The next day at school, the atmosphere felt heavier for Dava. The absence of Niko Santoso is like a dark cloud that hangs. His homeroom teacher only announced that Niko permission did not enter because of his family, but Dava and his friends knew were not true.
During a break, they gathered in the aisle behind the quiet school.
"I've tried calling Niko again. Still dead," Reyhan reported.
"Social media has also been inactive since three days ago," added Fahri, who had checked.
"I have asked the children who are tutoring with him. They say Niko does look scared lately," Alex said.
Dava listens with a serious face. "This is our fault. We forced him to open, and now he is missing."
"We have to do something," Daren insisted. "This has become a missing person's business."
"But we have no proof that he was kidnapped. The police would not want to help only based on prejudice," Dava answered. "We have to look for ourselves."
"How to?" asked Fahri.
"We retrace all Niko's steps before he disappeared. Who was the last time to see him? Where? When?" Dava proposal.
"Last week, I saw him with a guy near the city park. They were seen arguing something," Reyhan said suddenly.
"Guys? Like what?" Dava asked quickly.
"The height is medium, wearing a hoodie so his face is invisible. But from the way it goes, I think we are still a teenager, maybe our age."
"Are there any other characteristics?" urged Dava.
Reyhan frowned, trying to remember. "He uses a strange watch. The silver color with a black strap, and there is a logo letter 'K' in the middle."
"Logo 'K'?" Dava repeated. "Have you ever seen it?"
"No," Reyhan answered. "But that's quite striking."
"Fine. That's our first clue," Dava said. "We are looking for anyone in this school who has a watch with the 'K' logo."
Meanwhile, Dava did not forget Bella. As planned, they take turns watching Bella from a distance. That day it was Alex and Fahri's turn.
They followed Bella from behind the crowd of students when Bella went to the library with Anindi and Zara.
"Looking for a book for history assignments?" Anindi asked Bella.
"Yes. Mrs. Sinta wants us to analyze the second world war," Bella answered. But his eyes looked glazed, his mind was still lagging behind the conversation with Dava in the park.
"Are you okay, Bell?" Zara asked worried. "Since yesterday you look unusual."
"I'm fine. Just lack sleep," Bella answered quickly. He did not want to share about his meeting with Dava. It's too confusing.
When Bella looked for a book on a shelf, a guy approached her. Alex and Fahri were immediately alert.
"Who is that guy?" whispered Fahri.
"Do not know. Not from our class," Alex answered.
The guy greeted Bella. "Bella, right? I'm Kevin from the 12th grade of Social Sciences. I see you're looking for a book about World War II? Incidentally I too."
Bella looked at him flatly. "Yes. But there is only one copy on this shelf."
"Oh, no problem. You can take it. I can borrow it next time," said the guy with a friendly smile.
"Thank you," Bella answered shortly, then took the book and turned away.
Kevin still smiled, not affected by Bella's cold attitude. Alex and Fahri looked at each other.
"We have to report it to Dava?" asked Fahri.
"Wait a minute. Maybe it's just a coincidence," Alex answered.
But then they saw Kevin taking out his cellphone and as fast as lightning photographing Bella from behind before leaving.
"Alex, you see that?" hissed Fahri.
"I see. Let's follow him."
They left Bella's supervision and began to follow Kevin. Kevin walked out of the library, through the corridor, and headed for the bicycle parking lot. There, he met another guy they didn't know either. They spoke briefly, then Kevin gave something small like a flashdrive to that guy.
Alex quickly took the cellphone and took pictures of them from behind the door.
"We must tell Dava. This is suspicious," Fahri said.
On the other hand, Dava is trying to find information about the 2009 kidnapping incident. He sneaks into the TU room during sports lessons, pretending to take care of administration.
"Ma'am, I was told by the teacher to see the school newspaper archive in 2009-2010. For historical assignments," Dava lied to the TU officer.
"2009-2010? It's been a long time. Maybe there is no. Try searching in the library," answered Mrs. Tu.
"I have been looking for, ma'am. Nothing. Said the teacher, maybe saved here."
Mrs. tu sighed. "Alright. Please search in the archive room. But hurry up, soon the break is finished."
Dava enters the dust -full archive room. He looked for a shelf that reads in 2009. After a few minutes, he found a big folder that read "Kliping Koran 2009".
With a pounding heart, he opened it. There are many clippings about school activities, but there is no about the kidnapping incident. Looks like the school deliberately did not archive negative news.
He was almost desperate when his eyes caught a small map tucked behind the shelf. The map reads "Taman Merdeka incident".
He opened it. It contains only one newspaper article that has been torn and a photo. The article is the title: "The 6 -year -old girl survived the kidnapping, the perpetrator escaped".
Dava reads fast. It contained about a little girl named Bella Putri Himawan who was saved from an attempt to abduct by a 6-year-old boy. No name was named the boy. Interestingly, there is a paragraph that states that the victim's family requested that this news not be exposed further to protect privacy.
So, Bella was saved. But why doesn't he remember? And why is the report circulating saying he was kidnapped?
Dava photographed the article with his cellphone. He also took the photos on the map. The same photo as he has, but in a larger size.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside. He quickly kept the folder in its original place and hid behind the shelf.
The door opened, and someone entered. Dava could not see his face, only clean black shoes.
The person walked directly to the rack where the map and took the "Merdeka Park incident" map. He opened it, checked its contents, then rested with satisfaction. Then he left again.
Dava waited until the footsteps disappear and then came out of hiding. Someone is also looking for the same information. And that person knows where to look for it.
After school, Dava gathered his friends again.
"I got new information. Bella was not kidnapped. She was saved. But her family covered up the news."
"Then why doesn't he remember?" Reyhan asked.
"Maybe traumatized. Or maybe ... something else happened afterwards," Dava guess.
Then Alex showed Kevin's photo he took. "There is a suspicious guy approaching Bella earlier. His name is Kevin from Social Sciences. He took a picture of Bella quietly and gave something to another guy."
Dava checks the photo. "We have to find out about Kevin. And also about the guy he met."
"We also continue to monitor Niko. There is still no news," Fahri reported.
"Then monitor. And now, we have two targets: Find information about Kevin, and find out who took the garden incident map in the archive room."
"Maybe that's the same thing. Maybe Kevin is the person who works for the mastermind behind all this," Daren suggested.
"Maybe," Dava said. "But we need proof. Alex, Fahri, you look for info about Kevin. Reyhan, Daren, you try to investigate the guy that Kevin met. I will try to talk to Bella again. He needs to know that he is not kidnapped, maybe it can help him remember."
"Are you sure he will want to talk to you again?" Alex asked.
"No. But I have to try."
Dava is waiting for Bella in the school parking lot. He saw Bella coming with Anindi and Zara.
"Bella, can we talk for a moment?" Call Dava.
Bella frowned. "Especially?
"I got new information. Important."
Anindi and Zara looked at them.
"We are waiting in the car, bell," said Zara finally, pulling Anindi away.
Bella approached Dava with an impatient attitude. "Especially?"
"I know you're not kidnapped. You're saved. There is a newspaper article that proves it."
Bella was surprised. "What? But ... yesterday you said ..."
"I was wrong. My initial information was wrong. But clearly, you were not kidnapped. You're survived."
Bella was silent, processing this information. "Then ... why don't I remember anything?"
"Maybe you are traumatized. But this should be good news. You don't need to be afraid of your past."
Suddenly, a basketball floated quickly from the field and almost hit Bella's head. Dava with reflexes pulled Bella and fended the ball with her hand.
"Hey! Be careful!" Dava shouted towards the field.
Some children who are playing basketball just laugh. But Dava saw something. One of them, who did not join in laughing, was looking at them sharply. And on his wrist, there is a silver watch with a black strap.
Dava immediately pointed. "Reyhan! Alex! That guy! His watch!"
Reyhan and Alex who were near the parking lot immediately ran to the basketball. But the guy immediately ran away, passing the school gate quickly.
"Chase!" shouted Dava.
He and his friends ran around the guy, leaving Bella who was still silent, still felt the touch of Dava who had just saved him from basketball.
For the first time, Bella did not see Dava as an enemy. He saw him as someone who ... cared.
But behind all this, someone is watching from the second floor window. He smiled at the chaos that happened.
"The more exciting, Dava. The more exciting. Continue to dance following the rhythm I play."
Chase and Confession.
Dava, Alex, Reyhan, Fahri, and Daren ran as fast as they could after the boy in the tracksuit who was speeding away from the school grounds. The boy turned into a narrow alley between two shophouses.
"Don't let him get away!" shouted Dava, leading the chase.
They turned into the alley. The alley branched into two. They stopped for a moment, out of breath.
"Where is he going?" asked Fahri, staring at the two equally deserted branches of the alley.
"Daren, Reyhan, you go left. Alex, Fahri, and I go right," ordered Dava.
They split up. Dava and her friends ran down the winding right alley filled with piles of cardboard boxes. Suddenly, from behind a pile of cardboard boxes, someone ambushed them. It was the boy they were chasing.
He immediately attacked Dava with a punch. Dava swiftly parried and retaliated with a kick. They engaged in a brief, heated exchange.
"We just wanted to ask a question!" Alex shouted, trying to break it up.
The boy didn't answer. He threw an aerosol can at them. The can released a stinging gas that made their eyes sting and made it hard to breathe.
"Tear gas!" Fahri shouted, coughing.
In the chaos, the boy ran away again. Dava tried to chase him with watery eyes, but he had already disappeared down the alley.
Reyhan and Daren came running from the other direction. "We didn't find him there. What's wrong? Why are you guys coughing?"
"He threw tear gas," Alex replied, still wiping his eyes.
Dava cursed under his breath. "He's a professional. Not just an ordinary student."
"But we got something," Fahri said, picking up a small object from the ground. "It fell out of his pants pocket."
It was an access card. It said "Budi Mulia High School Computer Lab - Limited Access".
"Computer lab access card?" Daren said. "So he does have something to do with the school."
"But why haven't we seen him?" Reyhan asked.
"Maybe he's not a student. Maybe he's staff or something," Alex guessed.
Dava examined the card. There was no name, just a serial number. "This could be a clue. We have to find out who owns this card."
Meanwhile, Bella was still standing in the school parking lot, a little stunned by the incident. Anindi and Zara approached her.
"Are you okay, Bell?" Zara asked. "The ball almost hit you."
"Yeah, I'm okay," Bella replied. "Dava... he saved me."
Anindi and Zara looked at each other. "So... maybe he's not as bad as we thought?" Anindi said.
"I don't know. It's all so confusing," Bella complained. "He said there was a newspaper article that said I was saved from kidnapping, not kidnapped."
"Is that true?" Zara asked. "We should be able to find the corona archives."
"But why didn't my parents ever tell me?" Bella muttered.
"Maybe they wanted to protect you," Anindi said. "Childhood trauma can have a big impact."
Bella nodded slowly. "I have to find out the truth."
"We'll help you," Zara said reassuringly.
Back to Dava and her friends, they decided to investigate the access card. They went to the computer lab and found Mr. Budi, the IT teacher in charge.
"Sir, we found this access card on the street," Dava said, showing it. "Does this belong to our lab?"
Mr. Budi examined the card. "Yes, this is indeed a lab access card. The serial number... it should belong to Mr. Rudi, the lab assistant who just quit last week."
"Mr. Rudi? Why did he quit?" asked Alex.
"He said he got another job. He only worked here briefly, about two months," replied Mr. Budi.
"Is Mr. Rudi medium height, brown hair, and likes to wear hoodies?" asked Dava.
Mr. Budi frowned. "Yes, something like that. Why?"
"It's okay, sir. Thanks for the information," Dava said quickly, then pulled his friends away.
Outside, they immediately started discussing.
"So that person is Mr. Rudi, the lab assistant who quit," said Fahri.
"But he looks very young. Like he's still in high school," Reyhan argued.
"Maybe he just looks young," said Alex. "Or maybe this card was stolen, and he's not the real Mr. Rudi."
"We need to find out more about this Mr. Rudi," Dava decided. "Maybe he had something to do with the server crash."
"He might have been the one who sent Niko," Daren added.
"But his motives are still unclear," Dava said. "And how this all relates to the threats against me and Bella's past."
That night, Dava received another message from an unknown number.
Message: "You almost caught me today. But you were too slow. If you don't want your missing friend to get hurt, stop now."
Dava immediately replied. "What did you do to Niko?"
Reply: "He's safe. For now. But if you keep investigating, I can't guarantee his safety."
Dava: "What do you want from me?"
Reply: "I want you to suffer. I want you to lose everything you care about. Like he lost everything because of you."
**Dava: "Who is he? Tell me! I don't know what you're talking about!"**
Reply: "You'll know. In time. For now, enjoy this uncertainty."
The messages stopped coming. Dava was frustrated. She called Alex.
"Alex, he called me again. He threatened to hurt Niko if we keep investigating."
"We have to report this to the police now, Dav. This is serious."
"But he's watching us. If we report it to the police, he might hurt Niko."
"Then what should we do? We can't just stop like this."
Dava was silent for a moment. "We need help. But not from the police."
"From who?"
"From someone we can trust. Someone unexpected."
"Who?"
"My father."
Dava rarely asked his father for help. But this time, he knew it was serious. He went to his father's luxurious study on the top floor of their house.
His father, Antonio, was sitting behind a large desk, reading documents. "Dava, what's wrong? It's late at night."
"Dad, I need your help. There's a serious problem."
Antonio put down his documents. "Problem? What's the problem?"
Dava told him everything. About the server crash, about Niko being missing, about the threats, about Bella and their past.
His father listened intently. After Dava finished, he sighed. "This... is so unexpected."
"Dad, do you know anything about Bella's kidnapping incident? Why did their family cover it up?"
Antonio stood up and walked to the window. "It was... a difficult time. Bella's family asked for everything to be kept under wraps. They didn't want Bella to grow up traumatized."
"But why doesn't Bella remember anything? And why would someone blame me for it?"
"Because..." Antonio thought for a moment. "Because maybe someone did blame you."
"Who?"
"The family of the person who tried to kidnap Bella."
Dava was shocked. "Do you know who tried to kidnap Bella?"
"Yes. He was a thug who often operated in that park. His name was Budiman. He had already been arrested by the police, but... he had a family. A wife and child."
"So... maybe his child or wife took revenge?"
"Maybe," Antonio said. "But we don't have any proof."
"We have to find Niko first, Dad. He's in danger."
His father nodded. "I'll hire a private investigator to look for him. But you have to promise me you won't do anything dangerous again. Let the adults handle it."
"But he threatened to hurt your family if the police or adults get involved."
"Private investigators work discreetly. They won't find out. Trust me."
Dava nodded. "Okay, Dad. Thank you."
"Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day."
Dava left the room, feeling a little relieved. But she didn't know that her father hadn't told her everything. After Dava left, Antonio took out his cell phone and called someone.
"We have a problem. He's starting to remember. You have to speed up your plans."
From behind the door, Dava overheard the brief conversation. Her eyes widened. Her father was involved? Her father was hiding something?
Dava's world was spinning faster. Who could she trust now?