But I'm telling you it's not the truth."
"What the fuck do you know, freshman?"
There was such hatred in that tone, but Alice could see it in Mia's eyes that she didn't mean what she was saying. It was a mask, a defense mechanism.
"Mia," Alice said, putting her foot down. "Don't. Do. This."
The taller teen took a deep breath and pushed her aside, effectively knocking Alice to the floor.
"You shouldn't want to be my friend," Mia said while opening the door. "I'm no good. About time you learned that."
She tried getting up as Mia slammed the door and picked up her things. She was down the stairs in a flash.
"Mia! MIA! MIA!"
Alice was quick but Mia was the fastest thing on two legs when she was upset. Or scared.
The tears flew sideways as she tore down the street until she couldn't hear Alice's cries anymore.
Now her own breathing was all she could make out from the blur that was LA at night. Or maybe her heart was beating that loudly.
(I'm sorry mom! But you should be happy. Jade will be there and Alice...at least she can be the daughter that doesn't screw everything up!)
Mia wouldn't allow anything good in. Any bright light or consolation was snuffed out before it could become a conscious thought.
To her, staying close to her family and friends was a negative.
Sooner or later, they would pay for knowing her.
It would be easier if she didn't care. But Mia did care.
And that's why she felt she had to disappear.
She entertained the idea of maybe couch surfing at Ethan's for about a second. Renee was pretty nomadic at this point and she trusted Mike the least. But Mia dropped the Ethan idea because one, the thought of being along with Ethan, sleeping in the vicinity as him made her feel gross and unsafe. Second, the anxiety from sticking with those three was not going to help her current situation.
Mia decided this had to be a clean break, no attachments. Especially those three.
While she may be desperate, Mia didn't change her mind about them. It was a long time coming and it couldn't wait any longer.
(If I don't get rid of this fucking box, I'll be looking over my shoulder forever!)
Feeling the pain in her side, Mia finally relented and slowed to a stop. Upon this, her phone dinged with confirmation from Ethan that they would meet her at the spot.
"Good," she huffed to herself. "Sooner the better."
She walked another block and waited for the bus to take her the rest of the way.
Renee stood there tapping her foot impatiently while Mike leaned against the chain link fence.
"What's keeping her?" huffed Ethan as he paced back and forth. "Where is she?"
"Right here."
The trio looked over and Mia emerged from the shadows. She swung her black duffel around, unzipped it and pulled out the little red lock box with the key sticking out of it.
"Listen, guys, this...this...is gonna be it for me."
"Huh?" queried Ethan.
"Shit's been weird at home. My mom's been watching my every move. I'm basically grounded until I'm 25! I was only able to sneak out tonight because she went somewhere. I can't...I can't be a part of the group anymore. One of you is gonna have to hold the pot and..."
Ethan walked up and took the red metal box. He quickly unlocked the container and opened it. Still full of green, most of it bundled up with rubber bands and little strips of paper marking what each wad amounted to.
He rummaged through the money and made a face.
"Go ahead and check, it's all there," Mia said.
"Your mom caught you sneaking out, huh?" mused Renee. "She doesn't know about...?"
"Didn't tell her shit," Mia assured her.
She got nervous when she caught a glimpse of Mike noticing something behind the trashcan she wished would go unnoticed.
"Hey, guys!" the big one said. "Look at what I found."
He came back holding a backpack, which was absolutely stuffed. Ethan then looked down at Mia's open bag and it, too looked pretty packed.
"What the hell is going on?" Ethan asked her.
"Yo, she's dipping!" chimed in Renee.
Mia didn't like the vibe she was getting right now, so she thought she'd play it tough.
"Alright fine! My domestic situation has changed and I need to get out of here, so..."
"So, you want out?" Mike asked.
Renee was giving her the stink eye.
"What?"
"You thought you could split?" Renee asked, getting close to her personal space. "Just like that?"
"Guys, come on. It ain't like that. I'm not robbing you or anything."
Mia pointed to the lock box.
"I brought back the fucking money!"
Ethan silently locked the container, checked the lid to make sure, and pocketed the key.
"It's not about the money," he explained. "Here's my problem. In the beginning we weren't on the cops' radar. Then ever since that moron with the gun started shit, now they're watching this whole fucking side of town like hawks!"
"That's right," nodded Mike.
(Ever the fucking bulldog by his master's side.)
"And we all know the LAPD will not rest until they collar somebody," added Renee.
Ethan got closer now.
"It doesn't sit well with me that one of our own, who knows as much as you, is just gone...in the wind...unreachable."
Mia folded her arms protectively.
"I'm no snitch, if that's what you're implying. I don't give a shit about this anymore. I don't care about anything!"
She then fished out a wad of bills from her back pocket and chucked it at them.
"Here, my share, just fucking take it! I don't want it!"
Mike hurriedly scooped up the discarded dough.
"Since I'm dumping all of this on you, consider it an early termination fee," Mia quipped.
Mike snickered.
"Now I'm really suspicious," said Ethan.
"How do we know that you're not gonna sing once they arrest you for something?" asked Renee. "We know you! It's only a matter of when."
"And when that time comes," continued Ethan. "How much do you want to bet Mia here is going to sing like a canary? Make a nice deal with the pigs?"
"Bet you that's why she returned all the money!" growled Mike. "Doesn't wanna be connected to us so she can get away scot-free."
(If I were a real piece of shit, I would've made off with the money, but I didn't I brought it back. ALL OF IT. And this is what I get?!)
Mia was grinding her teeth now, trying to mask her growing apprehension. It was fight or flight and neither seemed like an option as her "friends" circled her like sharks.
"Wasn't your granddaddy a cop?" asked Mike.
"Yeah, I remember hearing about that," smirked Ethan.
"I'm. No. Snitch." she insisted. "I won't talk."
Before she could react, Mia was held from behind by the towering Mike. Renee seized the opportunity to lay a sucker punch to the belly. That knocked the wind out of her, but Mike held his grip.
"And you never will."
Ethan punctuated his terrifying words with a punch of his own, less surprising but much stronger than Renee's.
As her body felt limp, Mike released Mia and she fell to the asphalt. Now the three of them began kicking her. The two boys tore the bags away from her as they didn't want them softening the blows. Once the bags were tossed aside the trashcan, they rejoined Renee in the beatdown.
Mia's cries got softer as the impacts got more frequent.
They took a break for a moment, but Mike kept his shoe on her arm to keep her in place.
"Tell me, Michael" smirked Ethan. "How do you spell her name again?"
"M-I-A," the brute nodded.
"And that's just what she goin' be," Renee said, cracking her own neck.
That was the scary part. In her agony, Mia knew it was the truth. Runaways go missing all the time. Dead or alive, a lot of them are never found.
"HEY!"
From above, a shadow came into Mike's peripheral vision. His mind didn't have a chance to process the threat before it clocked him in the jaw. That was enough unexpected force to send the lug off his feet. He hunched forward just for a figure to appear and delivered a backyard wrestling move down on his back.
That disabled the larger of the three. For now.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" growled Chase. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Renee lunged for him, but Chase dodged her sloppy technique and swung her around right into the fence. She cried from the metal hitting her in the face.
Chase put up his fists when Ethan rolled up on him, arms raised.
The stranger had a lot of energy, but Chase saw that he knew shit about boxing. Ethan barely landed a hit with all of Chase's bobbing and weaving. He watched enough fights with his dad and eventually his uncle to recognize that defense is just as important.
Ethan was knocked senseless with a quick jab.
But everyone's ears were aware of the forthcoming police sirens. A second later, everything was bathed in red and blue lights.
"WHAT'S GOING ON OVER HERE?"
"EVERYONE, FREEZE!"
Mike got up and saved the lock box while Renee helped Ethan up. The trio didn't give it a thought; they scattered.
Chase put his arms around Mia and pulled her to her feet with all his strength.
She winced once she was completely vertical and put her own weight on her lower body.
"Chase?" Mia groaned. "Where did you come from?"
"No time," he huffed. "We need to get out of here!"
She moaned and pointed at the ground.
"What, what is it?" he asked.
"Bags," she sighed.
Without missing a beat, Chase scooped up the backpack and duffel and slung both over his shoulder while he supported Mia with the other. Fortunately, they didn't weigh very much for him. It wasn't any worse than carrying a full size guitar so it came naturally to him.
The sounds of officers and the flashing lights died down after a couple of blocks. Chase sighed with relief that they slipped away successfully.
Chase wasn't aware of the context, so he had the knee-jerk reaction to avoid the police from discovering them. They don't always make the situation better.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Mia didn't answer in words. Just a painful moan.
"Don't worry, you're safe now. We just need to find..."
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"
(There he is.)
Chase looked and there was his Uncle Neil, looking horrified.
"Mia?"
"Call someone," he told his uncle. "She needs a hospital."
Within minutes, an ambulance arrived to pick Mia up. Chase told his uncle that he would ride with her while he contacted everyone. Neil put his hand on his shoulder with pride and agreed.
The EMT's were examining Mia, checking for any serious injuries.
Chase stayed by her side, watching. When her eyes glanced over to his, he tried to remain neutral, not letting his worry shine through. He didn't want her to panic, but to relax.
But when the sirens kicked in, her whole body tensed up and Chase instinctively took her hand. She squeezed and squeezed and squeezed until it felt like it was going to tear right off. Chase held on though.
He asked the driver if they could kill the siren, detecting that the sound might be distressing her. But he said no can do, as the siren is connected to the lights and they need the lights to have motorists part ways to allow them to get to the hospital faster.
Chase sighed and kept his attention on Mia.
Eventually, her grip softened until he realized he was the only one holding on.
He looked down, concerned.
The one paramedic noticed him and she said, "She passed out. Poor thing's been through a lot."