Every one of us looked at her in complete surprise. Mr. Nibble suddenly jumped up from his seat, almost knocking the chair over, and grabbed Mrs. Tyler's shoulder tightly. His tone was sharp, urgent, completely different from the lazy croaking voice he'd used earlier.
"Mrs. Tyler, do you happen to remember Mrs. Miranda's car number?"
Mrs. Tyler's stern face hardened even more. She firmly moved Mr. Nibble's hand from her shoulder and answered in a steel-edged voice, "Of course not. I rode in her car once when my wheels busted. It was a gray hatchback. That's why I was surprised to see a silver hatchback today. She's the only one around here with a gray one."
Mr. Nibble shot her a resentful glance, then immediately barked orders, pointing first at the gate guard.
"Go fetch the back gate guard. Now." Then, turning to the girl in blue, "Maria, get me the parking recordings and the ID card scan logs for today."
They both nodded and rushed off.
As soon as they left, I stepped forward and came face-to-face with Mr. Nibble, my voice shaking with fear. "You can't be thinking that Mrs. Miranda abducted my son?"
He looked at me, eyes filled with dread and sympathy. "Mr. Hawker, I don't think it was Miranda. I think someone might have impersonated her. In which case… I'm afraid your son has been abducted."
My legs nearly gave out beneath me.
No.
This can't be real.
Why would anyone take Twen?
We're not some influential family. We have no power, no money. There's nothing to gain. This has to be some sick misunderstanding.
A hand landed on my shoulder. Sam's tense voice followed. "But how is that possible? Wouldn't someone have noticed?"
The three teachers exchanged strange, blank glances. Miss Keyla was the first to speak.
"I didn't see Miranda at all today. I had morning classes."
"Neither did I," Mrs. Tyler said. "I came in late. Classes had already started. She wasn't in the faculty room either."
All eyes turned to Mr. Nibble, whose face suddenly turned a shade redder. He began sweating. His hand trembled as he pulled out a kerchief to wipe his forehead.
Suspicious as hell.
I stepped forward and grabbed his arm tightly, my voice sharp. "Did you see that woman?"
Mr. Nibble looked cornered. "I saw her, just briefly, as she was leaving in the evening. I called out to her, but she said she was in a hurry. I didn't think twice. Just… her voice sounded a little different."
"Did you see her face?" Sam pressed.
"I-I didn't," he admitted, clearly panicking.
"Then how the hell did you know it was her?" I shouted, tightening my grip.
He winced, "Her build, blonde, tall, and same figure."
I gritted my teeth and squeezed his wrist harder, fury and fear swirling violently in my gut. "That's why you got spooked when Mrs. Tyler mentioned it. That's why you panicked, because you knew something was off!"
"Mr. Hawker, please let go," Miss Keyla interjected, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I understand how you feel, but we don't have proof yet. And the school isn't empty, we would've been alerted if someone suspicious was roaming around."
I looked at her calm face and her hand on my shoulder. Desperately, I wanted to believe she was right. That this was just a mix-up. That Twen was waiting somewhere for me to come find him.
Then the gate guard returned with another lanky, watery-eyed man trailing behind him.
"Did you see Mrs. Miranda today?" Miss Keyla asked the new guard, her voice calm but firm.
He blinked, confused. "Not really! Her car windows were up… all the way to her eyes."
My knees nearly buckled. I leaned against Sam for support.
Mr. Nibble turned the laptop to the guard. "Is this the car she came in?"
The guard squinted at the screen. "Yes. She's the only one with a gray hatchback."
Mrs. Tyler exploded, "That's not gray, you witless dumbo! It's silver! Are you colorblind?"
The man looked around nervously, his watery eyes now threatening to spill over. "I-I'm sorry. They looked the same…"
"You—" Mrs. Tyler was about to go off again when light footsteps interrupted.
The girl in blue returned, her face pale. Mr. Nibble and Miss Keyla rushed toward her. Keyla snatched the USB. Mr. Nibble grabbed the A4 sheet she was carrying.
Miss Keyla plugged the USB in and opened the parking lot footage. Sam and I came to stand behind her.
Mr. Nibble slammed the scan sheet down beside the laptop. "11:34 a.m.—scanned in. 3:37 p.m.—scanned out. No other log."
Miss Keyla forwarded the video.
We saw a silver hatchback enter the parking lot… then disappear off-frame. Miss Keyla checked the second angle: nothing. The car had landed in a blind spot.
Coincidence? Or calculated?
The woman exited the car. No visible face. Just a tall figure, long blond hair.
But then, suddenly, the screen glitched. Ten minutes of footage went blank.
"What the hell is this?" Miss Keyla snapped, staring at the black screen.
John, the guard, stepped forward nervously. "Our CCTVs… they've been glitching. Power outages. Just bad timing…"
I couldn't hear anything anymore. The panic swallowed everything.
My Twen.
He's gone. Someone took him. I don't know where, or who, or why. I don't know if he's safe, or if he's in pain, scared out of his mind.