The music rings loudly in my ears, vibrating through my stomach and causing a ripple of a headache to throb against my skull. It has been like this all day, but I have already learned to ignore it. Kevin isn't here yet. In fact, I don't even know if he'll come tonight—and that's the same with Michael. I arrived here with Jennie, and apart from a few text exchanges with Michael, I haven't heard a word from him. And, well, neither from Kevin.

I won't lie, I'm angry. I'm annoyed at Michael, but I'm genuinely furious with Kevin. We aren't here to have fun; we're here because we have good reason to believe it will help us solve the mysterious deaths and disappearances and whatever is happening to the girls. We need to catch the one responsible.

"Gwen," Jennie calls out to me to catch my attention. She has to practically scream so I can hear her over the loud music. "You need a distraction. Dance with me."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Jennie gently drags me to the dance floor with a smirk, swinging her hips left and right. My body slightly loosens up, and I giggle in disbelief at Jennie's mischievous face. I suppose acting normal for five minutes won't be a problem. I walk with her to the center of the room. I follow her movements as well, moving my hips left and right and swinging my arms in the air to the rhythm of the music. But I still make sure to keep an eye around me for anything suspicious.

We continue dancing for a while, and then I see it—see him. Kevin. He walks inside the house, holding a drink in one hand and nothing in the other. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, and his hair is slightly styled, and he somehow looks even better than he usually does. I'm about to walk over to him, perhaps remind him what we are here for, when I see who is beside him.

Anna wraps her arm around him, and although Kevin keeps some distance between them, he still leans closer to her and whispers something in her ear. Anna simply smiles and drags him toward the drinking table.

"You should try making him jealous," Jennie says to me. I don't say anything in response, yet she continues. "Try flirting or dancing with some other guy, see how fast he comes over to talk to you."

I shake my head, trying to snap to my senses. No. I'm not here for that. There are more serious things going on than my jealousy over Kevin and his… relationship with Anna.

"Like this guy, look—" Jennie gently pokes my upper arm, and I wince but stare where she's pointing. "He's looking directly at you, and he's handsome."

My face contours into a smile at the sight of Michael standing at the side of the room and looking at me. I wave at him, and he waves back.

"That's Michael," I explain. "He's a friend of mine."

Michael walks in my direction, and I do the same, meeting him halfway across the room. As usual, he looks sharp and well-groomed. His hair is slicked back, he is wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a white shirt under his golden coat. I can't help but compare him to Kevin, who is almost the polar opposite of him. Kevin looks like a realistic teenager, and he is very handsome. Michael has something more superficial about his looks. I quickly shake my head at the thought.

"You look lovely," Michael says, wrapping his hand around my upper arm.

"Thanks, you look great too."

Jennie smirks and winks at me. "I'll get going now, okay? The girls are probably here by now."

Jennie walks off to the back of the room, and Michael inches even closer to me; a necessary move, since I won't be able to hear what he's saying otherwise. He smells like his citrus cologne.

"Did you come here by yourself?" Michael asks.

"No, I—Jennie, my friend, drove me here."

"What about your other friend?"

"Kevin? Oh, he's here as well." I'm purposely vague, not really willing to explain the whole argument situation, especially to Michael.

"I see." His eyes scan the room, and I do the same, searching for Kevin instead. Suddenly, Michael turns towards me and holds my hand, intertwining our fingers together. "Would you like to dance?"

The offer is so unexpected, I don't have the heart to explain to him that I was just dancing not even that long ago, and I'm already exhausted. But as I feel that gentle hand hold onto me, and that blissful feeling, I cave in. I smile at him. "Uh-huh."

We slowly walk to the dance floor, my body instinctively moving slightly away from Michael. There are so many people around, I accidentally bump into a few of them on the way. Michael holds onto me again, and I do the same as we start awkwardly dancing together. There is some safe distance between us, but his hands still hover over my waist, and his hands occasionally touch my upper arm, causing that blissful and foggy feeling to flow through me and causing me to almost lose focus on my mission here tonight. Michael places one hand on my shoulder once again, almost like he's looking for any excuse to touch me, and my eyes hover behind me, to those familiar dark-brown eyes.

Kevin is staring directly at me, and then he looks at Michael with a glare. He scoffs, and I wince at his reaction.

"Excuse me for a minute," Michael says.

He walks off from beside me, and I step off the dance floor, sitting on a stool nearby. I can't help but throw glances Kevin's way every once in a while. He does the same, but our eye contact doesn't last longer than a few seconds at most. I furrow my eyebrows, frustrated. You know what? No matter our arguments, we need to put it aside for now. It's petty and unimportant, and there are more serious things at stake. I start walking in his direction, and then Michael steps in front of me.

"Sorry about that," he says with a charming smile. "I brought you a drink."

He hands it over to me, and I reach to take it, our fingers touching in the process. "Thanks," I say.

"You're welcome. I thought it's going to be a long night, so you'll definitely need it," he continues. "I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary so far, but I'm trying to keep a watch out."

"I'm not even sure what we're supposed to be looking for," I confess, slightly frustrated. I take a small sip of my drink, and I instantly feel the bitter aftertaste from the alcohol. "Whoever is responsible could be disguised, or might not even show up. Unless it's a distraction?"

Michael shakes his head, his shoulder touching with mine. "I think it might have something to do with the girls. Don't worry about it, there's two of us, so we'll figure it out."

I nod and take another sip of my drink. "Yeah, you're right."

I make eye contact with Kevin once again, and he gulps down a glass of his drink and then grabs another one. I take another sip at the sight of this, but I don't gulp down the whole thing like him. I choose to take it slow instead.

"Sorry again. I'll be back," Michael says as he leans closer to my ear. I turn my head in his direction, and my eyes widen at our proximity. Michael smirks and places a kiss on my cheek. "I won't be long."

I watch him walk off, and I look down at my drink, unsure what to think of the whole situation. I expect him to return rather quickly, but five minutes pass by, and he still isn't here. I stand up from my seat, and Jennie waves me over with a serious look on her face. I'm not sure what to expect, but my feet drag me closer to her where she is standing by herself. It looks as if she has been looking for me this whole time even though I was in the same place as before. I think. I can't even be certain right now; I feel drowsy.

I finally reach her. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"Okay, so," she starts, flipping her hair to the side. "Remember when you told me about Dawn, and you implied other girls might have kinda gone missing too?"

I nod, and Jennie's face grows blurry for a moment. But I blink, and it disappears.

"It's true. I heard that three girls haven't returned home, almost everyone I asked confirmed it. And I think one of them is Hannah." Jennie frowns. "She was supposed to be here, so I called her. She didn't pick up. I called her mom, and she told me that she's supposed to be with me, and long story short, she called the police. This all happened just 10 minutes ago, by the way. Apparently, James was the last one seen with her, but I don't see him here."

My eyes widen. "Thanks for telling me. We'll find her, okay?" I wrap my arms around her in comfort. I search around the room for a sight of Michael. James. James could be the main suspect. "I'll be right back."

I sip down the remainder of my drink and throw it in a bin nearby before heading off in my search for Michael. Kevin is still occupied with Anna and his drinks, but I don't have time to reason with him. This might be important. I head up the stairs, expecting to catch a glimpse of Michael here, but I see nothing apart from crowds of teenagers drinking and laughing together. I blink my eyes a few times as my vision starts to blur, but I ignore it. I quickly rush down the stairs again, looking through the back rooms, the garden, and even the bathroom, but I still can't find him.

I feel my muscles growing tingly and weak at the same time, and it's suddenly a struggle to walk. But knowing I have no other choice, I rush over to Kevin and stand in front of him.

"Kevin," I yell out, but my voice is barely audible. He hasn't even noticed me, as he continues to talk with Anna next to him, his features contorted into a smirk.

"Kevin!" I yell even louder this time. He turns to look at me, and his smirk is replaced by a frown and then a scowl.

I know we're not on good terms at the moment, but I can't deny I'm angry. His dislike for Michael has completely clouded his judgment, and he obviously couldn't care less about all of this.

"Have you seen Michael?" I ask.

Kevin stretches his arm and wraps it around Anna, bringing her closer to his frame. I feel my cheeks heat from anger, and I resist the urge to slap him.

"Why are you asking me? He's your boyfriend." His voice is laced with poison, but I can smell the scent of alcohol on his breath.

"Are you drunk?" I ask. "And he isn't my boyfriend. This is serious, Kevin, I think—"

"Yeah, whatever," he says. "He's probably somewhere around the back or something."

"Listen, I know you don't like him, but this isn't—"

Before I can finish my sentence, Anna moves between us and blocks my view of Kevin by wrapping her arms around him. Her whole body is pressed up against him. She isn't kissing him, though she's very close to doing so, but Kevin doesn't stop her either.

Without waiting another moment, I turn around. So, it is jealousy then. I feel myself almost fuming at this. He has constantly rejected me ever since our kiss, consistently ignored me ever since Michael came into the picture, and he is directly flirting with another girl. Yet me talking and hanging out with a guy is suddenly a huge issue.

I don't turn back. I start walking ahead. Maybe I should head upstairs again and check for Michael there. I didn't look through all the rooms either way.

A headache rips through me, and my vision completely blackens. When it returns, I realize I'm splattered on the wooden floor. I look around me at the few people who are staring at me with confusion and indifference at the same time, and then I turn to Kevin, who has moved from his spot, clearly intending to come my way. But something stops him, and he instead stands there.

"Are you okay?" the familiar voice asks. I turn around, and my eyes meet Michael's, who is offering me his hand.

I take his hand with a weak smile and stabilize myself.

"Thanks. And yes, I think—I think I tripped on something…" My voice comes out slurred and slower than usual.

I try to ignore the embarrassment I feel as I hold onto Michael to stand up. My energy feels weird, as if it's fading away and I can't control it. I try to stand up straight, but I feel a dizzy spell once again and yet another headache, this one much worse, and it causes me to wince in pain. Michael holds onto me before I fall to the ground, and I take a deep breath.

"Let me help you," Michael whispers in my ear. He wraps a hand around my waist and starts slowly dragging me toward the front door. "I should take you home."

I shake my head. "No, I—" I wince once again. "...We should stay. I just found out something important…"

"It's okay, we can figure it out later."

We exit the building, and although I'm trying to pull away and explain myself, Michael's grip is far too tight for me to escape.

"...Wait, Michael, the girls," I say, but it comes out as a mere whisper.

"Shhh, it'll be okay, lovely Gwen."

Michael continues to pull me away from the party until we're completely off the road and out of public view. In one single sweep, he lifts me off the ground. I can barely stay conscious. My vision continues to blur, and all I want is to fall asleep. The whistling in my ear won't stop, constantly ringing in my ears—until it finally does stop. We're in a far quieter place this time. I can't hear any music or any familiar noises, and although I try to open my eyes to look and understand where we are, I barely have the strength to.

The smell of copper and metal hits my nose, and I feel my back touching against a hard surface. I briefly manage to open my eyes, and I see Michael hovering over me, his expression unfamiliar and threatening at the same time. I move my head to the side, not recognizing the place. It's obviously an abandoned building with a singular large window to the side and signs of dried blood on the floor. I'm laid down on what seems to be a metal structure, my back sore.

"Where…"

"Shhhh, save your strength," Michael whispers, caressing my cheek with his finger. "We don't want you too exhausted when I drain you. That'll be no fun."

I blink a few times, trying to adjust my eyesight to this place and realize where exactly I am. Everything hurts, and my limbs feel numb. My head is killing me, my throat is so dry I can't even swallow, and I just want to fall asleep so desperately.

"All the other girls," Michael starts, placing his hand on my cheek and then hovering it lower. "They don't matter anymore. I knew it the moment I met you, lovely Gwen."

The words feel oddly shallow and insincere, and I try to move my arms as his hand lingers slowly until it holds the hem of my jacket. He uses his other hand to stabilize me, and he takes off my jacket, throwing it to the side.

"...Kevin," I practically mumble. "Where…"

"As much as I want to be fast with this, I want to cherish this moment. I promise I won't make you suffer too much."

Michael places his hand on my throat and the other on my bruised arm. I don't know what to think at first, but then I feel a terrible burning sensation, as if my whole life is being sucked out of me, and a muffled scream escapes my mouth.

"Stop," I say.

Michael pulls his hand away for a moment, and his lips touch against my cheek as if he's trying to control himself. I move my head to the side, trying to avoid him, and I try to use all of my strength to pull away and escape the pain that I know is about to come.

But Michael doesn't react. It's as if he is waiting for something. His hand lands on my throat again, pressing a bit tighter as the burning sensation returns.

"...Stop," I say. "You're hurting me."

But he doesn't listen. He continues sucking away my energy, and I clench every muscle in my body, trying to tolerate the pain. It feels as if my skin is being peeled off slowly, one piece at a time, and all I want to do is scream, but I don't even have the strength to do that. Michael simply smirks at my reaction. He's enjoying this.

He stops again, and he lands his hand on my leg this time, slightly pushing my dress up in the process. I squirm away, trying with all my might to resist.

"It shouldn't take too long now," he says and kisses my cheek once again. "But I can't help myself—you're simply too delicious."

His lips move further down, landing on my jaw, and his hand starts absorbing from me again, while I yell out in pain and beg for this to stop. But he doesn't stop. He's not planning on stopping. And I'm here all alone.

"Fuck, pick up," I mutter under my breath, clenching the phone tighter in my hands and almost crushing it. I don't know how long it has been since Gwen left with Michael, maybe ten minutes? Twenty? But I know I regret the minute I allowed it.

"Do you want to dance with me?" the girl, Anna, says from next to me.

"Uh, not really," is all I say.

She simply shrugs and walks away as if she doesn't care, and I sigh in relief. Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea to come here with her, not after seeing Gwen's face at the sight. And maybe I overreacted a bit. Well, a lot. But when I saw her dancing with Michael, and the way his hands were touching her…I wanted to smash his face in.

But now I feel like an asshole. A big one. I promised I wouldn't leave her alone with that guy if I could help it, yet I let them walk away together without even checking on her. After she passed out on the ground too. Fuck. I run my hands through my hair, slightly pulling it in the process. I regret even taking a sip of alcohol.

I dial Gwen's number again, but it goes straight to voicemail. I exit the building and look around, hoping to maybe see them. Yeah, as expected, nothing. A knot forms in my stomach, and I clench my fists together. I have such a bad feeling about this. Fuck, if anything happens to her…

I enter my car and start driving to Michael's house, all the while dialing Gwen's number over ten times. All straight to voicemail. I finally arrive in front of the asshole's house, and I practically run out of my car without even bothering to shut the door behind me.

I knock on the door. "Michael! Open up!" I yell out loud. No answer.

I take a step back, my body now absorbing the metal railing of the stairs. Then I kick the door in until it breaks off and falls a few feet onto the ground in front of me. I enter further inside, not caring that I collide with different furniture and items each time I take a step forward; my only focus is locating Gwen.

"Gwen!"

But still, no answer. I kick in door after door, searching every corner of this goddamn maze of a house, trying to find them and to make sure that Gwen is safe, but there's nothing. The place is empty, and it quickly becomes obvious enough that they're not here.

I groan and rush to the front door. I enter my car once again, slamming my hands against the steering wheel. Right, okay. I need to think rationally. Where could they be? Where could the preppy guy have gone? I tap my fingers impatiently as I try to scratch my brain. And I try, I really do.

And then it hits me. I pull out my Plumber's Badge and hold it in front of me. He must still have it with him. I press the familiar button, and I smirk in satisfaction when Michael's badge shows up, indicating his location to me.

I don't waste any time. I slam my car door and instantly speed up, rushing to where they must be. I haven't been to that place before, but I know it's basically in the middle of nowhere, and there are no houses or people for miles ahead. Why are they there? I can't help the thoughts—the messed-up thoughts that cross my head—and I press harder against the gas pedal, speeding up even more.

I continue driving as fast as I can, not caring that eventually I'll get yet another speeding ticket. After what feels like an eternity that was actually just a ten-minute ride, I finally arrive at the place, the Plumber's Badge beeping faster and louder, indicating that they are right inside. I study the place carefully and start walking closer to the building.

I absorb the cement ground from under me and prepare for the worst. The place is weirdly silent and very, very isolated. There is nothing in sight. The building in front of me—I can tell it's just abandoned. If the dusty windows and door handles weren't obvious enough, it's the lack of light as well. It looks like some sort of old mansion or whatever.

I finally reach the door, and I open it by breaking off the doorknob and trying to make as little noise as possible. Finally entering inside, I count my steps carefully. They're here. I know it. I slowly creep around the corner, and I don't know what to expect. I continue ahead and pause for a moment, my ears ringing against my skull and my heart beating faster. Gwen's body is lying there lifeless, her face pale and hollow, and there are new bruises formed all over her bare skin while Michael is looming over her. I don't know what he's doing—all I see is red. Gwen's chest rises and falls—she's alive. But her face is filled with pain.

"Get away from her!" I scream as loud as I can. I absorb a structure next to me this time, my body turning into hard and cold metal.

I run in his direction, clenching my fists and getting ready to grab him. I tackle Michael to the side, and I throw a punch his way, but he quickly dodges it, and my fist collides with the floor instead. I punch him again, and the same thing happens again. I wait a second, and then I manage to get a hit on him.

"You're annoying," Michael says.

He throws me off him, and his hands glow a bright yellow energy. He throws a beam directly at me, and I jump just in time to avoid it.

"I should kill you," I say, my head clouded by anger. "What did you do to her?"

"I'm not interested in sentimentality," the asshole says. "I'm sure as an Osmosian, you can understand how delicious her power is."

A groan escapes my mouth, and I run to him again. I use all of my strength to pick up a piece of the ground as I peel it off the floor without a struggle. I throw it directly at him, and I internally celebrate when it hits him, throwing him off balance.

But it barely does anything. Michael lifts up into the sky again, and he throws another beam at me. This time it hits me directly in the chest, and I'm sent right into the ground.

"I was slow with draining her," he says with a smirk. "I took my time; I wanted to cherish it."

My blood literally feels like it's boiling at his words. I jump up again, and I'm able to tackle Michael directly onto the ground. While I'm on top of him, I press my hand against his eyes, trying to do as much damage as possible. But his skin feels rock hard, and it barely achieves anything. I pick up a broken piece of the ground and slam it onto Michael's face.

He screams, holding his nose and instantly moving away.

"You broke my nose!" His voice is whiny.

"I'll break every bone in your body," is all I say in response.

"Enough!"

Michael raises his hands in the air again, and I'm ready to dodge another one of his attacks. But instead, I find myself gripped by something tight, and when I stare down, I groan. I'm trapped in his energy, and he lifts me off the ground.

"Kevin, no…" I hear Gwen's very faint and weak voice. I almost sigh in relief, but another look at her tells me she isn't okay.

I clench every muscle in my body, and I press tighter against the restraints. But before I can make any progress, Michael throws me to the very far back of the room. My head directly hits against a metal pole, and I see stars for a moment.

I hear yet another surge of energy, and I prepare for an attack. Possibly deadly. But no. I can't. I need to stay awake, alive, to help her. I close my eyes and press my arms protectively in front of me as I brace for impact.

But it doesn't come.

"What are you doing?" Michael's voice asks, almost laced with fear.

I open my eyes just in time to see Gwen weakly grabbing Michael's arms and forcing him to face her.

"Coming to my senses," she says.

I squint my eyes as lights start flashing all around the place; pink and yellow beams of light start shining brighter and brighter until a loud noise echoes and two loud thuds follow. I open my eyes wider. Gwen is lying directly on the floor, her face now back to its normal color, but the bruises all over her skin remain.

Michael is splattered weakly on the floor. I don't waste any time. I force my body to stand up, and I run over to him. I lift him by his collar, pushing him against the wall. He looks terrible. His skin is gray, his body is skinnier, and he can barely open his eyes. But I don't care.

I punch him once, causing him to fall to the floor again. And then I walk closer to him again. I punch him again, causing blood to drip from his nose and mouth. And then I do it again. And again. And again. I don't stop. I continue hitting him until his eye is swollen, until his breathing becomes labored.

"Kevin," Gwen says weakly from next to me. "Don't."

I stop mid-punch and turn my head to her. She is still on the ground, her hair floating around her like a halo, and she's obviously still too weak to move or stand up. I throw Michael back onto the ground and I turn to her.

"Gwen," I whisper, careful to keep my voice as gentle and quiet as possible. "I'm sorry."

I take off my jacket and use it to wrap around her body. Not only because of the goosebumps on her arms, but also because I can't handle seeing the bruises running all over her skin; it'll cause me to return and kill Michael once and for all. I lift her off the ground, holding her closer to my body.

"You don't—" she winces before she can even finish her sentence.

"You're too weak," I say, staring directly into her green eyes. "Close your eyes and rest, okay?"

She nods, and I pull her closer to my chest, pressing my chin on top of her head and trying to control myself. She's okay. She's safe. She's in my arms. I start walking away from the building and toward my car.

I gently kiss the top of her head and continue to hold her close, almost as if she will disappear before my eyes if I let go. Fuck, it's my fault. I shouldn't have left her to go alone with him. I close my eyes and open them again, trying to focus on the now instead.

We finally reach the front of my car, and I open the door and gently place her in the passenger seat. She doesn't let go for a moment, her arms still wrapped around mine.

"Easy," I whisper. I reach closer and help her put her seatbelt on while she continues staring at me with those eyes that are killing me. I place a hand on her cheek and gently hold her. "I'll take you home, okay? Just close your eyes and rest."

Gwen simply nods and finally lays her head against the seat.